Thalindra

Ghostly silence permeated the fields as a lone figure walked briskly across the marshy terrain. It was Thalindra's first forage outside the city all by herself. Well, not counting the shadows that crept a few steps behind her. The entire area was drenched in death mana, which made most life forms uneasy. But Thalindra had never been more at peace with herself. The aspect of herself that she had spurned for so long was finally returned to her. Like a long-lost child, it welcomed her embrace as she felt its touch on her exposed skin.

Death mana was special in the multiverse since it gathered in remote places not frequented by people—graveyards, old ruins, and fields of ancient battles. And being antithetical to life, anyone who passed through these places felt goosebumps and a distinct unease that was hard to describe. Which was also why death affinity was so feared by most. In terms of battle potential, it was second only to void mana. While void could literally end all existence if left unchecked, death could snuff out all life. But there was a key difference between their destructive properties. Death was contagious.

Thalindra climbed a partially collapsed column of some old building to get a better view of what she was dealing with. A thick fog concealed the inhabitants, but being a soul mage Thalindra sensed the denizens quite easily.

Bane materialized beside her as they both tried to get a glimpse of their quarry.

"We have tried to cull their numbers," Bane said. "But something isn't right with this place. Their numbers are on the rise, and we cannot seem to find the source."

"Yes, I can see that," Thalindra commented calmly.

But she was concerned too. The range of her Soul Sense was about a kilometer, but something was restricting it to a mere hundred meters. There was something in the white mist that was blocking her senses, and she was reluctant to go charging in unprepared.

There were only two possible sources for the undead to multiply. A dungeon break, or fresh addition to their ranks from outside. The former was highly unlikely since the System severely restricted death affinity-based dungeons. Which only left the second option. The question was whether it was intentional, or just some happenstance where monster hordes kept marching to their doom.

"Do you know the approximate area this fog covers?" Thalindra asked, not taking her eyes off the chilling sight.

"More than a hundred kilometers wide," Bane responded seriously. "It has made travel to the dungeon down south very treacherous. The Guild tried sending adventuring parties to clear a way, but the casualties were too high. There is only a sliver of land between this accursed place and the water body which is traversable. Even then, the journey is not without risks. The undead are occasionally raiding the travel caravans before retreating to their domain."

Thalindra's ears perked up at that.

"The undead are attacking outside the area?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

Bane nodded, continuing to observe the shifting white mists. They occasionally saw creatures shambling their way before their forms were obscured once again.

The undead leaving their area was cause for concern, since it meant there was a conscious variant amongst them. A rarity in of itself, but the fact that it seemed to be targeting lone caravans and not just sending out wandering undead legions meant it was possibly on the verge of sapience.

"Guess we need to be more cautious," Thalindra said. But there was a faint smile on her face.

This situation would be sobering for most, since an extended raid through undead territory was a mentally taxing endeavor. Even a single scratch by the haunting creatures could be a death sentence if one did not have the means to purge the infection. Most life affinity-based healers could do so, but the oppressive ambiance of such places could bring down the mood of the most cheerful personalities.

But Thalindra didn't have that problem. She did have Spells that could dispel the curses and infections. But her death affinity made her immune to such trivial attacks. Unless targeted by a significantly stronger being, she would thrive in this environment.

Thalindra outstretched her hand and felt the death wisps caressing her fingertips. She didn't have Mana Sight but could still feel her formerly dormant mana type. She pulled on the wisps, which responded to her call without resistance. Using her other hand, she called on life wisps, which were rare in such a place but existed all the same.

Her primary Class, Soulweaver, had been attuned to life. It allowed her to soothe the souls of others while also granting her powerful support spells like Major Heal, and Major Purge. She could even cast Chain Resurrect, making her an indispensable asset in most raid groups. She could even lull entire monster hordes to sleep while her team massacred them. But her restrictions always prevented her from dealing direct damage.

But her secondary Class—Spiritcaller—was ever stagnant. She had been terrified of it, never daring to use it. But now…

Thalindra gathered mana and started weaving a Spell pattern she had only read up on before. Her years of mage studies had made it second nature for her to learn and adapt new Spells into her repertoire. She already knew the basics of Mana Bolt. All she had to do was add in the death wisps to form her latest spell—Death Bolt.

It was effective against the living but was surprisingly good against the dead too. As the spell stabilized, she pointed at an undead critter that had strayed too close to her vantage point. She smiled and released the Spell, which landed dead center on its target. With a vicious explosion, the half decayed body burst open, showering the surrounding area with its pungent contents.

A notification sounded in her head to update her Spell list. But she ignored it in favor of the kill and XP notification instead. The amount was miniscule, but she stared at it with glazed eyes for a long time.

"Are you okay?" Bane asked when she didn't move for almost a minute.

"This is the first time I have actually killed a monster," Thalindra said softly, still staring at her notification. "All my XP has been from supporting others, never from kills. I could literally not target anything with the intent to harm. Pacify and constrain, yes, but never to hurt."

"Constricting someone's soul is the vilest punishment that can be inflicted on a person." Bane nodded solemnly. "I cannot imagine what your life must have been like."

Thalindra didn't say anything for a while. But when she did, the very air around them trembled.

"I will make him pay," she said with tears forming in her eyes. "I will make them all pay very dearly for putting me through that."

The death wisps churned around her, pushing off all other wisps, including life. The roiling mass even tried invading the Abyssal Wolf's form. Tried being the key word. It harmlessly dissipated the moment it met the smoke coming off Bane.

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"Temper your anger, soul mage," Bane said fiercely. "Do not lose yourself to wild emotion."

Bane barked once, snapping Thalindra out of her dark reverie. She looked around her in confusion, as though she didn't know where she was. As she recollected her thoughts, she recoiled in fear. This was exactly what she was afraid of, and why death affinity users were shunned everywhere.

Death mana was born from the negative emotions plaguing a soul towards the end of its life. It was malignant by nature, and prolonged exposure led to negative personality traits. And often death mana users succumbed to its effects, with madness being the most common end.

Thalindra sat down and hugged herself, horrified at what she was becoming. She felt one of the chains in her soul get stronger. She was about to relapse to her former self when Bane walked up and sat next to her.

"You are walking a tightrope, Thalindra," Bane said in a softer tone. "Sway for even a second, and you will fall into utter ruin."

"But what am I supposed to do?" Thalindra asked timidly. "Death is the most vicious form of mana. No one had been able to harness it without losing their minds. How am I supposed to succeed."

No one had seen this side of her. Not Ignar, not the adventurers from her guild, and definitely not her family. She had to always project an image of strength. But in moments like this, it was hard to do so.

"It is not the most vicious," Bane said, and for some reason Thalindra felt he was smiling. "That honor is reserved for void mana."

The wolf turned East, in the direction of his Alpha. Even Thalindra was able to vaguely sense Aenon due to their link, weak though it may be.

Thalindra knew that Bane was right. Void mana was not well known amongst the general populace since all records of it were systematically erased after the Purge. It was a conflict mired in mystery as even mentioning it was forbidden in some empires. Only a select few knew snippets about it, and even that scant information was terrifying to learn.

Thalindra had guessed that their Mayor's affinity was linked to the void, but she had refused to say it out loud out of fear. But hearing the Abyssal Wolf confirm her suspicions, she couldn't resist anymore.

"Is he truly…," she trailed off realizing it was pointless to ask it anymore.

His abilities certainly aligned well with the rare and elusive mana type. Another well-known aspect of soul affinities was their connection to one's personality. Fire mages were hot tempered, whereas earth aligned ones were brash and outgoing.

As for void users, they were known for their aloofness and refusal to work with others. But there was one other dark aspect of theirs which put them on the hitlist of big empires—their penchant to destroy things, and their insane growth potential. Their solitary nature made them avoid civilization, but their power attracted those that wanted to dominate them for their own purpose. This dichotomy was no doubt just a recipe for disaster.

But that wasn't what Thalindra was thinking about. Now that she knew he was a void mana user, she was more fascinated by his control over his emotions. From the little bits of information she had managed to piece together, she had learned that void users were very short-tempered and would lash out at the smallest slight. And yes, Aenon fell into that category too. But his response was always so…controlled. Never crossing the line he himself had set up.

"How does he do it?" Thalindra asked. "How does he keep his anger and thirst for destruction in check?"

Bane turned to face her, his cold grey eyes boring into her own. It reminded her of Aenon, but it lacked the same depth to them.

"Because he is stubborn," Bane said simply.

"What?" Thalindra was confused. She wasn't expecting that.

"Of all things, our Alpha hates losing his freedom and control," Bane explained. "Including to his own urges and wants. He once destroyed two soul remnants that had achieved sapience despite them surrendering to him. You know, from the ones from the twin daggers you wanted melted. They would have granted him great power. But all he saw was the potential for losing control."

Thalindra's eyes widened at the news. She had ordered the destruction of the daggers for the very fear that such entities could be born from them. The malevolent spirits that rose from such creations were a highly sought after, even if the risk of dying to one was high. The power of weapons forged with such spirits was incomparable to any other. For Lord Fenrast to turn them down…

"His free will is paramount to him," Bane continued. "But he also refuses to harm others; directly or indirectly. Doesn't mean he won't retaliate. It's just that he is very careful in avoiding collateral damage."

Thalindra looked down as she pondered the new information she learned about the one she had decided to follow. The more she learned of him, the firmer her resolve became.

"But…," Thalindra hesitated. "I am not as strong willed as him. Keeping the death mana from affecting me is not something I am confident in."

"No, you are not," Bane replied unapologetically. "Which is why I said you are walking a tightrope. And to maintain your balance, you will need something to offset the effects of death. Your life affinity. You are someone who cherishes life and wants to see it grow. And you have cultivated that side of you till now. But now you need to develop the other side of your personality. The side that is hungry for power, and wanton destruction. But don't completely let go of your past. Remember those you nurtured, protected, and loved. Balance the two, and you will not fall off."

Thalindra went silent after listening to the wolf, closing her eyes to meditate on those words. She dived back into her soul space, appearing within the empty room that had always been her refuge. It had always been a verdant green because of her life mana. But today it was mostly black. The death mana had invaded her inner soul space and pushed out most of the green. She floated at the center of the spherical enclosure and focused.

It was difficult, and very slow paced. But she managed to suck in all the life mana that had been expelled. But she didn't let all of it back in. She tried to maintain a balance, an equilibrium. She focused on her memories from the Guild. All the newbies she had guided, and their relieved smiles when she healed or resurrected them. She contrasted that against all the horrors her family had wrought, making a firm promise to wipe them out to protect the little slice of heaven she had created for herself and those she loved.

"Live to unleash Death. Kill to protect Life," she chanted.

Her soul started to synergize the impossible duality of what she wanted. When she opened her eyes again, her soul was in complete harmony. An artificial construct in her inner soul space. One that many people would recognize.

Yin and Yang.

The black colored yin had a small green dot of yang. While the green yang housed a tiny amount of yin.

A strange pulse originated from where she sat in the ruins of Neverhelm. The death mana rejoiced at it while also pulling in life mana from outside.

When she opened her different colored eyes, she found Bane nodding at her approvingly.

Thalindra couldn't help but nod with an appreciative smile. As she stood up, she felt her body relax. She had never been so rejuvenated in her life. She felt the ping of several System notifications, including one for a Class evolution. But she turned to face Bane instead.

"Did your mate also help Jenny on her Path?" Thalindra asked curiously.

She had observed Jenny's progress with baffled interest. And despite minimal contact with Aenon, she had progressed remarkably quickly.

"Yes, those were the instructions given to us by the Alpha," Bane responded.

"Heh," Thalindra scoffed. "I have been a soul mage for decades. But I never could guide anyone to their Awakening. And yet, a 13-year-old brat who has barely come into his powers has me beat. Guiding not one or two, but six people on their Paths."

"And that was your mistake," Bane replied nonchalantly. "You tried to guide. Learning about oneself and finding your Path isn't something that can be forced. You were forcing others to see what they could become. Our Alpha does not. He puts forth the opportunity, and leaves. It's up to you to grab it or not."

It was true that Thalindra had a set method that she tried when trying to Awaken someone. She studied their soul and let them come to the decision themselves. But would often start interfering with the process once she didn't see progress. Even with Jenny, she had planned to guide her closely after she returned from Jadefall. If Aenon had not interfered, maybe Jenny wouldn't have Awakened at all.

His approach was entirely hands off. He created opportunities for them and took a backseat. Even with Ignar and the others, he didn't ask anything in return for saving them. By Multiversal norms, Aenon had every right to. But not once did he ever demand anything. He gave them the option to cut ties with him or learn to defy those above their station.

Thalindra smiled as she looked at the horizon towards the swarm of undead.

"Well then, I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't capitalize on the opportunity." Thalindra turned to Bane and smirked. "An opportunity given to me by our Alpha."

"Yes, you would," Bane said with a twinkle in his eyes. Seven more Abyssal Wolves rose from the shadows and stood behind Thalindra. "But to earn the right to call him your Alpha, you need to prove yourself to us. We are nothing but your support, following your instruction to the letter. Let's see what you are capable of."

"Oh, it's on," Thalindra smiled confidently. She hadn't earned the Assistant Guild Leader position using just politics. "Its time to unleash the Wraithborn."

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