The eight books slowly shifted in the air, aligning themselves with eerie precision.
Two rows.
Four columns.
Perfect.
Rey stood frozen as Aiden helped him read the information etched into their existence. With every title revealed, his breathing grew heavier, his mind screaming danger.
This was not a compensatory gift.
This was bait.
A trap so vast that even gods wouldn't hesitate to step into it.
For a brief moment, Rey's imagination spiralled.
Chains. Contracts. Eternal servitude beneath the Will.
A future where his freedom was exchanged for power he never asked for.
But he forced himself to calm down.
He wasn't cursed yet.
Not officially.
Until then, conclusions meant nothing.
The eight books hovered before him, their presence suffocating the space.
==============================
1. Anathema Genesis Protocol
Body Refining Art
Potential: Absolute Rank
2. Eclipse Convergence Technique
Qi Cultivation Technique
Potential: Absolute Rank
3. Astral Convergence Technique
Mana Cultivation Art
Potential: Absolute Rank
4. Eternal Transcendence Codex
Psyche Cultivation Art
Potential: Absolute Rank
5. Dominion of Eternal Weaponry
Battle Art
Potential: Absolute Rank
6. Codex of True Runes
Manual Art
Potential: Absolute Rank
7. Veil of the Unseen Abyss
Concealment Art
Potential: Absolute Rank
8. Scripture of the Devouring Fate Tree
Unknown Manual
Potential: Absolute Rank
==============================
"…All of them?" Rey muttered.
His voice cracked.
"Every single one is Absolute Rank… What kind of joke is this?"
"This is precisely why we forced you to choose them," Veylen said quietly, stepping forward. "Your talent is weak. Your foundation is broken. But with these… the board itself can be overturned."
The books pulsed faintly, as if acknowledging his words.
Each one bore distinct engravings. Ancient runes. Twisted symbols.
They looked pristine, yet carried an aura that made Rey's skin crawl.
As if something alive was sealed inside every page.
"So… I'm really taking all of them?" Rey asked.
The Eye of Will hovered silently.
"…And there's no price?"
Her gaze met his.
No hesitation.
No deception.
"But why?" Rey pressed. "You don't owe me anything. We're not allies. We're not even acquainted."
Rey frowned.
Those words felt heavier than the books themselves.
"If I take all eight… is that acceptable?" he asked carefully.
Rey hesitated.
"Then maybe I should take one or two and—"
Her tone snapped.
Rey swallowed.
"…Please don't bind me with a slave contract," he said weakly. "I'm really not built for eternal servitude."
The Eye laughed.
Amused. Genuinely.
Before Rey could react, the eight books rose into the air.
The binding began.
Energy poured from them, smooth and silent, slipping into Rey's body like flowing water. It surged past his veins, past his flesh, straight into his soul.
Inside the soul space, darkness reigned.
At the center floated Rey's soul.
Transparent. Fragile. Barely formed.
The energy wrapped around it.
At first, nothing changed.
Then the darkness stirred.
What had once been passive began to move.
It pressed against the incoming energy, devouring it.
Rey screamed.
Pain tore through his existence as if his soul itself were being torn apart.
Outside, his body convulsed.
Inside, the darkness rejected everything.
Time froze.
Reality halted.
A rift tore open before Rey.
From it emerged a hand.
Fair. Slender. Perfect.
Yet the aura around it devoured light itself.
This was no projection.
This was her.
She reached for Rey.
The space around him began to collapse.
She withdrew instantly.
The damage healed as if it never existed.
A droplet of pitch-black liquid formed before her.
It split.
Eight fragments drifted into the books.
The transformation was immediate.
Pages darkened.
Symbols twisted.
Limits shattered.
An infinity symbol burned into each tome.
She vanished.
Time resumed.
The energies merged.
Harmony replaced conflict.
The darkness no longer devoured the power.
It embraced it.
Cracks within Rey's soul sealed.
The books descended, embedding themselves within him.
One at the core.
One in the mind.
One at the navel.
The rest anchoring his chest and spirit.
The ritual ended.
Rey collapsed.
Minutes passed.
When he rose again, the Eye spoke calmly.
Rey's heart sank.
'Here it comes.'
Veylen stiffened.
"My lord… shouldn't I be the lowest bearer?"
Silence.
Shock.
Confusion.
Veylen's expression changed completely.
"That's impossible," he said. "The seal required Tier 1 mana capacity or peak Tier 0 talent. Even the Ascension Realm—"
Veylen immediately bowed his head.
"No, my lord."
The Eye turned back to Rey.
Darkness surged.
The spirits vanished.
The Archive trembled.
Before Rey could scream, a sphere of darkness struck his body.
He disappeared.
The Archive fell silent.
After a moment, the Eye spoke coldly to the empty space.
"Now… the next caretaker shall awaken. Rise..."
From the ground, a being emerged.
"As you wish, my master." After that, the eye disappeared like never been here.
The Archive closed for an unknown period of time.