Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 207 - 194: Soul Reaver Helena

Medusa in Helena’s hands resembled nothing more than a toy snake, devoid of the vivaciousness it once had around my own neck. A sense of unease spread within Lyle’s heart, and a term involuntarily emerged in his mind.

Witch.

Helena was like a witch who found joy in manipulation and control, hiding in the shadows, enchanting people with her melodious voice, and then turning them into marionettes on strings.

This was the most genuine sensation Lyle felt at his core, seeing the Medusa that once frolicked with him turned into a mere plaything in the hands of another. Discomfort and fear intertwined within him.

"Ms. Helena, you can return Medusa to me now," he said.

"Of course, Lyle, she is my creation, a gift meant for you. Come take her, Lyle."

Medusa curled up in her palm, her head bowed low, like a venomous snake ready to strike.

Lyle didn’t hesitate and directly cradled Medusa in his arms. He stroked her scales, watching her weakly writhe in the palm of his hand. Lyle felt as if his heart was being squeezed.

He turned his back to the statue, not facing her beautiful face.

"Ms. Helena, please give me some private space, I wish to rest alone."

"Please rest well, Lyle, and don’t miss the luncheon," Helena’s voice remained captivating, but it had acquired a different taste in Lyle’s heart.

About ten minutes after Helena’s voice faded away.

"Mr. Deckard, Mr. Ernest, please give me some private space," Lyle said.

Lyle’s eyes were tightly closed as he felt the condition within his body.

The pressure lessened; those two specters had indeed left him. Lyle surveyed his surroundings to confirm there were no more signs of cold auras or gazes around him.

Lyle took out his magic wand, the tip pointing towards himself.

"Zombie Curse."

A curse used as a disguise, making the caster’s aura resemble that of a corpse; probably something liches used to disguise themselves. Lyle had incidentally discovered another function of it, which was to contaminate the environment with an aura of death, isolating perception.

Lyle’s hand, ashen in color, gently caressed her wooden scales.

"Medusa."

Medusa’s eyes became nimble, just like that of a snake awakening from hibernation.

"Lyle," her voice was as feeble as though she had been through a severe illness.

"You fear Helena, Medusa. You’re afraid of your creator," he said.

Medusa didn’t display her usual vibrancy; she leaned into the palm of Lyle’s hand.

"Master Helena is special; she, she is the Soul Reaver."

"Soul Reaver?"

"The master of specters, the depredator of souls. You already know about the existence of the herds. Each herd has their leader, the leader with the authority over life and death. The Naslan Family’s herd is the Specter Herd, and their leader is Helena. She is extraordinary, very powerful, she controls every soul of the Naslan..."

"Alianna..."

"Her sisters were not within her range of abilities, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t exhibit her strong desire to control."

"Due to a disaster, Mistress Helena lost her physical body and could only exist in the form of a soul. But her soul is very dangerous, to everyone who witnesses it, even her own sisters. Therefore, Helena created many sculptures to serve as her anchors, just like the sculpture you see. She has a habit of stripping the original spirit from her creations after making them, turning them into empty shells, a vessel for her own use."

"I am lucky, Lyle, I became your Magic Wand, and under your empowerment ceremony, I regained my spirit. To us creations, the spirit is my life, I do not want to die, Lyle."

Lyle looked at Medusa in surprise.

"That’s why you’ve been avoiding them. You’re hiding from Mr. Scholar and Alianna, from everyone related to Helena. You don’t want them to discover that you can speak, that you have a spirit. Just now, you pretended to be a controlled puppet."

"Yes, because Helena was checking my spirit, I had to feign death. I am sorry, Lyle, for hiding so much from you, I thought these were things you didn’t need to know."

"And I fell in love with Helena’s sister, Alianna. This has put you in danger, Medusa. I am sorry."

Medusa shook her head and slipped back into Lyle’s sleeve.

"It’s okay, trust me, I will disguise myself well. Don’t worry, Helena is kind to her sisters, and to you as well. Her malice is only aimed at her creations, what am I saying, isn’t it normal to be manipulated by one’s own creator? I am just a disobedient toy who has developed its own thoughts."

"I will protect you, Medusa, just as you have protected me before."

Medusa was stunned for two seconds, then reverted to her original lazy and arrogant big sister persona.

"Then protect me well, little Lyle."

——————————

By the time Monica came to notify him, Lyle was ready. The two specters possessed Lyle again, and he followed Monica towards the dining room.

At the long table, only one end was set with seats and food, the rest was empty.

At the head of the table sat a sculpted figure, Helena’s sculpture.

Beatrice was sitting on the side, idly playing with a fork, which she pinched into chopsticks the moment she saw Lyle. Fuming, she stared daggers at Lyle, but didn’t make any extra movements under Alianna’s eye.

Alianna was wearing a deep black gown, void of excess decoration, more like loungewear, but her allure was in no way diminished, especially her snow-white skin against the black, which shone like a jewel, drawing Lyle’s gaze. She patted the seat next to her.

Lyle sat down, giving Alianna a warm smile.

Beatrice handed over another pair of cutlery to the Specter Servants, which they too transformed into chopsticks.

Within the sculpture, Helena’s voice resounded again.

"Welcome Lyle to the Naslan Family. I believe it won’t be long before he becomes one of us, as the lover of my sister. A... human." With Helena’s emphasis, the great hall instantly filled with people, the specters standing on both sides materialized, their focus converging on Lyle.

Alianna took Lyle’s hand and complained to her sister, "Honestly, don’t scare Lyle, sister Helena."

Helena’s laughter rang out like silver bells, "I just wanted everyone to meet Lyle, since he is our honored guest. But since my dear sister is displeased, let’s officially start the meal."

"Welcome, Lyle."

Lyle showed a modest smile to the statue, raised his cutlery, and began to enjoy the food.

Behind him, Medusa was curling up against the cotton chair back.