SOTBW - 235

The Seriths had gathered in an artificially created forest, hiding from the sun, and were devouring one another. It was inevitable that these creatures would prey on their own kind—those born together as siblings.  

The juvenile forms of the Seriths were endlessly hungry and tormented until they reached maturity, but due to the sudden command to “disperse,” they were unable to approach the Noctis Fortress, which overflowed with sweet blood and flesh.  

As days passed without being able to move, the starving juveniles began to feed on their own kind. Fortunately, this act held some significance. The reason the Seriths resorted to cannibalism wasn’t because they harbored resentment toward humans or because they were apex predators—it was because they required a certain amount of mana to survive.  

Mahilen knew of the existence of Mackanon and therefore understood that it wasn’t entirely impossible to forcibly resurrect the dead. Although Mackanon had revived using his nephew’s body rather than his own, the crucial point here was how to call a soul back from the boundary of reincarnation into the present world.  

When a soul arrives at the boundary of reincarnation, it enters a lake where it washes away all memories of its past life. This is why those who are reborn do not remember their previous lives. Forgetting one’s past life is a great mercy bestowed upon living beings by this world.  

However, not every soul immediately enters the lake upon reaching the boundary of reincarnation. Humans are the only creatures capable of harboring excessive attachment and regret. Though souls lack what could be called a sense of self, some resist entering the lake and instead wander around the boundary. Even though they instinctively know that delaying entry prolongs their inability to reincarnate, they continue to drift aimlessly.  

If unfulfilled desires and regrets from their past lives hindered reincarnation and bound them in place, Mahilen was certain that Sainth’s soul would respond to resurrection magic. If Sainth’s feelings for Emaydis were genuine, then there was no doubt…  

But even if he could summon the soul, it would be useless without a proper body to house it. How could he anchor the soul and body of someone who had already died back into the present world? Mackanon had managed to avoid physical collapse because he had taken refuge in the body of his blood relative, his nephew.  

Mahilen considered placing Sainth’s soul into another person’s body, but he couldn’t be sure if that alone would bring joy to Emaydis. Likely, only fully and perfectly reviving Sainth would end Emaydis’ suffering.  

Once, a dragon who had awakened to the truth in search of the reason for its existence devoted all its knowledge to finding a way to restore Sainth’s body. After much effort, Mahilen concluded that an immense amount of mana would be required to repair the body torn apart by Kieron and to create a vessel strong enough to hold a resurrected soul.  

Since humans are not beings made of mana like dragons, Sainth would need to draw mana from external sources to survive.  

Mahilen couldn’t guarantee the consequences of reviving Sainth, but believing that if Emaydis remained unhappy, the destruction of this world wouldn’t matter, he ultimately completed the magical array.  

Sainth was successfully revived.  

Everything seemed fine—up until Kieron, failing to fully understand Mahilen’s magical array, attempted to resurrect Bersha’s soulless body.  

The soulless monster was well aware that it needed mana to survive. Thus, the first Serith began rapidly consuming the world’s mana.  

As the mana sustaining and forming the world gradually diminished, dragons began to perish one by one to compensate for the loss. Sensing something amiss, the Dragon Lord eventually discovered what Mahilen had done—but by then, more than half of the world’s foundational mana had already vanished.  

By the time the Dragon Lord tried to stop the first Serith, it had already multiplied endlessly like grains of sand, prioritizing survival above all else.  

The monsters, now numbering in the billions, absorbed the world’s mana like an unstoppable void. Eventually, they realized they lacked the strength to continue consuming. The creature grew anxious—it urgently needed to find an alternative energy source to replace mana.  

What could it be? Plants and animals could suffice, but they weren’t enough. Then, humans came into view—the finest energy source, possessing both vitality and mana. Without hesitation, the monsters began hunting humans.  

The Dragon Lord employed every means possible to destroy the first Serith. He cast it into molten lava that hadn’t cooled for tens of thousands of years, sank it into the deep sea, and hurled it into the sky so high that stars were visible before throwing it back to the ground.  

But nothing worked. That creature was an oddity designed to survive in any environment.  

When its body shattered completely, it reversed time, pulling its scattered blood and flesh back together. Blades were useless against it, and magic, which relied on mana, was negated as easily as squashing an insect.  

Since the first Serith was essentially a living mass of mana, all Seriths inherited mana within their bodies. Juveniles devouring their mana-rich kin to survive was, in a way, a natural process.  

Mackanon stood silently atop an impossibly high place, observing the bluish-green forest below, even in the middle of winter. The sight of billions of juveniles tearing each other apart was truly grotesque. The juveniles dared not attack the adult forms but instead preyed only on smaller individuals.  

The massive adult forms, towering like ancient trees, paid no heed to what the juveniles were doing. They remained motionless, their bodies fixed in one direction. Though they closed their eyes due to the lack of prey nearby, they were undoubtedly staring at something.  

Beyond the distant horizon their bodies faced, Mackanon knew exactly what lay ahead: the Noctis Fortress. Though hundreds of kilometers away, if the Seriths decided to move, they could reach the fortress in just three or four days.

Mackanon stared at the forest, where the sounds of bones and flesh being chewed echoed quietly, when he noticed a man standing motionless among the adult Seriths. At first glance, he thought it might be Kieron, but upon closer inspection, it was just an ordinary man—or so it seemed.  

The man stood there with his mouth agape, gazing blankly in the same direction as the adults. Mackanon’s eyes narrowed. Now that he looked more carefully, the man’s arms were unnaturally long and cumbersome, dragging along the ground.  

Shifting his position, Mackanon surveyed the forest from a new angle. As he focused on the direction the mysterious man was facing, faint outlines of other figures became visible deep within the dim forest.  

These figures shared similar grotesque traits: some had arms that were abnormally long and thick, while others possessed multiple legs. Some had two heads on a single body, and others appeared to be two bodies forcibly stitched together.  

At a glance, they resembled humans in the shadows, but their forms were too distorted to truly pass as human.  

Mackanon clicked his tongue softly, his hands still stuffed in his pockets.  

“They’ve already begun to evolve.”  

One of the reasons the Seriths had spread like an epidemic in ancient times was precisely this phenomenon.  

The adult form is not the final stage of a Serith’s evolution. While survival remains the top priority for the original Serith, since it was created by Kieron, it naturally attempts to mimic the appearance of its creator—humans, or more specifically, Bersha.  

Of course, these mindless monsters are incapable of perfectly imitating Bersha. After shedding their juvenile forms and accumulating enough strength, they begin to mimic the outer shells of the humans they have consumed. Though their current forms are still grotesque and far from human, given enough time, they will evolve to the point where distinguishing them from real humans becomes nearly impossible—not just in appearance, but in behavior, eye movements, and even voice.  

This characteristic was one of the reasons why those who fought against the Seriths in the past fell into such deep despair. Battling creatures wearing the skins of loved ones shattered the spirits of countless people.  

As Mackanon observed the statue-like impostors standing among the adults, he noticed their mouths moving ever so slightly. Concealing his presence skillfully, he landed silently on a thick tree branch.  

The lips of the creatures wearing human skins twitched unnaturally, muttering something under their breaths. Mackanon scrutinized their twisted mouths intently and soon realized what they were saying.  

“Emaydis…”  

Mackanon murmured softly. The Seriths repeated the name like a mantra, endlessly whispering it. Leaving the forest behind, Mackanon gazed up at the night sky, lost in thought.  

The original Serith, Bersha, thinks of nothing. Its sole desire, both then and now, is survival. All Seriths are influenced by Bersha. So why do these evolved Seriths, mimicking human forms, mutter the name “Emaydis”?  

Could it be that Bersha, now sealed away, has begun to resent Sylin for imprisoning it? Or perhaps the soul of Kieron, residing within Bersha’s body, harbors hatred for Emaydis, influencing the Seriths?  

Gazing at the twinkling stars in the night sky, Mackanon let out a faint smile.  

No—it was Sainth’s doing.  

Sainth Philux, trapped within Bersha’s body and sealed alongside it, was controlling these monsters.  

If Bersha represents the survival instinct of the Seriths—a manifestation of pure chaos—then Sainth embodies “reason that controls instinct.” Sainth had deliberately allowed himself to be consumed by the original Serith in an attempt to control its instincts. Only Sainth could accomplish such a feat.  

Mackanon, as another resurrected being, could have taken on this role just as easily—but he didn’t intervene. What would happen if an immortal driven mad by survival merged completely with a creature whose sole purpose was to survive? Without a doubt, this world would have perished long ago.  

The reason Sylin was able to seal the Seriths was because Sainth was inside Bersha.  

Mackanon recalled that moment vividly.  

In what seemed like a hopeless situation—when the Dragon Lord, Mackanon, and Mahilen all believed the sealing had failed—the Seriths’ eyes, which had been brimming with the urge to survive and unleash their mana, suddenly calmed. The violent thrashing of the Seriths attempting to break the seal gradually subsided, and Bersha, who had been preparing to release the mana it held within, slowly regained composure.  

Within the golden glow of the seal, Bersha’s piercing gaze turned toward Sylin. No one explained it at the time, but everyone present instinctively understood.  

It was Sainth who had subdued the monsters.  

Sainth, who had willingly allowed himself to be consumed by Bersha in an attempt to stop it, only to fail and become swept away by its instincts alongside Emaydis’ one true love.  

In the fleeting moment when reason first suppressed instinct, Sainth used Bersha’s mouth to bid farewell to his beloved.  

“…Farewell, my love. My Emaydis.”