Eternal Thief

With deep scrutiny, Ace was looking at Pixy; there was no longer any doubt that this Primal Spirit could see through almost everything he thought would be impossible for anyone, especially at his current level.

Furthermore, what led him to acquire Pixy was a golden fate point, so it wasn’t surprising if she was compatible or helpful to him, and the system hadn’t interfered with whatever she was doing as well.

However, after interacting, Ace suddenly felt a hint of unease, which was his instinct as a thief. With a slight frown, he looked at the beautiful Primal Spirit who seemed to be deep in thought as if contemplating whether to form a Primal Bond or not.

‘Since the start, she has taken control of the conversation, and the way she revealed my secrets, it’s as if she wanted to confuse me or draw my attention from something.

‘Then she suddenly decided to enter my inner world without giving me a chance to inquire about her any further. This might be another distraction, to further shift my attention and keep me occupied. Then she casually mentioned and revealed the secrets of my inner world before telling me it is still lacking. It’s almost like a…performance, just like a thief!’

Ace’s eyes suddenly widened as a chill ran down his spine, ‘Now I understand why I’m feeling like this!’

At this moment, a sharp glint flashed past Ace’s eyes as he spoke coldly, “Alright, you can drop the act. I know this is all just a sham.”

A peculiar glint surfaced in Pixy’s eyes when she heard Ace’s voice before it quickly vanished. With the same innocent look, she confusedly said, “Mister, I think you have some misunderstanding. Why would I act? I have nothing to gain from this. If it’s about what I just said, you can’t blame me since I’m only doing this because this is a very important decision in my life.”

“Haha, there it is again!” Ace scoffed, as he was almost sure that he wasn’t paranoid. “Well, you might have seen through most of my secrets, but you failed to see through my nature, which is surprisingly similar to yours.”

“I still don’t understand?” Pixy still appeared confused, yet a hint of curiosity surfaced in the depths of her eyes.

Ace smiled coldly as he said, “Well, let me elaborate, I’m a Thief, and it has become my nature, and you know what thieves are good at, or at least what I think they are good at?

“Stealing is obvious, but far more important than the ability to steal is, I think, their ability to ‘act’ and ‘create illusions’! I’m excellent at pretending to be people I’m not, I can feel things I’m not actually feeling in real life, and convince anyone that it’s all real.

“In a sense, a thief is a master of illusion, or in simple terms, a liar! A thief lies so well that you believe completely. But a good liar is also a truth-teller because to make others believe your lies, you need to believe in them first.

“It’s all about revealing emotional truths through imaginary circumstances and using fiction to express emotions and create a real illusion.

“That’s why a masterful liar is terrifying, especially those who know how to control their body language, expressions, tone, and emotional timing— all manufactured consciously. Especially because they know how to appear honest, how to hide nervousness, how to manufacture authenticity.”

Ace’s voice was filled with chilly coldness as he stated, “A bad liar lies. A good liar reveals. A great liar disappears, and you are a great liar, Miss Pixy, because I’m just like you. After all, it takes a great liar to know another great liar.

“I’m entirely sure that you are using facts to create a deep web of lies, and you almost fooled me by entangling me in that web. If it were someone else, I’m afraid they might’ve never been able to free themselves from your manipulation.

“But as I mentioned, a great thief is also a great liar. So, drop the damn act, or I’m sure you’ve already known what this ‘beggar’ is capable off, right?”

Suddenly, within Pixy’s innocent expression, a deeply hidden mischievousness surfaced, “You know, mister, calling someone a liar is very impolite, I prefer the term ‘Dissembler’.”

Ace’s eyes flickered with derision, “A Dissembler, huh? This means you are admitting that you are someone who is not transparent about your real feelings or intentions, and you present a facade, pretending to be something you are not, and your opinions are not genuinely yours. You were misleading me so you could deceive me.

“But what I want to know is why this facade? If you want to form a Primal Bond with me, I won’t refuse you because I have no idea what a Primal Spirit is or what you are capable of.

“You have clearly known from the start that I’m not the one who had summoned you, and you were even sealed; you just hid this fact behind your lie by saying the truth about being summoned by that ritual.

“So, why go through all these troubles? Why not simply take advantage of my greed? What are you after, actually?” Ace couldn’t help but ask these questions, which were weighing down on his mind.

Pixy remained silent for a moment before she replied, “Every Primal Spirit is unique, and we are born from primordial laws. Depending on which laws we are born from, the more profound powers and abilities we manifest upon forming a Primal Bond.

“But a Primal Bond isn’t simple, and the more potential a Primal Spirit has, the harsher the conditions of the Primal Bond. Furthermore, we, the Primal Spirit, can’t tell anyone what those conditions are, even if we found our chosen ones with the Primal Spirit Ritual.”

A profound yet cold glint flashed past Pixy’s eyes, “Anyone who can step into the world of cultivation can perform the Primal Spirit Ritual, and if a compatible Primal Spirit exists, they’ll answer the summoning.

“But what those reckless fools don’t know is once they Primal Spirit answer the call, but they failed to complete all the requirements of the Primal Bond within a specific period of time, not only will they be deemed unworthy by the Primordial Laws and become in capable of performing the Primal Spirit Ritual ever again, but they will be cursed by the laws and become incapable of progressing in their cultivation ever again.

“As for the Primal Spirit who now couldn’t return after answering the summoning, they will be trapped in that world and wandering around like vagabonds. Finding another suitable chosen one is even more imposing once the previous one is deemed incapable.

“Furthermore, only other Primal Spirits can interact with other Primal Spirits, or chosen ones can see or hear a Primal Spirit that suits them, and they are capable of meeting the Primal Bonds conditions.

“Which means, a vagabond Primal Spirit will eventually succumb to loneliness before deciding to seal themselves, falling into eternal slumber, incapable of awakening again. It’s like a true death to a Primal Spirit.”

A hint of sadness surfaced in Pixy’s eyes before she looked towards the astral skies of Ace’s inner worlds, and her eyes shone with deep abhorrence, “In sealed state, we’ll become visible again, but what’s the point, really? Our seals are nigh impossible to break!”