Eventually, Alex snapped out of his thoughts and noticed they were already near his mansion.
The gentle scent of rain lingered in the air, mixing with the sweet, earthy aroma that rose from the damp ground. Droplets still clung to the car windows, glistening under the Sunlight as if the world itself had been refreshed.
Fizz, ever the dutiful assistant, opened the door for him. With the grace of a gentleman, Alex stepped out of the car, holding his wife in his arms as if she were the most precious cargo in the world. After carefully setting them down, Fizz parked the car and quietly exited the mansion's vicinity, leaving the couple to their privacy.
As they made their way inside, Alex couldn't help but notice Mina, who stood bowing her head in embarrassment. Beside her, Rina also appeared, her face clearly marked with fear.
"Welcome back, Master and Madam," they both stammered awkwardly.
Cellia nodded, her sharp eyes catching a glimpse of Felly peeking from behind the kitchen door. With a playful thought and a graceful smile, she glanced at Alex. But instead of joining in on the fun, Alex simply continued toward his room, silent as ever.
He had a lot on his mind, once in his room, Alex sat cross-legged on his bed *Huff, taking a deep breath.
'System, start the integration process for the Holy Soul Lotus,' he commanded.
{Ding! Error! Holy Soul Lotus requires your permission to fully access your soul.}
{Do you want to grant it?}
{Yes} {No}
'Why the heck are you acting like a glitchy software?' he thought as he pressed "Yes" on the system panel without a second thought.
{Permission Granted!}
{In Process: 10%, 20%, 30%...}
Suddenly, Alex's eyes rolled back, turning white as he lost consciousness. His body began to glow, and his heart ceased to beat, making him appear almost... dead.
---
Meanwhile, on Sin Planet...
Inside the grand hall of Sloth Palace, a woman with purple hair smiled sweetly in front of a mirror. Her closed sleepy eyebrows glinted with an odd mix of satisfaction and amusement as run a hand through her flowing hair.
"Go ahead, enjoy your freedom while you can. The real game is about to begin, hehehe!" She laughed softly to herself, savoring the thought.
'What a fool,' she mused, 'to think he could ever trust the word of a sinful goddess.' Her thoughts wandered as she observed him. 'He's fortunate his soul survived the Life Judgement and landed in my domain. If not, some glutton would've devoured his prime soul for power by now.'
Her amusement briefly flickered into curiosity. 'But how in the sloth's name does he have that much karma? In his past life, he wasn't exactly a saint. Maybe… something in his prime life?'
She frowned, a dark thought flickering in her mind before she shook her head with a laugh. "Nah, nah, nah. Overthinking is exhausting. I can't question it too much, thanks to that, he's useful to me, now."
She mumbled to herself, reviewing her plans as she watched Alex through the mirror, particularly enjoying the scene of him with Felly.
'Well, I don't expect anything from you, Just like you, I am also an introvert... Just play and die fast,' she thought with a sly grin, as she sauntered toward her balcony.
Holding the mirror in one hand, she leaned against the boundary wall, her gaze falling on her favorite golden tree.
"IMMORTAL SEED? WHERE IS MY KING SEED? WHERE?" she suddenly shouted, her eyes widening in horror as she looked at the small golden tree.
The outburst echoed in the halls, startling her attendants, but she didn't care. Her mind raced, her heart pounding as the horror of what had just happened struck her.
Stunned to the core, she rushed to investigate and alert her sisters and aunts of this alarming news.
---
Back in the dark void, Alex found himself floating once more. 'Where am I? Did I die... again?' he wondered, looking around at the pitch-black surroundings.
Then something caught his eye—a network of golden roots spreading across the ground, pulsating with white light as they converged toward the center.
'Huh?' Alex carefully stepped closer, trying not to disturb the roots. His eyes landed on a large, golden walnut-like object.
'Golden fruit?' he thought, recognizing it as the small golden seed he had swallowed out of curiosity, figuring it was something precious, especially since it came from what he thought was an immortal tree.
Boom!*
A loud explosion in the black sky above made him flinch. He shielded his eyes from the blinding light that followed. After a few seconds, the light softened, and he dared to peek at the new spectacle in the sky.
'What's that?' he wondered, watching the lotus like flower descend gracefully, spinning like a fairy and spreading white light across the dark expanse like a sun.
{ERROR!}
{Ding! UNKNOWN Variable is defending your Soul Source!}
{Analyzing...}
{Ding! 105,34-Year-Old Semi-King Seed Detected.}
{Host! This seed is still in its Semi-Phase. Do you want to merge it with your soul?}
'Huh,' Alex was stunned after he saw four digits after one "Bruhh, I am going to die" His face lost all colors, while his brain backflipped to think of every possible plan to hide from sloth queen "But still-"
{Yes} {No}
Without much thought, Alex pressed "Yes." 'What the heck is going on...?'
{Two accesses granted to your Soul Source. Error!}
{Taking precaution, excluding access to Soul Lotus!}
{Error! Danger! Taking precaution to protect the soul!}
{Using Suppression... In Process 70%...}
{Two accesses granted to your Soul Source. Error!..Error!}
{Taking precaution, Harmonizing process using mutual method!}
{Ding! Process: 100% Success!}
Huff* Huff*
He slowly opened his eyes, his heart racing like a madman with his vison blurred.
{Ding! You gained the Light Element!}
{Ding! You gained the Holy Element!}
{Ding! Title Received: Independent Soul}
[Independent Soul: Your soul is no longer bound by the universe's birth cycle, death cycle, you can now take control of your own soul and influence others and exist independently.]
"What the" Alex stared at the notifications in stunned silence, excitement bubbling up inside him. But amidst the joy, something strange was stirring within his soul sea.