Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

Chapter 986  Soulmates

Rudy's curiosity persisted. 'What about Asura? Wasn't he the absolute power of the second reality?'

The kid affirmed Rudy's insight, "Indeed, and he was the overlord. He was… you. Well, your ghost, to be precise. He mastered the ability of the shadow and became void. Which is why you possess the power of void too."

Rudy's curiosity continued to unravel the complexities of his existence. 'But if I am the reincarnation, why don't I have memories of my past lives?'

The kid, in his unassuming wisdom, offered an explanation. "Well, that concept of reincarnation itself is flawed. It's not that you don't possess those memories, but it's more like… your soul doesn't accept them as yours because of the power of the overlord."

Rudy's mind was a whirlwind of revelations and questions, each layer of the truth only revealing more mysteries. 'So, the power of the overlord has some control over my own memories?'

The kid, with an air of wisdom beyond his years, affirmed Rudy's thoughts. "Think about it, the shadow-fication will occur instantly if you possess your past life's memories. So, to avoid that, the power of the overlord makes a deal with your soul."

This revelation shed light on the mechanisms of his power, but it also brought about more questions. 'What kind of deal?'

The girl, who had remained silent for a while, finally spoke. "The deal is simple: your power in exchange for your memories. A necessary trade-off to control the shadow-fication and maintain the balance."

The kid, providing answers and clarity, continued, "The concept of reincarnation is that you carry something to your next life. Your powers made a deal with your soul that, instead of your memories, you will take the powers instead. The power of the Overlord grows stronger with every reincarnation. In the fourth reality, you will be stronger than you were in this reality. However, you never got a chance to use the power of the elder lord, let alone the overlord."

With this explanation, Rudy's understanding grew, and he was beginning to piece together the intricate web of realities, powers, and his own role. Amid that, the kid dropped another revelation. "Oh, and one more thing. Not only you, but your harem members are also reincarnated."

The revelations continued to pile up, and Rudy couldn't help but feel increasingly overwhelmed. 'My harem is reincarnated too?! This is... a lot to take in.'

The kid, as the bearer of knowledge, provided more insight. "Well, not all of your harem members, of course. Reina and Kaguya are the new ones. But, of course, they will be reincarnated in the fourth reality. All your other harem members are reincarnations from past realities."

This new layer of the mystery deepened Rudy's understanding. 'So, they've been with me throughout all these realities.'

The kid went on to explain the depth of these relationships. "In fact, they are your wives, even if you haven't married some of them yet in the current reality. Your souls are linked by the red strings. You know the term 'soulmate'? It derives from here."

Rudy was starting to grasp the vastness of his existence and the interconnectedness of souls across realities. Yet, he still had questions lingering.

Rudy's understanding of this intricate web of existence continued to evolve. He contemplated, 'What's the point of all this if even they won't have any memories of their lives from the past realities?'

The girl responded with a touch of mystery, "Who said they don't possess the memories?"

This revelation sparked hope and curiosity within Rudy. 'So, they remember everything from the past realities?'

The girl added to his understanding. "Their memories are imprinted on their souls, and any significant event can potentially trigger a recall from past realities. However, your memories are uniquely locked away."

Rudy was starting to see the complex web of existence in which he was entangled. "So, there's a chance they can remember past realities through certain triggers, like eating the blue moon fruit, but not all at once."

The girl weighed the possibilities, "There is a high chance of that, yes. But remember, having memories of more than one life can bring side effects too. They would have trouble establishing the balance between their past and current lives."

Rudy pondered the implications. "So, my harem members could remember fragments of their past lives, but I, as the Overlord, can't access those memories."

The girl nodded. "Yes. It's a safeguard mechanism to prevent shadow-fication."

The kid clarified further. "Remember, even if they're reincarnated, they belonged to different races in past realities. For example, Elena was an elf in one reality, but in this one, she's a human. Of course, her name wasn't Elena either. The struggle lies in reconciling their past selves with their present."

Rudy had more insights into the enigma of his existence. Yet, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness. "It's a blessing and a curse. They get to remember, but I can't."

The girl, ever neutral, responded, "Sometimes, not remembering is a mercy."

Rudy's curiosity delved deeper into the intricacies of his existence. 'What about me?' he wondered. 'You said I was Asura, and after he died, his body shell somehow gained consciousness and made its way to the third reality while the real Asura died and is buried here in the tombs of the Lords.'

The kid nodded in acknowledgment of Rudy's inquiry. "That is true to a certain extent. Asura had gone through multiple reincarnations in the same realities and possessed the memories of his previous lives in the same reality. What was your question? I didn't understand."

Rudy sought to uncover more about the nature of the Lords and the Overlords. 'Well, I wanted to know if Asura was a human too.'

The kid clarified, "Yes, the Lords and Elder Lords are chosen among all the races, except the human race. While the Overlords are chosen among the humans... or rather, the Overlords are born humans. Yeah, that fits right," the kid nodded to himself. "I shouldn't say 'chosen' since Overlords possess the powers since they are born." n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Curiosity drove Rudy to inquire further, 'Who else is reincarnated along with me?'