The Primordial Record novel Chapter 1081

Chapter 1081: Soul Flame

Deep down Rowan knew the only reason he was considering this matter this deeply was because of the present state of his consciousness.

If his consciousness had been complete, and his dimensional body fully realized then even the plight of countless trillions of mortals holding a mutated version of his bloodline would not even draw less than a smidgen of concern from him. Even though Rowan had never tampered with soul origin and so he understood that everyone he had killed still had many more reincarnations to look forward to, it was without a doubt that he had killed uncountable trillions in his life with no single hesitation.

The blood he had spilled in his lifetime could quench a trillion stars.

Yet the things he saw above the threshold had shaken him, the games being played with Ascendancy and Calamity by a higher power, and his understanding that no matter the sacrifices made in this battle, whether it be mere mortals or immortal Ascendants, it was all useless.

Millions of years of war and suffering and in the end, they were all forsaken, all of them one part of a long line of suffering that stretched deep into antiquity. Rowan had seen the souls locked in this realm, every cycle was one of endless suffering, in this cycle it was Ascendancy and Calamity, and after this cycle, a new one would begin.

In such a realm, his decision should be relatively easy, knowing that no matter what he did for these people, they would still be caught in the crossfire, yet despite all this, Rowan found that he could not go ahead and condemn these people.

He hated this realm, he hated the fact that it had taken his children from him and he wanted to rob this realm of every single shred of control and dominance that it had cultivated from time immemorial... He wanted to be more.

What was the point of all this power if he was like everyone else? Should his power not give him the freedom to become what he wanted? Could he not break the cycle of endless suffering where the worth of life was only determined by the power they controlled?

He paused, 'why am I thinking of such a thing at this time? Life is meaningless, death is meaningless, and only the truth at the end of all things is worth pursuing. Yet despite all of this, why do I no longer care for ultimate truth and power? Why do I care about these mortals? Have I fallen to such an extent? Why is my heart in pain?'

Free of his all-consuming strength and responsibilities, Rowan discovered that he had regained a small measure of the soul that he had lost.

This realization shook him to the core. He should not be able to change any longer, his spirit was too powerful, greater than what most immortals could ever fathom, change for him was so difficult that it should have been impossible, even Rowan did not believe he could change, his nature had become fixed, how was it that...

He brought his old and withered hands to his eyes and on his finger was a wisp of silver fire- Soul Flame. An ability he had lost since the moment he evolved his second bloodline from Soul Reaver to become the Avatar of Eve.

... he now had a soul.