soul of Arthur de Regalia.

Inside Nova's mind -

Arthur de Regalia: So, you will get rid of me from my own body like this.

Nova: You do know that I can kill you inside the mind, right? I am free because of you, for that, I am indebted to you. That's the only reason you are alive.

Arthur de Regalia: Do you know I saw your real form? It's blurry, but I can vaguely remember.

Nova: What? Why don't you say something before?

Arthur de Regalia: I really don't want to talk about that, but I saw you in that endless void. you are not a living being with flesh and blood. You are more like how you described it, a pure form of energy, but in a humanoid shape.

Nova: I know that much already. I don't have a body, so I am not really a "living being."

Arthur de Regalia: No, you don't. Do you know before the blast, you saw me? You were like a radiant being with translucent silver form of energy, and you looked at me with your cold, emotionless eyes. when I stared into those ethereal eyes, I feared you more than my own death.

Nova: Hey, whatever you saw, that's not me.

Arthur de Regalia didn't respond to his remark and decided to shut his eyes.

 Nova walked down the road along the castle. Freya prepared the carriage, and the journey to Emberforge Mountains began. 

 Ignis would stay behind to oversee the castle in their absence, as stated by Freya.

Nova said, 'This is my first time visiting that region, right?'

Freya responded, 'No, Father. Before the mountains, the essence pillar is located near the mountains. The energy near the mountains is rich with increased gravitational pull, which is the best place for them to settle. In fact, they are the first inhabitants of Star Haven.'

The carriage arrived at its destination-

 Nova stepped down, and the people of the region gathered near the mountains to see the high ruler with their eyes. 

Nova walked to the lord's palace under the mountains. There were roughly 200 thousand people in the Emberforge region, most of them Magentites with Dwarves mixed in. 

The lord prepared a feast to welcome the high ruler. To not decline, Nova ate and drank moderately and said to the lord, 

'Mr. Hamrick will be expecting me in the grand forge. When I enter, make sure no one disturbs us.'

The lord nodded, acknowledging Nova's request. 

As Nova entered the grand forge, he found Mr. Hamrick waiting for him, along with a team of talented forgers who were diligently work on their projects.

Upon entering, Hamrick spoke, "I have prepared everything inside; we can begin the process." Nova nodded in agreement, ensuring Freya would oversee the procedure to prevent any complications.

Nova removed the spirit armor and handed it over to Hamrick. The seasoned blacksmith then requested, "Majesty, we need your blood." Nova cut his hand, allowing his blood to fall onto the armor. 

Hamrick initiated the process, informing Nova, "This will be painful for both of you, and you will lose consciousness."

As the procedure commenced, Nova fell into a state of unconsciousness. Within Nova's brain, a conversation unfolded between him and Arthur de Regalia:

Arthur de Regalia: Seems like the process has started.

Nova: Now you talk.

Arthur de Regalia: Do not change, Your Majesty. Stay human.

Nova: What do you mean by 'stay human'?

The soul-extraction process was agonizing for both Arthur de Regalia and Nova. The beasts outside cried, resonating with Nova's pain.

Arthur de Regalia's soul was successfully pulled out, and Hamrick bound it to the rune he had created earlier. To complete the bind, a contract with the spirit armor was necessary.

Nova, barely conscious, made the pact by sharing his energy with the spirit armor. The armor vibrated as it accepted Nova as its master, integrating invisibly with Nova's body.

Hamrick declared, "The process is complete, but the soul will be in sleep for three days; it will awaken after that."

Freya expressed her gratitude as Nova lay in the bed prepared for him. The spirit armor sparked, initiating the physical recovery of Nova's body. 

When Nova woke up, his first words were, "Arthur de Regalia, are you there?" There was no response, and Nova called for Freya, concerned that the contract might have failed.

Freya reassured him, saying, "No, Father, the soul will not awaken for three days."

Satisfied with the progress, Nova spoke with the lord about the future development of the Emberforge region.

He promised to send the next batch of 'draranium' without any cost as a token of gratitude.

nova asked the lord to create a ornament in the shape of ring and imbude it with summoning spell into the runes.

The king, expressing his thanks, accepted the commission for a ring with a summoning rune imbued in it, ensuring it would be personally delivered to Nova.

Nova and Freya then boarded the carriage, making their way back to the central region, where the castle was situated. 

The region was under Nova's rule as the high ruler, and he had returned to oversee the affairs of the central region.

-In the castle-

Nova needed to increase his physical strength. The current vessel couldn't hold his energy much longer, and it required reinforcement.

Nova walked towards Freya's office, where she was immersed in her work with a high stack of documents awaiting her attention. Aware that disturbing her with a minimal problem could be a waste of her time, he decided to explore the surroundings.

Vispeda was near the castle gates, and Nova approached him, inquiring, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be patrolling the area?"

Vispeda, standing tall and vigilant, replied, "Majesty, I am assigned to be your personal guard. I will go where you go."

Nova nodded, contemplating Freya's increasing paranoia. He expressed his thoughts, "Freya is becoming more paranoid. Who can harm me on my entire planet? I can read the energy signature of all beings, and there won't be any infiltration without me knowing."

Curious about increasing his physical health, Nova questioned Vispeda, "How did you improve your physical health?"

Vispeda responded, "Majesty, I practice the 'physical art,' which is passed down to our race. Everyone in our race practices this art to enhance their physical abilities."

Nova pondered, "Can I learn that?"

Vispeda regretfully replied, "I am sorry, my lord, but the art is suitable for our kind. If others practice it, they will experience a decline in their physical abilities instead of improvement."

Understanding the limitation, Nova nodded, saying, "I see."

Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Wait. Aren't the chiefs of the tribes are same as my body? Maybe they have some arts that I can practice."

Vispeda agreed, "That's a really good idea, Your Majesty."

Curious to know more, Nova asked, "Which is the strongest tribe?"

Author Note - who is the strongest chief out of all the chief's? can you guess?