Chapter 377 377: Soul

In the dark skies above Vormir, a colossal light hung in the heavens like a sun—yet it was dozens of times larger than any ordinary star.

Strangely, even with such an immense source of light overhead, thick, pitch-black clouds still covered most of the planet's skies, untouched and unmoved.

The silence and bleakness of this world created a suffocating, eerie atmosphere, like a true realm of death.

Above a rocky valley, in front of a cliff that seemed to have no bottom, a figure in a pitch-black robe floated in midair. Its face resembled a crimson skull, standing out in sharp contrast against the gloomy surroundings.

That figure now blocked Blake Thorne's path, preventing him from moving forward.

"Welcome… wandering soul not born of this world," said the Red Skull—the being bound to the Soul Stone, destined to guard this place for eternity.

His voice was soft, hollow, and echoing, his emotionless gaze fixed on Blake.

"Give me the Soul Stone," Blake said coldly, casting only a brief glance at the guardian.

But like an NPC following a pre-written script, the Red Skull ignored the demand and instead began reciting the condition required to obtain the Soul Stone.

"To claim it, the price you must pay is beyond measure. Bring with you the one you love. A soul for a soul. Push them from this cliff. Offer their soul to the stone, and only then may you possess it."

Blake slowly shook his head. He had known this rule long before arriving here. Without sparing the Red Skull another look, his body shot forward toward the edge of the cliff.

Standing at the brink, staring down into a darkness with no visible bottom, Blake whispered softly to himself.

"The one I love doesn't exist in this world. The only one I love the most… is myself. If you can, then go ahead. Take my soul."

After saying that, Blake calmly stepped off the cliff—letting his body fall freely into the endless darkness below.

— — —

"Fuuuh…"

A faint sound escaped from within him. A strange pulling sensation spread from the outside of his form and reached deep into his awareness.

Blake realized—it was a sign that his soul was about to be torn away from his body.

He didn't resist.

Instead, he allowed his soul to separate from his physical form. His spiritual body sank deeper into the abyss, passing through darkness that felt nearly infinite.

Even as a spirit, Blake could still use magic and dimensional energy. His power wasn't reduced in the slightest.

The moment his soul reached the bottom of the cliff, he found himself floating above a pinkish-red river that glowed as if bathed in eternal twilight.

Only then did the pulling sensation finally fade away.

The river was so vast that even Blake's mental perception couldn't detect its edges. Yet the water was shallow, barely reaching his ankles.

Within the calm current drifted countless tiny, shimmering creatures—like glowing plankton—moving slowly, as if dancing through eternity.

As he gazed at the endless river, Blake fully understood.

This place wasn't on Vormir.

It didn't even belong to the physical world.

In spirit form, he shouldn't have been able to feel anything from a real, material river. And yet, here, the water felt real beneath his feet—just as if he still had a physical body.

From that, Blake drew a conclusion.

This river was likely a manifestation of the laws of the Marvel universe itself—similar to the concept of a reincarnation river, like Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness, from ancient myth.

In other words, the tiny glowing beings around him…

They were probably souls.

Souls waiting to be reborn.

The existence of the Soul Stone in a place like this was, in a way, perfectly fitting.

Not far from where he stood, floating gently above the river, was a transparent crystal glowing with a soft orange-gold light.

Blake let out a quiet breath.

Stepping through the shallow flow, he walked toward the Soul Stone without hesitation. When he reached it, he stretched out his hand and gripped it tightly.

Even though he knew that in the Marvel universe, obtaining the Soul Stone from Vormir required trading a soul for a soul, Blake still believed that such rules didn't apply to him.

— — —

The moment his fingers closed around the crystal, an invisible force surged out from his palm and spread across his entire spiritual body.

In the blink of an eye, that indescribable energy had wrapped itself around the whole of his soul.

Blake frowned. He realized the Soul Stone was trying to change him—fundamentally.

Within his consciousness, memories that had never existed before began to surface. Information and knowledge poured in like a flood, washing away old boundaries.

At the same time, his own original memories started to blur and fade.

Even so, Blake's instincts—his deepest intuition—told him that this change wasn't something to fear.

So he didn't resist.

Instead, he focused everything he had on protecting the core structure of his soul, making sure that his identity remained intact. He filtered what flowed into him, preserving only what he deemed important.

He didn't know how much time passed.

The orange crystal that had once shone brightly in his hand slowly turned completely transparent, leaving behind only a thin layer of orange on its surface—so faint it was almost invisible.

And when that last trace of orange finally disappeared—

A sharp cracking sound echoed.

The now-transparent Soul Stone shattered into fine crystalline grains—like glass dust—in Blake's palm.

He stared at the fragments, his expression blank.

— — —

Letting out a slow breath, Blake whispered to himself.

"So… this was the true test of the Soul Stone?"

Only then did he truly understand the real meaning behind the process of obtaining the Soul Stone on Vormir.

It turned out, the idea of "a soul for a soul" was never just a formality.

The one being tested wasn't only the person who sacrificed the one they loved.

It was also…

The soul that was offered.

Every soul that had ever been sacrificed by someone they loved—all of them came to this place.

And they…

Had to face the trial of the "soul" itself.

Even though Blake had jumped on his own, his words—that he loved himself the most—had fully entered the rules of this place.

He hadn't broken anything.

Instead, he had fulfilled the condition in its purest form.

— — —

Why was it called a test of the "soul," and not a test of the Soul Stone?

Because among the six Infinity Stones, only the Soul Stone truly possessed its own awareness.

That was why it could design a trial this complex. Not because the Soul Stone wanted to test someone's strength—

But because the "soul" within it had a will of its own.

Even so, the consciousness within the Soul Stone still wasn't complete, not like entities such as Death, Eternity, Infinity, or Oblivion.

Most of its awareness was still bound by the laws that governed the existence of the Soul Stone itself.

If the Soul had possessed a more complete consciousness…

Then perhaps, when this universe was first born, there wouldn't have been six Infinity Stones.

There would have been…

Five stones.

And one new entity:

The Supreme Entity known as Soul.

Why did Soul do all of this?

Why did it choose Blake?

Why did it ultimately merge completely with his soul?

All of that…

Is a story for another time.

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