The memories of their past quickly filled Kahayag's mind.

All the life and death adventures they went through together, the people they have to confront just to stay together. The numerous kinds of monster they had to kill just to continue breathing, the odds that were against them was another story to be told. A memory full of story, a memory she holds dearly.

It all started when the time Kahayag left the Realm of Light for a secret mission on the earth, only to end up stuck in the physical realm because she fell in love with a very unique warrior of a small island.

Thinking it was her destiny, she had to sacrifice most of her power and real ident.i.ty just for him, but in the end, it all became the same snare that held her in this world.

She resigned herself to fulfill a certain life mission after one fateful encounter led them for Lapu-Lapu to risk his life just to save her; it eventually resulted in him losing his soul. 

But now, she is just meters away on saving the very soul that was the main color and reason for her existence.

"Lapu.," Kahayag mumbled softly his name. The name of the one she loved the most. He is Elric's tenth generation ancestor and was a legendary warrior who defeated hundreds of unique monsters, Dragons, even spirituals and Anaks or giants themselves.

His real downfall was not caused by the hands of his enemies but because of his weakness that lay in his heart; he loved a woman that he was not supposed to fall for, it eventually led him to his current demise. 

His spirit is unable to find eternal rest as he was stuck in a curse of the Spiritual confinement of the Unholy Marbles brought over by Kahayag's enemy.

Thus, Kahayag is willing to do whatever it takes to take Lapu-Lapu's soul back, and maybe find a body to revive the man she loved the most.

And now, the time has come. After a hundred years, by betraying the trust of her great-great-grandson, the last two eastern Dragons, and the world's hope, and her creed as a divine Spiritual of Light, she is just one step ahead on finally reaching her goal.

Her eyes were shaking. Tears flowing with great sadness and eagerness left behind in its trail. Her eyebrows raised up to show how sorry she was on what happened in the past. 

Seeing the face of the man she longed for a long time finally revealed before her, she could not hold herself back but slowly step forward, hands eager to reach for the small marble containing the soul of Lapu-Lapu.

"Oops, not too fast. I believe this is a barter. WE exchange goods you know." The King playfully tossed the marble back to his other hand, which was covered in black cloth, and casually made it spin in his other hand.

Kahayag watched great discomfort as she witnessed the tiny soul of Lapu-Lapu spun inside the small marble as the King playfully made it spin.

"Stop! I will do it! Just make it stop, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" Kahayag shouted with furious anger.

The open palm of the King suddenly closed, the small marble clenched tightly inside.

Then, the King looked down at Elric's body. Its eyes suddenly glowed with a faint purple light, it was scanning Elric's body and it could not help but salivate over the precious body in front of him.

In his eyes, he could see the complex structures of energy morphing inside the young man's body, the essence of Dragon freely moved in its veins and muscles, the Authority of Water and Fire lingered in its dantian and the overwhelming spiritual presence he possesses was good enough to stretch the King's eyes to his ultimate gladness.  

As long as the cursed knife is in contact with Elric's body, he as good as a disabled warrior.

Elric was like a giant monster that was unable to wake up because its eyes and mind were fooled as if it was sleeping. With the help of the cursed knife, his consciousness and soul had been isolated and sealed from reality. Unable to tell that something was amiss. One would feel as if time had stopped and his vision would only see an endless illusion of darkness.

No matter how much he struggles, he can't feel his body nor his energy. He does not even realize that he was trapped in illusion!

Such is the power of the Cursed knife from the Dark Realm. It was a treasure that Kahayag was supposed to bring back to the Realm of Light and have it destroyed, but she ended up being tempted by its boundless potential and threat to anyone far stronger than her.

And as long as she has the knife, not even the Kings from the Realm of Light and Darkness could scare her. With the help of a long and painful ritual, she had successfully made the knife to recognize her as its owner as long as she constantly feeds it with her spiritual energy.

It is safe to say that the Cursed Knife is like a living greedy artifact. Like a black octopus, it will latch itself to its prey, fool it as if it was just dreaming, while slowly draining its victim's blood and energy.

But in this case, it goes both ways to its wielder and the victim. It was just a greedy artifact that knows nothing but feeds on everything it touches.

It was, after all, the greatly feared and cursed artifact that was stolen from the depths of the Realm of Darkness.

Kahayag hesitated for a while as her eyes glanced over the cursed knife. She could feel that the greedy b.a.s.t.a.r.d seems to have grown incredibly powerful lately, it must have something to do with all the spiritual energy she had drained for it from her past battles.

She could not help but shudder, thinking of a moment in case the Cursed knife itself gets out of her control.

Not only she would lose her greatest trump card but those who were after her would surely pounce out of nowhere just to deal with her, especially with all the troubles she and Lapu-Lapu had done in the past.

"Ahem. So what are you waiting for? Do you want this handsome gentlemen's soul back or not?" The King complained about an agitated look on its face. The latter may sound angry but the spilling saliva dripping down of its mouth betrayed it of its intense agitation in taking over Elric's' body.

"Hurry up and destroy his soul. Use the knife, or do you want me to do it myself?" It hurriedly added.

"First, hand that marble over to me, and this young man's soul will be as good as a goner in less than a second." Kahayag insisted, her hands were just inches away from the blade.

"Purge that ugly soul out first and you can have this stupid marble!" The King beckoned back, refusing to do Kahayag's request.

"Then how about this, we do it together. I crush the soul right away and you throw that marble to me." Kahayag suggested, her eyes determined not to let her enemy take advantage of her.

Like a spoiled lady, the King replied, "Hmp. Fine."

The two of them looked at each other. The time suddenly stood still.

Their background was still the same catastrophic image of a scorched crater and far behind Kahayag are the two Eastern Dragon bodies still burning unceasingly from the might of the Tribulation of Light.

The King held the marble tightly while Kahayag had a conflicted look on her face.

One could feel intense powers colliding in their determined eyes. Like an unseen spark, trying to destroy one another mentally. 

One is the once the greatest warrior from the Realm of Light while the other is a King from the Realm of Darkness. Both with different desires and are unwilling to lose a single advantage over this trade. They waited a hundred years for this event after all.

Judging from their past activities and their nature, they both knew that they can't trust the other.

After all, why would a thief trust another thief its precious possessions?

A minute has gone pa.s.sed, and they are stuck in the standstill. Kahayag looked as tense as before while the King had all the time that he can waste. He was playing with the small marble in his huge palms.

"Sigh. Alright. I will do it first." 

Suddenly Kahayag started talking, albeit a hesitant tone in her voice. She just could not bare the sight of Lapu-Lapu still helplessly stuck inside the cursed marble.

The King smiled wickedly.

"Sound's good to me. Hurry up and do it, then this gentleman's love-of-your-life will be finally yours! Break it, to win it!" the King excitedly encouraged her with a showman's energy.

Then slowly, Kahayag's hand made contact with the blade once more.

Wing~

A strong vibration started to channel from the blade and to her body. Then, with all her focus, Kahayag slowly exerted more strength and spiritual energy in her grip before pus.h.i.+ng the knife's blade even deeper on Elric's body.

KSSSHK!~

MBHMBHH!~

Elric's body instinctively shocks and mumbled from the unexplainable pain from its back. Together with it was an incredible surge of destructive energy that seems to dissolve all the conscious ability in Elric's body.

The cursed blade had been fully activated. It was on the process of slowly dissolving Elric's soul until Kahayag's eyes suddenly widened in surprise.

"What's wrong?.. Wait... How come?" 

The blade! 

She can't push through even deeper! 

The curse!  The destruction of Elric's soul!

It's not working!