Chapter 221: Soul Tranfer

The silence that enveloped the room after Sage’s quiet realization lingered heavily, pressing down on everyone present. It was a stillness filled not with peace, but with unspoken tension.

Above Mina, the healing formation pulsed gently, its soft glow casting faint reflections against the walls and floor, illuminating the faces gathered around her bed.

The air was thick with the lingering scent of alchemical medicine and burning herbs. No one dared to speak; even the subtle sounds of breathing and shifting fabric felt restrained, as if the very room understood that the next words spoken would carry great weight.

Cassian stood beside Mina’s bed, his posture rigid yet his expression weighed down by thought.

He hadn’t left her side since beginning treatment, though his hands were now still, his mind raced through calculations and reconsiderations of options most healers would hesitate to suggest.

When he finally broke the silence, his voice was quieter than before, measured and deliberate, as if he were treading carefully on fragile ground.

“There is… another possibility.” His words did not bring relief; instead, they intensified the tension in the room.

Valeria’s gaze snapped toward him immediately. Vanthrice straightened slightly, while wary looks exchanged among the mercenaries. Boren and Lyana held their breath unconsciously against the wall. Sage remained still but turned his attentive eyes from Mina to Cassian.

Cassian hesitated before continuing, weighing each word as he brushed his fingers lightly against the edge of the healing formation for grounding.

“It is not a method commonly used,” he said at last. “Not because it lacks effectiveness but because it carries consequences most would never willingly accept. It requires a specific condition… and a particular kind of person.”

The room leaned in closer without moving.

“A person with exceptionally strong soul energy,” Cassian elaborated slowly, “willing to share it.”

Confusion flickered across several faces.

Vanthrice frowned slightly. “Share… soul energy?”

Cassian nodded once. “Yes. Not through potions or external artifacts but directly, a transfer.”

The word hung heavily in the air. Boren furrowed his brow; Lyana tightened her expression; even Valeria narrowed her eyes slightly, shifting into a state of quiet alertness.

Cassian exhaled softly. “This method is known as soul partitioning… or more commonly, a soul transfer.”

Silence deepened further.

He turned fully to face everyone in the room now, speaking steadily without attempting to soften what needed to be said: “In simple terms, a person with a strong soul voluntarily divides part of their essence and gives it to another. This transferred fragment stabilizes the recipient’s fractured soul, reinforcing it to prevent collapse and allowing recovery to begin.”

The explanation settled gradually in their minds like stones dropping into water.

“Split…” Boren murmured under his breath.

Cassian inclined his head slightly in affirmation. “Yes. Split.”

Lyana’s eyes widened slightly. “So, someone would actually give part of their soul to Mina?”

Cassian nodded without hesitation.”Exactly.”

The weight of that implication settled heavily in the room.

Vanthrice pressed her lips into a thin line, glancing at Mina before turning back to Cassian. “And what happens to the one who gives it?”

Cassian’s gaze hardened, not out of cruelty, but from a place of honesty.

“It depends on the strength of their soul and how much is transferred,” he explained. “At the very least, they will experience a permanent loss of strength. Their growth will slow, and their stability will weaken. They may never regain their original foundation.”

Silence enveloped them all.

Cassian continued, his tone growing heavier with each word. “At worst… the transfer could destabilize the donor’s core entirely. Their soul might fracture in the process; their mana flow could become erratic; their affinity might collapse altogether. For a mage, this could mean losing the very foundation that allows them to cast spells.”

Sage remained still, absorbing every word.

Cassian briefly shifted his gaze toward him before addressing everyone else again.

“There’s also a risk of permanent crippling, loss of advancement and ability. In extreme cases… the donor may survive but never fully recover their power, living on as something less than they once were.”

No one spoke; even the faint pulse of the healing formation seemed quieter now.

“And this isn’t reversible,” Cassian concluded solemnly. “Once given, that fragment of soul cannot be reclaimed; it becomes part of the recipient.”

As his explanation ended, an even heavier silence filled the space around them.

Valeria tightened her grip on her sword hilt, tension evident in her posture despite her stillness.

Vanthrice looked away, focusing on the floor as if trying to avoid imagining too clearly what was at stake. Boren and Lyana exchanged brief glances filled with concern and fear, a silent acknowledgment that this was not a decision to take lightly among mercenaries who understood its gravity instinctively.

Sage… He stood frozen in place, his gaze fixed intently on Mina, the idea settling within him quietly and naturally as though it had been waiting for this moment all along.

He didn’t think about the Guild or his own power or future, only about her, her small form wrapped in bandages, the shallow rise and fall of her chest, that faint twitch at her eyelids revealing pain even in unconsciousness.

He recalled her voice calling out his name when she threw herself forward to protect him, the sound of impact and how heavy she felt cradled in his arms.

Without hesitation now, he raised his hand, a small movement yet somehow louder than any shout in that heavy silence.

“I can do it.”

His words were calm and certain.

Every head turned toward him. Boren’s eyes widened slightly, Lyana stiffened, and Vanthrice looked up sharply. Even Valeria shifted her gaze fully to him, studying him with a quiet intensity.

Cassian’s expression changed immediately. He raised a hand, stopping Sage before he could speak further.

“Let me finish.” The firmness in his tone cut through the moment like a knife.

Sage fell silent as Cassian stepped closer, locking his gaze onto Sage’s. “You heard the outline, but not the reality. This isn’t just about lending mana; it’s not an exchange you can recover from with rest or training. You’re not merely giving energy; you’re dividing your very existence.”

The room seemed to hold its breath.

“If you proceed,” Cassian continued, “your soul will never be what it is now. You might lose half your strength… or even more. Your casting could destabilize, and your growth as a mage could come to a permanent halt. In the worst-case scenario…”

He paused for effect, letting the weight of his words settle in. “You may lose the very essence that makes you a mage at all.”

His words landed heavily in the air.

“You could survive,” Cassian said more quietly now, “but your future would change, irreversibly.”

Silence pressed in from every side.

Vanthrice’s jaw tightened while Boren looked away briefly, his expression conflicted. Lyana curled her fingers into the fabric of her sleeve, and though Valeria remained still, her eyes darkened as she studied Sage with an intensity that suggested concern rather than surprise.

Cassian did not soften his gaze. “This is not a decision made out of emotion, no guilt or desperation here. This choice will follow you for the rest of your life. Once made… it cannot be undone.”

The room felt smaller as he held Sage’s eyes steady. “You must understand what you are offering.”

Sage didn’t respond right away; he stood there silently under the weight of every gaze pressing down on him, the implications settling in layers, lost strength, halted progress, altered future, shaken identity.

All balanced against one fragile life lying before him…Mina.

His fingers tightened slightly at his sides as his chest rose and then fell slowly.

And then…He nodded.

The room didn’t react immediately; it was as if everyone needed a moment to accept that this choice had truly been made or was being made.

Cassian’s eyes narrowed slightly, not in refusal but in recognition of Sage’s resolve. Valeria exhaled slowly, lowering her gaze for a brief moment before returning it to Sage.

Vanthrice looked away again with a conflicted expression while Boren’s shoulders sagged faintly and Lyana closed her eyes briefly before opening them once again.

The weight of the moment settled in fully. Beneath it all, one question lingered, unspoken yet heavy enough to fill the room: Would he really go through with it? Would he sacrifice the future he had fought so hard to build… for her?

Cassian took a small step back, his expression unreadable. But when he spoke again, his voice carried a quiet gravity that elevated this moment beyond an ordinary decision. “If you choose this path… there’s no turning back.”

Silence hung in the air.

In that stillness, every eye was fixed on Sage, waiting, not for words or explanations, but for confirmation of a choice that could change everything. The atmosphere felt thick and tense, balanced on the edge of something irreversible.

For the first time since the battle ended, fear crept back in, not fear of enemies or loss, but fear of what the next step would demand. The future of a mage. The life of a girl. One soul… divided between them.

And that decision? It was already beginning to take shape.

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