Death... and me
chapter-1999

[That's because that Relic has part of the system inside.] Sister Orb answered straight away.

'Part of the system?' Those words surprised everyone. 'Does that mean the Soul Gem System isn't complete?'

[More or less. I also didn't know until that thing appeared. But the moment it did, all alarms went out in the system as if a part of it had been forcibly ripped apart.]

Those words made Roan narrow his eyes in response. 'That thing is inside the Underworld Relic, right? And that Underworld Relic is also one of the Universe Foundation Fragments, correct?'

[Both answers are correct. The Underworld Relic is a Universe Foundation Fragment. However, at the same time, it's something extra. The Fragment's power is being used in that small part of the Soul Gem System, thus becoming an Underworld Relic. If it were just a Universe Foundation Fragment, the Elder Devils wouldn't be using such a name. They obviously know the difference.]

Roan nodded and looked at Sister Orb from outside. 'Then... are you, the core of the system, also a Universe Foundation Fragment?'

Rean, Kentucky, Celis, and Luan went silent at that moment. Indeed, the Soul Gem Orb was something that had control over Light and Dark Elements. That's exactly what the Foundation Fragments did. Since another fragment could hold part of the system, then didn't that mean the Soul Gem System existed on other fragments?

[Oh! That makes sense. Perhaps I'm really a Universe Foundation Fragment... a much bigger one, though.]

'You don't know?' Rean asked back.

[I don't. However, I wouldn't be surprised if it was true. I mean, the Soul Gem System is this ridiculous, after all. Even Soul Gem's soul is dormant inside. This would also explain why the Soul Gem System can feel the presence of other fragments when we're close.]

'True...' Roan agreed with Sister Orb. 'Another point is that we need the system to reconnect both sides of the Universe. Why the system, though? Because it's part of that foundation that we need to fix. Oh well, that makes things easier. Now we know where's one of the fourteen fragments necessary to do the job.'

'The system also receives huge processing power upgrades every time we receive a fragment,' Rean added. 'Another reason to assume that the Soul Gem Orb is a Universe Fragment.'

Luan then raised his hand soon after. 'Alright, now we know, or I think we know, that Sister Orb is a Universe Foundation Fragment. That's good and all. But what about the error the system received? If that problem happens every time the Underworld Relic appears in front of us, then we're pretty much useless. Father and Uncle Rean couldn't even move, being attacked directly in their souls.

'That's something for Sister Orb to fix,' Rean answered straight away. 'In the end, there's only so much Roan and I can do about the system itself.'

[I know, okay? It's just that I don't know what I'm going to do to fi-] Suddenly, Sister Orb went silent for a moment. It wasn't before a few minutes later that she began to speak again. [Don't worry, that won't happen anymore. The system has now been configured to consider that other part of the system in the Underworld Relic as if that's how the system was supposed to be.]

Roan's expression wasn't very good. 'Was it Soul Gem who made the change?'

[Oh, you could tell?] Sister Orb was surprised to hear that but didn't deny it.

'Soul Gem, I've wanted to talk for a long time. It can't be you went back to sleep again, right?'

Since the last time the twins saw Soul Gem, he returned to the Soul Gem Orb and slumbered. There was nothing they could do to wake the guy's soul since then. As soon as he finished his business, he left. But now, the system error might have awakened the guy once again.

Unfortunately, Soul Gem only said a few words before returning to sleep. -My awakening wasn't supposed to be anywhere near now, so I had to use quite a bit of energy to get through this problem. Don't worry. The more fragments you collect, the easier the burden on my soul is. Get more of them, and the time we can talk will come.- After that, his presence disappeared inside Sister Orb again.

Luan heard that for the first time. 'So, this is the Soul Gem father talked so much about. The guy behind everything that happened so far.'

Roan clicked his tongue in response. 'Tch... yes, that was the guy, no doubt. His presence was the same as the one Rean and I felt before.'

[Oh! but there's one good thing now,] said Sister Orb. [I can tell how many fragments we need to wake up Soul Gem again. The answer is seven! When half of them are in our possession, they should provide Soul Gem with enough power to wake up for longer lengths of time, including times you wish that he do so.]

'Seven fragments, huh?' Rean pondered over it for a bit. 'We already have four fragments since we know Sister Orb is probably one of them.'

Kentucky couldn't help but ask after that. 'Sister Orb, if you're one of the fragments, then shouldn't you fuse with the three fragments we have here? After all, the other three fragments are now one.'

[Even if you ask me that, I've never felt the other fragments' call. They contributed to increasing the system's processing power, so perhaps it's possible. However, I won't try it.]

'That's the correct decision,' Roan complimented. 'You don't know what kind of changes would happen if you tried. It might end up as a good thing, but the opposite can also happen. Leave things as they are.'

[Roger!]

Meanwhile, outside, the Elder Devils also finished their preparations.

Mephisto, the one holding the Relic, took the lead in the room. "All the participants, we will now start the Underworld Soul Guiding Contest. Depending on the results, we might have a new holder. Head to the Path of Reincarnation's periphery."