Is this really a Game?!

Reign took a deep breath, steeling himself for the challenge ahead. The Queen, Aelrinder, and the rest of the team watched with a mix of anticipation and confidence. Only two were left, and Reign had not made a single mistake so far.

Of course, none of them knew that Reign was not truly the one who was doing it, it was Aethion, but he was still keeping his identity a secret from the queen. She knew he had a soul inside of him that was helping him, but Reign had lied to both her and Aelrinder about who the soul was and what Aethion was before he was ultimately captured by Reign.

They made a story of an old mage who had lost a battle and neared the end of his life he got an opportunity from the system and took it, becoming an evil mage who in the end decided to attack the players near the castle, thus drawing the attention of Reign and the others who fought and defeated him.

She thought nothing much of it, after all, just how big of a coincidence could it be for that mage to actually be Aethion of all people, a person she knew well before and had played a big role in defeating in the end. 

Aethion relinquished control to Reign, allowing him to take the lead in the final stages of the healing process.

The two Tier IV elves, though not as powerful as the Tier V combatants, still presented a significant challenge. The corruption within their souls was deeply embedded, requiring a delicate touch and precise manipulation. Reign approached the first elf, his hand glowing softly as he extended it toward the afflicted soul.

The magic circle appeared, and Reign began to channel his mana and soul power, sensing the intricate tapestry of the elf's soul. The procedure was intricate, akin to a dance where each step held the key to success. Aethion, in the background, watched closely, ready to intervene if needed.

As Reign delved into the soul, he could feel the resistance of the corruption. It was a battle of wills, a struggle between the pure essence of the elf and the malevolent force that sought to dominate it. The experience was both mentally and magically demanding.

Aethion's voice echoed in Reign's mind, offering guidance and reassurance. "Feel the ebb and flow, lad. You're dancing with their soul, not wrestling with it. Let your mana and soul power merge smoothly, and guide the corruption towards the exit."

Reign focused his concentration, his senses attuned to the delicate threads within the elf's soul. He followed the procedure outlined in the ancient text, recalling Aethion's earlier demonstration. The magic circle pulsed in harmony with his movements, serving as a protective barrier.

The minutes passed like hours, but Reign remained steadfast. Aethion, though monitoring closely, recognized the signs of progress. The corruption, like a stubborn stain, began to yield to the combined efforts of Reign and Aethion. The magical circle glowed brighter as the cleansing process intensified.

The Queen and Aelrinder observed with keen interest. The success of this procedure held the key to the full recovery of the remaining elves, and even if she wasn't an expert in manipulating souls, she could learn a bit from watching Reign and potentially even improve her control over the soul in the future.

Aelrinder, with his celestial insight, could sense the subtle shifts in the afflicted soul as it gradually freed itself from the dark influence. The power of the stars was not only good for combat after all.

Finally, with a surge of magic, the corruption was expelled, leaving behind a purified soul. The glow on Reign's hand subsided, and the magical circle faded away. The Tier IV elf, now free from the malevolent influence, stirred with newfound vitality.

Aelrinder, a man of few words, nodded approvingly. The Queen's eyes reflected a mix of pride and gratitude. "Well done, Reign. You've shown remarkable progress. These elves owe their recovery to your efforts."

Reign, still catching his breath, managed a humble nod. "Thank you, Your Majesty, but there's one more left."

Aethion, who had temporarily taken a back seat during Reign's solo performance, grinned. "Not bad, kid. You've got potential. With more practice, you might become quite decent at this, now rest a bit and go to the last one."

About 5 minutes later, Reign went to the final elf and proceeded to do the same thing he had done before, and this time, he was even faster and it took slightly less focus for him to do it.

The healing chamber, once filled with tension, now radiated a sense of accomplishment. The elves that had regained consciousness and were fully healed showed signs of gratitude and relief. The Queen addressed the team, her voice resonating with authority.

"We have successfully cleansed these elves of the Umbraeth's corruption. This victory, however, comes with a realization. The threat posed by such dark entities is ever-present, with how quickly things change on this planet, one can never know when more of such monsters can appear."

The team, despite the victory, understood the gravity of the Queen's words. The Umbraeth was defeated, but the scars it left behind were a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle to protect their people.

In the days that followed, the healed elves, once victims, now stood as witnesses to the resilience of their kind. Reign, as well as every powerful individual and team of their territory, made sure to scout out the surroundings and make sure there were no additional monster territories left near them.

They had found some near Pripyat, but that wasn't very important, nor was it dangerous, thanks to the radiation around the city.

Monsters usually avoided going there as even though they could survive the radiation, fighting against other monsters who were in Pripyat and had adapted perfectly to the radiation and knew how to even use it was too dangerous.

There were some territories that were found on the mountain range, but Reign and the others only took out 2 that were close to the base on the first mountain as well as one that was close to the wall.

Other than that, there were no territories that needed to be taken down by them.

Still, dealing with all of those monster territories and fighting monsters of their own realm had helped them get a level or two, which was always nice to see.

'Yo, Aethion.'

"Yeah?"

'Do you think we'll ever be able to do it, to show you to the Queen?'

Aethion looked perplexed at Reign's question, a bit confused even.

"Why would you want to show me to that woman, I don't like her, and she doesn't like me, we have tried to kill each other in the past, I don't think she'll be very pleased to hear that one of her enemies is not only alive, but has been here all this time and was fooling her once again with the help of you and the others."

'Yeah, I know that, but still, what if she doesn't mind, at least not anymore?'

"Again, I have to ask, why does it matter, why would you even want to do such a thing?"

'Well, both of you do have history, but both of you are quite knowledgeable and have a lot to offer, I just think that if you two worked together, some things here would be easier.'

"Forget it, there's no way she would ever agree to that, not to mention that I don't find it appealing either."

'Alright, alright, message received.' Reign said with a shake of his head as he continued staring into the sky.

Inside the Buddhist Temple in Reign's territory, inside the main office …

"Seriously, still nothing?!" Eigol shouted before slumping down onto his sofa.

"It shouldn't be that difficult to find a trace at the very least, a trace would suffice!" Eigol shouted in frustration before sighing again as Drayce shook his head.

"No, not even a trace of your lord, the comrades you fought side-by-side with, and even the planet your lord comes from have been found, and I even asked my teacher to help me find it, and yet he found nothing."

"Your teacher probably doesn't know enough, I don't know exactly what happened back then, but somebody covered it all up, but I don't think we lost, no … we didn't lose, 'his' existence is proof enough of that, but we also didn't win as this damned thing is still around."

"Hmmm … what are you talking about, you know, you didn't even tell me what went on before you were nearly killed, Eigol."

"That's because you're an ant, of course, I'm not much myself right now either, but telling you what happened will definitely make you an enemy of an existence you definitely do not want to be an enemy of."

"In the end, I will need to go to 'him', he was there that day, we joined to help 'him' after all, he should have all the answers."

"Who?" Drayce asked as Eigol sighed before looking at him.

"The one that was called the Singularity of the Universe, the Lord of Destruction and Death himself, The Unbending, Undying, The Immortal, Raziel."