Looking at Starlight’s face, which was etched with grief, the strange book finally became convinced that the boy’s words were no lie. It had also secretly tried to contact Carlos through its own unique methods, but its efforts were like stones sinking into the deep sea, yielding no response.
“This... how could this be? Who was it?” the book asked as it slowly drifted in front of Starlight, its voice trembling slightly.
“Master said before he died... the opponent was the Heavenly Demon Phoenix,” Starlight answered with a sob.
“The... Heavenly... Demon... So that was your end?”
After hearing the boy’s answer, the strange book seemed to lose its focus, falling into a deep contemplation.
The surroundings suddenly fell into silence, with only the crackling of the burning embers and Starlight’s slightly rapid breathing intertwining. It wasn't until a long time had passed that the strange book slowly spoke, breaking the stillness.
“I’ve roughly understood what he meant. It seems my meeting with you was arranged by him long ago. Although I saw you once when you were first born, you probably wouldn't know about that.”
Hearing that familiar yet strange voice coming from between the pages, Starlight couldn't help but feel a bit dazed. He felt as if he could see a younger, more vibrant version of his master sitting beside him, having a heart-to-heart talk.
“So... who exactly are you? Why were you in Master's box?” Starlight asked, organizing his thoughts slightly.
“I believe I already said it; I am Carlos Noah. It's just that my soul is hosted within this book. In other words, I am a part of him that was split off. You can think of us as the same person.”
“Soul splitting? Can that really be done? Doesn't that mean there's a chance Master could be resurrected?!” Hearing the strange book's explanation, Starlight suddenly looked up, his eyes shining with an unbelievable light as a strange thought flashed through his mind.
“Resurrection? Perhaps. It seems he never mentioned his research to you, but now he has arranged our meeting... If you're interested, I can explain it to you.”
Seeing Starlight nod without hesitation, the strange book wobbled as it drifted down onto a nearby stone table. Like a wandering bard, it began to slowly recount its origins.
Starting from when Carlos was young, he had a special hobby: recording everything he saw, heard, felt, and realized each day in writing. The book in front of them was the very diary he had carried with him since childhood.
Over the long years of study and travel, this book had carried almost all of Carlos's memories and experiences.
During a chance encounter, Carlos obtained a bizarre gemstone. The gem possessed power that transcended existing magic structures, even capable of creating things that had never existed before.
While his companions curiously guessed how Carlos would use this gemstone to do something world-shaking, his choice left everyone speechless—he actually decided to give a soul to that old book filled with stories.
One must understand that anything involving the soul was far beyond the scope of mortal understanding. Especially after the Age of Gods ended, records concerning souls had almost vanished from the continent. Perhaps only gods possessed such power.
However, the brilliant Carlos used his own soul as a medium and successfully separated a soul fragment. He combined this fragment with the stories he had written over the years, giving birth to a life that was both himself and a new, independent individual—the strange book before them.
But just as everything in the world has two sides, the act of splitting a soul and creating life came with immense risks and flaws.
After splitting his soul, Carlos’s personality underwent a drastic change. That once optimistic, cheerful, and brilliant genius mage was gone forever.
His temperament shifted dramatically; he became reclusive and taciturn, seemingly losing interest in the things he once loved.
Only a few years later, at the peak of his youth, he chose to retreat into the mountains and forests to focus on his own research, with only the separated soul to accompany him.
Until one day, over ten years ago, his long-time close friend Arthur found him in this quiet valley and entrusted his wife and child to him. It was only then that he began to engage in normal social interactions again.
Arthur’s wife, Moen, was also one of the few people who had witnessed him splitting his soul. After seeing his despondency, Moen provided him with much help during the few months they spent together, preventing him from becoming even more reclusive and eccentric.
During that time, he also gradually realized his own problem. The two split souls would influence each other when they were in contact, and this influence was entirely beyond human control.
However, he knew that a soul already split could not be restored to its original state. Thus, with Moen’s assistance, he made a decision: to seal this soul fragment, which carried his countless stories and memories, layer by layer, letting it fall into a temporary slumber.
The strength of this seal was closely linked to his life. Only after losing the suppression from Carlos’s other half-soul could this long-sleeping life awaken again today.
And so, the meeting between Starlight and this strange book came to be.
“So... can I understand it as you being Master’s past? How should I address you then?” the boy asked slowly after hearing the detailed explanation.
“You’re not wrong to see it that way. Sigh! I really didn't expect that brat to just die like that... We actually discussed this problem before. Since we are both parts of Carlos Noah, to make it easier to distinguish, he is usually called Carlos, and I am Noah!”
“You don’t need to call me Master, just call me by my name. After all, I’ve never actually taught you anything~ But speaking of which, I only took a nap, and you’ve already grown so big. How many years has it been in the outside world?”
Looking at the way Noah spoke so freely, Starlight realized there was a huge difference between him and the Carlos in his memory.
Although he was long accustomed to the master who didn't like to talk much and was sometimes a bit eccentric, he found this lively and cheerful Noah to be quite pleasant. Perhaps they were simply different facets of the same person.
“It’s been fifteen years, um... Mr. Noah?” Starlight answered softly, still a bit hesitant about how to address him.
“No need for honorifics. If you don't count the years I was asleep, I’m about the same age as you. Calling me that makes me feel a bit embarrassed,” Noah immediately responded, the pages of the book twitching in a human-like way, as if slightly displeased.
“Alright... then I’ll call you Noah. Can I ask a few more questions?” Starlight asked.
“Go ahead. Since you’re Carlos’s apprentice and Arthur’s son, I can answer two extra questions for you.”
Noah spoke casually, the body of the book leaning forward slightly as if nodding in agreement.
Starlight paused for a moment, organizing his thoughts before asking, “From what you just said, it seems you also knew my parents? What kind of people were they?”
“Huh? You actually don't know? That fellow Carlos never mentioned them to you?!” Noah sounded extremely surprised, his voice rising several octaves.
As a master, not telling his apprentice about his parents was truly a bit unreasonable.
However, Noah didn't dwell on the issue for long and quickly regained his composure to continue the story.
“Your father, Arthur, and Carlos were classmates at the magic academy. They were inseparable from the moment they enrolled; you could say they were the best of friends. In my memory, Arthur was a very well-bred gentleman. Your surname, White, once belonged to a fallen noble family in a certain kingdom—at least it was twenty years ago. I don't know the current situation. As for your mother...”
At this point, Noah paused slightly, seemingly thinking about how to describe her.
“Er... let’s put it this way: I don’t have many records of your mother, Moen. The three of them met during their adventures, and it didn't take long for her to fall in love with your father. If I remember the place correctly... it should have been near the Egret City-State.”
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