His footsteps were eerily silent, and the arc of his misty blade seemed to slice through the air without a whisper. Anyone who witnessed it questioned if he had even made a move at all. Just who is this misty figure? Was it really the same chubby boy from before? If so, just what happened to him?


    “What is happening to him…?” Rin murmured, her eyes wide with shock. The others mirrored her astonishment, captivated by the unfolding events.


    Except for Tenshi, who couldn’t help but let an eager remark slip, his excitement palpable.


    “I knew he was dangerous, but this? I didn’t even see him swinging that blade. And these goosebumps… they just won’t fade. Damn, I’m itching for a chance to take him on too.”


    They watched in awe as Shibo effortlessly severed Arboria''s remaining leg, or rather, they witnessed the moment her limb was abruptly detached from her body. The clean cut suggested it was his blade at work, but his movements were just too fast to follow.


    Among all those present, only Arthur understood the true nature of the events unfolding.


    “Spiritual Link.”


    “Hm?” came the intrigued response from the others.


    “As you all might know, within all things is a soul. That soul constantly generates and emits a source of energy known as starlites. They’re normally invisible but if enough are gathered then they become clear as day… From what I know, there are three main applications of Hoshi: Constellation Arts, Battle Arts and Connection Arts… The Spiritual Link falls under the Connection Arts. As the name suggests, it allows someone to connect their soul and body to a spirit, thus gaining their strengths and abilities.”


    “So Shibo can become any spirit… I can’t believe he had something like this in his sleeves. But how does that even work, man?


    “Well, the thing is, for someone to use the Connection Arts, they must first share some kind of strong attachment to the thing they wish to connect to. For example…”


    Arthur extended his hand and summoned a white book. It had the word “Believe” written on the front in bold letters.


    “…Anyone who wishes to use Empower, must connect to a story. But you can’t just connect to any story. It must be yours, since the soul naturally shares a strong attachment to its own story. Think of it like a parent and child… In Shibo’s case, he’d have to somehow share a strong attachment to the Spirit Realm. I just can’t figure out what that might be… After all, he’s just a human. He isn’t even part spirit.”


    That last remark triggered a memory for Rin, recalling her grandfather''s words about her being part spirit. He had never clarified what that really meant, leaving her in a state of cluelessness.


    "I have a vague understanding, but what does it truly mean to be a spirit?" she inquired, her hand instinctively pressing against her chest.


    “That’s a bit tricky. I can only go off the book I’ve read from Camelot’s library. Basically, when God fist created the world, he created three races: Angels, Humans and Spirits. Spirits are an independent race that rarely interacts with the outside world. But that’s just one interpretation. Another story suggests that they’re actually from another world and that each spirit is a parallel version of someone from this world. Another suggests that they’re the ones who taught humanity how to speak the Language of the Gods so many years ago. Whatever the real story is, I suppose we’ll just have to wait until the end of our journey to find out.”


    “?”


    “Hm…? Did you guys forget? The whole reason we’re on this journey is to reach the Spirit Realm.”


    “…………”


    They completely forgot.


    Arthur was more than a bit disappointed that they could forget such a thing, but before he had the chance to express his frustration, a sudden, powerful shockwave interrupted their thoughts. It was Arboria, finally reaching the limits of her physical body.


    “To think that a mere human would push me this far… How utterly infuriating.” She declared, her voice laced with a mix of anger and disbelief.


    The group, along with a few curious Amazonian villagers, stood in awe as Arboria began to transform.


    Her hair combined with the hair on her skin, thickening and elongating. Her body expanded, her arms in particular stretching down to her ankles. Dark violet fur enveloped her, save for a striking white ring around her face.


    By now it was evident to Arthur that his instincts had been spot on. This was no ordinary chief, nor was she even human. The being before them was a rare entity, born from a unique egg, often referred to as a Lar Gibbon, but more commonly known as “the Long-Armed Gibbon.”


    “So that’s what you really look like.” Shibo commented.


    His voice had changed to match his new slimmer appearance, but it was clear that he was the one in control.


    “Yes, it is… Now that the cat’s outta the bag, I might as well fill you in. I am what is referred to as a Primordial Monkey. Like all Primordial Monkeys, I possess a unique form of mimicking others. I can mimic anyone while they’re unconscious. Luckily the hairs on my body have a rather potent effect that helps with that.”


    Shibo recalled the handcuffs that Aamil wrapped around Tenshi and Akuma when they first met.


    “That explains how some hair was able to put those two to sleep then.”


    “Yes, it does. But that’s not all my little trick can do. You see, I can use the abilities of anyone I previously mimicked… Are you familiar with the chief’s powers?”


    Shibo instantly tensed, his blade of mist poised defensively. But it was already too late. The world around him blurred, enveloped in a thick, violet fog. He tried to slice through the haze, but his efforts were futile.


    “What is this place…? If what Aamil told me was true, the chief’s power shouldn’t be like this.


    Then, a voice echoed from all directions.


    “Don’t be so hasty, human. This isn’t the chief’s power. It’s a little trick I picked up from another monkey ages ago. It allows me to peer into your memories and even project them back to you. By merging this trick with the chief’s abilities, I can compel you to reveal your deepest emotions while showing you your most agonizing memories. Oh, I can’t wait to see what expression you’ll make... Now. Let me gaze into your mind!”


    <h2>***</h2>


    The heavy iron bars loomed threateningly, trapping them at both ends, while the vague outline of the dirt road around them wavered in and out of clarity.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Inside the massive wagon, Shibo found himself shackled, his arms tightly restrained by cold metal chains. He glanced around at the other enslaved captives. Some twiddled their thumbs anxiously, their unease evident as they pondered their uncertain future that lay ahead. Others had already accepted their grim fate, seeking to get as much rest as they possibly could -seeing as this might be the last good night’s rest they would have in a while.


    And a few, like Shibo, remained caught in a state of indecision, torn between despair and a fragile flicker of hope that salvation might still arrive. Deep down, Shibo wanted to hold onto the belief that such a thing was genuinely possible, that the being often referred to as "God" would truly come to their aid.


    Then, as if responding to their shared prayers, a thunderous voice echoed from the heavens, shaking the very air around them.


    "From this moment on, any man who lives a life of sin shall be cast into the depths of hell upon death, suffering eternal damnation. But those who walk the path of virtue shall find their way to paradise beside me."


    A profound silence encased the world, the weight of the declaration settling heavily in the hearts of all who heard it. People everywhere looked skyward, their faces reflecting a haunting emptiness.


    Until this moment, the cycle of reincarnation had been a well-known truth. They knew this because anyone who had reincarnated would always retain their memories. This allowed newborns to speak with surprising wisdom and for children to carry themselves with the grace of adults. This was simply how life was.


    But now, a question hung in the air: Would everything change?


    Before doubt could take root within anyone’s mind, a blinding light burst forth from above, and in an instant, those who had lived virtuously met their end. Shibo was among them… or so he thought.


    When he opened his eyes, he was suddenly bombarded with bright colors. These weren’t heavenly colors of paradise, but rather his eyes had become much more sensitive to common lights. He was reborn as a newborn baby.


    Confusion washed over Shibo. Had he misunderstood his fate? Wasn’t he supposed to be dancing in paradise right about now? Could it be that he was forsaken and cast into eternal torment? If so, this didn’t seem like an infinite damnation to him. He was surrounded by a loving family and lived a much more generous life than his previous one. So, the question stands… What happened?


    Shibo contemplated this mystery throughout his entire life, searching for answers until he finally surrendered to the gentle embrace of old age. In the end, he had experienced a life of comfort and fulfillment.


    “I suppose it must’ve been a mistake. Hard to think God would make such an error, but I suppose we all have our moments. Finally, I’ll get to join him in paradise.”


    But as he blinked awake, a familiar haze assaulted his eyes once more. Once again, he had been thrust back into the world as a newborn. This time, an unsettling certainty gnawed at him—something was wrong. With a sense of urgency, he turned to his human parents, seeking answers about his unexpected reincarnation.


    However, the sight of a tiny infant articulating such thoughts sent shivers down their spines, leaving them paralyzed with fear. He attempted to convey the truth of his situation and the divine message the world had received, but his words fell on deaf ears. Apparently, the concept of reincarnation was utterly foreign to them. But not just him, the world itself had forgotten such a thing. It was as if he alone remembered that day. The day God suddenly spoke to humanity.


    Misunderstood and desperate, his parents concluded that he was possessed by an evil spirit, or a demon of some kind, leading them to the absurd decision to purge him through fire. They believed it would rid them of the supposed evil within their child. What an utterly idiotic idea.


    In his next life, he decided best to wait until he reached an age where speaking wouldn’t provoke such surprising responses. Yet, once again, he found that the notion of reincarnation was dismissed as mere fantasy.


    It was clear that the world around him had changed, and with no answers to why, he was left grappling with the mystery of why everything was so different. The only thing he could do was ensure that he’d lived a life of virtue.


    “This time for sure…” He said to himself. “…This time I will meet God in paradise.”


    But again, that time never came.


    Soon he realized that he not only held onto his memories but had the ability to summon a dark black book with the word “Misfortune” written on the cover. He couldn’t open it, and no one around him seemed to have any idea what it was. But he found that he could use an interesting power whenever he focused hard enough on his connection to that book.


    Unfortunately, that power came with a harrowing tole.


    It allowed him to inflict misfortune upon anything around him, a skill that proved useful when avoiding threats like monsters, humans, and other annoying obstacles.


    He soon noticed a very troubling pattern: The more he used this ability, the shorter each life became. Aside from the traumatic experience of being burned as an infant he had typically lived out his lives until old age, but now he found himself only reaching the age of fifty or sixty. He resigned himself to the notion that life was simply unpredictable and that he couldn''t always expect to die peacefully, but that just didn’t seem to sit right with him. So he chose to stop using his power.


    Except nothing seemed to change.


    The more lives he lived, the more intense and dangerous they would become. He narrowly escaped a catastrophic hurricane in one life, while in another, a random arrow pierced his skull, ending his life abruptly. Ultimately, he faced a grim reality where he frequently perished before even turning thirty.


    It was during his one hundredth reincarnation that the truth finally dawned on him. Each death seemed to erode his luck further, spiraling into a relentless cycle of misfortune. The revelation struck him hard…


    This was no longer a human’s life. This was a game. A game that had no end. A game that had no mercy.


    It was this understanding that gripped him with a sense of dread, sending his heart racing and his breaths coming in frantic gasps. Until he collapsed from shock. Once more, Shibo met his end…


    What unfolded was a tapestry of torment, filled with every conceivable form of death.


    Decapitation, enslavement, starvation, drowning, lethal injection, experimentation, burning, disease, suffocation, eaten alive and so much more. He died so many times that he’d lost count. Sometimes he would even meet his past life during his current one.


    Each death was like a fine thread, a thread woven with his despair and agony.


    He experienced deaths that defied comprehension, some inflicted by others and some self-imposed. Yet, no matter how horrific the demise, he was brought back into the world and forced to endure the same nightmares as if God himself were orchestrating a perverse game. The relentless cycle of suffering was a cruel twist of fate, a punishment that seemed to have no end. Isolated and friendless, any connections Shibo managed to forge were ultimately shattered by his relentless misfortune, leaving him adrift in a sea of despair.


    It was clear to him that it all began on that faithful day. The day, God suddenly spoke to humanity.


    (I see… Since the beginning, I was never virtuous... This is my eternal damnation.)


    In a desperate bid to preserve his sanity, he forged an alternate identity. A coward. His job was to simply run away. To run away from his problems. To run away from his suffering. To run away from everything.


    <h2>***</h2>


    The experience brought her to a state of near trauma, vomiting across the ground as her body strained to keep a hold onto her sanity.


    “How is it even possible to die that many times?!” she cried out, her mind reeling from the horrific scene she had just witnessed. “Is there even a number for that many times?! …No. You aren’t human. You can’t be human. HOW IN THE HELL HAVE YOU HELD ONTO YOUR SANITY!!”


    The group was confused as to why the Lar Gibbon was suddenly vomiting. For them, she’d just collapsed after staring at Shibo for what felt like five whole minutes.


    Shibo approached her fallen form with a chilling calmness.


    “You pry into the hearts of others and seek joy in their suffering. Someone like you could never understand me. Honestly, I pity you… Before I kill you, answer me this. Why are you keeping humans in that underground basement?”


    (This boy… He’s on another level. At this rate, I’ll die… I have to buy myself some time.)


    “Curious of my plans are you?” She went as she gathered her composure. “…It’s simply really. Around two centuries ago, I happened to stumble upon the corpse of the previous chief. After looking through her memories, I learned that she had a rather interesting ability… Constellation Art: Droplet of Life. It is the ability to extend someone else’s life. The unfortunate catch is that the user sacrifices their own life force… But I suddenly had an idea. What if I could restore her life force? Then, would she be able to essentially grant eternal youth?! I just had to test it out. So, I hooked her up to an incubator and restored her lifeforce using the souls of male children… It took a while, but she eventually woke up. And do you wanna know the first thing she did after waking up? She used her powers on her own children. Almost instinctually! Can you believe it?! For two whole centuries, that woman has been constantly feeding her lifeforce to her children so that they wouldn’t die until she could hold them once more!”


    Shibo eyes flickered in disbelief. A whirlwind of emotions flooded his heart and a single tear fell.


    “What misfortune. I can’t even begin to understand her pain. What absolute misfortune… You are truly evil. I hoped I could offer you some kind of understanding. But all I can give you… is death.”


    “Wait! Don’t be so rash. I wasn’t gonna tell you this, but it seems to leave me no choice. You see, I have the power to redirect any damage inflicted on me onto that mother in my dungeon. I try not to do it often since it takes awhile for her to fully heal. Plus, restoking those children is quite a difficult task. But if I die here, you’d leave me no choice… So, what will it be?”


    “Y-You’re bluffing.”


    “Oh? …Try me. Or would you rather run away like you always do-!”


    “GR-! SHUT UP!!!!!”


    *Shatter!


    With a swift motion, he swung his blade, and the white mist around him shattered, unveiling his true self. In that instant, the formidable strength and speed he once possessed vanished.


    The Lar Gibbon seized the opportunity, launching a powerful uppercut, but to her surprise, her fist never made contact.


    In the blink of an eye, he had returned to his original position, accompanied by another figure.


    “That’s ten minutes. I hope you got those answers… Because it’s my turn.”