The answer Arvin had just given did not only leave Kylen and Davin shocked speechless.
The sudden silence that fell upon the living room proved that all of his spouses, without exception, were also deeply shocked to hear it.
A magic that required its user to kill the target and then resurrect them with a soul bond sounded far beyond the comprehension of ordinary humans.
Alrain immediately broke the silence.
"My Love, wait a minute. Since when could you bind someone's soul to your own?" he asked with a deeply furrowed brow, staring at Arvin searching for a lie. "What kind of magic is that? Are you joking with us?"
"I am not joking with any of you at all!" Arvin answered firmly. His sharp and serious gaze swept over everyone in the room. "This is the Soul Seal magic. But, to perform this high-tier magic, there is one absolute condition that must be met."
"What is the absolute condition?" Davin asked quickly, feeling very curious and impatient to know it immediately.
"I must give an absolute command to the person whose soul will be bound to mine." Arvin answered honestly, not hiding any risks. "My plan is simply to command you to act exactly as you naturally are. But, there are two points I will emphasize as absolute commands: don't leak anything about our family secrets without my permission, and never betray me."
Hearing the condition that turned out to be very simple and reasonable, the doubt in Davin's eyes instantly vanished. For the youth, loyalty was not a condition, but rather the way of life he had already chosen.
"I am willing!" Davin answered without the slightest hesitation, stepping forward to approach Arvin. "Please make me the first person whose soul is bound to yours!"
Seeing that brave step, Arvin stared at him intently.
"Are you serious about your request, Davin?" he asked to make sure, not wanting his eighth spouse to make a decision he would regret in the end, considering this process involved momentary death.
"I am very serious!" the brownish-white-haired youth replied, his voice sounding increasingly steady. "Let's think logically. If Kylen goes first and this magic ritual accidentally fails, it will certainly trigger a very politically dangerous problem if a prince dies. But if I die due to a failure... there isn't a single person in this world who would look for me."
That highly logical and tactical answer made Arvin fall silent for a moment, and then feel very proud of the loyalty and mindset of the former general.
Arvin extended his hand to Davin's left side.
Crack!
In an instant, a block of ice large, flat, and sturdy enough to be used as a place to lie down was created out of thin air.
"Lie down on that ice block, Davin!" Arvin commanded with a gentle yet authoritative tone. "We will start the ritual right now."
Without asking, the brownish-white-haired youth walked towards the ice block that radiated cold air, then laid his body on it calmly.
The atmosphere in the living room immediately changed drastically, becoming very tense. This was the first time they would all witness firsthand a soul union ritual that transcended the boundaries of life and death.
"All of you, please step back and stay away from here!" Arvin instructed the others.
Hearing the warning tone from the head of the family, Allen, Alrain, Ordion, Alvein, Alrian, Kylen, Dylan, and Arion spontaneously stepped back several meters, providing a fairly wide space from the position of the ice block.
Arvin walked closer, looking at his spouse's face who was now slowly closing his eyes on the ice surface.
"Are you ready?" Arvin asked softly.
"I am very ready, My King!" Davin answered without the slightest tremor of fear in his voice.
"Alright, I'm starting the ritual!"
Arvin took a position beside the ice block. He extended his right hand forward, right above his spouse's chest. The blue-haired youth began to concentrate the flow of mana in his body, uniting his focus to grasp the essence of Davin's soul.
"O you, the soul I have chosen, from this moment on, I will bind your soul to mine!" Arvin's voice echoed low, carrying a magical resonance that made the surrounding air vibrate. "You will die as a mortal human, and will rise again with a soul bound to my soul!"
Instantly, a magic circle formed from a collection of thick black smoke began to appear from the floor beneath the ice block where Davin lay, as well as beneath Arvin's footing.
However, right as the magic circle activated, Arvin was deeply surprised to realize that the Soul Seal magic consumed an amount of mana and physical energy far greater than he had estimated.
Damn it! Arvin cursed in his heart with a feeling of shock, holding back the dizziness that suddenly attacked his head. I never expected that this magic would drain my mana and energy this drastically. But I have to stay focused, I absolutely do not want this ritual to fail!
Suppressing his fatigue, Arvin returned his full concentration to the ongoing ritual to finish it immediately.
The thick black smoke swirling on the floor slowly crept up, moving and seeping into Davin's body and Arvin's body simultaneously. In the air, the black smoke condensed and formed a fine rope connecting their chests, a visual manifestation of their soul bond.
At the same time, Davin's body began to react. The brownish-white-haired youth's breath suddenly exhaled very fast and brokenly. His chest heaved up and down roughly as if his soul was being forced and pulled out forcefully from his physical vessel. The sight made Kylen and the others hold their breath in horror.
Until a few seconds later, Davin's breathing stopped. The youth's chest no longer moved. There was not the slightest bodily movement to indicate that he was breathing. His pulse disappeared.
Davin had died!
For a moment, Arvin was quite surprised and felt a throb of panic seeing Davin now lying lifeless on the ice block, with his face gradually turning pale. However, his very strong determination not to lose his eighth spouse made him quickly brush off that panic and refocus for the success of the ritual's final stage.
The thick black smoke that had formed the rope now completely enveloped Davin's lifeless body.
This was the moment!