Soul Digger-Chapter 72: UNFORTUNATE THREADS

Rolan and Velonica stared at the disappearing Man-Eater corpse before them. While impressed, Velonica bore a slightly disturbed feeling playing on her nerves. Could she be blamed? Even though the head and torso of the Man-Eater had nearly vanished, its overwhelming size was still present.

She took frequent, nervous glimpses at Rolan’s reaction to see if he was lying; he didn’t have a shift in expression, and his hands were uncomfortably steady. Rolan lowered her to the ground as carefully as he could, her body crunching against the white snow as she was laid flat.

"Thank you," she softly spoke.

Rolan smoothly returned her gratitude with an assuring nod. Truthfully, the calamity that befell her team did, in fact, bother him to some extent. In a way, he felt bad; at the same time, there wasn’t much pity for them within him. After all, death was one of the trial’s biggest risks. He needed Velonica as a tool yet equally planned to help her overcome the fear lingering within her.

’If anyone deserves to give those bastard creatures a beating, it’s her,’ he thought, giving her a warm side-eye.

Velonica’s gaze was pasted on the Man-Eater’s dead corpse as though she studied it. Using her little strength, she pushed herself to her feet and went closer to the creature’s corpse. Squeezing both fingers together, she gently swiped the remaining flesh with her tip while piercing it with her nail.

"Rolan, I believe you know how Man-Eaters and Soul Drainers are made."

Thanks to the Deity’s previous briefing, Rolan had a decent idea—not the full scope, just fundamentals and general knowledge. "Man-Eaters and Soul Drainers are essentially the same at birth; they both go through the same stages of development before diversifying near maturity," Rolan explained.

"Both supernatural creatures first undergo an orb stage; they spend several hours to months in an orb-like state as wavelength constructs inside and shapes their body. The second is the mobile cocoon stage; it’s similar to insects, however, they grow tiny legs and hands which allow them to attach to other humans and objects like parasites until they absorb enough wavelength to develop further. They look essentially the same in those two stages. I believe I heard if they attach to a weaker host in the second stage, the person or thing will die from wavelength deficiency." He Explained with vigorous movements.

’Did I hit the nail on the head?’ A stroke of worry splashed his mind.

"You’re right about all that." Her voice turned into a more concentrated investigator’s tone. "Over the years, Indulger research has exposed three things. The first was that the danger level of a specific environment or domain can be determined by the Man-Eaters that inhabit them. The second, Soul Drainers naturally absorb more wavelength in their cocoon stage than Man-Eaters. Soul Drainers are highly complex supernatural creatures; some are capable of draining the wavelength of a full-fledged Adherer-class without developing at all—a truly weird bunch. Finally, Man-Eaters that absorb wavelength beyond their usual capacity during the cocoon stage develop Soul Drainer-like characteristics." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Rolan’s brows sloped closer to his temples as his face wrinkled; he understood the information Velonica was trying to convey. "Are you saying...?"

"These Man-Eaters are near-Soul Drainer hybrids. Soul Drainers are extremely dangerous, even considering the amount of anomalies and apparitions Indulgers deal with. Unlike other creatures, Soul Drainers have high transcendent potential and development rates. They can grow their intelligence and strength, and reach Adherer-class and beyond levels of grievousness, possessing more evolution than us humans. They’re living versions of the Neataruzo myth."

"Neataruzo?" Rolan blundered out coldly. "You’ve heard of him?"

"Why would I not?"

"Uhmmm... because I assumed so. I’ll admit it was a foolish assumption."

Velonica lowered her brows with a pained face. "You’re really starting to underestimate me because of my weakness. Neataruzo isn’t just a myth; it represents a creed Indulgers follow, the perfect example of why people like us have pride in our work and maintain balance in False Earth."

Rolan felt the pain in her voice and shot back. ’Fortunately, she wasn’t in a fully recovered emotional state. If she were, that’d blow my whole edgy persona. I forgot to limit how much I talk to others,’ he reasoned. ’Still...’

"Hey Velonica, let’s say hypothetically, Neataruzo was real and he existed as we speak. What would you do?"

"That’s impossible," she instantly countered. "If Neataruzo existed, we all wouldn’t be here. That being is pure evil. But if we ignore what the stories dictate and he were here, the real question is: what could I do?"

Rolan smiled and submitted to her answer. On the outside, he played along, admitting his words and questions were foolish in a comical way, but within, his intrigue grew larger as the seconds flew by. After all, he saw it himself in the land of Augst; if anything, it was HIS fault a devious entity was released onto the world.

But he couldn’t tell her that, nor anything that happened in Augst.

’We’ll leave things as they are. Don’t tell anyone else about Neataruzo or the land of Augst.’ The Deity’s orders rang like a bell in his ears.

Velonica returned her attention to the corpse and clicked her tongue. Rolan watched her dissect the deconstructing creature with her bare hands; the elegant jewelry she wore and her dazzling face collided with her brutal actions and focused stare, making her into something between benevolence and malice.

’Velonica has the full package. I might have hit the jackpot with her.’

The sound of squishing, tearing limbs, and popping organs was as revolting as the thick stench diluting the cold breeze. Rolan exhaled a frosty breath; since he gave Velonica his uniform’s coat, he was exposed to the vicious cold once again.

His nerves stung like his hands were being pushed through a grinder, his jaw stiff as the blood in his veins felt like refrigerated water. ’How many times do I have to die before I gain immunity to this cold?’ Rolan asked himself.

The Venerable Heart may have granted him the gift of immortality, but lately, Rolan wondered what the point of being immortal was if he constantly felt the anguish and agony of pain. Wouldn’t it be better to die and get it over with? Or so he speculated. At the time, his mind aimlessly scattered through the stars, trying to find peace wherever it could.

Several times, the thought of starting a new life as "Rolan Swindler" brushed Cole’s mind, but he was already wrapped too thin in the threads of consequences he spun. From his revenge against Atasa and Salone, Antadisma and Dean’s knowledge of his true identity, his newfound sister Gothel and the citizens of Sant Flores, and more importantly, the problem of Neataruzo he released, Cole had no choice but to keep his true identity alive rather than carry on as his persona "Rolan."

’The Deity, Vanity, and the Potter are my only connections to True Earth. If one day I go back, I’ll require as much assistance from them to clear my name. If that’s impossible, re-sealing Neataruzo is the biggest concern; only then can I think about the warmth of death.’ Rolan flung his glare to the sky. ’This back-and-forth life of pain and resurrection is pointless. My dream of a peaceful life has long sunk into the sea of my actions. I doubt there’s a happy ending waiting for me; all I have now are overdue responsibilities.’

WHACK!

"Ow!" Rolan flinched from pain.

"Sorry, I’ve been calling you for over a minute, but your mind seemed to be up in the clouds." Velonica’s lips twitched in an annoyed manner.

"My apologies. I was simply contemplating a few things, is all."

"If you’re done contemplating," Velonica pulled her hands out from her back. "Check this out." In her hand was a purple, glowing organ.

BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP!

Rolan gaped. "Is that..."

"Man-Eaters are wavelength manifestations; their murderous intent and violent behaviors aren’t driven by anything but a natural instinct. They lack the ability to grow intelligent or evolve past their current forms; that’s the boundary that sets them apart from Soul Drainers. Those with Soul Drainer-like characteristics at most have highly complex body structures of blood veins, intestines similar to humans, and defensive mechanisms." Her voice fell, weighed by a taut rage.

BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP!

"Out of all those complex body structures, it’s not possible for a Man-Eater to possess what I’m holding now." Wrinkles drew beneath her eyes and lips.

Rolan stretched a frown as his eyes remained widened. "A heart..."

BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP!

"Correct. This is a human heart... and it’s being kept alive by the wavelength trapped inside." Velonica grit her teeth like a wounded lion. "This thing is a hybrid of three species, an abomination if nothing else."

Velonica’s eyes slacked into a delicate stare. "What do we do, Rolan?" The fingers pressing against the creature’s heart quivered.

Rolan used his thumb to wipe his lower lip and rubbed his face against his elbow. "Bury it. Eventually, the wavelength will burn out. The main body is dead; the heart will stop beating." He responded in a plastic, unperturbed tone.

Velonica followed Rolan’s instructions. It would take about an hour for the wavelength to die out considering the Man-Eater’s body structure and size. Wavelength was a thing of the soul; being caged in a human heart to fuel the Man-Eater wasn’t just crossing natural boundaries, it was an insult to Indulgers across False Earth and the principles guiding them.

Velonica’s examination of the disappearing corpse further backed her previous statements: the North Pole was being toyed with by an evolving Soul drainer with an immense wavelength. At the same time, it gave Rolan’s hypothesis a small nudge.

’Soul Drainers can gain intelligence beyond the limits of a human brain. But that doesn’t apply to this case; the fusing of a human and near-Soul Drainer suggests an Indulger might also be involved. I was right not to drop my hypothesis so soon.’

"Remember, Velonica." The air around Rolan dropped subtly. "All we discovered today stays between us."