"Phantom Rebirth: The Last White Raven’s Path to the Ultimate Assassin"

Still Within the Library of Shadows

The torches burned low, casting flickering shadows against the towering bookshelves as Seraphis remained seated in the grand library of her mountain castle. The air was thick with the scent of aged parchment and arcane dust, the whispers of forgotten knowledge echoing through the cavernous hall.

She had already uncovered the secrets of golemancy, but her thirst for knowledge remained unquenched. Now, she sought something darker, more elusive—something that few dared to even research, let alone practice.

Soul Transference.

The forbidden art of removing a soul from one body and binding it to another.

With her mind set on uncovering this knowledge, she activated the library’s search glyph once more, whispering the command:

"Search: Forbidden Magic – Soul Fusion and Transference."

The glyph pulsed, and from the depths of the library, several thick, ominous tomes floated from their shelves, landing with a heavy thud upon the ancient stone table before her.

Each of these books radiated an aura of secrecy—their covers bound in cursed leather, their pages lined with arcane inscriptions that shimmered with an ethereal glow.

The First Book: "The Principles of Soul Manipulation"

Seraphis reached for the largest tome, its cover depicting a withered soul being torn from a lifeless body, bound within a glowing crystalline prison.

“The soul is not a simple essence, nor is it merely the energy of life. It is memory, will, and identity woven together by fate. To transfer a soul is to unweave and reweave it—a delicate, dangerous process that few have mastered.”

She carefully turned the ancient pages, absorbing the knowledge of the soul’s structure:

• The Astral Veil – The barrier between the physical world and the realm of spirits.

• The Core Essence – The very foundation of a person’s identity, unbreakable but malleable under the right conditions.

• The Spiritual Threads – The ties binding a soul to a body, which must be severed and reforged in a transfer ritual.

The book warned that reckless soul extraction often led to catastrophic failures

• Soulless Husk Syndrome – Where a body loses all consciousness and function, becoming nothing more than a breathing corpse.

• Fragmented Identity – Where two souls merge improperly, resulting in a mind that is neither person but something new, unstable, and violent.

• Rejected Transference – Where the soul violently rejects the new vessel, causing the body to rot from the inside.

"A single mistake in this process… and the consequences are irreversible."

She needed to be precise, methodical, and unwavering.

The Second Book: "Rites of Soul Extraction and Preservation"

The next tome was wrapped in iron chains, requiring her to channel dark mana to unlock it. The moment she did, the chains snapped apart, vanishing into a puff of black smoke.

Flipping it open, she found a detailed step-by-step process on how to extract a soul without damaging it:

Step 1: Preparing the Extraction Site

• A sanctified ritual chamber must be set up, surrounded by a protective barrier to prevent the soul from escaping.

• Blackened candles must be placed in a seven-pointed star formation, aligned to the planetary cycle to stabilize the energy flow.

• The body must be restrained, as the separation process induces violent spasms and psychic resistance.

Step 2: The Extraction Process

• The caster must invoke the Call of Separation, a forbidden chant that weakens the soul’s ties to the flesh.

• A specially crafted Soul Dagger—forged from a wraith’s fang and soaked in etherial essence—must be used to slice through the Astral Veil, severing the soul’s connection.

• The moment the connection is severed, the soul must be captured within a Soul Vessel

  , typically an enchanted gemstone or relic.

Step 3: Preserving the Soul

• If a soul is not transferred within 72 hours, it begins to degrade, losing memories, emotions, and eventually ceasing to exist.

• To preserve a soul, it must be placed in a Spirit Binding Urn, filled with essence-rich fluids such as:

  • Dragon's Blood (extremely rare, provides a nearly eternal preservation state).

  • Elixir of Stasis (stabilizes the soul but must be refreshed every month).

  • Mana-Infused Mercury (risky, as it can cause unpredictable mutations).

Seraphis frowned.

"I’ll need to acquire some extremely rare materials before even attempting this…"

The Third Book: "The Art of Soul Fusion"

This tome was the most dangerous-looking one yet, its pages filled with cursed runes that pulsed as if alive.

The text detailed the process of merging a soul into a new vessel, listing the critical factors for success:

Step 1: Choosing the Host Body

• The new body must be prepared beforehand. If the body is too weak or incompatible, the soul will violently reject it.

• The closer the body is to the original, the smoother the transfer.

• A custom-crafted body (such as a homunculus or golem) has the highest chance of compatibility.

Step 2: Ritual of Integration

• The host body must be infused with soul-binding sigils

  , drawn directly onto the flesh or core of the vessel.

• The soul is placed within the body, and the Rite of Unification must be spoken, merging the two energies.

• The host body will go through a violent convulsion phase as the soul fully integrates—if it survives this, the fusion is complete.

Final Notes & Risks

As Seraphis absorbed the last of the forbidden knowledge, she leaned back in her chair, her fingers tapping against the table.

This was dangerous, high-stakes magic—but if mastered, she could do things that even the greatest mages feared:

• Resurrect fallen warriors into new, stronger bodies.

• Create hybrid beings by merging powerful souls into unique vessels.

• Steal enemy knowledge and power by fusing them into constructs or even her own body.

But she needed materials—some of which were so rare and illegal that even black markets barely dealt with them.

The Next Steps

Seraphis closed the books, a smirk forming on her lips.

"I’ll need to gather everything before I attempt this."

She made a mental list:

1. A Soul Vessel – A high-grade crystal, preferably something legendary.

2. A Suitable Host – Either a prepared body or an artificially crafted one.

3. Rare Alchemical Ingredients – Dragon’s blood, etherial mercury, and elixirs.

4. A Secure Ritual Chamber – One properly warded against soul backlash.

This was going to take time, but once she succeeded…

She would wield power beyond mortal comprehension.