“After all my research, I found nothing that can cleanse this bloodline. I can only get rid of it by splitting the soul and possessing a new body. But I am no longer an elemental. Necromancers like Jonas are far too weak to be of use right now. Splitting my soul might be impossible.” Alwyn thought.

He had tried on his own to assess his current situation on a deeper level. He was completely a dragon and it could not be changed.

“I need help. I refuse to believe that it's completely hopeless.” He said before he sent an urgent message to Edward.

He had abandoned cultivating with origin energy. His body was too strong and it required a huge amount of origin crystals to upgrade it. He had stopped after creating an origin core. Something even mortals could do. It had taken an enormous amount of his resources to get there.

His current level was comparable to an origin soul practitioner.

Edward arrived.

“Hello, Alwyn. Or should I call you the elemental sage?” A smiling Edward said.

“Alwyn will do just fine... I need help. I wonder if you could be of assistance.” Alwyn said.

“Hehe...do you still need to ask? Just say the word.” Edward said. He did not want to spy on this ‘elelemental sage’ anymore. Since the arrival of Alwyn, many origin trial realm had broken through to the origin soul realm. Those in the origin soul realm were getting closer to the origin elemental realm day by day.

The balance of power of the Darkstar world was being uprooted by just a few casual actions of a man that had appeared out of nowhere.

Even Alistair was starting to feel bad for the way he indirectly treated Alwyn. Seeing him like a dangerous being they had no choice but to keep around. He could not refute that the war they were waging against the beasts was slowly being won by every new soldier Alwyn trained.

As time passed, the assumption that there was a treasure spirit behind Alwyn was growing more clear every day. They wanted to enter an alliance with such a powerful treasure spirit that could strengthen souls. Even Udumu himself was interested in meeting such a powerful treasure spirit.

“I want to split my soul. Is it possible? I also want to make a copy of a human mortal body.” Alwyn asked, aware of the weird request he was making.

Edward was at a loss for words and did not know how to act in front of such a request.

He was torn between laughing and treating the matter seriously.

Edward thought: “No one is insane enough to split his own soul for fear of turning into an idiot. Yet this one here is asking for it. He also wants to copy a mortal body...that is easier. There are many arts that can accomplish such a thing. Perhaps he is after...Sigh”

Edward asked: “You want to create a clone?”

“Yes.” Said, Alwyn. He was hopeful that it was possible.

“Strange...his treasure spirit could help him in doing such a thing.” Thought Edward who still believed that there was a treasure spirit supporting Alwyn. He said: “ A clone is not easily made, but it is much easier than splitting one’s soul. The weaker the targeted body is the more chances you have at succeeding. All you need is a drop of blood and the help of a treasure spirit or origin god. A huge amount of origin energy is needed to nurture a new body from that blood.”

“Just a drop of blood?...” Asked a surprised Alwyn.

“Yes. You can ask for an audience and Udumu can do that for you. Chances are that he is going to ask for something in return.” Edward said.

“Don’t tell me that he can also help in the splitting of the soul as well.” Alwyn said.

Edward answered: “ If you get his help, you have more chances of surviving the process. Of course, the stronger one’s soul is the easiest it is to split a small part of it.”

“How do I ask for an audience?”Alwyn asked.

“We can go now. Alistair can arrange it.” Edward said.

“Arrange it first. I will wait for an answer. Besides I have to prepare a gift for Udumu.” Alwyn lied.

Edward then left.

Time stopped. Alwyn concentrated on the sword and looked for himself in time.

He saw himself in the subterranean world he used to live in.

He was suddenly reminded of his slave days.

He immediately swung the sword. A rift appeared and he entered it.

He was inside the subterranean world.

The fake sky was still the same as he remembered it.

He made the cloak turn him invisible and he went inside the city.

His younger self was sleeping at this hour, which was why he had chosen this time.

He appeared next to a shack that was so familiar to him that tears assailed his face.

Inside, he saw himself sleeping.

The same skinny and frail body that could be blown away by the weakest of breezes.

He almost felt bad about taking a single drop of blood from himself.

A vial appeared and he teleported five drops of blood inside of it.

He left and came back to the present.

Edward appeared just as Alwyn was coming out of the breach.

It was purely coincidental. He had come with good news only to be the witness of an unworldly breach inside the room. The space was shredded in an unbelievable way, yet there were no ripples whatsoever. It was an impossible thing to see in Edward’s mind.

Alwyn was pondering whether he should kill this man or run away if time travelers were criminals.

The rift closed on its own as Alwyn said: “Just a simple space door for long distances.”

Edward did ask any more but said that the audience with Udumu had been arranged. They could even meet him now.

They departed for the headquarters of the Darkstar company.

As they arrived in a throne room, Alwyn could see Alistair standing in front of the throne with eight other individuals.

The man sitting on the throne was curiously looking at the slowly advancing Alwyn.

He was entirely black with spots of lights on his body. He looked like a starry sky on his own.

His eyes looked like little suns as the light they emitted a soft light.

There was a plain black lance hovering next to him.

He was the treasure spirit, Udumu. The spirit of the lance.

“I am honored to finally meet you.” Alwyn said.

“I hear good things about you but I never imagined that you’d be a dragon. Why help humans when they constantly kill your kind?” Udumu calmly asked.

A dragon?

Alistair almost fell on the floor.

The others looked at Alwyn with eyes that screamed murder.

“I wonder. How exactly did you become that strong? If I remember correctly dragons only use mana and divine energy, yet I cannot see a power source inside of you except for the origin energy I refined.” Udumu stood up and approached. He instantly appeared in front of Alwyn saying: “I see. Your soul is stronger than mine. Your body is still lacking though. How peculiar for a dragon. Why the human appearance? If I am not wrong you current body can span for millions of kilometers.”

“You are mistaken on many things. I was born human.” Said Alwyn.

“Why defect to the beasts then?” Udumu asked.

“I had no choice.” Alwyn said.

“Well, I am not one to judge, I am just a treasure spirit, but these humans here will never listen to you anymore. I’d like to tell you to pack up and go before you lose your life but you are too valuable to me... I wonder, how come you understand the elements so well?” Udumu asked.

“I was born an elemental, then became a multi-elemental later.” Alwyn said.

“Elementals are extinct.” Udumu seriously said.

“No. They are still around.” Alwyn said.

“I see.” Udumu teleported to his throne. He asked: “Why did you come to see me?”

“I need help in nurturing a human body and splitting my soul two times.” Alwyn announced his goal.

“I can help you with the body. As for the soul, I cannot. There is a risk associated with it and I want you back out there to teach train my army.” Udumu said.

“My soul is strong enough. If it is not enough, I can strengthen it even more. And it is only a mortal body that I want to possess.” Said a depressed and desperate Alwyn. He was too close to accomplishing his goal.

“Give me the drop of blood.” Udumu asked.

Alwyn teleported a drop of blood in front of Udumu.

Udumu enveloped it in a blue pure energy. He increased the energy gradually.

The drop of blood was like an endless pit that devoured origin energy.

Soon, bones started making the outline of a body.

“ Human. You were right. You really are an elemental...of the space element.” Udumu said as he showed fear. He had finally verified his suspicions through the cloning process. He could feel the same space undulations as him from the clone.

“For you to still have this blood means that you went back in time to get it.” Udumu said.

Alwyn asked: “You know about time travelers.”

“I was in the war. My orders were to exterminate them... the space elementals. I am afraid you must leave as soon as possible.” Udumu managed to say.

“Why?” Alwyn asked.

“The hunters will soon be coming for you. If what I think about your current power is true, then you are by far the most dangerous time traveler ever.” Udumu warned.

“They can’t catch me even if they wanted to.” Alwyn confidently said.

“They have means and powers you’ve never heard of. Just like you, they have variant powers. They use origin energy and comprehend elements just like us. When you meet them in the future, you will understand just how unlucky you are to have been born an elemental.” Udumu said as he teleported the finished clone to Alwyn who caught it and wrapped it in a cloth.

Udumu seemed to be thinking about something then said: “Is it possible for you to write a complete book about your experience with the elements for me. If you do, I will split your soul two times just like you asked.” He did not care if Alwyn could survive the procedure after learning that he was an elemental.

Alwyn then wrote everything he knew with his soul sense and stored it in the market through the ring.

“Done.”

Udumu grasped his lance and teleported next Alwyn and pierced him two times using a bizarre technique.

Alwyn could feel two other selves behind him. He turned around and saw two souls in the middle of taking his appearance.

Pain then came.

He held his head with his two hands and screamed as loud as he could under the indifferent gazes of everybody.

He managed to spit out his sword then commanded it to pierce one of the two souls. The sword and the soul fused together. The other soul went to the clone in the cloth and fused with the body.

The sword then moved on its own and opened a breach and took the screaming Alwyn with it.

“It must be wonderful to be a time traveler. All the time they have...” Udumu mused to himself. He knew that Alwyn would just come back in a better condition with an even better and stronger soul from the beginning but purposely dragged things out to know more about him and acquire the book of elements.

He looked at the body in the cloth and thought of something.

He imbued more origin energy inside of it.

Alistair was the first to protest: “Sir. Is it a good idea to do such a thing.”

They all understood that he was trying to create an origin body for Alwyn. The latter would become an origin god capable of harvesting origin energy.

It took only a few moments for the human Alwyn to acquire an origin body.

“Now let’s wait for him to come back...” Udumu said as he started reading the book of elements that Alwyn had written.

He thought: “Hum...his insights in space are not bad but they can only help those in the origin trial realm to reach the Origin soul realm... Same for all the other elements...Origin elementals and I are too far ahead. Well, having the origin soul realm as the new rite of passage isn’t bad at all.”

A breach opened and the gray Alwyn appeared with a white sword in hand.

Alwyn looked at his human body. He and the two other souls were not independent. They were all connected as one.

The human body could not move. He immediately understood that Udumu had transformed it into an origin god. He could see the origin energy through the body and even acquire it from the surroundings. The split soul in the body, however, was too weak to move the body around.

He let the sword open another breach to limbo and the human body was brought into it. He planned to spend to spend a while training it and then come back in time just like he had done with the dragon body.

Seconds later another rift opened and the human body came back wearing the black cloth.

“I must thank you. But why?” The human Alwyn asked.

“You have a choice now. Become one of us or stay an elemental. I know that there is a seal on that human body preventing you to become an elemental. It must be your ancestor that put it there...If you stay an elemental, you will be hunted down, but if you keep that origin body and destroy the elemental part of that body along with the seal, you will become a full fledged human who can comprehend elements just like us... ”Udumu said. He continued: “You know enough about elements to let your soul reach the origin elemental on your own later.”

“I’ve already destroyed the elemental part and the seal in limbo. I am now a normal human forever.” Alwyn said.

“Good. You can stay in the Darkstar world but the dragon will have to leave.” Udumu expressionlessly said.

“I have a better idea. Can you create a pocket dimension capable of holding the full size of the dragon?” Alwyn asked.

“Sure.” Udumu said. He was interested in seeing what they were about to do. He conjured a fist sized cube in his right hand and teleported it in front of the two Alwyns.

The Netherwyrm Alwyn, the human Alwyn and the white sword teleported inside the cube.

Three souls with different bodies had disappeared.