Celine wiped her tears away as she noticed Caelum already awake.
There would be a time for grieving later. For now, they had to bury their mother and figure out what they were going to do from there.
Digging a hole in the ground was a simple matter as Caelum used his abilities for the first time, summoning Skydream Iceworm in a form that was very much similar to its living form with the added touch of a pitch black mist coiling around its body.
Skydream dug a simple hole that would fit Grace's body. The two children lowered her themselves, their final act of filial piety to their mother.
After covering the hole with soil, they gathered several stones and organised it over the burial site.
This was a marker, a way for them to find their mother again in the future.
"What do we do now, Cal?"
Celine asked her brother as her mind was practically blank now.
Too many things had happened with too little time for her to process. She could not even care about her grumbling stomach or the stinging scratches she got in their escape from the village.
Her only pillar of support now was Caelum who had remarkably stayed sane through it all. Even now, he was thinking.
"Skydream said we could get you a hundred thousand-year first soul ring for one of your martial souls. It's a Blue Silver Emperor that would fit your dragon's life attribute."
'Master, the journey to obtain that soul ring might take a long time. I recommend obtaining your second soul ring first and perhaps finding a different soul ring for your sister for now.'
Caelum nodded in agreement. Obtaining his second soul ring would increase their chances at survival, but the problem was that he did not know what kind of soul beast would suit his martial soul.
He had chosen to absorb Skydream's soul ring with his Void Throne because he knew it would work well, but he had no other ideas after that.
With the abilities he currently had, it was safe to say that his Void Throne would focus on control and a little bit of support, so at least he had a framework.
"What soul beast do you think I should hunt for my second soul ring, Skydream?"
'Apologies, Master. I don't know either. But I suggest looking for something that might pair well with your existing abilities.'
Skydream lowered its head in embarrassment. It knew that it might as well have said nothing at all. After all, who in their right mind would not do such a thing?
But the fact of the matter was that there was no other good advice to give.
Caelum's martial soul was entirely unique. He would have to forge his own path by himself.
Understanding the difficulty of the task ahead, Caelum could only sigh. It seems they would have to wander around for a while until they find a suitable soul beast for him.
But was it truly wise?
Dawn was breaking, and soon the sun would be above them. Perhaps they should head for the city for now and have some proper rest.
The thought was tempting, but recalling the encirclement of the bandits, he decided against it.
He did not want to risk it just in case the bandits had not left even though they likely would have gone away by now. In the end, he decided to rest right by their mother's grave for now.
Although he wanted to move quickly, he knew that both he and Celine were exhausted.
The two slept until noon, ignoring their growling stomachs.
With Skydream present, they did not need to worry about safety.
When they woke up, they gathered edible wild berries to satiate their hunger.
The events of the prior night were still fresh in their minds, the sensation of death still clinging to their skin like a stubborn bloodstain on white cloth.
It pressed them onward with a stifling urgency that they did not dare ignore.
Or perhaps they were just distracting themselves, making them leave behind the darkness of the previous night far behind them.
The two trudged onward into Star Dou Forest's outer circle straddling the plump mount, Skydream Iceworm. This was one of the benefits of Caelum's abilities, the convenience of having a servant.
They explored the forest with caution as Caelum's crown already appeared on his head, Mental Projection working to hide their presence.
With Spiritual Detection and Spiritual Sharing, both Caelum and Skydream were scanning the areas around them for any suitable soul beast.
They had already found quite a number of beasts in this outer circle, but none that seemed to fit with what Caelum needed.
His Void Throne's abilities seemed to centre around his Empyrean Domain.
He would need to think about the potential abilities he might receive from these soul beasts before deciding which of them to hunt. After all, a mistake would cost him an entire soul ring slot and it will be too late for regrets then.
Right now, the ability that he wanted most was something that could heal or boost the recovery of his allies.
This was for him who relied more on others to fight than being able to fight himself.
He was a commander, not a warrior.
At least, not yet. He did not intend on abandoning the immense potential within his body martial soul.
But in that same regard, he was also looking for an ability that would potentially allow him to share in the strengths of his allies, making him less of a liability in battle.
He would not allow himself to be left as a literal sitting duck.
The search for a suitable soul beast progressed slowly. If not for the constant sense of vulnerability and threat, then Caelum and Celine would have been overcome with impatience.
They both hated the feeling of doing nothing in the midst of all this danger.
It reminded them of their powerlessness as their mother died right in front of them. The burning village haunted their dreams, and they wished for it to end.
And so, Celine chose to meditate, leaving her safety to Caelum and Skydream.
Caelum, on the other hand, began attacking any soul beast above a hundred-years-old with Mental Syphon. His goal was not to kill them, but to gather as much raw mental power as he could.
Although there was little yield from these young soul beasts, it was better than nothing. In any case, his ability to refine and purify this mental power was still too slow to handle vast amounts of it.
And finally, after a few hours of searching, just as the sun was beginning to set, Caelum's head snapped toward a certain direction.
They were still in the outer circle, but a strange sight had caught his attention.
With Spiritual Sharing, both Skydream and Celine saw what it was.
It was a greenish brown bear about three feet tall seated upon the branches of a tree, alone. It was eyeing a feline soul beast beneath with an awfully patient and concentrated gaze.
The bear suddenly dropped down, slamming the cat onto the ground with great force. The cat was not dead, but it was in a daze, its head bleeding from a concussion.
The bear scratched its back for a moment, an otherwise normal action if you ignore the fact that there were glowing mushrooms growing from it.
As the bear scratched vigorously, subtle glowing spores wafted out, drifting in the air and settling on the tree trunks, the ground and the cat.
After all that, the bear simply turned around and left. Seeing this, Caelum knew he had found his target.
"Skydream, chase after the bear. I want the mushroom on its back."
And thus began the first hunt.
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A/N: Any guesses as to what kind of soul beast that bear is? Here's a hint. It's a joke that I always thought was real until I realised it wasn't.