Ash didn't have any idea what was going through Fabian's mind; even if he knew, he wouldn't care, as he currently wanted to try and find out about his new ability.
Old Jim and the others delivered the wolf's corpse to Ash's new place, and he paid them with the money his master had given him. After they left, he found himself alone with the massive corpse. Even his master wasn't around, making it the perfect time to test his newfound ability.
He took a deep breath as he looked at the wolf's corpse, which had black, greyish, thick fur that was stronger than even most tigers. He had to say Old Jim really did a good job and was able to kill it cleanly without any messy battle.
"Let's start."
Ash concentrated his mind, and his eyes turned pitch black again. An eerie and mysterious aura appeared around him.
The entire surrounding seems to have changed, as it seems filled with mysterious energy that doesn't belong to the world. The mysterious aura was unique; most people within the village couldn't feel anything at all, but some felt it.
At the centre of the village, in a secluded garden, two old men were playing chess. Suddenly, they both froze, their expressions grim, as an ominous sensation rippled through the air, making their very souls tremble.
Ash didn't know or had time to think as he activated his ability, 'Mark of Lost Soul.' His eyes, which turned pitch black, seemed to see another world hidden between the beautiful heaven and earth.
He gazed up at the sky and saw the sun, now a dark, ominous black, while the once-blue sky had turned a bloody red, filled with a malicious and oppressive aura.
At the same time, the wolf's corpse began to change. Ash watched as countless ghostly soul fragments, remnants of countless creatures emerged and started merging with the corpse, transforming it into something entirely different.
As the soul fragments continued to merge, the wolf's fur began to change, with reddish hairs sprouting across its body. Its size started to grow even larger, while its skin, muscles, and bones stretched and tore apart, expanding grotesquely.
Crunch! Crunch! ...
The wolf's corpse began to writhe, accompanied by the horrifying sounds of bones snapping and flesh tearing. After a few seconds, the wolf, which should have been lifeless, opened its eyes. They had turned a deep crimson, glowing with an intense aura of slaughter and bloodlust.
It quickly stood upright in front of him, its massive size now nearly twice that of a tiger, exuding an overwhelming and terrifying presence. Even more disturbing, it seemed to grow stronger with each passing moment as the soul fragments continued to merge into its body.
Yet, despite its fearsome appearance, he wasn't afraid. For some reason, he felt a strange connection to it—like everything about the creature was under his control.
Ash slowly moved his hand and placed it on the new wolf's head. As he had expected, the monstrous wolf seemed to understand his intent and bowed its head, allowing him to pat it.
Feeling this, he was in a great mood, but suddenly, he stopped as he felt extremely tired, and his spiritual strength was almost depleted. He quickly stopped his ability.
His eyes instantly returned to normal, the world once again became beautiful and full of vitality, and the mysterious aura around him also disappeared.
He almost lost his balance and fell because of his weakness, but the great wolf quickly supported him at the last moment.
"Phew." Ash let out a deep breath and patted the wolf's head like it was a pet dog. While he was thrilled to suddenly have such a strong companion, he couldn't help but feel troubled by its terrifying appearance. If it wandered out in the open, most people would probably faint—or even shit themselves in fear.
Though it looked somewhat cute to him, thanks to their mysterious connection, to others it was a fearsome monster radiating an aura of blood and slaughter.
It seems to understand his master's concern, and then slowly, its body starts to shrink and transform.
Within a second or two, the massive wolf transformed into what appeared to be an ordinary wolf, now even smaller than the original corpse. It still retained its slightly reddish fur, but instead of looking terrifying, it now had a sleeker, cooler appearance.
"Smart wolfie...." He couldn't help rubbing its head, seeing its smartness and ability to shapeshift.
Looking at Sleek Wolf, who was behaving like a husky, he thought of giving a name, as it was his first-ever pet.
"I am not good at naming, but let's call you Grim. Say, do you like it...." Saying that he rubbed its chin while it, like a dog, wagged its tail, feeling good and accepting its name.
After playing with Grim, Ash's thoughts drifted back to what had just happened—and what he had witnessed. The black sun, the blood-stained, wrecked sky, and the countless torn souls. A chill ran down his spine as he recalled it all, struggling to make sense of the experience.
'What was that?' He wondered, his mind racing. 'And how could my eyes see something like that?'
Not to mention using his ability, he seemed to have brought the dead back to life, although it seems different from the direct revival, as he didn't think of Grim before being dead, and now they were the same, but even then this ability seems to be mysterious and broken.
He didn't feel any aftereffects except it drained all his spiritual strength, which was nothing compared to the result.
Even if he never saw Grim fight, he was sure it was very strong. The demon bear he met wouldn't survive its single claw.
But just as Ash was lost in thought, reflecting on everything he had just done, two old men appeared outside. One of them was none other than his master, Caine, while the other carried an air of serenity and calmness.
"Caine, this is your place, and that shocking aura came from here—are you seriously telling me you don't know what's going on?" The serene old man asked, his calm demeanour with hint of suspicion.