Soul expansion effect.

In a room filled with darkness.

I don't know what kind of place this is, or even what has brought me to this place.

It felt very dark and cold there, like being underwater.

Besides, I was alone there.

At least, until there was a footstep.

The owner came to me with a laugh, "Fufufufu~"

Its laughter sounded very happy, for some reason.

Looking around, I couldn't find anything or anyone who might be able to let out such a laugh. After all, I was the only one who was in that place back then.

There was no one else or anything else, only darkness.

-Is that just my imagination?

When I was just starting to think that it was just my delusion, a hand suddenly touched my shoulder from behind.

"Of course not."

*Gasp*

I was surprised and straightened my body at first, but a while later I finally managed to get my composure back and then asked the owner of the voice.

I didn't look back, because somehow I felt that I would regret it if I did.

"... Who are you?"

The voice giggled happily afterward before answering my question.

"You're right... I... Em... Yep, you could probably call me your 'guide'? Because I will always help you to regain your perfect form..."

Since I didn't fully understand what the voice was saying, I asked back.

" Guide? Also, what is 'My perfect form'? I don't remember I had that kind of thing-"

However, my words were suddenly cut off after that because the hands of the voice owner suddenly started hugging me from behind.

The hands of the voice owner look very white and delicate, but also simultaneously feel inhumane or not alive.

I could even hear the voice start to chuckle near my ear.

"... It's not the right time for you to know all those answers. However, well... I'm also actually looking forward to a time when we both can kill those savage creatures who always look down on everything other than themselves back. Yes, as we always did in the past."

After saying that to me, the voice owner started laughing again. It seems that it is in a very good mood now, for some reason.

"Wait, wh-what are you talking about? I-"

Again, my words were truncated because of what the voice owner was doing.

So that I couldn't say anything else, it put its hand in my mouth.

I tried to resist, but couldn't - no, it felt more like my body itself refused to fight anything or whoever the voice owner was.

The voice also began to tighten its grip on me.

"... I'm happy. Very happy. I'm starting to feel like going berserk anytime now."

Stopping there for a while, the voice owner started licking my cheeks and neck like a dog who was wanting attention from its owner.

"... Although you are already strong enough with your current self, you still strengthen yourself again by expanding your soul? Ah~ you have indeed always exceeded my expectations~"

I don't understand what the voice owner is saying.

-Strong? Me? Don't be kidding! I'm just... Just... A weak person who always fails...!

I wanted to get out from the voice owner's hands, yet I couldn't even move even one of my fingers.

"Hm... You seem to be confused, yes. Do you feel that you are just a weak person? Yes, it's not wrong, but at the same time it's also wrong, you know? You are indeed weak, but that is only when you are alone. You just have to wait for me for a while. Because if we are together, no one will be able to beat us again."

-Huh? What are-

"Well, I can't be here for long anymore. So... Goodbye for now~"

Along with the end of the voice owner's words and a soft wet feeling touching my cheek, I lost consciousness there.

***

"Riot? Riot? Can you hear me? Oi~..."

"... Hah?"

When Riot reopened his eyes, the view of his bedroom room in his wooden house immediately greeted him.

-That's all just a dream?

Unable to find that cold dark place anywhere else, Riot began to wonder if that all was just a dream.

"RIOT!!!"

"Uwah?!"

However, at that time, Rielfeilm's screaming voice which was heard directly from his head immediately interrupted Riot's musings, bringing him back to reality.

Riot's face looks a little messy because of all the too sudden turn of events.

"... R-Rielfeilm?"

Rielfeilm sounded a slight snort at the time before continuing.

"Yes, it's me. I have already started the process of expanding your soul, and it has gone quite smoothly - or even too smoothly? It's a little unusual for me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... You know-"

After that, Rielfeilm began to explain to Riot the difference between the expanding Soul process of a normal living organism, and the expanding soul process that occurred in Riot.

Unlike the expanding soul process in normal organisms which will take a while and move slowly, Riot's soul expansion process occurs very quickly although what Rielfeilm did was just a little stimulation at Riot's soul growth point. As if, all Rielfeilm did was to open a huge gate, which had indeed been there for a long time.

"... I see."

However, the strangeness in Riot's soul discovered by Rielfeilm doesn't just end there.

"In addition, your current soul is still expanding even though I have completely stopped needing it. The speed of expansion has indeed decreased, but your soul continues to expand slowly and surely."

Riot started to make a confused face there.

"... Eh? Is that bad?"

"Not really. It's just... I'm just a little worried about whether your body will be able to keep up with this unusual growth of your soul, or not."

Hearing that, Riot also fell silent.

-So even with this... My life didn't surely survive, huh... Sigh~

While thinking about that, Riot also turned his eyes towards the window of his house.

There, Riot discovers the fact that it has darkened. Seemingly he had been asleep for quite a while.

Although, Riot didn't even know the reason why he can fall asleep in the first place.

Seeing Riot like that, Rielfeilm also began to become curious about him.

"... What's the matter?"

In response, Riot just shook his head slightly.

"Nothing. I just thought about walking around for a while..."

"Heee~..."

***

*Tap* *tap* *tap*

In the quiet nighttime atmosphere of the village, only the sound of Riot's footsteps can be heard echoing in the surroundings along with various insect sounds that are active at this time.

Raising his face, Riot can see a beautiful view of the starry sky with its green moon shining brightly there.

Closing his eyes to check the condition of his body, Riot couldn't find any strangeness in his body.

He instead felt that he had been getting fitter and stronger, for some reason.

The red tattoo on his right hand - [Spirits art] has also turned blue, indicating that his life energy will not be sucked in by the spirits that reside in his right hand anymore.

But,

-What is this? I feel very strange.

His body is fine, his life is also quite fine because Riot doesn't have to bear any big responsibilities like a hero or something and can live a fairly quiet life here. However, since he woke up just now, Riot always felt very strange and anxious for something unknown reason.

-Will something happen to me?

*Sigh*

Riot opened his eyes again.

"I won't be able to sleep in peace if I keep this up."

Because he was constantly getting a strange bad feeling, Riot started walking into the forest.

He didn't do it for any particular reason... He just felt that he would feel better after walking around there. Considering his meeting with Rielfeilm... He might find something there.

But Riot can't be too sure. After all, this strange premonition just guided him to the forest... Right, just guiding.

"One thing for sure is... I couldn't be able to calm down before checking it out."