The Glorious Evolution

He wanted to know who fought, what they fought over, and how a war involving beings like the Ancestral Trees left so many of them dead or struggling to survive.

He could always ask the Omnithar Genie... it lived through that period and wouldn’t refuse his questions.

’Leave those questions for another time, Levi.’

The Titan’s elderly voice interrupted his thoughts before he could voice them.

”Learning about that horrible period will do you little good right now...” The old man’s gaze lingered on the house Ash’Kral entered. ”You already carry enough. Focus on what still needs your help.”

Levi fell quiet.

Images of Heliodor surfaced in his mind... smoke rising over familiar streets, wounded survivors crowding treatment areas, Fang laughing amid the destruction.

His curiosity slowly lost its urgency.

The Titan was right... Levi still had people to protect, and Na’thir’s three dogs gave him plenty to worry about without adding an ancient war to the pile.

He wanted to understand what happened to Ash’Kral and his family. That didn’t mean he needed every answer tonight.

When a better time came, he could sit down with the Titan or the Genie and learn about that history... for now, his home still had a future he could do something about.

Levi shut off the water and reached for a towel.

He dried his hair, worked the damp strands away from his face, and pulled on fresh clothes before sitting on the edge of the bed.

Then, he raised his palm.

”Wake up... let’s see what you’ve got.”

A few petals pushed through his skin, followed by a mouth that opened just far enough to release a complaining whine.

”Yes, yes... a terrible life. Eat, sleep, and occasionally lick the floor.”

The Soulleech Maw offered another whine, unimpressed by his sympathy.

Levi retrieved a small metal wristguard from his dimensional wallet.

The dormant wisp within it immediately caught the Soulleech Maw’s attention... its petals spread wide, and its forked tongue snapped toward the artifact.

”Taste it,” Levi warned sternly. ”Don’t eat it.”

The tongue appeared to nod in understanding while its forked tips brushed the metal... just as Levi was about to praise it for its intelligence, the tongue coiled around the wristguard and yanked it toward the Maw’s teeth!

”You little!”

Levi tightened his grip, barely stopping the artifact from disappearing between its jaws... then he smacked the tongue with his free hand.

”Bad leech! Bad leech!”

The Maw answered with a muffled growl and sank its teeth deeper into the metal... it didn’t give a shit about destroying the artifact as long as it could devour the delicious wisp inside.

The poor thing cowered in a corner, its faint form trembling before an apex predator of the Spiritual Plane.

”Let go, you little brat!”

Levi kept smacking its tongue, but the greedy creature only bit harder... its petals closed around his fingers as though hiding the food would somehow make him forget about it.

The moment Levi heard the scraping crunch, he desummoned it.

He stared at the tooth marks across the wristguard, then checked the dormant wisp within it.

Still there.

”One lick... I asked for one lick.”

Levi’s lips twitched as he shoved the terrorized artifact back into his dimensional wallet and raised his palm, ready to bring the little menace out for a proper scolding.

But then, dozens of unfamiliar sensations flooded his mind!

’Oh?’

His hand stopped halfway up.

Brief flashes followed... calloused fingers digging through loose soil, a fist striking stone, gray skin turning aside a blade.

Then came a collapsing ceiling... someone reaching through the dust... fingers slipping out of reach.

Each glimpse lasted barely an instant, carrying enough emotion for Levi to recognize the soul’s fear, grief, and desperate will to survive.

Alongside them, the tongue’s findings surfaced in his awareness:

Soul state: A dormant, fragmented wisp.

Remaining spiritual energy: Weak.

Previous strength: Tier 5.

Affinity: Earth.

Surviving Aspect: Body hardening, with its associated understanding still intact. No other complete Aspects remained.

Dominant emotions: Grief, helplessness, and fear of death.

Memories: Scattered fragments, with the strongest emotions clinging to its final moments.

Levi slowly lowered his palm as the flashes faded, leaving their information clear in his mind...

”Insane...” he muttered.

He knew a mere taste wouldn’t hand him the Aspect, as he still needed to consume the soul and go through the process, with no promise that it would succeed... Still, this completely changed the game for both his research advancement and strength!

Especially since he knew that most Perfect evolutionary formulas above Tier 5 required a Wisp-Bound Artifact whose soul possessed Aspects compatible with the intended evolution.

According to common belief, Shadowlife Seeds extracted the wisps’ understanding of those Aspects to help perfect their evolutionary paths.

Now?

His own tongue could help him develop evolutionary formulas... while the Maw’s tongue could help him search through souls for the understanding he needed.

Two tongues... and somehow, both felt like cheating.

He laughed under his breath, more than satisfied with today’s haul... Levi would be lying if he said that he hadn’t expected much from the Taste Sense, but thank god he was ignorant.

The best part? He still possessed one reward he knew nothing about.

His ultimate ability!

Levi settled against the bed and focused inward, reaching for the new information the Nine Senses Seed placed in his memories.

But then an incoming call interrupted him.

He glanced at the caller’s name through his Harmonic Spine, and his grin turned irritated.

Bishop Va’ren.

”For fuck’s sake... not now.”

He left the call unanswered, just like he did with the previous ones over the past months.

Bishop Va’ren wanted his help bringing down Na’thir... and even though Levi wanted him dead too... it didn’t mean he would sit down and listen to his sacrificial plans.

Whatever Va’ren and Darius wanted to start could wait... he refused to let their impatience drag him into a confrontation with Na’thir before he was ready.

The call finally expired.

Levi dismissed the notification and returned his attention to his newly unlocked Taste-based Ultimate.

***

Meanwhile, in Nocturn’s Heart City, Darius watched from across the dinner table as Va’ren’s call ended without an answer.

”Again?”

Va’ren closed the screen and picked up his utensils.

”It seems like the boy is still busy.”

The Bishop’s light tone did little to disguise his irritation.

Darius tried to straighten two fingers around his fork... Demetris Bane’s corpse resisted the movement, forcing him to use his other hand to adjust the grip.

He stared at the dead fingers for a moment, then set the fork down without taking a bite... too disgusted with his own body to even pretend he could eat normally.

Levi could afford to keep them waiting... but Darius’s borrowed body rotted a little more with every passing day.

”How many more times do you intend to call?” he asked.

Va’ren continued chewing.

”Until he answers.”

”He knows what we want... another call won’t change his mind.”

The Bishop’s utensils stopped against his plate.

Darius leaned back, drawing the uncooperative hand into his lap.

”It’s time for plan B...” Darius uttered coldly. ”Let’s give him a reason to dread missing our calls.”