Chapter 1573: Chapter 1573

The soul originally sealed within the doll was not the current one, but that of another Enchanter. The poor soul now trapped inside knew nothing of his predecessor's origins, only that the original spirit, desperate to escape, had used some unknown means to bewitch the cemetery's groundskeeper the previous night. The groundskeeper had then lured a group of passersby into the cemetery, from which the spirit selected a new body and performed a soul swap.

The man inside the doll was the unfortunate individual whose body had been stolen. However, he was not the Cheslan envoy Jenkins knew, nor was he the young nobleman who should have been trapped in the arcane lock as one of the cursed.

No one could lie to Jenkins during a soul communion, but a question still lingered in his mind: why hadn't the doll and the soul within it been destroyed?

The soul explained that the original Enchanter had been trapped in the doll for so long that a connection had formed between them. The escaped spirit needed time to slowly sever this fatal bond, but the doll's unique properties prevented him from moving it. Thus, he had no choice but to leave it behind, summoning a host of malevolent spirits to stand guard.

"A specialist in soul and necromantic arts."

Jenkins filed this away mentally, tucked the doll into his overcoat pocket, and walked out of the crypt.

Thanks to that strange connection, the soul inside the doll could vaguely sense the location of the man who had stolen his body. After leaving the cemetery, Jenkins summoned his unicorn and ascended into the sky. Following the faint link, he located his target around eleven in the morning, in a logger's cabin nestled within a small grove on the outskirts of the city.

After selecting a suitable body from the mesmerized crowd last night, the man had departed immediately rather than linger and play the part of a victim. Considering the time, a journey on foot would have brought him right to this grove.

As Jenkins descended slowly on his unicorn, the man emerged from the logger's cabin.

Jenkins hopped off the unicorn and landed on the ground. The man standing at the cabin's doorway made no move to flee. His eyes fell on the doll clutched in Jenkins's hand, and understanding dawned on his face.

"A Believer of Lies? A pleasure to meet you."

The soft earth of the forest floor, rich with life, seemed to invigorate Jenkins. The man’s words confirmed his suspicion that he hadn't been trapped in the doll for very long; after all, the Believers of Lies had been active for less than a year.

"Of course. These days, there isn't anyone on the continent's western coast who hasn't heard of you. The moment I saw the unicorn, I knew who had come for me."

The stranger showed no signs of alarm or tension. He spoke to Jenkins with the casual air of someone striking up a conversation with a fellow pedestrian waiting to cross the street.

"Since you know who I am..."

Jenkins gave the doll a little shake.

"Then I'll be direct. I may not be a champion of justice, but since I've stumbled upon this, I intend to see it resolved. Return this man's body, answer a few of my questions, and I can promise I won't harm you."

Even as he said it, he knew it was an impossible request.

"That's quite impossible. Do you have any idea of the damage I sustained just to perform that soul exchange?"

The stranger spread his arms wide. Jenkins took a wary step back, but nothing happened.

"No need to be so tense," the man said smoothly. "To escape that damned doll, I'm now practically unable to use any of my abilities. How about we make a deal? You stay out of this, and I'll answer all your questions. I know a Believer of Lies didn't track me down just to play the hero."

"I might believe you," Jenkins replied, pointing at the man's hand, "if you throw that ring on your finger to the ground."

"You actually noticed?"

The man's eyes widened in surprise. Then, he abruptly flung his hand toward Jenkins. A faint light pulsed from the ring on his finger, and a projectile of stabilized air shot from his palm like a cannonball. Ever vigilant, Jenkins scrambled up a nearby tree with feline agility. He watched as the invisible shell of air punched a clean hole through the large tree where he had just been standing. It didn't stop there. The projectile tore through several more trees before its momentum finally gave out, and it exploded with a force comparable to a standard steam bomb.

"What do you think?" the man called out, his voice laced with pride. "I spent a fortune on this in Nolan last year, bought it from an old junk shop. According to the owner, this is B-02-3-2526, the Air Bomb Ring. Rather splendid, isn't it?"

He flaunted the silver band on his right hand. It was a simple design, set with a tiny, azure stone.

"Damn you, Carmel," Jenkins muttered under his breath. "Leaving me trouble even from beyond the grave."

Aloud, he taunted, "You don't seriously think you can defeat me with just that ring, do you?"

He was probing, trying to gauge his opponent's true strength.

"Believer of Lies, I know you're formidable. Even at full strength, I might not have been your match. But you were too slow. This was a trap originally set for the Orthodox Church's investigation team, but now it's all yours. Since it's called the Air Bomb Ring, its purpose is, naturally, to turn air into bombs..."

He leaped back and swept his ringed hand down before him. The air within a thirty-foot radius around the tree Jenkins had climbed had already been saturated with the ring's power. A simple ritual had been cast to seal the area, preventing the air from escaping. In an instant, a massive explosion of combusting air engulfed the entire zone.

The violent detonation warped the light, painting the blast site with bizarre, phantasmagorical images.

The man never expected the blast to be lethal. He had lingered only to lure his pursuer into the trap, hoping to inflict serious injury and buy himself more time. Thus, the moment the prolonged explosion began, he turned and fled in his predetermined direction.

He had barely taken a few steps when a thick vine snaked out from the ground and tripped him. Before he could scramble back to his feet, a swarm of snake-like vines slithered toward him from all directions. They shot out, instantly wrapping around his hand to prevent the ring from making contact with the air. In the next moment, they had ensnared his limbs, hoisting him into the air and binding him tightly like a mummy. For origınal chapters go to novᴇlfire.net