Soul Armament (Part 2)

Azrael looked at the beautiful black-colored longsword, his heart pounding violently.

He already knew it was his Soul Armament due to the task he had received a few moments ago, but he had no idea what a Soul Armament truly was.

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, he turned to Ashara and asked, "Mom, what is this sword?"

Ashara stared at the chained sword for a few seconds before replying in a complicated voice, "It's a Soul Armament."

Azrael didn't speak and simply waited for her to explain further and just as he had expected, Ashara continued after a brief pause.

"Soul Armaments are weapons that grow alongside their users. There are two types of Soul Armaments in this world. The first is an artificially created Soul Armament, and the second…" She turned to look at the chained sword, "…Are Natural Soul Armaments."

Ashara stopped gazing at the sword and turned her eyes toward Azrael.

"As their names suggest, artificial Soul Armaments are forged by high level blacksmiths using current technology, while natural ones are those that form on their own."

She paused briefly, and her expression grew serious.

"Soul Armaments are extremely rare. If anyone wishes to use one, they must be at least Level 600. Of course, this level requirement only applies to artificial Soul Armaments. Artificial Soul Armaments are made using very rare spiritual and mystical materials. However, for a person to truly turn a weapon into their Soul Armament— a weapon that grows with them— they need to nourish it with their own spiritual power. And the amount of spiritual power required to do that is something only those who are Level 600 or above can provide."

Ashara paused again to give Azrael time to absorb what she had just said. Once she saw him nod, she continued.

"Unlike artificial ones, Natural Soul Armaments are weapons that come into existence on their own. There are many ways a natural Soul Armament can be born, but the two most common are— first, they appear like natural treasures. For example— your father possesses a Soul Armament he found in a small plane during his younger years. That weapon had been born just a few days before he happened to pass by and obtain it."

Azrael was surprised by Ashara's words and instinctively looked at Silas, who remained calm and composed.

"The second most common way for a natural Soul Armament to come into being," Ashara continued, "Is when it is born alongside its user. In such cases, the Soul Armament absorbs a small portion of spiritual power from the newborn it is linked with— just enough to form a basic connection between them."

At this point, Ashara looked at Azrael with a complicated expression.

"The origin of your Soul Armament falls under the second case. It came into existence right after you were born. However, unlike most cases, this Soul Armament absorbed a massive amount of your spiritual energy. Not only that— it even took a portion of your soul. Because of this, your soul was heavily damaged, and we were forced to use an extremely rare spirit elixir to save you."

She paused, sighing as her expression grew somber.

"Although the spirit elixir managed to save your life, your soul remained damaged— a part of it still missing as it was absorbed by your Soul Armament. At first, we believed that once you formed a contract with it, your soul would recover. After all, a Soul Armament is essentially part of your soul. Once it officially bonds with you, the piece of your soul it holds should naturally reintegrate with the rest."

"Unfortunately, that assumption turned out to be wrong— because this Soul Armament was completely different…" Silas took over the conversation at this point.

"Normally, once a natural Soul Armament absorbs a person's spiritual power, it will form a contract with them automatically. But this sword…" Silas shook his head. "We don't know what went wrong. Despite absorbing both your spiritual energy and a piece of your soul, it never formed a contract with you. And because of that, your soul was never whole—your existence was always incomplete."

Azrael was stunned by their words, dazed for a few seconds. But then something Silas said clicked in his mind, and his eyes flashed with realization.

"Dad, you just said my existence was incomplete. You said was. Does that mean…" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

At his words, Ashara smiled softly and nodded.

"Yes. Was incomplete. But now, for some reason, it's whole again. We don't know if it's because of the Galactic Eclipse or the awakening of your trait, but your soul has fully recovered. You are completely fine now."

Azrael fell silent at her words. He had a few theories about what could've caused his recovery, but each theory had its own flaws, so he chose not to dwell on it for the time being.

"You brought me here… Is it because I have recovered and you think I can now form a contract with it?"

Ashara nodded.

"I asked you to reach the mid level of the Breathing Method before bringing you here because I wanted your spiritual power to grow as much as possible. You have felt it, haven't you? After months of practicing the Breathing Method, your spiritual power must have increased significantly."

Azrael nodded in response as his spiritual power had almost doubled compared to what it was eight months ago.

He took a deep breath, his expression turning solemn.

"What do I need to do to form a contract with this thing?"

Silas shook his head.

"This Soul Armament is very different from others. But try infusing your spiritual energy into it— that's the usual method for forming a contract with a Soul Armament."

Azrael nodded at his father's words and approached the chained greatsword, his heartbeat accelerating with every step.

He stopped before the sword and stretched out his hand, ready to pour his spiritual energy into it.