Chapter 544: Soul

Even though the powerhouses around Michael were restrained, he was not. His body trembled wildly. Something deep within roared. It felt similar to the last battle in the Interdimensional Flag War...yet, it was different.

The Mark of Spirit Eyes around his eyes glowed brightly and expanded slowly. At the same time, golden stigmatas formed on his upper body, where nobody could see them. He was itchy all over his body but focused on the not so unknown woman in front of him...his mother.

She looked at the compass once again and strode slowly through the room. Her path led her to Michael, whom she studied intently. Michael could tell that his mother hadn't aged at all. She looked exactly the same as before. His memories about her were hazy but seeing her again made it seem like she'd never left. But she did.

He grit his teeth, the hatred in his eyes overflowing. His fury was overwhelming, resulting in Spirit Eyes to activate on its own. The fabric of space around Michael twisted. His mother noticed that Michael could move even though she'd released her power, but she ignored the confusing feeling that blossomed in her heart and arrived in front of Michael, her ice-cold eyes staring into the depth of Michael's soul.

Michael heard Alice groan in pain as she tried to escape the invisible forces that restrained her movements, but she couldn't move. No matter how much she wanted to help Michael, she could not escape the invisible restrictions. Even the Chieftain was having difficulties moving. He regained some strength to move a little, but the movements were sluggish and slow.

Michael's mother reached him and killing intent emerged from her eyes as one of her right arm lunged forward. Her fingers coiled around his neck and her grasp tightened. She strangled Michael.

"Who are you, and why do you have my son's soul?!" She thundered, while lifting Michael from the ground.

Alice and the others tried to move. They had no idea what was going on, but they knew that they had to help Michael. He was going to die!

But Michael didn't show an ounce of fear even as his mother held him high into the air, strangling her own son with tremendous force. The hatred in his eyes intensified as he sent a message of Whispering Energy to everyone in the room to let him handle this.

["You're asking who I am? Are you serious, right now?"] Michael asked his mother, who raised an eyebrow as the telepathic message reached her. Her grasp around his neck didn't tighten but it didn't loosen either.

["I didn't expect a lot from our reunion, but it's amusing to think that a mother cannot even recognize her own flesh and blood. You really don't deserve to be called a mother."]

The woman's eyes widened and she momentarily lost control of her energy as her eyes locked onto the hatred and disgust oozing out of Michael's eyes. All Michael could see was disbelief in the eyes of the person whom he called mother in the past. The stigmatas all over his upper body erupted on his command. True Extraction with 10 layers of Enhancement was unleashed in an explosive burst.

True Extraction destroyed everything in its path, its power far more potent in the area immediately around Michael. The invisible force spread throughout the room was feasted on and devoured by it. His mother let go of Michael as 10-fold Enhanced True Extraction leeched on her energy. Michael used Insert to insert traces of Extraction inside her arm and body right before he was released from the iron grip.

His mother's hand left deep imprints on his neck, but Michael did not pay any attention to the pain in his neck. It was difficult to breathe, yet all Michael did was stare at the woman whom he'd once called his mother. His hoodie and shirt were torn apart, revealing his naked upper-body and the golden stigmatas that covered his broad torso.

"Cursed Seals..." His mother exclaimed, the disbelief in her eyes transforming into shock and horror. The telepathic messages of the young man in front of her were still deeply imprinted in her mind, the truth unraveling itself slowly.

Her ice-cold expression changed dramatically. Warmth returned to her eyes and Michael could see tears forming in the corner of her eyes. However, all he felt was disgust and pure loathing as he watched his mother's reaction. He took a step back as her feet moved forward. At that moment, Alice, the War Priestess, and the Chieftain appeared around Michael, their weapons pointed at his mother. They were still unsure about what had just happened, but they felt a sudden surge of power from Michael and a loss of control from the unknown woman. This combination allowed Michael to escape the woman's grasp and the others to destroy the remnants of the woman's invisible force.

"Who are you?!" The Chieftain thundered, his vigilance reaching new heights as he coated himself in a layer of highly compressed energy.

However, the woman didn't pay the slightest attention to the Chieftain. Her watery eyes were locked on Michael.

"M-Michael? Is...that really you?" She asked, tears trickling down her cheek.

Michael grit his teeth, trying hard to control his emotions. He felt like cursing his mother, shouting at her, and insulting her for abandoning her...but he knew that she was not worth the effort. She didn't deserve his attention. Not after she abandoned him...them...for almost an entire decade.

"Is that supposed to be a surprise visit?" He asked Alice, who was taken by surprise.

Was that really the best moment to ask if she had planned his surprise event? An unknown - extremely powerful - woman had just infiltrated the ancient city and strangled him. They had better things to do than talking about his surprise event.

"You know, I should have told you guys that I really hate surprise events. I hated them since Danny and I were abandoned the day before my 8th birthday," He mumbled, confusing the powerhouses around himself even more than before.

However, the woman opposite them responded dramatically to the words escaping Michael's lips.

She appraised Michael from head to toe once again and even channeled a trace of energy into Michael, just to come to the same conclusion. The youthful Lord standing in front of her...was her youngest child.

"H-how can that be? What are you doing here, son?!" She asked, tears streaming down her cheeks like a waterfall.

Her words took everyone by surprise and even the Chieftain did a double take. "You grew up well," She remarked quietly after sensing the tremendous power that coursed through Michael. Even though she was lost in emotions, she was glad to see her son. It had been long since she last saw him. Too long.

But Michael didn't reciprocate the warmth. His hatred grew worse with every tear that trickled down her cheek.

"I did. Thanks to Danny. You wouldn't know, of course," He spat out, "And don't call me your son, Evalynn. You don't deserve to be called a mother!"

Evalynn Fang looked like someone had delivered a tight slap to her face. Her expression faltered as she looked at her son, her lips tightly pressed together.

Silence enveloped the chamber for a while until a telepathic message arrived Michael via Whispering Energy.

["I'm not sure how to break it to you, but everyone is in a tricky position right now. Are we supposed to attack your moth— this woman, or leave you alone with her?"]

Michael would have loved to leave his mother with the others. However, a nagging sensation in the back of his head stopped him from storming out like a little child that had been neglected. He recalled his mother's words from a few minutes ago when she was busy strangling him.

"I don't want to talk to you any longer, but tell me what you meant when you said that I have your son's soul. If it's about Danny's Soultrait, I have it. It dropped in a Lord Rift." Evalynn Fang was still in a trance, imprinting every single detail about Michael into her mind. Her tears ceased after a while and her lips parted only to shut tightly once again.

She looked at the remaining people in the chamber and waved her hand, releasing invisible forces that were strong enough to throw the powerhouses out of the room.

"Is she your lover? She's cute, and very protective," Evalynn asked her offspring as her eyes landed on Alice Zenovia. Alice's ears flushed red, but Michael could only curse, "Whether she is my girlfriend or not is none of your business. How about you answer the damn question before you return to wherever you came from?!?"

Evalynn's expression soured again but she tried to force a smile on her face. She didn't have to use her invisible force anymore as the remaining participants of Michael's shock event left on their own accord. They were confused by the turn of events, but it was obvious that Michael wouldn't be harmed. If anything, it was more likely that Michael would harm the unknown woman, who turned out to be his mother.

Once the mother-son duo was alone in the room, Evalynn released a dome of force around them to isolate them from the rest of the world. Now, nobody could eavesdrop on them anymore.

"I'm so glad to observe you aga-..." "Answer the damn question!" Michael cursed again, the Stigmatas all over his physique flickering vibrantly.

Evalynn sighed deeply. She didn't expect the reunion with her children to be easy, but she didn't expect to face this much hatred either. But what did she expect? A hug? Or a teary-eyed greeting, "Finally, you're back. We've been waiting for you for the last 11 years!!?"

She had to understand that fantasy and reality were different. It was foolish to dream about a happy reunion, especially after what happened to her oldest son.

"You want an answer to my question? I will give you a very simple answer then," His matriarch said, clearing her throat before pointing at Michael.

"You're in possession of Danny's Soul." Michael's eyes widened in shock and disbelief, but his matriarch was not yet done.

"And I want it!"