Pencil's hands were shaky — slick with a mix of sweat, excitement, and fear.
A knight walked up to him and handed him a Glassheart. "When it chooses you, name it, and bind it with your Glassheart, understood?" The knight snickered. It was apparent he did not expect anything from the orange-shaped boy.
Pencil nodded. He was not exactly sure what or how that was going to happen, but from the looks of things, it should come naturally to him when the time came.
Still filled with fear, now panting hard, he did it.
The moment Pencil touched the Glass—that tiny layer that separated this world from that world of pure chaotic horror, a hum was heard.
All eyes were glued to him. This was especially true for the Soulbound knights. Soren noticed that they subconsciously reached for their Glasshearts and swords.
He swallowed hard. He had heard stories. Touching the Glass was an important ceremony that allowed the birth of incredible warriors, but there had also been accidents in the past.
Some had touched the Glass and imploded into pools of blood, or even turned to stone. Some others had been pulled into the Glass.
They were scholars of the Glass who had theorised certain reasons for this. Regardless, the most serious case was when an Eldritch Soul tried to cross over.
This was the reason so many Soulbound knights were involved with the ceremony.
The hum went on for a while.
One of the knights at the side held a small crystal orb. A kind of cloudy energy swarm within it. This was used to track the power of the Soul within the Glass that had answered the call.
While Pencil focused ahead, the townspeople and the knight looked at the crystal ball.
The Cloudy colour was changing.
At first, it was brown, but then a blue seemed to hit the brown out of the way. The knight gave a slight smile. The struggles the souls made when picking their partners was always fun to watch.
The crowd gasped.
But then a purple showed up, hitting the blue out of the way. Eyes brightened some more. "It's a purple. It's actually a purple colour cloud. But just when they thought it was over, the orb changed to a beautiful red.
"WOW.... A Red. That fat boy actually got a red one?" Many discussed.
Souls that one could bond with were ranked A to F, represented by colours: A-rank was Red, B-rank was Purple, C-rank was Blue, D-rank was Green, E-rank was Brown, and F-rank was Grey.
These ranks were based on the known destructive capability of souls over many generations.
A red cloud of smoke hissed from the cracks, surrounding Pencil. Pencil suddenly inhaled deeply, a kind of bond forming in his mind as a little shining light appeared on his forehead.
A warm energy rushed through his veins, and he could feel it charge through his body. He felt like throwing up, but at the same time, he felt like he had just found something that had been missing but never realised till now. In a word, he felt 'whole.'
"It has chosen you. Hurry up and name it. Then bind it." Commander Jared commanded.
"Yes, sir." Pencil panicked. He was not sure of what he was doing, but he did anyway. "I'll call you Strawberry—because you are red all over and they are my favourite."
Commander Jared and Boyed turned to one another. Even Soren faced-palmed. "To think even at a time like this, he is still thinking about food."
Then, Pencil willed in his mind, the Glassheart opened, and Strawberry rushed into it. The bond had been made.
The Crowd erupted in joy.
"A-rank. He is really an A-rank. His future is limitless. I heard that one has to be at least C-rank to become a Soul Mecha pilot."
"Yes. It is truly amazing. All that food he was throwing down was not for nothing."
Many people gossiped. Pencil was not very explicitly liked for his size, which seemed to mock them in their bleak world. This was indeed life-changing news. Power and hierarchy were everything in this world. It was tied to benefits and the ability to live a life of luxury. Unfortunately, Fate was also harsh. Some will never get the opportunity to bond with a soul, make it their Shade, and enjoy the life of their dreams.
For that reason, eyes of envy bathed Pencil, but he could not stop smiling.
People could only bond with one soul for the rest of their lives, and their soul rank could never be changed. Such was fate. Some would get it, and others would not.
Pencil took a step towards his friends, but his leg suddenly dug into the ground.
"You might want to be careful." A knight advised. "You are no longer the same as you were. You are now a Soulbound Warrior. Your Shade has enhanced your body by at least 100% of what it was formerly capable of."
Pencil nodded. He tried to take the next step, but his balance was off, and he fell to the ground.
"Don't worry, you will get used to it." The knight helped him. He appeared kinder to Pencil after the bound.
Soren gave his longtime friend a thumbs-up. He had shone proudly. Soren's heart swelled with pride and warmth for him.
Like Soren, Pencil had also been a War orphan. And they had gone through many ups and downs in life. It was good to be happy for one's friend.
Soren could already imagine it. Once he was bound with a soul, he would celebrate with his friends.
"Next!" A knight called out, and the next child stepped forward. This one resulted in a C-rank. Although more disappointing than the first, it was still better than nothing. At least an honourable life awaited him.
The next was a girl. She was B-rank.
Commander Jared nodded. "It would seem like the council's decision to extend the time of suffering in hope of a better yield was a good one. Two years ago, they were mostly C's and D's. With only one B-rank."
Boyed, handkerchief still covering his nose, nodded, "Using suffering to breed talent worked. But will they have the heart to fight?"
At such a time, Tommy stepped forward, and the sight of him picking his nose made Boyed spit to the side again. He frowned even harder.
Tommy got a B-rank soul, which he unsurprisingly named Booger.
Even more baffling, all of his hair fell off the moment he made the bond. This included his eyebrows. He looked as smooth as mirror, prompting laughter from his friends.
After a few more, it was Vass's turn. As he approached, his father, the mayor, was nervous. If his son managed to make it, then he would be thrilled, and that would change the miserable life that they had in this town, but if he were to have a horrible death, then it would be over for them.
Vass swaggered over. He had a confident smile on his lips. The moment he touched the Glass, a golden blinding light shone from the cracks in all directions.
Commander Jared stared in surprise, jerking up from his seat. "Well, I'll be damned. That has never happened before."
Even Boyed paused, eyes widening in surprise as his handkerchief fell from his nose. "Is that a—"
"Yes, it is. Golden soul energy. It's an SS-ranked soul. Just like the royal family."
Aside from the usual ranking system, there was a special ranking system: S-rank and SS-rank. It was called special for a whole lot of reasons. Firstly, until this time, only nobles and royals had ever been within its esteemed ranks.
Secondly, there was not one person in the history of the empire who had achieved it without shaking the world. Each one had been a Soul Mecha Pilot and had killed great Eldritch souls that caused mankind unimaginable pain.
In two simple words, they were 'Heaven's beloved'.
"I'll name you..." Vass paused, thought for a while, his eyes scanning the surprised expressions on the faces of everybody looking at him, including the exalted Soulbound knights.
And then the first person fell to their knees.
And then another and another. Aside from the knights and Soren waiting for his turn, the town had gone to their knees in reverence.
A smile tugged at the side of Vass's lips. "I'll name you, Salvation." Surprisingly, while he did this, his eyes were on no one but Soren—as if throwing out a challenge.
Your Turn.
There was a small celebration among the town's people as the atmosphere bubbled. The mayor could not even hold himself back, rushing over to his son. But the knights stood in front of him. "It's too dangerous to go close to a newly Soulbound warrior.
Vass also wanted to approach his father, but the moment he took a step forward, he understood why it was a terrible idea. Pencil's leg had dug into the ground. Vass had made a small crater.
"The Council will have a field day when they hear about this," Boyed remarked.
"Field day? pfft!" Commander Jared grinned. "They are going to panic. A Commoner brat just became 'Special.' Those nobles in the academy are going to be on their toes from now on."
As he spoke, Soren had already approached the Glass, but no one even noticed him.
This much was expected. A prodigy had just been born. Unless Soren was going to produce the same result, then there was no reason to look at his miserable existence.
However, no one noticed that, the moment Soren took a step towards the Glass, the crystal pendant around his neck seemed to respond to it. It gave a glow brighter than before. Even Soren did not notice.
The knight with the 'Ranking Orb' on the side was also carried away with Vass's achievement. And then the vibration of the orb pulled his attention.
"What is this?" he muttered. He had judged the ranks of hundreds of children for many years. And never had he seen something like this. The colours, there were a lot of them. No, all of them.
Usually, when a colour of superior strength got interested in a child, the other of lower strength would give way. But this time, it was different. "Are they... fighting for him?"
He looked up. To his surprise, Soren had not even touched the glass.
When he did, it was not a hum like the others. No! It was a rumble. A violent surge of Soul Energy exploded from the Glass in every direction. The earth flattened into itself—like a giant invisible hammer had hit it a thousand times. Horses neighed in fear, jumping around. Even the sky got darker.
Soulbound knights instinctively glowed with soul energy in preparation for what was to come.
Commander Jared also gathered his soul energy. Boyed was ready to jump in if needed.
A sudden heavy pressure descended on all.
The Knight with the ranking orb looked on, sweat trickling down his forehead as he watched on—a scene he would never forget.
Just when it seemed a soul of extreme pure light was about to take over, a grey suddenly appeared, and as if afraid, the other souls went into hiding.
The Grey bled out of the cracks like tears, flowing all the way to Soren. It climbed his body like an affectionate lover's tease.
It did not go to his temple; first, the necklace, then it marked his heart.
Soren felt the rush throughout his body. His veins, organs, bones. And for a second, a part of him was extracted from his body.
"Is that my..." Soren was translucent, staring at his body. A serpent wrapped him. Just when he saw its eyes, he was pulled back in. He fell on his knees.
His breath was heavy, sweat pulling beneath him. "I'll call you..."
A voice whispered in his head.
"Chronovore."
The world seemed to settle, and then all eyes turned to the Knight responsible for ranking the souls. He looked down at the orb that now had a crack in it. The colour was not what he expected.
"F-Rank Soul?"
[Author's Note: Please add the Book to your Library.]