Dancing on the golden ashes-Chapter 241: Building a lab?

I understood death better than anyone, or at least I believed I did. Ever since I inherited the powers of the Emperor of Death, I had grown far too familiar with destruction, and I suppose that’s why so many had fallen by my hands, their lives reduced to nothing more than whispers carried away by the wind. But life... life was something I had to learn on my own.

It helped when I spent that time watching a small village grow, observing the people build their homes, raise their children, and create something lasting. That experience had deepened my understanding of life in ways I never imagined. Even if I wasn’t exactly confident, I at least felt like I had gained enough knowledge to attempt what once seemed impossible — to reforge a body based on my understanding of the soul itself.

You see... every single soul carries a tiny reflection of its former self — a delicate imprint of what that being had once been. A blueprint, almost. Something like that existed inside my own soul as well, a mirrored image of what my body should be.

So if I could somehow forge the flesh around that imprint... no, that wouldn’t work. That would only create a lifeless mold, like pouring clay around an empty frame. The soul would reject it. There would be no connection, no spark of life.

But what if I could nurture that central imprint — the very heart of the soul — and make it bloom? If I could coax it to grow, like a flower blooming from a seed, perhaps I could manifest it into a living being once more.

I took a deep breath, steadying my thoughts as the black soul rested quietly in my palm. Its faint glow flickered like a dying ember, and yet when I stared deep enough, I could see it — the faint shape of the mythical wind deer, a tiny reflection of what it once was. It gazed back at me, faint yet unmistakable. I don’t know how I knew... I just felt it.

Pouring my energy into it, I let the power of my sins flow freely, the dark energy swirling like black smoke around my hand. The orb trembled, wrapped in a haze of ethereal light as my power crawled across every curve, every delicate fold of the soul. I studied it carefully, searching for that core — that fragile point where life once bloomed.

Suddenly, memories that didn’t belong to me surged into my mind. Strange visions rushed forward like a flood, drowning my thoughts in a chaotic storm of emotions and sensations. I couldn’t stop it. My control shattered, and before I could pull away... the soul disintegrated in my palm, vanishing in a wisp of cold air before rushing into my body like a serpent coiling through my veins.

A failure. A complete failure. The soul was gone, absorbed into me, its existence erased in a matter of moments.

"I need more..." I muttered, my voice dry and sharp.

As if understanding my demand, several of my beasts rushed off without hesitation. It wasn’t long before they returned, dragging a few living monsters behind them. The creatures thrashed and snarled, their eyes wide with panic. I felt no pity. In this world of survival, there was no place for hesitation or mercy — not when my friends’ lives were on the line.

No matter how cruel it seemed, I accepted the new sacrifices without a second thought.

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

The ground around me soon became a twisted laboratory of blood and souls — a place where monsters were torn apart and reborn, all for the sake of my dream. The Demon Empress chasing her obsession to resurrect her fallen friends...

How does that sound? I thought bitterly with a twisted smile.

Sounds like a damn good title for my story... doesn’t it? Haha...

Time slowly passed, slipping away like sand through my fingers. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, and before I knew it, years had gone by. My beasts had built a small hut around me — a shelter crafted with their own care and effort. They even infused it with soul energy, lighting it in a way that bathed the space in a gentle glow. It was comforting, almost peaceful, and yet I had never asked them to do any of it. They simply acted on their own, as if they understood what I needed before I could even say it.

The small hut eventually grew into something more — a miniature city of sorts, built solely by my beasts. They roamed freely through the streets they had created, some acting as sentries, others maintaining their strange yet functional homes. It was just me and them, living in this isolated world I had unknowingly become the heart of.

I barely noticed any of it, though. My days had been spent locked away, constantly experimenting, constantly failing. My mind was consumed by my obsession — the endless attempts to reforge what had been taken from me.

"Test subject number 20,321..." I muttered wearily, barely even recognizing my own voice anymore. "The subject has successfully taken the shape of their past body... yet they remain unresponsive, lacking soul energy and consciousness... a failure once again..."

I exhaled deeply, my chest tightening with frustration. The bitterness stung, but I couldn’t ignore the faint glimmer of hope lingering beneath it.

I’m close... so close...

The body before me was perfect, a flawless recreation of what once was. The features, the build, even the faint scars that once marked its skin — everything was exactly as it should have been. Yet it was still empty, no flicker of life present within it. A hollow shell, beautiful yet lifeless.

I clenched my fists, biting back the mix of anger and regret. I couldn’t rush this, not when I still had so much to learn. If I had attempted this on any of my fallen friends, I would have failed... and I couldn’t afford to fail them. Not after everything they had been through.

I need to be stronger...

That thought hit me harder than I expected. No matter how much I tried to convince myself that I was prepared, the truth was clear. I simply wasn’t strong enough.

If I want to succeed... if I want to bring them back... I need to break through. I need to reach the next realm...