Chapter 245: The Inheritance They moved together toward the doorway. As they approached, Finn felt a familiar sensation, like passing through an invisible barrier. A veil between spaces. They stepped through. The chamber beyond was different from the others. Much smaller and much more personal. It was dominated by a single feature that drew the eye immediately. A statue. It stood at the chamber’s center, easily three times the height of a man. Carved from dark stone that seemed to drink in light rather than reflect it. The craftsmanship was extraordinary. Every muscle fiber, every hair, every detail was rendered with such precision it looked ready to move at any moment. The Crimson Fist Tyrant. But this wasn’t the defeated creature Finn had seen at the end of the vision. This was the Tyrant in its prime. At the peak of its power and defiance. Its posture radiated challenge. Its face was twisted in a snarl directed upward at invisible heavens. One massive fist was raised, crimson veins carved into the stone glowing with faint internal light. Even as a statue, even knowing it was just carved rock, Finn could feel the overwhelming sense of defiance radiating from it. The absolute refusal to submit or accept limitations. Beside him, Althea had stopped walking, her hand unconsciously moving to her sword hilt. "What... what is this?" Her voice was quiet, as if she was struck with awe. "Even just looking at it, I feel something that makes my blood... boil." "Defiance," Finn said softly. "Pure, absolute defiance against the universe itself." At the center of the statue’s chest, something burned. A flame, but not any natural fire. It flickered with green light, the same green color as Finn’s Error vision. The same green as the eyes in the vision’s final moment. Finn approached with caution at first, thinking it was some kind of divine essence, and there may be a trap involved. But suddenly, his eyes widened and his breath caught as recognition dawned on him. That wasn’t divinity. That wasn’t anything remotely close to divine essence at all! That was a soul mass! A literal, physical chaotic soul mass! He’d seen chaotic soul masses before, back in his timeline as a Grade 3 initiate Ossuarist. Before assimilation or purification, they looked similar to this — reality-warping presences that existed in unstable states. But those had been colorless, formless things. Corruption made manifest. This had color. Structure. The green flame flickered with orderliness rather than chaos. But the similarity was undeniable. Finn could see it in how reality seemed to warp around the immediate area of the statue’s chest. A subtle distortion. A sense that space itself was bending, corroding, breaking down in proximity to that burning green light. The only difference was degree. Back in his world, chaotic soul masses actively corroded reality, eating holes in space, destabilizing causality around them. Here, the corrosion was negligible. Contained, even. Reality in this place was strong enough to withstand the soul mass’s presence. The temple itself seemed to be containing and holding it stable within the statue’s chest. Finn approached slowly, unable to look away from the green flame. Each step brought him closer to understanding and greater confusion simultaneously. This was the inheritance. Not divine essence to consume. Not techniques to learn or powers to inherit. A soul mass. The Crimson Fist Tyrant’s soul mass in physical, uncorrupted form. "Arros?" Althea’s voice held concern. She’d noticed his fixation. "What is that? That green light?" How did he explain this? Soul masses didn’t exist in this world at all. The concept itself required the context of Ossuarists and Arcanists, of a world where beings beyond the mundane regularly died and left behind the mana-intertwined souls of their existence. "It’s..." Finn struggled to find words. "It’s what remains when something divine dies. The core of its being, preserved." Althea went quiet for a few seconds, before finally asking quietly: "The Tyrant’s soul?" "Something like that." Finn stood before the statue now, close enough to feel the heat radiating from the green flame. A warmth that resonated with his own soul rather than his body. The question now was simple. How was he supposed to proceed? In his timeline, Ossuarists assimilated soul masses through established techniques. Careful procedures designed to integrate the foreign essence while managing soul debts and corruption. It required preparation, mental conditioning, soul chants. He had none of that here. It was just him, this burning green flame, and the knowledge that it was his future. Had this been how? Had he stood in this very chamber in some other timeline or future moment and taken this soul mass into himself? Finn raised his hand toward the flame, hesitating just short of touching it. His fingers trembled slightly. Not from fear, but from the sheer weight of the decision. This was a soul mass from a being that had challenged the heavens themselves. That had reached Rank III divinity through pure enlightenment. That had endured a millennium of death rather than truly expire. Assimilating it could grant immense power. Or it could destroy him utterly. "I wouldn’t do that carelessly," the Blessed’s voice came from behind him. Finn glanced back. Ailin had entered the chamber silently, as always. She stood watching him with those ancient eyes, her expression unreadable. "What do you know about this?" Finn asked. "I know what it is," she replied. "I know what it represents. And I know that taking it into yourself will change you in ways you cannot predict..." "Will it kill me?" "That depends entirely on you, Errant." Helpful as always. Finn turned back to the flame. His hand was still extended, fingers mere inches from the green light. The voice returned one final time. [Place your hand upon the inheritance to claim it] [Warning: Claiming the inheritance is not guaranteed. Your soul must prove worthy] [Failure will result in death] . . . A/N: Shorter Chapters today than what I usually write. But it is what it is. We’re getting into the revelatory parts of the arc, so buckle in.💪 Don’t forget to vote with Power Stones and Golden Tickets!