NOVEL NEXT Chapter 423: A soul
The mechanical beings approached with a strange mix of reverence and curiosity. Their forms had shifted dramatically since Kelvin's intervention—what had been aggressive war machines were now sleek, purposeful constructs that moved with something approaching grace. The largest among them, roughly the size of a transport vehicle, positioned itself directly in front of Kelvin while smaller units flanked it on either side.
"Can you understand what they're saying?" Noah asked, keeping his voice low as he watched the delegation arrange itself.
Kelvin nodded slowly, his green eyes still dimmer than usual but functional. The mechanical being at the center began emitting a series of harmonic vibrations, patterns of sound that seemed to bypass normal hearing and resonate directly through Kelvin's enhanced neural interfaces.
"They're... grateful," Kelvin said, his expression showing the strain of translation. "They want to know why we came here. They're asking about our mission."
Lucas stepped forward, careful not to startle them. "Tell them we're looking for information. Human activity on this world, specifically within the last year."
Kelvin's mechanical arms extended slightly as he interfaced more deeply with the beings' communication protocols. The exchange lasted several minutes, with harmonic vibrations flowing back and forth between Kelvin and the mechanical delegation. As the conversation progressed, Kelvin's expression grew increasingly troubled.
"They say there was heavy traffic here," Kelvin finally reported. "Human ships coming and going regularly for about six months, starting roughly nine months ago. But it wasn't just passing through—they were building something."
"Building what?" Sophie asked, her Beast Gear's sensors still active as she monitored the surrounding area for threats.
More harmonic exchanges followed before Kelvin could provide an answer. "Structures on the surface. Research facilities, laboratories, housing complexes. The beings tried to ignore it at first—they were still in hiding, still recovering from the Harbinger attack. But when the humans started... experimenting... they had to act."
Lucy's face went pale beneath her helmet. "Experimenting how?"
"Human-machine integration," Kelvin said, his voice carrying a note of disgust. "They were trying to create hybrids. Soldiers with mechanical enhancements, cybernetic modifications that went way beyond anything the EDF approves. The beings say the experimental subjects looked..." He paused, glancing down at his own mechanical arms. "They looked like me. Multiple cybernetic limbs, enhanced neural interfaces, full-body integration."
The implications hit Noah then and there. "The 8th ancestor. He was here, running experiments."
"That's what it sounds like," Kelvin confirmed. "The mechanical beings eventually attacked the facilities, drove off the researchers and destroyed everything they'd built. They couldn't let their world be used as a testing ground, not after what they'd already suffered."
Diana crossed her arms, her expression grim. "So our intelligence was completely wrong. We came here looking for active operations, but we're months too late."
"Worse than that," Lucy said, and Noah could hear the frustration in her voice. "I'm the princess of Raiju Prime. My intelligence networks are supposed to be the best there is and we got fed completely false information. Either our sources are compromised, or someone wanted us chasing ghosts."
Lucas placed a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder. "It's not your fault, Lucy. If the 8th wanted to hide his tracks, he'd know how to feed false intel to our networks."
"Did anything survive?" Noah asked, directing the question toward Kelvin. "Any of the experimental subjects, failed prototypes, research data?"
Kelvin relayed the question and waited for the harmonic response. When it came, he shook his head. "Negative. They made sure to destroy everything. The beings were thorough—they didn't want any trace of the experiments remaining on their world."
The mechanical delegation began moving away from the group, but not before the largest unit approached their damaged ship. Its form shifted and reconfigured, revealing an array of repair tools and diagnostic equipment that nobody could even identify.
"They're offering to fix the ship," Kelvin translated. "Consider it payment for helping them remember who they used to be."
The repairs took less than an hour. The mechanical beings worked with an efficiency that made even advanced EDF technology look primitive, their tools interfacing directly with the ship's systems and repairing damage that should have taken days to fix properly. When they finished, the vessel was in better condition than it had been when they'd first landed.
As the team prepared for departure, Noah found himself looking back at the transformed landscape of Sigma-7. The atmospheric processors were already making the air breathable, and the electromagnetic dampening towers had restored clear communications. In a few months, this could be a habitable world again.
But it wouldn't bring back the people who had died here, and it wouldn't undo whatever the 8th ancestor had accomplished with his experiments.
---
The journey back to Raiju Prime started quietly, but the silence didn't last long. As soon as they cleared Sigma-7's gravitational field, the questions began.
"Alright, let's break this down," Lucas said, activating the ship's central display screen. "Two worlds, two different operations. What are we looking at here?"
Noah pulled up the tactical data they'd gathered. "Lilivil and Sigma-7. Both were discrete worlds—places the EDF doesn't patrol regularly."
"Perfect for off-the-books operations," Uncle Dom added, "You want to run experiments without oversight, you pick worlds where nobody's going to stumble across your work."
Lyra leaned forward in her seat, her analytical mind already working through the patterns. "But the experiments themselves were completely different. On Lilivil, it was biological—breeding programs with the space elves. Here on Sigma-7, it was technological integration."
"Different methods, same goal," Sophie said, her voice carrying a note of disgust. "Creating enhanced soldiers. Super-soldiers."
Lucy's fists clenched at her sides. "And our intelligence completely missed both operations. Someone's been feeding us false information, or the 8th has infiltrated our networks deeper than we thought."
'This is what pisses me off the most,' Lucy thought, frustration burning in her chest. 'I'm supposed to be the intelligence expert here. Princess of Raiju Prime, access to the best information networks in all of known space, and I'm leading us on wild goose chases.'
"Lucy, like I said, this isn't on you," Lucas said, as if reading his sister's thoughts. "If the 8th wanted to hide these operations, he'd know exactly how to manipulate our intel networks."
Kelvin, who had been unusually quiet since leaving Sigma-7, finally spoke up. "The timeline bothers me. Both operations were active for months, then suddenly shut down and cleared out. That's not random."
"What do you mean?" Diana asked.
"Think about it," Kelvin said, tapping on the ship's surface. "You don't just abandon facilities like that unless you've accomplished what you set out to do. The 8th didn't flee—he completed his objectives and moved on."
Noah felt a chill run down his spine. "So we're not chasing someone who's running scared. We're chasing someone who's finished the groundwork for something bigger."
"But what?" Uncle Dom asked. "What kind of army needs both biological enhancement and technological integration? What's he building?"
The ship's cabin fell silent as they all contemplated the implications. It was Lyra who finally voiced what they were all thinking.
"Maybe it's not about building one type of soldier," she said slowly. "Maybe he's creating different types for different purposes. Biological hybrids for one role, technological hybrids for another."
'That's terrifying,' Noah thought. 'Not just super-soldiers, but specialized forces designed for specific missions. What kind of war is the 8th preparing for?'
"There's another pattern," Lucy said, her analytical mind overcoming her frustration. "Both operations focused on young subjects. Kids, teenagers. Why?"
"Easier to modify," Diana suggested. "Less developed immune systems, more adaptable physiology."
Sophie shook her head. "I don't think it's just about physical adaptation. Kids don't have established loyalties, existing relationships, moral frameworks they've spent decades building. You can shape them into whatever you need them to be."
The thought made Noah's stomach turn. 'Child soldiers. But not just any child soldiers—enhanced ones, modified ones, designed for purposes we can't even imagine.'
"How many other worlds?" Uncle Dom asked grimly. "If we found evidence of operations on two planets, how many more are out there that we haven't discovered?"
"That's what scares me," Lucas said. "We might be looking at a galaxy-wide network of experimental facilities. The 8th could have been running these programs for years."
Kelvin's green eyes flickered as he processed the data streams they'd collected. "The mechanical beings said the human activity on Sigma-7 lasted about six months. That suggests a standardized timeline—set up, conduct experiments, extract results, clean up, move on."
"Efficient," Lyra noted with professional appreciation that she immediately felt guilty about. "Like a research protocol designed for maximum data collection with minimal exposure risk."
'And we're like what? At least six months behind him,' Noah realized. 'By the time we get intelligence about these operations, they're already finished and abandoned.'
"We need to change our approach," he said aloud. "We can't keep chasing ghosts. We need to get ahead of him somehow."
"How?" Lucy asked. "Our intelligence networks are clearly compromised, and the 8th has had years to establish his operations."
The brainstorming session continued for another two hours, but they kept coming back to the same central problem: they were fighting an enemy who seemed to know their capabilities better than they knew his. The 8th ancestor was playing a longer game, with resources and planning that dwarfed anything they could bring to bear.
It wasn't until they were approaching Raiju Prime's outer system that Uncle Dom asked the question that had been haunting all of them.
"What if he's not preparing to fight?" the old man said quietly. "What if he's not preparing an army at aall?"
By the time they reached Raiju Prime, the team had more questions than answers, and the weight of two failed missions was beginning to take its toll.
---
Noah found himself alone in his quarters aboard the ship as they approached Raiju Prime's orbital stations. The successful extraction of the space elf refugees from Lilivil into his Domain had gone smoothly, but the knowledge that they were essentially homeless refugees from a dead world sat heavily on his conscience.
He thought about King Madurk, still missing somewhere in the galaxy. Lucas and Lucy's father had vanished without a trace, another victim of the 8th ancestor's machinations. And then there was Kaia's situation—her father, Vex Madurk, was equally missing, though under very different circumstances. The evil that had trapped Ivy was still out there, still a threat that needed to be dealt with.
Two missing fathers, two different kinds of evil, and a team that seemed to be always one step behind their enemies.
Noah closed his eyes and tried to center himself, letting his chi energy circulate slowly through his body. The familiar sensation of controlled life energy usually brought him peace, but tonight it only emphasized how many unknowns he was dealing with.
'Uncle Dom's question keeps echoing in my head,' Noah thought now as he toyed with dark Chi energy swirling around him. 'What if the 8th isn't preparing to fight us? What if he's preparing for something else'
The implications were staggering. If the 8th ancestor saw the EDF not as allies in humanity's defense, but as obstacles to some greater plan, then everything they thought they knew about their mission was wrong. Already all the original families were in the scope of the eight. The last thing he wanted was for the EDF to become a target.
It was either that or the other thing that was on his mind. The prospect of Kelvin having a soul form.
As an SSS-ranked awakener, he should be developing his soul form by now. Lucas had manifested his during particularly intense battles already—a lightning-wreathed avatar that always turned the tide against Harbinger forces. The manifestation had been brief, lasting only a couple of minutes never stretching too far, but it had demonstrated power on a scale that dwarfed even Lucas's normal abilities.
'Lucas described it as feeling like his consciousness expanded beyond his body, like he became the storm itself,' Noah remembered. 'But when I push my void abilities to their limits, all I feel is... emptiness or in some cases, void sickness as my void energy empties out. Is that because there's nothing there, or because the void is fundamentally different from other elements?'
Noah had been waiting for his own soul form to emerge, but so far, nothing. His void abilities continued to grow stronger, more refined, but he'd never experienced the kind of transcendent moment that seemed to trigger soul form manifestation in other high-ranked awakeners.
'Maybe it's because my abilities didn't develop naturally,' he mused, the red and white dark Chi energy forming complex patterns around his meditation pose. 'Unlike the others, who awakened their powers through trauma, training, or genetic inheritance, my void manipulation came from the system. Did that make my abilities somehow artificial? Less connected to my essential self?'
The system had given him incredible power, abilities that defied conventional understanding of awakened combat. But perhaps it had also created a fundamental disconnect between him and his powers. Where Lucas could feel lightning in his bones, where Kelvin's technopathy seemed to be part of his very thought processes, Noah's void manipulation sometimes felt like wearing someone else's clothes—powerful, but not quite fitting right.
'What if soul forms require something the system can't provide? Some essential connection between the awakener and their abilities that only comes from natural development?'
The questions multiplied in his mind as he sat in meditation, void energy swirling around him in patterns that reflected his inner uncertainty. Somewhere out there, the 8th ancestor was conducting experiments that could reshape the balance of power in the galaxy. The Harbingers continued their systematic conquest of inhabited worlds. And Noah's team seemed to be fighting a war where they didn't even understand the rules.
He opened his eyes and stared out at the approaching lights of Raiju Prime. Tomorrow would bring new missions, new challenges, new opportunities to find the answers they desperately needed.
But tonight, Noah Eclipse sat alone with his questions, wondering what form his soul would take when it finally decided to reveal itself, and whether he would be ready even ever get one.
---
Three decks down, Kelvin sat in his own quarters, his mechanical arms placed on his legs as he stared at his hands.
'What the hell happened to me back there?' he wondered, replaying the events in his mind. The sensation of his consciousness expanding beyond his physical form, connecting to systems across an entire world, commanding technology on a scale he'd never imagined possible.
And now it was gone. Completely inaccessible, as if it had never happened at all.
'Could it have been a reawakening?' Kelvin thought, examining the possibility from every angle. 'But that doesn't make sense. Reawakenings are supposed to be triggered by extreme stress, life-or-death situations that push an awakener beyond their normal limits.'
The battle on Sigma-7 had been intense, certainly, but Kelvin had been in worse situations against Harbinger forces. He'd faced death before, pushed his technopathic abilities to their breaking point multiple times over the last few months. If stress was the trigger, he should have reawakened during one of those earlier encounters.
'Unless it wasn't about stress at all,' he realized, his mind began analyzing the data he'd absorbed from the mechanical civilization. 'What if it was about compatibility? Those beings weren't just machines—they were a technological civilization with their own consciousness, their own society.'
The memory came flooding back: the moment when his technopathy had first made contact with their communication protocols. It hadn't felt like interfacing with simple machines—it had felt like touching the edge of a vast, alien intelligence. One that recognized him as something similar, something that bridged the gap between organic and artificial.
'Maybe reawakenings aren't just about stress,' Kelvin thought, his mechanical arms twitching slightly as his excitement grew. 'Maybe they're about potential. About encountering situations that demand capabilities you didn't know you had.'
The mechanical beings had needed something he could provide—not just translation or technical interface, but true understanding. A bridge between their digital consciousness and the organic world that had stumbled into their domain.
'And for a few minutes, I became that bridge,' he realized. 'Not just technopathic interface, but something more. Something that could merge consciousness with technology on a fundamental level.'
But if that was his reawakened potential, why couldn't he access it now? Why did the power feel so distant, so unreachable?
Kelvin's green eyes flickered as he considered the possibilities. Maybe the power was still there, dormant, waiting for the right circumstances to manifest again. Or maybe it had been a one-time evolution, a temporary expansion of his abilities that served a specific purpose and then faded.
'Either way,' he thought, 'I'm not the same person who left Raiju Prime a few days ago. Whatever happened on Sigma-7 changed me, even if I can't quantify how.'
He looked out his quarters' small viewport at the approaching lights of home. Tomorrow would bring debriefings, analysis, and probably more questions than answers. But tonight, Kelvin sat alone with the memory of what it felt like to be more than human, wondering if he'd ever experience that transcendence again.