She closed her eyes for a second before they quickly snapped back open.
"HOLY SHIT!"
I recoiled in surprise when she acted like this. This reaction was unlike her previous elegant and refined way of speaking. The contrast was too challenging to handle.
Realising her actions, Aether turned away, before blushing in embarrassment and then composing herself. Afterwards, she turned and faced me.
"I apologise for my outburst. I also would like to take back my previous statement about not talking to you. I would like to speak with you."
"Why?"
It was suspicious for her to just retract her statement. She smiled before continuing.
"I would like to make a deal."
'Gotcha'.
"And what would that deal be?"
"The boy named Julius Argenti, I want his body. For it, I'll protect your family, friends and descendants for a certain number of generations. We can hash out the details later. I'll even train you as a part of the deal."
My first instinct was that he wanted to sleep with Julius. But that didn't seem like her intention.
"Why do you want his body?"
"His body is the perfect vessel for my reincarnation."
'Reincarnation? She wants to have a body so she can come back to life. But what are the conditions for her to use the technique?'
"Why do you need Julius specifically?"
"I guess I have to tell you. There is a technique called {Soul Takeover}. It allows the user to destroy a person's soul, and then take over their body. A similar process occurs when a soul attribute user lets their prisoner escape from captivity. However, the sealed soul usually fails at two crucial steps."
"And those would be?"
"Firstly, the sealed soul doesn't assimilate with the body. They don't actually take over the body, meaning they soon die off. Secondly, the body isn't compatible with the soul."
"So Julius has a compatible body for your soul. And if I somehow accept this deal, wouldn't you be controlling a man's body."
I suspected this trade would mean Julius' death, so I wasn't going to accept it. But I wasn't going to reject her outright. I wanted to glean as much information as I could from her.
"Okay, let's make this clear. Your soul is only compatible with your own body. Your soul will only deteriorate when in another object. If your body is destroyed, you cannot just take another body, even if it is a compatible vessel."
"Then why do you need a compatible vessel."
"I was getting to that. A compatible vessel means a body that can handle the technique {Genetic Overdrive}. The technique allows to you rewrite the genes of the body you've obtained so it matches the body you originally had. So it doesn't matter if the body is male or female, the result will always be my body. However, for superior beings like me, finding a compatible vessel is hard and finding one can take centuries."
Aether's explanation made sense and explained why she comprised with me. She was desperate to come to life so she would accept many demands even if it is disadvantageous to her. But a crucial factor was missing.
"That makes sense and all, but there is one massive issue. How do I know you are telling the truth? This could all be an elaborate lie. And even if isn't, how do I know you'll keep your side of the bargain when you obtain a body?"
"Is giving you my word enough?"
"No."
I rejected her flatly.
"I'll take an oath."
"I just said no."
"That's not what I meant. When I said I'll take an oath, I will carve the promise onto my soul."
"Is that technique?"
"Yes. Using this technique means that whatever promise is carved onto the soul, the user has to abide by it. If they go against it, then their soul will shatter. It's a death contract."
"Then why haven't I heard of this technique."
Hearing about a technique like this to conveniently circumvent the issue I had was extremely suspicious.
Especially since a technique like this should already be known. I understood the {Soul Takeover} technique required very specific conditions so it being unheard of was understandable. But this technique could be done by anyone.
"Your civilisation probably hasn't discovered this technique."
"A technique like this seems extremely useful."
"Not many are willing to experiment with their soul. If you mess up carving an oath, you shatter your soul."
"I'll give you an example. I'll carve an oath. I can only tell the truth for 5 minutes."
"5 minutes?"
"I don't want the oath to last indefinitely. Setting a time limit is essential so you don't get caught in eternally binding contracts."
"How do I know you are carrying out the technique?"
"Do you think anything that has to do with souls can escape the eyes of a soul attribute user? Especially within their soul. You may not be able to hurt my soul, but my soul is still completely laid bare to you."
I couldn't deny that. When I first met her, I could see the entirety of her soul. The depths of it were unimaginable and the force it held seemed endless.
She then carved the oath into her soul. I saw the whole process occur. I flinched because employing the technique seemed extremely painful.
After seeing her use the technique, my instincts were telling me that she would only speak the truth. My mana was responding the same way.
"Was the information about reincarnation and vessel true?"
"Yes."
"Then what do I get out of helping you?"
"A lot. I'll protect you till the end of your lifespan and even your children, grandchildren etc. I have an infinite lifespan, so it won't be hard to protect a small number of generations of a person. I will also be your personal teacher."
"Anything else?"
"We can discuss it later. So do you accept?"
I stared into Aether's eyes. I wouldn't be able to force any more information of out her. I was going to reject her but I wanted to confirm something.
"Will the use of the technique result in Julius' death?"
"Yes."
"Then no."
"Why?"
"Julius is my BEST FRIEND! Why the fuck would I sacrifice him?"
"It is just a good deal. You just sacrifice one person so that your whole family will be safe."
"I don't need you to protect my family. They are S ranks. And if they need help, I'll obtain your power for myself."
"You really think that you can obtain my abilities?"
"What do you mean?"
"Unlike the other people who have been sealed, I have perfect control over my soul. I will give you none of my abilities. You know this already. Whenever a soul attribute user seals a soul within them, they have a direct connection to the soul and feel its power slowly feeding into them. This is not happening."
She was still under the oath, so she was telling the truth. I also recognised that I couldn't feel any power of hers coming to me.
"There are only two ways you'll get my power. One, if my will weakens, which means I will lose my power and two if you challenge me for my power. The first one won't happen. I've been able to stay conscious for over 1000 years inside a rock, so I can last till the end of your lifespan. And I welcome you to challenge me. Then we don't need to do the trade."
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue in annoyance. I've heard of challenging you the sealed soul before. It's when instead of waiting for the power to be drip-fed into you, you forcefully take it.
However, it had a massive caveat. If you lose, the soul is freed and you both die, so many didn't take this route. But for me, it would be the only way if I want my once-in-a-lifetime technique to go to waste.
"Then I'll become stronger than you and take your power."
Her eyes widened in surprise. Then she started laughing.
"Become stronger than me? Hah, in your dreams. Even your current Mage Emperor is an ant compared to me. If I had to use your ranking, I would be at the top end of the SSS rank. She is only SS rank."
"But you've been defeated before."
After I said those words, she looked coldly at me in silence. Nobody spoke for a couple of seconds.
"You wouldn't be in this state if you weren't. It was Yugo Agni who did it, wasn't it? Even though you didn't speak back then, I could feel your anger when I visited his palace."
I could see veins popping on her forehead. I thought she would start raging, but she only took a deep breath.
"Do you think you can reach the same heights as him? Only one person in over millennia from this continent was able to."
"I will."
"Then I await your challenge."
After her provocation, I turned around, planning to exit my soul. I found my target. My goal would be to become strong enough to defeat her.