"No need..." the Soulleech Monarch answered. "I owed the Nine Senses Tree... I am simply returning the favor."
Levi didn’t know what kind of relationship these two had with each other, but he could tell that it went way back... probably even earlier than Ash’Kral was even born.
’Favor... did the Nine Senses Seed reward me with this mutation as a gift for choosing it to remain in my main soul with all of its available space?’
Levi then looked at the little creature attached to him. "You’re telling me to take care of... your child? How can a mutation be a leech with its own sentient? Is it even mine or yours?"
As much as Levi appreciated the Nine Senses Seed going this far for him, he still would have rather preferred a mutation like the Harmonic Spine... it was powerful, useful, and most importantly, his own to control.
"I understand your concerns, but they are needless... she is a newborn with severed connection to me under the Nine Senses Tree’s wishes... she is yours and yours alone... you should take care of her as you see fit... though, I will be appreciative if you took care of her like a family."
"If it’s like that, she is more than welcomed."
Levi nodded in appreciation... he was indeed bothered by the notion of having another powerful entity that he needed to be wary of upsetting... the three Divas were more than enough for him, and he had no interest in adding another at the moment.
However, if the Soulleech Maw’s connection was indeed severed from her mother, he would have no more complaints... he had no clue what the little thing does, but he could guess her fearsome potential based off the mother.
"Mind I ask what kind of powers does she possess? And how am I supposed to ’raise’ her?" Levi wondered, "Does she consume souls like you?"
"Currently, her powers are limited due to her newborn status... her sole ability is consuming souls to grow, and producing Aetheric flames as byproduct." Soulleech Monarch said calmly while preparing a demonstration.
Her enormous tongue slowly extended out of the flower-like maw again... it reached the wandering souls and wisps... when she ate them, her body released soft green flames around her. The same flames that left Levi wishing he was dead.
Levi’s spiritual eyes gleamed in excitement at the sight of green flames raging around the Monarch... he swiftly glanced at his palm, and his entire demeanor changed.
Before, he saw the leech like a foreign parasite invading his body... although it was a mutation, still, it was a sentinel leech, and it gave him the creeps a little.
But now? He realized that he had just hit the jackpot.
"If you keep feeding her, your own soul will strengthen after she satisfies her hunger and starts her own evolution... you don’t need to worry about materials and such, just souls and preferably quality souls." She added.
"I see... sounds simple enough." Levi then asked while caressing the leech’s petals in his palms, making it purr in enjoyment, "So... is she a spiritual creature, organ, or what?"
"In a sense, she is a spiritual organ that is connected to your soul more than your body... she needs sustenance and nutrition just like any other organ." The Soulleech Monarch shared, "If you learn to use her properly, you can dominate the universe in matters of spirit with a snap of a finger... she is the strongest spiritual organ in existence... only lesser than me."
"Strongest spiritual organ... now, that’s a statement."
Levi’s eyes widened slightly... he wasn’t just excited, but overwhelmed a little bit. He had no idea that spiritual organs existed in the universe, but as he gazed at the massive insanity before him, he started to realize that he was still a mere frog in a well.
"As I said before... her connection to me is severed. She is yours now. You can still access the Aether Realm with her if you managed to grow her to a state that allows her to connect your soul to my realm... but you will not see me again." Soulleech Monarch’s tone suddenly turned stern, "I expect you to keep my identity secret... tell no one, not even your contracted Nightcrawler. I am a ghost... always remember this."
She put heavy emphasize on the last phrase, making Levi understand that she wasn’t joking around... he didn’t know why she wanted to keep her identity a secret, and he was smart to not pry further.
His soul was snatched to the Aether Realm even when she claimed that her connection to her daughter was severed... this made him understand that she didn’t need any sort of connection to ruin his life.
A cosmic entity like her wasn’t to be underestimated or have her warnings ignored.
Levi nodded slowly in understanding, then he suddenly asked curiously, "I get why you returned the favor, but why trust me to take care of your child? You don’t know me... and I have a feeling that you didn’t agree to do this just because it’s a favor."
For the first time, the Monarch went silent... only the faint sound of souls being swallowed and green flames being emitted filled the realm.
Then she spoke.
"If the Nine Senses Tree has faith in you... then I wish to see whether you can reach the end of That Path."
"What path?" Levi frowned, "Are you talking about the Equilibrium of Chaos? You did call me its heir."
"You will discover the answer on your journey..." Her massive body began dissolving into green sparks as she said one last time, "I wish you nothing but success, child... may you achieve your Glorious Evolution."
"If you succeed... I will be honored to have my child be part of it."
At last, her form scattered into the green atmosphere, leaving Levi alone with her daughter... the moment she was gone, the tiny Soulleech Maw in his palm looked up at him with its tongue... then, it stretched it and began licking his cheek like a playful puppy.
Levi felt no discomfort at all... in fact, his soul felt like it was being massaged by her tongue, relaxing it after the horror it went through earlier.
Levi gazed at the infinite expanse of green hues and then let out a weak, confused smile. "I really don’t know where this is taking me... everyone I meet seems to wish I succeed in solving the Three-Body Problem, but no one wants to tell me why."
Levi turned around and walked back to his house... then, he stood next to his physical body and gazed at it for a second... he didn’t even care about his new appearance. He switched his focus to Ash’Kral and stared at him. Then, he whispered, as if Ash could hear him.
"Ash... what goal are you chasing? And... will I be the one at the end of it? Or will it be you?"
Levi was no naive child... he always had a feeling that Ash’Kral might forsake him in the end if he helped him achieve his goal.
He didn’t know how Ash’Kral could do it when the three Seeds responded to him... but, he always kept his guards up and rode the wave regardless of where it would take him, for at the moment, he had no other choice but to do so.
Free Will was no longer a thing when Ash’Kral was involved... hence, he always needed a backup plan for the future.
After Soulleech Monarch told him to keep her existence private even from Ash’Kral, he finally realized why Ash’Kral never told him about her existence when they were discussing the Aether Realm.
Ash’Kral had absolutely no idea that she existed even when his own Origin Seed seemed to know about her!!
This left him with a single thought roaming his mind.
’Ash’Kral isn’t the owner of the Nine Senses Seed... he is someone related to it, but not its owner... never was, never will.’ Levi narrowed his spiritual eyes, ’He owns nothing... which means, I can own everything he has if I played my cards right.’