Tenebrous Wolf
Chapter 106: Little Experiment

Chapter 106: Little Experiment

Briefly glancing around the vibrant Soul Stream, Klaus couldn’t help but admit that it was far more alive than his own. That much was certain.

In comparison, his own Soul Stream felt barren. A vast, black sea illuminated only by a solitary crimson sun, devoid of movement or life. He’d often wondered why his inner world had taken such a form. Maybe it was connected to his Divine Echo, some unknown aspect he had yet to uncover. Or perhaps the answer lay hidden within his Soul Name.

Either way, it was definitely a mystery waiting to be unraveled. But that was a story for another day.

After recalling a bitter memory, Klaus snorted quietly and shook his head before addressing the subject of importance.

"Alright. So, why did you want me to come here in the first place?"

At the sound of his voice, Briar wordlessly extended a finger, pointing to something behind him.

Driven by a growing curiosity, Klaus turned around.

Towering behind him was a massive spire of black crystal. As his eyes adjusted to the shifting shadows within, he noticed something encased inside. It was something large, and unmistakably familiar.

It took him a few seconds to process what he was seeing.

The object suspended in the dark crystal was none other than the nightmare carapace — wounded, dormant, and motionless.

Klaus tilted his head slightly.

"I see. So this is the recovery stage for tamed monsters. Can you do this for every Night Creature you’ve subdued?"

Briar responded in her usual lazy drawl.

"You could put it that way, I guess. Still, it was a real pain not being able to save the Stalker in time or the other nightmare carapaces, for that matter. A careless oversight on my part."

He glanced over at her.

"Or maybe... you just couldn’t handle the strain of controlling ten monsters at once? After all, you’re still a fiend-rank demon. Must’ve been rough on you."

Hearing his words, Briar averted her gaze. There was a faint flush coloring her cheeks.

"What do you know about that? Besides, it’s your fault, yours and those two idiots, for even thinking about fighting that damn monster in the first place!"

Klaus raised a brow, mildly surprised, before offering a nonchalant shrug.

"Are you seriously still holding a grudge over that? If you want to blame someone, take it up with Seraphim. She’s the one who came up with that insane idea in the first place."

Briar opened her mouth several times before closing it. Then, she frowned with displeasure.

’Is she looking for an excuse to be unreasonable? Unfortunately for you, that’s If not, the best choice we could have made at that moment.’ He thought, feeling a little smug.

Shifting his gaze back to the towering spire, he noticed something peculiar; a pinkish fluid swirling within the crystal. If he had to guess, that liquid was likely responsible for the creature’s regeneration.

And if his theory was correct... then that pinkish fluid had to be Briar’s soul essence.

The soul essence of a demon, huh? It was intriguing. Just how different was it from that of a human?

As Klaus idly pondered the question — a curiosity that wasn’t exactly relevant at the moment — Briar suddenly spoke up with uncharacteristic hesitation.

"I need... ugh, I want you to drop a bit of your blood on it."

He blinked, caught completely off guard. Turning toward her, he raised an eyebrow.

"Wait. You want me to drop my blood on that thing? Why? What would that even do?"

Briar faltered for a moment, visibly struggling to form her words.

"It’s... completely experimental. I just wanted to test something out. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to."

Klaus narrowed his eyes.

This was definitely suspicious. Why call him down here only to ask him to do nothing? It was like when someone called you over just to say, "Never mind."

More importantly,

"I don’t see how feeding it my blood would accomplish anything. Wait... you’re not planning on turning into some kind of mad scientist, are you?"

The moment the words left his mouth, a wave of dread swept over him. Briar blinked, looking momentarily confused, then rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"What the heck are you even talking about? And for the record, I don’t know what kind of opinion you have about demons, but we’re not mindless brutes who only think with our fists. The ones who do think that way are generally looked down upon."

Her expression dimmed a little.

"Sure, our technology might not match the miracles humanity’s managed to pull off, but we’re still a clever, calculated species. So yes, it’s only natural we conduct a few... experiments now and then."

Klaus gave a dry look.

"Yeah, well, those little experiments of yours are seriously questionable. And besides, you do realize we can’t bleed inside an Ether Sea, right?"

Briar’s eyebrow twitched.

"Of course I know that, you idiot! What I want is your essence!"

Klaus tilted his head, confused.

"Huh? My soul essence?"

Briar continued.

"Yes, yes, I need your soul essence for this little experiment of mine. So, would you be a dear and prick your palm, then pour those precious drops onto the crystal?"

Still unconvinced, Klaus gave the succubus a wary look, shifting his gaze between her and the ominous black crystal.

’Why did she need my soul essence I wonder?’

He already knew she was hiding something from him, and she showed no intention of revealing it. Perhaps the demoness herself wasn’t entirely sure of the outcome, which was why she referred to it as a "simple experiment."

The real question now was whether he could actually go through with it.

Whatever she was planning, he had no idea. But it’s not like he’d die from spilling a little soul essence... right?

Besides, Striders hardly made use of their soul essence at this stage. That was because theirs was still in the "development phase" — dormant and inaccessible until they reached the next stage of progression. For instance, It was like trying to power a city with a battery still being charged. The energy was there, yes, but it hadn’t matured enough to be used efficiently, let alone safely.

Which meant the next progression, [Lancer], was the true starting point. That awakening was like flipping a circuit breaker: the moment where raw potential finally became usable power.

With that in mind, Klaus concluded there wasn’t any real risk to Briar’s little experiment. Besides, he was curious to see what would come of it.

After all, this creature was meant to replace the Stalker... though, in his opinion, it felt more like a downgrade.

Then again, who knew? Maybe the nightmare carapace could evolve but the chances of that happening were ridiculously low.

’Here goes nothing I guess.’

Swallowing his anxiety, the young man took a step forward.

He extended his hand and stared at his palm for a brief moment, debating internally. Then, with a quiet sigh, he drew a faint line across his skin. The pain was illusionary and only lasted for a second. It gently coaxed a few shimmering drops of soul essence to the surface.

The essence shimmered like a delicate and vibrant liquid starlight, almost too fragile to exist.

He let it drip onto the black crystal.

The moment the first drop made contact, the spire resonated.

... At least, that’s how it seemed.

For just a fleeting moment, the black spire emitted a faint glow and trembled slightly. The reaction lasted no more than two seconds, subtle enough that anyone not paying close attention would have easily missed it.

Noticing the brief reaction, Klaus frowned.

Because...

’Nothing happened?’

That was it.

After the crystal gave off a faint glow and a slight tremble, everything went still. The nightmare carapace remained sealed within; motionless, silent, still deep in recovery from its devastating injuries.

If he hadn’t been paying close attention, he would’ve assumed absolutely nothing had happened at all.

A quiet sigh escaped him. He was... a little disappointed.

In the first place, why had he even expected something to happen?

It wasn’t as if the nightmare carapace would suddenly heal in an instant, emerge stronger than before, or worse, transform into some new, deadly otherworldly creature. That kind of dramatic change only happened in stories.

His blood... no, his soul essence wasn’t anything extraordinary.

He wasn’t anything extraordinary.

He wasn’t special.

Klaus sighed again. This time, feeling more low spirited.

Honestly, if he had known this entire ordeal would be a waste of time, he wouldn’t have even entertained the thought of mentally coming down here.

Still, there was a silver lining.

He’d gotten the rare chance to witness the Soul World of a demon, a member of a race humanity barely ever encountered. That alone made the trip worthwhile.

A win-win scenario, in its own strange way.

Scratching the back of his head, Klaus turned to face Briar with the intention of telling her something.

"??"

But he paused upon noticing her expression.

For some reason, Briar wore an uncharacteristically serious expression. It was incredibly rare for the succubus to look that way. Even back in the Living World, she had never worn such a solemn look.

That was why Klaus paused, frozen in place, wondering what could have warranted such seriousness.

She seemed to be muttering something under her breath, but whatever it was, he couldn’t make it out. The words were too quiet to catch.

Just what was she thinking?

"Uh... Briar?"

At the sound of his voice, the demoness blinked and snapped out of her daze. Her head turned slowly toward him.

"Yes?"

Klaus raised a question:

"Why do you look so serious? Did something happen?"

Briar stared at him for a long second before her usual lazy demeanor suddenly resurfaced like a mask slipping back into place.

Her shoulders relaxed. The serious glint in her eyes faded into something unreadable. The sudden change in her demeanor made him a little uncomfortable.

The succubus shrugged.

"Nothing happened I suppose. I guess i just have to wait. Who knows? Something interesting might happen."

Then, she nonchalantly waved him off.

"Alright, you’ve done your part. Now feel free to use the exit."

Klaus blinked. "Wait, that’s it?"

"Yup. Scene’s over, thanks for playing. Go on, shoo! shoo!" She made a little shoving motion with her fingers, smiling mischievously now, her tone returning to its usual teasing lilt.

He gave her a flat look but didn’t argue. Whatever was going on in her head, she clearly wasn’t going to share it. Not yet.

"Fine. Do whatever you want."

Muttering so, he turned away as the world around him began to dissolve into glowing threads of light, gently tugging at his consciousness.

Just before he faded completely, he caught Briar glancing back at the black spire, with her eyes becoming distant and cold again.

And then the Soul Stream vanished, pulling him back into the hallowing reality.

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