"Merge!" Rey screamed. The symbols made his ears ring and pierced his mind one by one. His willpower was consecutively upgraded again and again as his pain surged at once."Riza will die if I fail…" With bloodshot eyes and pale skin, Rey tried to stay focused as his willpower was constantly shredded and reformed. The only thing on his mind was to protect her, to take vengeance.
Within moments, Rey couldn"t handle the pressure any longer. He lost himself and fell to the ground. The symbols shot out of his head like a wave. Before his vision faded and he lost consciousness, white blood faintly pulsed and coated him. His black eyes and hair turned white as his body violently shook.
Taking a deep breath of cold air, Rey"s hands move slowly as he got back up. His fingernails and teeth suddenly grew sharp like fangs and claws. He glared back at the bars and struck them ferociously.
Pang!
Under an overwhelming strength, Rey bent the bars apart, and he walked through them. Soma appeared right before him and was pleasantly surprised.
"Rey... so you escaped—" Soma laughed and was admiring him when Rey suddenly growled at him and clawed his face. Soma grasped his face and shouted.
"Good! You"ve improved, but I cannot let you go just ye—"
Rey headb.u.t.ted him, bringing Soma to the ground. Blood blossomed as Soma was dealt blow after blow. Struggle as he may, he couldn"t stop Rey.
"How are you this—" Soma tried to speak again but was. .h.i.t with an uppercut to his jaw.
Beaten black and blue, Rey vented out his rage and anger. Soma formed an orb of energy and it collided with Rey"s hands, sending them both backward. Soma fell and landed beyond the bars, constricting him as he failed to get up, while Rey walked further away. He took control and his senses flourished again. Stone paths and wooden houses lined his view. All of the citizens were already indoors except for a middle-aged man and a teenage girl.
"Rey?" Riza"s voice was filled with hope when she saw him, despite her blushing. Rey stood still with unfocused eyes.
"Get behind me, Riza. That"s not Soma, but it isn"t Rey either..." Sonalius was shocked at what he himself was even implying, but their lifeforce was different; though it felt like Rey… it wasn"t Rey. It wasn"t Soma, and even though it felt like Rey, he also felt a difference. Flabbergasted, Sonalius trembled.
"This... there"s a third soul within him! How has his body not collapsed yet‽" They stood only a mere four meters away as Rey"s body began to change. His veins, hair, and eyes turned a milky-white color as teeth grew and claws formed. A pair of clothes appeared out of nowhere and covered him.
"That brat really bit off more than he could chew. If I didn"t step in to save him once again, he would"ve gone mad!" Rey laughed hysterically for a moment before looking at Riza. "You have something he wants... Something I"d love too." Rey gazed upon Riza like she was an oddity, "but he caged me, I returned the favor for now!" He laughed with a sick rage that consumed him.
Sonalius and Riza stood there, holding their breaths. This new being seemed weaker than Soma, but his presence was even scarier to them. Rey got on all fours and prepared to leave.
"He"ll be back, you know. It"ll be up to you whether or not he wins. Help keep that brat of ours alive, won"t you?"
"Wait!" Riza spoke up and, after a moment of pausing, uttered. "Who are you?"
"Who am I?" he grinned and locked eyes with Riza, "I am Rey." He quickly turned back and dashed, disappearing before their eyes.
"He got control back! Sonalius, he is back!" Riza exclaimed, but Sonalius was silent. "What"s wrong? This is good news!"
"We have to move." Sonalius smiled bitterly. "That "Rey" said Soma will be back later and it"s up to us whether he lives. We have to get stronger and get away from him or else… What if Rey didn"t gain control? What do you have that he wants?"
"A Legacy," Riza paused, "I think. Just before Soma took full control, there was a fruit Rey gave me that contained a legacy, one that helped me grow far quicker than I should have been able to."
"Then the reason you were able to comprehend the light law through your own insights without being of the scholar rank, it"s because you obtained a legacy?" Sonalius found it made sense. "Then your genes are changing as we speak. That must be why he is seeking you."
Riza nodded, "And Rey said, before Soma took control, he likely wanted to restore the bloodline. If he gets ahold of me, he will restore his bloodline and win? What does that mean?"
"Let"s not find out. Come, we have to leave and get somewhere safe. Yytar is the capital of the Sun Empire. We should be safe there if we hurry. And we still have king Sig"car to think about."
"King Sig"car…" Riza felt like she would go crazy if she didn"t do anything to stop him, but there was little she could do. "Cultivate! Get strong and make him pay tenfold!" Riza wanted to get stronger, and so Sonalius and her went to a book store and quickly purchased a few techniques she could study while they moved closer to the capital before swiftly leaving. Now he knew she had a Legacy, even he was jealous. One needs to know natural Legacies are very rare! And from the looks of it, Riza had been given a priceless one specifically suited for the light law! Now was the right time for her to grow strong and cultivate into being.
Riza and Sonalius stocked up on food and water and headed to the city of Yytar while the guards were looking for a naked kid.