(1) Is this the Soul Haven?

In a place where the concept of time and space doesn't exist, and only pitch-black darkness and eternal silence permeates. A humanoid-shaped light was floating silently while glowing incandescently, seemingly trying to resist the corrosion of darkness. After an unknown amount of time, the light twitched suddenly as it slowly opened its eyes.

'It feels like centuries had passed before I can open my eyes again', the humanoid-shaped light thought to itself.

'Did I succeed? Have I reached the legendary Soul Haven?', the light was scanning his surroundings through its soul eyes while thinking to itself.

The legendary Soul Haven, the domain of the gods in its world where only 4 people were known to have ever step foot upon it. Beings that have entered this realm are known as sovereigns, they are recognized by the universe and are granted authority over creation, destruction and everything in between.

Sigh!

A soundless sigh came from the light several moments after surveying its surroundings as it voiced out its thoughts in a self-deprecating manner.

"In the end, I still failed. No wonder the last sovereign ascended 15,000 years ago, ascending to the heavens was just a pipe dream for the likes of me. I was so close in achieving the hundred-billion-man-beast soul, if only I have other bodies to store my divine soul and another source of primordial energy, I would definitely have succeeded."

The humanoid-shaped light was certain of its success because of the knowledge he stumbled upon during on one of its quests to ascension, it learned that there are similarities between itself and the 4 sovereigns, and that is all of them were transmigrators and their souls, having survived the journey through the void, were the strongest in the world. Only the strongest souls could bear the burden of nurturing the immortal aperture, a small world implanted on the soul and the symbol of authority granted by the universe.

Sigh!

Another self-deprecating sigh came from the light as it thought of its last moments in the world.

"Those old fools wanted to ascend themselves, and they can't bear to watch another nameless figure like me trying to transcend the limit. In the name of righteousness, they banded together, labeled me a 'demon' and attacked together to eradicate me. Well, I can't blame them for what they did, I indeed massacred billions just to reach my goals."

"How ironic, I slaughtered the very beings who worshipped and believed in the gods while I'm trying to become one myself."

While the light was lamenting, a throbbing came from the depths of its soul.

Fear.

Anger.

Indignance.

"Haa! The emotions that I have buried deep within me have finally resurfaced, I thought I lost them for good on my quest to divinity. I only wanted to ascend and provide a sanctuary for my spirit beasts, and through it, I lost sight of myself. Sigh! It doesn't matter anyway as my second life has been more than worth it, I lived for hundreds of years, and I died trying to reach my goals. It is far better than being killed in a street fight."

The light can't help but smile at its death, a smile that wasn't seen for the last few centuries. Living its second life was well worth it, at least compared to its mundane and mediocre life on Earth where he died in the crossfire between cartels for territorial dispute. While he was reminiscing, he suddenly became alert as it heard a robotic voice in its mind.

[Confirmed. Extra skill "Soul Possession"... has been acquired]

'Who's there?!' the light shouted in its mind after hearing the voice and frantically searched the darkness. However, the voice ignored it and continued speaking in a monotonous tone.

[Confirmed. Extra skill "Duplicate"... has been acquired. Attempting to evolve. Successful. Extra Skill "Duplicate" has been evolved to the Extra Skill "Split Body"]

[Confirmed. Unique skill "Polarity"... has been acquired]

[Attempting to acquire Intrinsic skill "Magicule Breeder Reactor"... Failed]

[Constructing body with the Intrinsic skill "Magicule Breeder Reactor"... Successful]

[Confirmed. Unique skill "Unmoved Sage"... has been acquired]

[Notice. Detected an extremely strong soul. Attempting to evolve material body... Failed. Alternative. "Physical attack Nullification"... has been acquired.]

[Notice. Detected an extremely strong soul. Attempting to evolve material body... Failed. Alternative. Intrinsic skill "Universal Shapeshift... has been acquired]

'There really is no serenity even after death!' the light exclaimed in exasperation in his mind as he got drowned by the voice unto the endless darkness.

---

In the surface world.

City of Forgotten Dragon.

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

A pink-haired young girl was exchanging heavy blows with a bald-headed middle-aged man, while a silver-haired young man in a priest robe watched the 'prayer session' lazily from the corner.

"Kuahahahaha! Get up Middray! It's still too early to sleep!" The pink-haired girl provoked in a childish voice.

The Destroyer, Milim Nava, one of the demon lords and an epitome of power was in an exceptionally good mood after the great exercise with the dragon faithful, Middray.

Gasp!

Gasp!

Gasp!

"Milim-sama, let's have a break first, we have been sparring for hours now."Middray, in tattered clothing and covered in bruises, proposed in a respectful and reverent manner while gasping heavily for air.

Thud!

Before Milim can respond, she was dumbfounded as she felt a sudden throbbing at her body, a force that she never felt before.

"Hmm... What's that?" Milim suddenly blurted out with an amused look on her youthful face.

Middray, however, interpreted wrongly as beads of cold sweat started to pour down on his forehead upon hearing this question. Before he can even plead to his God to stop momentarily, he saw Milim grinning before flying in the air.

Hermes, the silver-haired young man and Middray, the bald-headed middle-aged man looked towards each other with a dumfounded look on their faces. Seemingly coming to a tacit agreement, both of them dashed out of the temple and looked towards the giggling pink-haired young girl floating in the air.

Milim was giggling to herself as she stared at the direction of Canaat Mountain range.

"Interesting... I don't know who you are or what you are, but I'm certain that it will be exciting to meet you, Kuahahaha!." said Milim in a high-pitched voice that is also laced with amusement and excitement. Contrary to her appearance, Milim has lived for more than a millennium and she was a fierce, extremely intelligent woman that cannot be outsmarted by even the brightest of minds. Her interest was piqued by the sudden throbbing of her body because she instinctively believes that someone related to her was born.

"The auras of the True Dragons did not disappear, albeit Veldora's aura is relatively weak due to his imprisonment... So how did someone related to the true dragons was born?"

"Ahhh! It's no use thinking of it right now! I will meet that person when the time comes." Milim shouted as she held her head and gave up thinking about it because she felt that her head will quickly go to overdrive and explode into smitheerens.

Not only Milim Nava, even the White Ice Dragon, Ice Empress Velzard, the Scorch Dragon, Velgrynd and even the imprisoned Storm Dragon, Veldora sensed the abnormal situation and all of them starts to wonder on how deep the stupidity of their sibling can be that they wanted to perish just to have a child and asked themselves, 'Didn't elder brother die after giving birth? Which fool followed in Elder Brother's footstep?'

However, the person in question doesn't even have the slightest clue that the strongest beings in the world had taken an interest in him. He was so busy running for his life as overgrown lizards of different varieties have eyed him as food.

"Goddamnit! Why in the hell am I alive again!" a white-haired humanoid male with tanned skin was shouting in the air as he ran away from the pursuit of dragons.

[Notice. Emotions will be suppressed under the effects of the Unique Skill, "Unmoved Sage"]

[Notice. Optimal solution for the current predicament. Kill the weakest lesser dragon, absorb its core and use Intrinsic Skill, "Universal Shapeshift" to disguise yourself... Chance of success... 25%... Chance of dying... 60%]

"Who the hell are you?!"