I Refused To Be Reincarnated

"I'll take it," Adam said, smiling before walking to the shelf. Then, he tried the coat, placing it over his soul's billowing mist. "How do I look?" He asked, turning towards Julius with a proud smile.

"G-good," the boy stuttered after seeing his big brother's expression, thinking, 'You look terrible.' His base form was much better, in his opinion, and the coat only blocked the swirling mist, causing him to look less mysterious. Yet, he didn't want to break the rare moments of fun of his big brother.

"With the transaction out of the way, I'll focus on analysing your replica before they dissipate. Come back later to retrieve the soul orb," said Durgrim before running to the backroom impatiently.

"What do we do now?" Julius asked with glowing eyes, excited to discover new things.

"I don't know. Any recommendations?" Adam shrugged, asking the soul reaper.

After a second of pondering, he replied, "I would have loved to show you the markets or museum, but that won't do with the boy. I don't want chaos to fill the streets."

"Let's just return to Nova's sister's home to sleep for the night, then," replied Adam before spotting the booklet carried by the boy. "Almost forgot about it," he added, curiosity filling his voice.

Understanding what he meant, thanks to his looks, Julius placed the book before Adam, saying, "The cover's painting is different, but the symbols resemble the ones from the Qingming sutra of serenity."

Adam nodded before reading the title aloud. "Nù Míng sutra of rage."

His interest piqued, he turned the first page. Gradually, his eyes widened after each sentence he read as he understood the book's origins.

"It's another cultivation technique. Similar to the one we found in Shepard's library, but with a different focus," he started, his eyes glowing with happiness at the finding before continuing. "If the Qingming sutra focuses on harmony and serenity, the Nù Míng focuses on controlling anger and drawing power from it."

Then, he skimmed through the pages until arriving at the last one, where a brief note lay.

"Emotions can't be tamed without serenity."

'Are the sutras related?' Adam pondered, understanding they made a set of opposites matching together. 'I believe cultivating them together is possible,' he thought in interest, planning to study the subject in the dream place.

"Let's return. It's a cultivation technique. I'll translate it entirely tonight to confirm you can use it," he said, walking towards the door under Julius' sceptical eyes.

"Did it come from the man who defeated the dullahan sixty years ago?" The boy muttered, a pensive frown on his face while following his big brother. It would explain why the dullahan could roughly emulate his martial arts if he were right. As for the rest, he trusted his big brother. If he could cultivate both sutras together, it was good news.

Soon, the soul reaper took the lead and guided them back to Banshee One's house. Amidst friendly discussions, they learned the city was entirely built out of Ossian's soul energy, giving it its white color. It was a way for the citizens to monitor their king's sanity, as the moment red traces appeared meant he began turning evil.

Fortunately, the buildings and streets were spotless, and, considering the ghost king's value and personality, no one believed misfortune would befall them soon.

A few minutes later, they entered the house, ready to rest for the night, when they saw the three women grimacing.

"What happened?" Julius asked, alarmed by their bizarre reactions and his eyes scanning them.

"She said I couldn't be their sister because I'm not a banshee!" Morgane exclaimed, glaring at Number One.

"You can't! If not for Nova, I wouldn't let living beings enter my home in the first place!" Number One responded, showing her teeth. Experience new tales on M-V-L

Confronted by the ridiculous situation, Adam frowned, thinking, 'Are they kids? Well, Morgane is one. But the banshee is centuries old.' Then, he asked, "Most ghosts were living beings once. Do you have a bias against them too?"

"It's not the same! You are a ghost, too. So, you understand, right?" She answered, her hands crossed over her chest and sure about her declaration.

"I don't. Most of my friends are living beings," he said, his solemn voice causing Morgane to smile in relief.

Their conflict started when the banshee declared Adam didn't care about her and Julius and only traveled with them for convenience. Hurt by the false words, she refuted them with nova, giving examples of what he did until an uneasy silence settled for half an hour.

"Humph. You'll understand after a few centuries. Mortal friends will only day and leave you alone," she said, her eyes slipping to the side and her voice carrying a hint of sadness.

"Ok," Adam said, shrugging before adding, "You can have your own opinions, but don't impose them on others, especially the kids." The last thing he wanted was for everyone to doubt each other before returning to the college.

Then, he turned to Morgane, saying with narrowed eyes, "For how long do you plan to stay awake? Youngsters must sleep early, or they'll resemble goblins after growing up."

Upon hearing his words, Julius facepalmed while Nova giggled at the comic comparison.

Finally, Number One spoke, feeling guilty after Adam's scolding. "They can sleep in the guest room upstairs."

With a nod, Julius climbed the stairs after saying good night, accompanied by Adam and Morgan, who threw one last glare at Number One.

***

Five minutes later, after arranging a sleeping space for the kids, Adam opened his eyes in his apartment, the Nù Míng sutra of rage in his hand.

Curiously, he walked to his desk to retrieve the Qingming sutra of serenity, intending to compare them in-depth before translating the first.

As he spent a few hours translating the new technique, an interesting idea popped into his mind. 'Since they look compatible, can I fuse them?' he thought, excitement glowing in his eyes.

Without pondering too much about it, he left his apartment in the fusion pool's direction.