The Titan's Throne

Soul Sworn

A tattoo of a golden coiling dragon suddenly appeared on Bastian's chest! The dragon was incredibly defined. Each scale was dazzling, its big eyes appeared as if they looked down on everything, making one feel insignificant.

Even though it was merely a tattoo, it gave one the impression that it was real. That it was alive.

The longer Ben looked at it, the harder he found it to breathe, and the more difficult it was to remain standing. It was as if a massive weight was bearing down on him as if he was carrying a mountain on his shoulders.

The tattoo was so overbearing, it made one feel as if it was a crime not to prostrate to it. Like if one did not kowtow before the tattoo, tribulation lightning would strike from the heavens!

This feeling was rooted deep within Ben. The tattoo not only affected his body, but it also affected his soul!

Ben started thinking about the rumours of a Mark Bearer's abilities. The fact that Bastian was a Mark Bearer was now clear.

Ben started feeling distressed for the way he had treated the boy. He felt so bad, he wouldn't be surprised if his intestines were now green from regret. Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret.

Just when Ben was about to prostrate himself and beg for forgiveness, Bastian covered himself and spoke up.

"Ben, would you like being my Soul Sworn?"

...

Boom!

Ben felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He had never expected to receive such an opportunity. He tried opening his mouth to say something, but he didn't quite know what to say. He felt paralyzed as if his body was no longer his own.

A Soul Sworn was a person, who through a certain ritual, offers up their life in servitude to another. This bond would last until either the master or the Soul Sworn die. It was an unshakable bond that would bind both parties, and nothing could break or interfere with it except death.

Normally one would never want to become another person's Soul Sworn because you would effectively become a slave for life. Becoming a Soul Sworn to a powerful person, let alone a Mark Bearer was different, very different. Even though you are essentially becoming that person's lifelong slave, being a Soul Sworn also has its advantages.

The master of a Soul Sworn is called a Meister. A Meister has complete control of his or her slave. Once one becomes a Soul Sworn, their personality is modified. They will start seeing the Meister in complete reverence. They will find it practically impossible to resist their master's orders. The rule is if a Soul Sworn disobeys their master, their soul gets destroyed, so they have even more of a reason to obey.

It is for this reason, that any Meister will completely trust any Soul Sworn they have. Another reason why Soul Sworn are valued is that the amount of Soul Sworn one can have is limited by the power of their soul. An average person doesn't even have a powerful enough soul to have even one Soul Sworn. To have more than one is already seen as being impressive.

Since the number of Soul Sworn one can have is limited, A Meister does not choose lightly. This number or capacity is determined at birth. It cannot be increased or decreased through any means.

Also, the number of times you can do the ritual as a Meister is limited as a result. So if you kill one of your own Soul Sworn and you have reached your limit, then you have lost one more permanently and cannot replenish your numbers.

Thus if you become the Soul Sworn of a powerful person, they would most likely treat you with great value, especially if they have the capability to create only a few Soul Sworn. This boy was young, even if the mark had improved his talent, Ben doubted it could change the power of his soul.

A Soul Sworn is a highly trusted and valued servant. Since his/her fate is tied to their Meister, then the more powerful the Meister is, the better. Not to mention a Mark Bearer!

Ben knew better than to be hesitant when such a chance was before him. He immediately kowtowed to Bastian and pledged his allegiance to him.

The only issue left was that neither Bastian nor Ben knew how to do the ritual, luckily for them, the little girl did.

"Master, are you sure this girl is to be trusted? What if she tricks us and uses this opportunity to try something?" Ben said with a worried expression on his face.

Bastian only smiled and said nothing. His smile was brimming with confidence, so Ben ended up remaining quiet.

Bastian was very good at reading faces. In his previous life, Bastian was very skilled at this, because his father was a deception expert, who specialized in micro-expressions. Bastian's father started as a psychiatrist but was eventually pulled into behavioural psychology.

From a very young age, Bastian was taught how to read faces. Perhaps the father wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, either way, he taught Bastian most of what he knew regarding this.

Although Bastian ended up taking a different path, he was still grateful for the skills his father taught him. For not only was he taught how to read faces, but he was also taught other things like how the human mind works, physiology and even hypnotism.

Thus it was an extremely difficult task to fool Bastian. Only the greatest liars could fool his eyes. During his discussion with the girl, before Ben had arrived, he had made sure that she wasn't playing any tricks.

He interrogated her and eyed her like a hawk. She showed no signs of lying. If a twelve-year-old was able to escape his vision, then his name wasn't Bastian Smith...or Tirius.

The girl used her fingers to draw a strange runic circle on the sandy ground. She then asked Ben to kneel on one side and for Bastian to stand on the other. Ben unlocked Bastian's shackles and the two assumed their positions.

The other mercenaries who were guarding the perimeter of the camp did nothing. Although Ben kneeling to the boy seemed strange, they assumed it was one of his strange plots.

He was the one who had put both of the children there so he could do whatever he wanted to them. Even when he unshackled Bastian nothing appeared amiss. After all, how many had seen such a rare ritual?

The girl told Ben to prick Bastian's hand with his knife. She then asked Bastian to drip some of his blood on Ben's head. This signified that Ben now belonged to Bastian. She gave Ben some words to recite then stood aside to watch.

After the recitation, the runic circle shined a bit, and both men felt something leave their bodies and go into the other. The blood that Bastian had put on Ben's head, seeped into the latter's forehead.

Bastian could now tell that he had control over the man. He could somewhat feel his thoughts, he could even tell his location. He felt sure that no matter how far Ben was he would always know where he is.

Ben on the other hand had a look of ecstasy on his face. He felt as if power was seeping into him. Something fundamental about him had changed. He was now stronger, smarter, kinder, less greedy and calmer. It is said that the greater the difference in soul power between the Meister and the soul sworn, the more the soul sworn is affected, and the more he or she becomes like their Meister.

The moment Ben looked at Bastian, his entire being shook with a fervour so vigorous he couldn't help but cry. To Ben, Bastian appeared like he was a god. Perfect. Powerful, Ben felt like it was his life's purpose to serve Bastian, that even if Bastian was to step on his face and defecate on him, it would be a great honour.

He kowtowed so hard his head created a ditch in the earth. "Master, please forgive this foolish servant. I disgraced you my Lord, and there is no excuse for it. I will accept any and all punishments you deem necessary."

Bastian and the girl were astounded. They knew the ritual would make Ben subservient, but they never thought it would be this extreme.

After spending a few minutes trying to stop Ben's suicidal thoughts, Bastian and the girl decided to sit down and rest for a bit. Ben immediately knelt beside Bastian like it was the most natural thing in the world

Girl: "Well boy it seems you have a very powerful soul, I have seen many rituals, but I have never seen a Soul Sworn as deeply affected like this. This also explains how you were able to fend off incado grass. With such a powerful soul, such herbs are no different from normal grass for you."

Bastian: "..."

Ben: "Of course, my master is incredibly talented. We are simply blessed to be in his presence."

Girl: "Hmph! If it wasn't for me, your master wouldn't even know how to use his mark or gain a soul sworn."

Ben: "You insolent brat. Stop lying. How could one as incredible as my master not know such things? You are obviously just jealous of my Master's gift! Master please, allow me to teach this brat some lessons in respect."

Bastian: "Relax Ben, she is right. Without her help, I wouldn't have known how to use the mark this way. Plus she is also a Mark Bearer so it isn't wise to anger her."

Ben was shocked. Not only was his master a Mark Bearer, but so was this little girl? It was as if lightning had struck him twice on the same day!

That's when he realized something that made him very angry.

"Why did you make me serve Master instead of you? Look at what you've done!"