Lyle found himself back in that blank space, the giant stone sculpture gone without a trace; the Land of Souls maintained its initial appearance, and the floating remnants of memories still recorded the past, those mundane pieces of knowledge seemed to answer that all the strange phenomena from just now didn’t exist.

His own cognition and the memories within the Land of Souls had discrepancies, even his memory of the Soul Reaver statue was being forgotten.

[The Land of Souls is cleansing your consciousness, making you forget those oddities.]Emotions of anger and worry, accompanied by emotional fluctuations, filled Lyle’s soul space.

It was Helena, whose presence could barely be felt through her deliberate disguise, but her anger and worry were expressed quite straightforwardly, those emotions compressing Lyle like walls of air.

[You are a human! Glorifying Andrey’s noble traditions to such an extent, you’re really going to be the death of me! This is the Land of Souls, a place not even Liches dare to tamper with recklessly! You little rascal!]

[Had I not thrown you out, you would have become a part of "me"!]

Cold arms crawled onto his shoulders once again, but unlike the last sinister touch, this time the arms tightly strangled Lyle’s neck to convey Helena’s discontent.

[I should just strangle you, you brat!]

Lyle’s soul could not suffocate, and in his perception, Helena’s arms were white, like plaster.

[I was wrong! Big sister, I was wrong!]

Lyle could clearly sense that Helena wasn’t very angry; those emotions floated in the air, and after his submission, the colors representing anger quickly dispersed.

Lies did not exist in the Land of Souls; this place facilitated communication between souls, or perhaps deception required different methods.

Lyle could clearly feel Helena’s presence, as well as the language of spiritual communication that seemed to resonate in his mind.

[You’ve learned faster than I thought. You reached the Land of Souls on your first resistance to the trap of desire.]Helena’s resentment surfaced just a bit, [Then, while I wasn’t paying attention, you directly gazed upon my incarnation and almost turned your own soul to stone. You truly are unpredictable, little Lyle.]

Did that Soul Reaver statue really exist? Was it Helena’s incarnation? So immense?

[What is an incarnation?]

[Another self, only a Rule Breaker possesses such, signaling their essence as an anomaly. This is also why Rule Breakers are misconstrued as gods. A powerful Rule Breaker can allow their bizarre incarnation to descend into reality, creating miraculous phenomena.]

[Your incarnation... is a stone sculpture.]

[Becoming a Rule Breaker like the Soul Reaver caused a fundamental transformation in my essence; my soul’s nature turned into a special anomalous existence.]

[Cool.]Lyle couldn’t think of anything else to say other than that blunt compliment.

[If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to become this, not being embraced by this world, becoming an outsider.]Helena moved to another spot, [Just like now, I have to hide myself. Because a moment of my negligence could cause the destruction of something dear to me.]

[Unable to be exposed under the light, for every pair of eyes that gaze upon me would turn to stone and have their souls taken by me.]

[This is the strangeness caused by the Soul Reaver.]

This was also the reason why Naslan’s eldest daughter, with her enchantingly beautiful appearance, had to imprison herself in Naslan Castle, trapped within a statue.

[Helena, your essence is beautiful.]Lyle thought as much; the eldest daughter of Naslan wanted nothing more than pure and straightforward praise.

[Thank you, though I know you only glanced briefly, and that glance barely touched upon the edge of me and almost cost you your life.]Helena seemed to talk more, [Do you think the lady of Naslan is a shallow woman who will be happy with simple compliments? Little Lyle, you’re still too inexperienced. Now get back to reality quickly, don’t keep my sister waiting.]

[Anna must think her awakening method is problematic and is constantly trying again, right, go give her a surprise.]

Lyle felt like an insect caught in the waves, tossed out by the rolling tide of souls.

The Land of Souls returned to tranquility; a few seconds later, Helena reappeared, along with the giant Soul Reaver sculpture.

[My essence, my incarnation, you’ve once again, almost destroyed my things.]

[Indeed, I shouldn’t have whimsically interfered with your study of soulcraft; it’s still too dangerous.]

Helena gazed at the huge sculpture, and suddenly the space around her fluctuated, turning into an embarrassed pink.

[I know it’s beautiful, but why a nude sculpture? And in realistic style, too!]

The differences in status, identity, they bred different perspectives. When Lyle was overwhelmed by the colossal body of the Soul Reaver’s incarnation, unable to think, Helena was contemplating more profound things.

But Lyle couldn’t hear any of this; his consciousness had already returned to reality.

His body was standing still in place, as if petrified. Alianna watched his not yet recovered empty eyes with a hint of anxiety, patting his cheeks.

"Caught in enchantment again, and even deeper this time. Sister went a bit too far."

Lyle had long been able to control his own body, but he didn’t move. How Alianna was waking him up, the mischievous boy chose to play dead.

Perhaps since arriving at the Land of Souls, Lyle’s control over his facial expressions had improved considerably, and the anxious Alianna didn’t notice his pretense.

"Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty." Alianna actually cracked a rare joke. Her lips, glossy with moisture, pressed against Lyle’s cheek.

Alianna was kissing Lyle, just like in fairy tales, with a true love’s kiss to awaken her companion.

That’s what Lyle had thought.

Until he felt something unusual on his face; Alianna’s lips didn’t immediately pull away, and within the range of his lips, something cold and smooth was sliding across his skin.

It was Alianna’s tongue tip.

She wasn’t kissing, but licking. Her tongue tip carried tiny stimulations like a soul shock, electrifying Lyle’s consciousness like a jolt.

"Salty, tastes much worse than a pork chop." Her bland commentary trampled on Lyle’s touched feelings.

Lyle wanted revenge.

When Alianna’s lips approached again, Lyle turned his head.

Eye to eye, lip to lip, in Alianna’s surprise, Lyle reveled in the success of his mischief, savoring the soft chill. Lyle’s embraced body gradually grew limp, relying entirely on his own.

Only when Alianna’s gaze became hazy and her cheeks flushed, her entire person as if entranced, did Lyle release his hold, taking two deep breaths.

"How does my taste compare, dear Alianna?"

The peach-like flush lingered long on her pale skin. She breathed raggedly, exhaling a sweet mist onto Lyle’s chest. Alianna dodged Lyle’s intense gaze, burying her head in his embrace, and responded in a mosquito-like whisper.

"No... not satisfactory."

In the small room of Dexterous, the pink hue slowly dissipated. He clapped his hands, looking at the three who were now lucid.

"Well, not bad, you’ve managed to ignore the temptations and pinpoint the location of the Gate of Souls. With a little training, you’ll soon enter the Land of Souls."

"The Land of Souls is... hard to explain. You’ll understand it yourself once you get there."

The three looked at Dexterous speechlessly.

"It’s difficult to put into words anyway. Just wait until you get there, and you’ll gain the corresponding knowledge. From here on, your study of soul science will no longer need specific guidance and can move to a self-study phase."

"By the rules, your graduation assessment should be to create a Soul Stone."

"The Land of Souls will have everything you’ll need. We’ll talk about it when the time comes."

The three took it to heart. The Land of Souls is a necessary condition for creating Soul Stones.

"A Soul Stone, like the one Troy is?"

Dexterous answered the manipulation.

"Indeed, Troy is a Soul Stone, a rather special one among Soul Stones. Ordinary Soul Stones are merely storage containers, whereas Troy, you probably won’t ever make one in your lifetime, so better set a different goal."

"This isn’t to underestimate you. Even I, a Soul Master, cannot make one. It’s not a matter of skill, but of essence."

Dexterous, after much thought, gritted his teeth and said, "Anyway, the boss will tell you sooner or later. It’s not like I’m revealing any of her secrets, so I’ll just say it."

"Troy is a Liches’ Soul Stone."

"A Liches’ Soul Stone, made from special materials, is a powerful Soul Stone. And the raw material for Troy..."

"Is the Soul Reaver gemstone."