The night had already slipped past midnight, marking the start of a new year.
The six-hour limit for his Spirit Core's formation had long passed, nearly nine hours now, and still nothing.
Frey sat in his bathtub, completely naked, water lapping faintly against his skin.
Normally, once the core fully formed, the body would purge its impurities — that foul, black muck that stank to the heavens. Some even grew taller afterward, their strength and vitality surging overnight.
But for Frey… nothing. There was no glow, no change, and no sign of his core completing.
He clenched his fists under the water, his jaw tight. "Why the fuck is my core still not formed?!"
Frey could only press his eyes shut, his mind a storm of memories not entirely his own. Three lives collided inside him, each demanding to be acknowledged, each bending and twisting his sense of self.
The headache was relentless, a sharp reminder that his identity was no longer singular.
Once the Core formed, he was certain his increased intellect and mental fortitude would ease the pain. But for now, he could only wait, suspended in the uneasy tension of his own body.
* * *
Ten hours passed since the awakening ceremony. Then, without warning, it came: a warmth that began in his chest and radiated through every fiber of his being.
It wasn't just warmth — it was power, undeniable and raw, awakening something primal within him.
And then the voice. A voice like the world itself speaking, resonant and infinite, flooding his mind with authority and gravity.
Frey let out a long breath, a smile trembling across his face. "Finally… I'm finally a fucking Awakened."
He knew instantly what the voice was. It was the Will of the Soul Realm, commonly called the Realm's Will. It did not belong to any being, yet it was aware, conscious in a way only those with a Spirit Core and an awakened Spirit Sea could sense.
Frey's focus drew him inward, deeper into his Spirit Sea, until his consciousness slipped into a domain entirely his own.
The space inside him was vast, a crystal-clear sea stretching beyond sight, impossibly still yet alive with hidden currents of energy.
At its center rose an island, a perfect green, dotted with red roses, dominated by a colossal world tree that bloated toward a fractured black sky.
Before he could take it all in, messages from the Realm's Will flooded his Spirit Sea in a relentless flurry.
[ Your Spirit Core has been fully formed. ]
[ Spirit Core: Stage 1 – Awakened. ]
[ Your Spirit Sea has been fully awakened. ]
Frey's lips curled in ecstasy. This was the true beginning; his journey toward power and freedom.
Then a message appeared, making his eyes narrow.
[ Synchronizing your past life memories and merging them. ]
[ Merging memories of Zhen Godfrey, Frey Montclair, and Frey Sinard… 5%… 20%… 50%… 70%… 100%. ]
[ Memories successfully unified. ]
[ You are recognized… Godfrey Sinclair. May you attain the heights you seek. ]
[ By the laws of the Realm, you are granted the title of 'Spirit Walker'. Traverse the Realm freely, and let your will shape your path. ]
Before Frey could even grasp what was happening, a searing pain erupted through his mind, shattering every thought.
"Ahhhhhhh—"
He screamed as his body convulsed violently in the bathtub, every fiber of his being screaming. It felt as though his soul was being ripped, purified, and reforged all at once.
Muscles tore and reshaped themselves, hardening into combat-ready definition.
Black, viscous impurities erupted from every pore, mixing with blood in the water, the stench choking and intoxicating all at once. His white hair grew wildly, cascading past his shoulders and down to his waist.
The agony of bones snapping into new positions and memories colliding across lifetimes overwhelmed him. Frey lost consciousness, writhing in a haze of pain, his body and soul both remade.
When it finally subsided, the only sound was water dripping softly around him.
Outside, the town still buzzed with lanterns, music, and laughter, oblivious to the transformation that had just taken place in one small home.
* * *
After an unknown stretch of silence, Frey's fingers twitched. A faint ripple disturbed the still water, and his eyes slowly opened.
For a long moment, he didn't move. He simply stared at the ceiling — no pain, no joy, no confusion — only a quiet emptiness, like someone seeing the world again after a long sleep.
Then, at last, he exhaled. "Sigh…"
He rose from the tub, water and filth sliding off his skin. The once-clear bath was blackened with blood and impurities, the remnants of what he had shed — his old self.
The stench made him grimace. He drained the water, dropped in crushed herbs and aether crystals, and turned the gear valves until the tub began to rumble. Steam filled the air, curling around him as he sank back into the hot water.
"Haa…" He let out a low breath as warmth seeped deep into his bones. The sensation was almost surreal, as if he'd been reborn.
When he finally stepped out, he pulsed aether through his body. A soft white energy rippled across his skin, drying the droplets that clung to him.
He wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way to the mirror in his room.
The man reflected there wasn't quite the same one who had fallen unconscious. His face was sharper, his gaze steadier. The childish softness had vanished, replaced by quiet strength.
Frey Sinard… no, Godfrey Sinclair — smirked faintly.
"As handsome as ever," he murmured. "Finally lost that childish, girlish look."
He'd always hated that delicate face of his, it was a reminder of how weak he'd once been.
Frey shook his head. That was all in the past. Now, it was finally time to see what abilities he had gained from his spirit bond… and to uncover what she truly was.
He rummaged through his wardrobe, only to sigh in disappointment, every outfit was too small for his new build. He'd have to buy new clothes later.
He sat back on the couch and closed his eyes, focusing inward. His consciousness slipped into his Spirit Sea, taking the shape of his current self as he hovered over the vast, crystal-clear waters.
This inner domain was where his bonded spirit resided — the core of his power, and the sea dictated how much aether his body could hold. It would expand with each ascension in stage, or whenever his Aether stat increased.
As he concentrated, glowing runes shimmered into view before him, forming the lines of his Soul Record.
— ✦ —
[ SOUL RECORD ]
Name: Godfrey Sinclair
Race: Human
Title: [ Spirit Walker ]
Spirit Bonds: [ Vespera Calistra ]
Spirit Core: Stage 1 [ Awakened ]
Spirit Essense: 0 / 1000 [ Early ]
[ — Core Stats — ]
Strength: 4.6
Agility: 4.8
Constitution: 4.2
Mental: 7.5
Soul: 10
Aether: 6.7
Luck: 1
[ Spirit Gifts ]
◆ Core Gift : [ Sin of Lust ]
◆ Active Gifts : [ Eros' Gaze ] [ Five Senses of Ecstacy ]
◆ Passive Gifts : [ Passion's Fortitude ]
[ Innate Talents ]
◆ Eidetic Soul [ Legend Celestial ]
◆ Seven Deadly Sins [ Legend Divine ]
— ✦ —
It took Frey almost five minutes to process everything, and when he did—
"Hahaha… HAHAHA! I am fucking broken." He started pacing and even moonwalking across his room, a pure grin plastered on his face from the sheer bliss of reading through his Soul Record.
Some of the gifts he'd gained were undeniably perverted, fit for brothels and courtesans alike. But he had no intention of joining any. With his years of experience as Prince Zhen Godfrey, the infamous playboy genius, he could put them to far better use.
After a few minutes, he calmed down and sank back onto the couch. Many of his questions had been answered, but just as many new ones surfaced.
One grim truth hit him hardest. He finally understood that the deaths of his past two lives were connected to the same entity.
He looked again at the name of his Spirit Bond:
Vespera Calistra.
Frey's eyes turned cold as memories of those past lives flooded back — but a wry, almost amused smile soon replaced the chill.
In this world, he would make sure she either obeyed… or died.