My Soul card is a Reaper-Chapter 905: The Horus Temple Arc (Part-1)

The evening air was cool when Azzy returned to his residence. The corridors of the Death Clan’s central citadel were calm—too calm, almost deceptive in their stillness. As he crossed through the main hall, a guard hurried to him and knelt.

"Your Majesty, one of the scouts requests an immediate audience. He claims to have urgent information." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Azzy gave a slight nod. "Bring him to my study."

Moments later, the faint crackle of soul lamps lit up the vast study chamber. Scrolls and documents were neatly stacked across the long ebony table—reports on finances, training schedules, and the latest mission evaluations. A faint scent of old parchment and ink lingered in the air.

The door opened. A young scout stepped inside, his dark uniform dusted from travel, boots still damp with dirt. He dropped to one knee. "Your Majesty."

Azzy looked up from a document he was signing. "What is it?" His tone was calm, but the subtle shift in his aura made the room feel colder.

"News from the surface, sire," the scout said quickly.

Azzy leaned back slightly in his chair, steepling his fingers. "Go on."

The scout swallowed, glancing once at the flickering shadow behind Azzy before speaking. "It’s... about the reemergence of the Werewolf Lord."

Azzy’s eyes lifted sharply, the crimson in his pupils glinting faintly. "The Werewolf Lord?" He couldn’t help but remember the werewolves he once killed when he was a teenager, putting an end to experiments.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the scout continued. "Word has spread that WAMO is working with a top guild of the Llyne nation and assembling elite experts from across the continent. Their goal is to form a strike team to hunt down the werewolves and recover a certain artifact."

Azzy’s brows furrowed slightly. "Artifact?"

The scout nodded. "They called it the Cursed Music Box of Semele."

For a brief moment, Azzy said nothing. The only sound was the faint ticking of the chronometer on his desk.

He finally leaned forward, resting his elbows on the polished black surface. "Cursed Music Box of Semele..." he murmured under his breath, as though turning the name over in his mind. "Never heard of it."

The scout hesitated. "It is believed to be of divine origin, perhaps linked to the Olympian gods. The legends say it carries the power to twist fate itself... bringing ruin wherever it plays."

Azzy’s expression didn’t change, but his silence spoke volumes.

At last, he said quietly, "Understood. Leave the full report on my desk."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The scout bowed deeply and withdrew.

When the door shut, the room was silent again. Azzy sat still for a long moment, eyes on the parchment the scout had left.

"Werewolf Lord... Music Box of Semele..." he muttered, fingers drumming softly on the desk.

Then, with a faint sigh, he leaned back and looked toward the ceiling—toward the invisible barrier that separated this world from everything.

"Things are starting to move again after months of peace in my life," he murmured, his voice low, distant.

***

A few days later;

Unknown Island, Endless Ocean;

17-year-old Azrael was seen standing in the office of the Lt. Commander of the Special Forces of Vashia City, a city located in the islands of the Southern Ocean. Vashia belonged to the nation of Llyne—a country known for its powerful navy and its marine explorations.

A soldier escorted him to the gender-neutral dorm in an underground military base. As if the hospital wasn’t deep enough underground, the dorm was located even deeper. They had to take an elevator to go down nine more levels, reaching the deepest part of this underground facility.

Upon entering the entrance hall of the dorm, his eyes wandered around. The dorm was a three-story structure, circular in shape, with space in the middle like a huge hollow. It appeared to be modeled after those shopping malls in the cities.

There was a reception counter, a bar, an elevator, a gym, a cafeteria, and a couple of unknown stores placed on the ground floor, well, it is technically underground, so it can only be described as the lowest floor.

Azrael observed around as he walked towards the reception counter. It was already evening, so the bar was quite lively with everyone chattering around and some arguing.

Due to Azrael’s young age and a fake disability (a patch on his left eye), he didn’t expect to draw much attention, as several of them are rookies from various parts of the world. However, he underestimated his looks and his physique. Even if it was for a moment, he felt the gazes of the young female Arcana Master as he passed by them, and some of them were quite flirtatious.

But then again, it isn’t something unexpected. The Arcana Master usually go through either battles or other missions all week and rarely get time to have proper relationships. So, most of them would be single, and they generally tend to hook up with people they find attractive without any strings attached later. And because Azrael had a tough life, filled with battles, rather than a mere adolescent, he appeared more mature to the eyes of those who stared at him.

Azrael however, didn’t pay any attention. He simply went ahead to find his room: 214.

"Here I am."

Along with the number, there was a paper stuck on the wooden door. On the paper, the horrible drawing of a pink dolphin was seen.

"I don’t feel good for some reason," Azrael mumbled as he looked at the drawing. "It’s not a female, is it?"

Taking a deep breath, he unlocked the door with the pass he was given at the reception counter.

*Beep*

As the door was opened, a woman appeared in his vision, who seemed anything but ordinary. Watching the sleeping girl on her bed while hugging a dolphin plush toy, he muttered. "Oh, boy..."

A pink room that is decorated – check

Female – check

Adult age, but has child-like looks – check

Twin tails hairstyle – check

Underdeveloped body – check

"Oh boy, not this kind of roommate," Azrael’s face darkened as he stared at the girl. "The troublesome type of woman that only looks good in anime, not in real life. I hope she isn’t the type of woman I’m thinking."

*Knock* Knock*

He knocked a few times on the door until his supposed roommate woke up from her sleep. And fulfilling his exact expectations, she flared up in anger as soon as her eyes fell on him. "You, how did you get inside? Who are you?"

Looking at the girl who was ready to attack him, Azrael introduced himself, "I’m Azrael, your new roommate, Miss..."

His eyes wandered for a moment and then finished the sentence in an uncertain tone, "Iphi Magnolis?"

"You know my name?" She furrowed her brows.

"No, I guessed it." Azrael shrugged his shoulders as he calmly pointed to a shelf where a backpack was placed. "I assume that is yours." On top of it lies the writing of her name, probably done by herself.

"Ah... I see." After taking a clear look at him, she gestured for him to come in.

As he went inside and sat on his bed, she asked, "Codename?"

"Still a probie," Azrael replied with a straight face. "I haven’t been awarded a codename yet."

"Probie?" She tilted her head in confusion as it appeared to be a new term for her.

"Probationary agent... a new recruit still in the training phase," Azrael clarified to her before he asked her position, entering the character of some rookie and not an Arcana Master who was recruited from outside.

His reply surprised the girl. She pointed her finger at him and hurled an insult, "You aren’t even an official. Only a mere intern? You really have some guts to talk to me this way, boy. And by the way, who is that bastard who allowed you to share a room with me?"

A normal guy in his position wouldn’t take an insult to his face when he wasn’t even acquainted with the other party, but Azrael didn’t take it to his head and instead, he let out a chuckle in response, "Well, that bastard is Lieutenant Commander Albert. You can go ahead and punish that lowly being for the mistake, but before that, at least, introduce yourself, Your Highness."

Iphi Magnolis felt as if she were being mocked by him. She flared up in anger once again. But with no justification to hit him, she forced herself to calm down and answered, or more like bragging about herself with hands on her back. "Iphis Magnolis..."