Three days remained until the Soul Festival—a day of laughter, sorrow, tears, and awe. It was the day of the soul auction, a rare event that occurred once every ten years, when souls served as currency. On that day, criminals, prisoners, lovers, the unfortunate, and the powerful sold their very souls in a desperate quest for power.
Theo, a notorious soul killer, was infamous throughout the districts of Delta State. Known for annihilating the souls that haunted and ravaged nations, he possessed formidable skills and achieved unparalleled victories, instilling fear even among kings. Yet no one had ever seen his face; legend maintained that anyone who dared to glimpse him met an immediate end—he killed them.
Though a descendant of the revered Phoenix Sword Clan, Theo had been exiled. Still, he continued to wear a mask crafted in the likeness of a phoenix.
His eyes were reminiscent of an owl's wisdom while echoing the graceful curve of a cat's gaze. His face, radiant yet shadowed, embodied the gentle elegance of a dove. His charms were unparalleled—yet no one suspected he was the feared soul killer. Only his wife—his first true love, Deborah, a woman deeply attuned to nature—held the secret. For her elegance, beauty, and strategic brilliance—as well as her strength and power—she was considered one with nature. Her heart, as pure as the heavens, harbored neither jealousy nor hate, and no evil tainted her very essence. With her spectacular power of lunar manipulation, she absorbed moonlight to enhance her speed and strength, even enabling high-based attacks. > > She fell in love with Theo at first sight. Theo hailed from the Phoenix Sword Clan—a realm of specialists dedicated to maintaining world peace, renowned for its unparalleled swordcraft and for a legacy in which the very grasses are said to burn like fire, a tribute to their phoenix ancestors. Yet, Theo was exiled from his land for falling in love with Tiana. > > In the Phoenix Sword Clan, love is forbidden, for it has historically sparked endless war, wrath, and jealousy—echoing the tumult of their ancestors' lives. To keep such chaos at bay, a great sorcerer, once graced by contact with the legendary phoenix, created pills designed to suppress extraordinary love. In this land, he alone decides who may marry, and his rule reigns supreme.
On the day of a solar eclipse—when the phoenixes are at their weakest—Theo ventured into the wilderness and encountered a being of legend: the bull of chakra .This mythical creature is reputed to be the only animal capable of unlocking all chakra and of devouring souls during every solar eclipse; its anger is so formidable that its roar can shake mountains.
Caught off guard, Theo was forced into a swift confrontation. Despite employing the ancient sword technique known as Bladeless Slash—a move passed down through generations and said to slice through both spirit and soul—his efforts proved futile against the creature's raw power. The Bull charged, leaving him severely wounded. With no choice but to flee, Theo ran until exhaustion overtook him beyond the clan's borders. Collapsing in the cold ground, he lay vulnerable as the majestic beast advanced, its intent clear: to claim his soul.At the last moment, as if answering an unspoken call, Deborah—one with nature—descended like a dove from the heavens. With a graceful slash, her lunar manipulation sent the beast retreating into the shadows.
Theo lay injured, beyond the skill of any physician. With quiet determination, Deborah lifted him onto her back, soaring through the night toward her home. There, she laid him down and, using her powers, began to heal him. Yet, despite her efforts, Theo remained unconscious. With no other choice, she gave him a fraction of her own life force—a gift she had never shared before. She had already fallen for the fiery red of his looks. As the life energy flowed into him, his wounds closed, but still, he did not wake. For three days, she tended to him in secret, hidden from her clan.
On the third day, trapped in his unconscious state, Theo envisioned his father's grave. It opened suddenly, an invisible force pulling him toward the coffin. As he stepped inside, the world around him vanished, leaving him in an endless void. Before him lay a sword, its handle adorned with a phoenix feather. He reached for it, fingers brushing the blade—then, in an instant, he was transported to another coffin within the abyss. On looking at the gleaming blade in the ebony darkness,all he could see is his soul shimmered with a luminous echo—a spectacle both mesmerizing and perilously bold. The sword's edge pulsed with an otherworldly aura, and the very air around it seemed sharp enough to slice through flesh.
In that charged moment, his father's spirit materialized, flooding Theo with a torrent of raw emotion. Words teetered on his lips, yet only tears could break free. Desperate to embrace the memory that comforted him, he lunged forward, only to find his arms passing through the spectral figure like a whisper carried by the wind.
"I know you seek my guidance," his father intoned, his voice carrying both sorrow and resolute strength. "But what lies ahead is far more formidable than all that has come before. I have vanquished the Leviathan and confined it within a coffin of fate; however, the coming adversary is one borne out of pure darkness."
Then the vision deepened. Theo beheld the Leviathan in a horrifying new form—a colossal serpent whose scales shone like precious stones, endowed with the strength of a hundred diamonds. Its towering body rivaled the might of a mountain, stretching long enough to encircle peaks ten times over. Infamous for exhaling searing torrents of emerald flame, the beast moved with a swiftness that belied its massive size, its human form mirroring the speed of light.During the revelations, the terrifying horrors of hell were unleashed upon the earth—burning fires ravaged the land, and giants trampled humankind, scorching them like mere fuel. Just as Thio was drawn back from witnessing these apocalyptic visions, his father solemnly declared, "I defeated the Leviathan, but at the cost of my own life. Yet what awaits is far greater than the demise of that beast. One born from the darkness within man's heart—one capable of annihilating planets and worlds—is destined to be born. It will choose its host upon its manifestation; its host will be the one struck by thunder, the one who wields the quill that never lies."
"Father, how can it be stopped?" Thio inquired.
"Son, observe the sword before you—the Sword of Wah'Thar. It is capable of slaying the Leviathan. However, owing to my impure intentions, I could only seal the beast with this sword instead of destroying it outright. Likewise, the one born of darkness must be vanquished with this very weapon, for nothing else can eradicate it. Be warned: releasing the sword will, in turn, unleash the Leviathan."
Having witnessed the devastation wrought by the Leviathan, Theo's heart is gripped with dread at the catastrophic consequences of releasing the sword.
And he rejects the offer. "And Their rejects the offer.
A guttural roar erupted from his father. 'you have made a wrong choice, the horrors inflicted by the one born of darkness are a hundred times greater than those wrought by levitation!' His words clawed through the air, laced with an eerie certainty. The growl was low—slow and deliberate—yet it crashed against Theo like a tidal wave, sinking into his bones with a force that made the ground beneath him feel unsteady. His father sends him back to his body while saying a poem.
"Leviathan sealed, yet shadows loom, A sword's power, the father's boon. Theo, dare you unleash chaos' might, To vanquish the greater blight?"
A few seconds later, Theo wakes from his unconscious state, finding himself lying on a bed—its fabric soft cotton, its blanket warm wool. He struggles to rise, his movements clumsy like an injured bird, but he eventually steadies himself. Disoriented, he stumbles out of the house, where the warmth of the early morning sun greets him. A gentle wind from the east whispers against his skin, carrying with it the scent of dawn…His gaze shifts to Deborah as she methodically hangs clothes on the rope. Her elegance and beauty create a captivating tableau while the breeze sends fabrics dancing across her face. Her skin glows like a sunlit sky, and her blonde hair, imbued with the aroma of spring blooms, frames a face that offers both softness and resolve. Her eyes, sharp and discerning, mirror the intensity of a seasoned hunter.
They lock eyes, and Theo finds himself instantly entranced. As their gazes intertwine, the haze of his confusion dissipates. Stepping closer, Deborah speaks in a gentle yet piercing tone, "Are you feeling alright?"
In that moment, Theo becomes acutely aware of himself, and panic seizes him. On impulse, he grabs a nearby pointed stick and thrusts it toward Deborah, demanding, "Where am I? Who are you?" His attempt to fight is undermined by the innocence in her expression, which makes him falter; a cough breaks through his fervor.
With urgency, Deborah brings him a cup of water. Though hesitant at first, Theo drinks it slowly. In a gesture born of turmoil, he clasps her hands, pressing them against his chest before pulling them back and forth in a threatening manner. Their eyes meet once again—this time with an intensity that seems to stretch into eternity as the breeze carries delicate petals and blossoms through the air.The rebellious peach tree arched above them, its blossoms casting a dreamlike aura over the scene.
Deborah broke the silence, her voice hesitant. "Um… you were unconscious for three days." She explained how she had saved him from the beast of chaos.
Theo thanked her profusely. She prepared a meal—with a brightly brewed wine He ate quickly.
Deborah stepped into the misty compound just as Theo felt a sharp pain stabbing through his chest. At that same moment, an immense log plummeted from the rooftop, seconds away from crushing her. Instinct took over. Theo hurled himself forward, catching her mid-air and pulling her from the path of the falling wood.
His hands gripped her waist. Their eyes locked. For a moment, he was utterly lost in hers.
Deborah's heart pounded as if she had just battled a fierce monster.
Suspended in the air, peach blossoms drifting around them—it was a moment drenched in quiet romance. They landed softly. She met his gaze, a flicker of amusement in her expression. "I could have saved myself, you know."
Theo steadied himself.
Deborah's lips curved slightly. "Thank you."