Harem Stealer: Reborn with the God-Tier Sharing System Chapter 442 Revelations

Previously on Harem Stealer: Reborn with the God-Tier Sharing System...
Noah finds himself in the Spirit World, where a mysterious grey-skinned woman known as the First Soul sits upon a majestic throne. As vengeful enemies like Luelle and the King in the North attempt to strike him down, Noah asserts a terrifying authority that forces them into submission. The tension breaks when the First Soul reveals her true identity as Halima Maryam Imane, the mother of Noah’s previous incarnation, Brandon. In a world-shaking revelation, she explains that Selene is actually a fragment of her own soul created to guard him, leaving Noah and his companions stunned by the truth of his origins.
Noah was stunned. He remained motionless, his vision blurred by a mixture of shock and disbelief as Maryam’s words reverberated through his mind like a persistent curse. Silence gripped the surroundings. Though many stood with their mouths agape, the ability to form words seemed to have vanished entirely. The only audible sound was the faint, stifled weeping of Selene. Her gaze remained fixed upon Noah, the young man she called her son. She struggled to speak, but her body refused to cooperate. Her chest constricted painfully, and each breath was drawn in a harsh, ragged rasp. More than anyone else present, Selene understood the agonizing reality behind Maryam’s claims. She could sense her very essence and soul trembling, pulled toward Maryam like iron shavings drawn to a powerful magnet. It was a bizarre sensation. It felt as though she were holding a handful of dry sand, watching helplessly as every grain trickled through the gaps between her fingers. Yet the reality for Selene was far more devastating. Her entire existence... her identity... her child... her Noah... Was it all a fabrication? Had she spent all this time living a scripted life? Was her sole purpose merely to act as a guardian for another woman's offspring? No. Noah was her son. Selene desperately fought against any other conclusion. She... she... "H-How is this possible?" Noah suddenly spoke, slowly pulling away from Maryam’s embrace. The movement caused the mother to tighten her jaw in frustration. She had anticipated this reunion for eons. While only years had passed for Noah, the temporal disparity between the Spirit World and realms like Earth or Laeh was incomprehensible. A single hour on Earth could equate to centuries within the Spirit World, sometimes stretching even longer depending on the shifting seasons. Throughout that vast time, she had waited and schemed. Every plan was designed to ensure her son returned to her side rather than falling into the grasp of the other Rulers. Now that the moment had arrived, her son seemed more concerned for a mere clone of herself than for her true being. A flash of indignation ignited within the Soul Ruler’s heart, but she quickly masked it. Narrowing her eyes into a faint smile, she reached out to stroke Noah’s left cheek. He did not pull away. Her smile grew wider. "It is the truth," Maryam murmured, as the onlookers listened with a mix of terror and intense focus. "Following my death, I manifested in this realm much like any other mortal soul in the cosmos," she explained, her gaze turning misty as she recalled the past. "Destiny granted me a rare trait known as a First Soul, providing me with power and talent far exceeding any other spirit. I shall spare you the details of my violent struggle against a rival ruler to secure my independence, but I emerged victorious." "However, through all those trials, my thoughts were only of you, my son." Maryam began to pace slowly through the area, the sound of her footsteps echoing like glass striking stone. As she moved, thick fog swirled and clung to her feet, as if the mist itself were paying homage to its Queen. Her voice projected clearly. "You were a mortal. That meant you were destined to fall under the dominion of Solstice, another ruler." Her tone turned frigid and heavy. "You cannot imagine what a creature like him does to souls of your kind." "The Spirit World is governed by its own laws, and many are cruel to the weak. Mortal souls are considered worthless; they perish by the thousands every second." She stopped walking. "You understand the principle. When something exists in such abundance, it loses all value." "Thus, you are exploited for the benefit of this realm rather than being permitted a new life. If you are fortunate, you become fuel for a more powerful soul. If not, you are processed into raw materials to forge soul coins." She lifted a finger, manifesting a grey coin engraved with the blurred countenances of four figures. "The currency of this domain." With a flick, the coin vanished. The witnesses collectively gasped, only then realizing they had been holding their breath in terror. Noah’s expression remained unreadable. Maryam paused, her back turned toward him. "You can see why I feared for you. I could not—and still cannot—risk an open war with Solstice over a single soul. The other Soul Rulers would seize the chance to destroy the one who dared to name herself a Ruler without the acknowledgment of the Spirit World’s Will." A sense of dread washed over the captives and even the Vaelgrim. Their complexions turned ashen, and their teeth chattered as if ice water had replaced the blood in their veins. They were in the presence of a being so defiant that even the world's Will rejected her. The more seasoned individuals among them could sense a storm approaching. Their brows furrowed as fear took root in their hearts, the stench of impending disaster thick in the air. "How did you manage to reincarnate me as... Noah?" he demanded. "How could my mother be a piece of your soul? And what about Luminara..." His voice trailed off. He was drowning in a sea of questions, feeling completely overwhelmed. Maryam turned back to him, her smile unchanging. "A certain entity assisted me," Maryam revealed, her eyes searching Noah’s face as if looking for a specific sign. Noah felt a jolt of realization, nearly letting out a cry of alarm. He barely kept his composure. "I-It was you?" he stammered. Maryam’s lips twisted into a smirk. "Not me. Him." 'The Son of Emptiness!' Noah thought instantly, his gaze sharpening. Providence whispered, her voice laced with anxiety. "It appears you are already aware," Maryam noted, tilting her head curiously. "How? Well, that can wait. But yes, it was Him. He approached me with a proposal to aid my cause. He claimed you were the chosen one, and that your journey would inevitably bring you here for our reunion." She smiled warmly. "That promise convinced me to accept his terms. He then manifested the Gift, placed it in your path, and ensured you claimed it." "During that period, Luminara was slain and entered my territory, presenting the ideal opportunity." "Why did it have to be Luminara?" Noah questioned. Maryam arched an eyebrow. "You truly haven't realized yet?" she asked, casting a brief look toward Luminara. "Luminara, my dear Brandon, is actually the left eye of the Progenitor of Divine Beasts." A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the group. It was a silence as chilling as the grave. It didn't last. "I knew it!" Laka, the Bloodline Sage, roared, his trembling finger pointed at Luminara. "I knew you were the one! The Eye that achieved sentience! Lumi, The Frost of Consciousness, The Eyeborn!" "IT IS YOU!" Neko looked at her mother, her face turning white. The others shared her horror. Luelle watched with wide eyes, struggling to comprehend the chaos. Selene looked at her long-time companion, her expression filled with more heartbreak than terror. It was the agony of betrayal—the realization that their entire history was a lie. She suppressed a sob and cast her gaze downward. Noah was equally shaken, staring at Luminara in utter shock. "Indeed," Maryam continued smoothly, "I selected her because her connection to a progenitor made the process of resurrection far simpler." She paused to let the revelation sink in before continuing her explanation. "I bestowed a fragment of my soul upon her. Then, I chose a random soul from my domain to serve as the sacrifice for the vessel known as Noah. Luminara’s task was to use a portion of her own flesh to fashion the bodies of Selene and Noah. She then placed my soul fragment into Selene and the sacrificial soul into her womb, ensuring you were born at the right moment." "But..." Selene interrupted weakly, "I-I have no memory of—!" "Naturally you don't," Maryam snapped, cutting her off. "He altered the very fabric of history and the timeline of that world, Lach. Your memories, and the memories of everyone else, were rewritten. Even that celestial girl and the pathetic demon were affected. He then recorded the start of this history in a format known as a novel and..." She stopped, deciding there was nothing left to explain. The weight of these truths left the audience paralyzed, their minds unable to process the magnitude of the deception. Noah realized with cold certainty that his entire life had been a choreographed play. Even his arrival in the Spirit World was something the Son of Emptiness had foreseen or engineered. It meant the entity knew Noah would be willing to sacrifice everything for victory. But then... 'Does he also know about my encounter with Gaia?' Noah wondered. He felt a flicker of doubt. He sensed that Gaia wasn't concerned, and his gut told him this was different. He exhaled slowly, feeling the presence of the system within him like a dormant explosive that would eventually need his attention. However, those problems were for the future. Right now, he had immediate concerns. Noah looked over at Selene. Then, with a set jaw, he glared at Maryam. "What are your intentions for Selene?" he asked, his voice strained. Maryam shook her head slightly. "Selene is me. I am Selene. Therefore, my baby Brandon..." She blurred across the distance, appearing instantly before Selene. Dropping into a crouch, she reached toward Selene’s throat. "I am taking back what is mine." -End of Chapter 442-