Harem Stealer: Reborn with the God-Tier Sharing System Chapter 494 - Vessel
Previously on Harem Stealer: Reborn with the God-Tier Sharing System...
In a dim alleyway, one of those rare spots untouched by light where shadows thrived unchecked, Rue Octave slumped against the sleek yet frigid wall.
His breaths came in short, ragged gasps, sweat drenching his features and form in a manner that sparked deep concern.
His eyes stared wide, the hue of his irises flickering between shades of gold and gold. They appeared similar at first glance, yet the distinction stood out starkly.
Golden blood trickled from his hand, originating from the lifeless body of Castria, which lay sprawled to his left on the ground.
Castria's skull had split open; the area that once housed the brain was now a haunting void.
The scene sent shivers down the spine, and Rue found himself overwhelmed by terror.
He had no idea why he had slain his companion. He couldn't fathom why he had extracted the brain and devoured it.
Yet Rue understood that such details held no importance anymore.
Rather than Castria's soul departing to the Spirit World, it had been drawn into Rue's own soul. With two souls merged, Rue ceased to be entirely Rue.
Almost.
Just a faint thread of his authentic self lingered, observing with icy horror the entity that sat composed within his Mind Palace.
"All of this," Rue's voice quivered beyond control, "All of this is because of you?"
His question aimed at the woman perched on a throne before him, her golden gaze so steeped in indifference that it could freeze the entire cosmos.
Her green locks flowed softly over her shoulders, lustrous and velvety. She stood bare, reminiscent of Eve in the Garden; and if modesty concerned her, her impassive expression revealed nothing.
"Two Records..." Aurelia, The First Abomination, murmured softly to herself, sensing the two pilfered records she had once taken now blending together within Rue's being.
"Still not enough." She grumbled once more, a hint of frustration coloring her
voice.
Impatience was building within her.
Tainting—even corrupting—the pilfered Records of so many with a piece of her essence had proven no simple feat. Yet she had accomplished it repeatedly with these.
Still, the greater challenge lay in gathering the bulk of these Records and forging her existence anew from nothing.
Such labor might stretch across centuries, but Aurelia refused to endure that delay.
Elves awaited her slaughter. Not even death, banishing her soul to nothingness alongside a Progenitor, would halt her pursuit.
She astonished herself, unaware she harbored such pettiness. This wasn't her usual nature, but Aurelia suspected it stemmed from the youngest one.
Her lips twitched toward a grin, but she forced it back.
One lingering problem demanded attention.
And her present circumstances forced her toward the final recourse.
Aurelia turned her focus to Rue, regarding the pitiful man as if he were refuse she had spat from her lips.
He served merely as Soleil's lackey, yet Aurelia discerned untapped potential in Rue for her purposes.
Decision made, she gestured summoning toward Rue. In a flash, he hovered before Aurelia, writhing and contorting like a ensnared insect.
"What-!"
"My Vessel." Aurelia declared, her tone sharp as shards of ice stabbing into Rue's ears, "You shall serve as my Vessel, Wretched, until my full existence is restored. And you will seek out all those whose records I have taken and eliminate them if required."
"What?" Rue's eyes bulged in shock, "Light above, no!" He shook his head vigorously, "I cannot do that! Look at me, I am nothing but Soleil's slave! You want me to kill all of them? Including the Forbidden Stolen Records?"
Had the First Abomination descended into madness following her demise?
She expected him, Rue Octave, to confront beings like Horus?
"Just kill m-!"
"Silence." Aurelia commanded icily, her golden eyes searing into Rue's
own, "Death will be the least of your worries under my watch. That, I assure you. No option remains for you. Your fragile mind cannot withstand my presence."
Her hand lashed out, clamping firmly around Rue's neck. His face flushed crimson at once, veins swelling and on the verge of rupture.
Aurelia pressed on, her words growing ever more frigid and lethal with each moment, "Regardless, you will function as a mere instrument. You face two paths: submit voluntarily as a tool or resist against your will."
Rue gasped for air, his lungs burning empty.
"M-My fate?" Rue barely croaked, as Aurelia's hold constricted further and
further. She appeared truly intent on ending him.
"Your fate?" She barked a bitter, joyless laugh. "I have witnessed what you inflicted upon Premier."
"Soleil!" Rue forced out, "Soleil did not-!"
"It matters not." Aurelia interrupted his frantic outburst, "You tormented the son of my brother. You tortured my own nephew countless
times. Do you believe it ends there?"
Aurelia's smile turned glacial,
"We never forget, Wretched. I am coming for all of you. And you shall
be the first."
Aurelia hurled him aside, sending Rue slamming into the ground, tumbling several rolls before halting.
The impact stung sharply, but it paled against the all-consuming dread that shrouded his thoughts.
Premier had been liberated by the Dreamspawn and his sister. They might strike without warning.
And Soleil had departed with Horus, oblivious to the peril looming over his life, as Aurelia's vengeful grasp clung to Horus in ways he himself didn't realize.
Now, Rue found himself ensnared as a vessel for this embodiment of nightmare.
He drew in a labored breath, only to discover even that act filled him with dread.
Rue managed merely to slump on the ground, gazing into the frozen blaze of retribution flickering in Aurelia's eyes before his awareness snapped back to his body, next to his friend's corpse.
He retained some awareness of his identity, yet he sensed his form was no longer under his command.
It resembled a marionette aware of its strings; realizing that no motion, deed, or choice would ever truly belong to him again. In that moment, Rue transformed into a mere observer of his existence. He parted his lips to wail, but laughter emerged instead.
The laughter wasn't his. It belonged to Aurelia.
Thus he laughed, while the remnant of his soul wept in silence.
At the same time, Aurelia's laughter echoed within Rue's Mind Palace. It rang hollow, brimming with visions of Esmeray, the elves, Soleil, and the Celestial...
...all utterly destroyed or suffering far worse.
Did they truly imagine they could harm them without facing repercussions?
"That's not how things work." Aurelia stated, her chuckles fading,
"Still, this Wretched will not suffice for the trials ahead."
She halted, glancing upward,
"I need it back," she voiced aloud, "you are complicating matters needlessly."
The Records responded with a chill resonance.
{How, I painfully wonder, did you regain your true memories and
identity?}
"You know it well. Stop wasting my time and give it back."
{Stop your bullshit, Earth.}
Aurelia sighed wearily, "Sky, don't talk to me now. Where is Harmony?
Or even Cloud? Or even Dancer and Meadow? You are the least of us I
wish to speak to."
{You only have me today. You have sacrificed your Seed in order to be who you are now. You cannot take it back.}
"Give me yours. I can shift it into the Seed of Earth. Despite my dislike
of you, we are the two sides of the same coin."
{I wish you death, Earth. We told you it was a foolish idea. Yet you did
not listen. All for what?}
"The two of them are worth the price. You have seen them, I was right! Now with my True Memories I can-!"
{You are late, then, Earth.} Sky almost snorted. {The Second Child of
Sin has been manipulated by Lilith's firstborn. His soul is no longer
his.}
Aurelia's expression abruptly soured.
"What?" -End of Chapter 494-