Harem Stealer: Reborn with the God-Tier Sharing System Chapter 443 Half-broken

"I will take back my soul."

Maryam spoke these words as her hand moved toward Selene.

The latter remained frozen, watching the hand approach with the same dread a mortal might feel when facing a divine sentence.

Selene understood that resistance was futile. Her very essence seemed eager to desert her, drawn back to its source.

Standing beside her, Luminara did not intervene. Instead, she watched the scene with a sense of reverent awe, almost impatient to witness Selene being reintegrated into Maryam.

Neither of them viewed this as a tragedy. In their eyes, Selene was merely a tiny splinter of Maryam's being. It was her destiny to return to the original whole, a fate decided from the moment of her creation.

That had always been the design.

But had the plan accounted for the complexity of life?

Though Selene was but a fragment of Maryam’s soul, that fragment had developed into a unique individual.

To ensure her clone remained unrecognizable, Maryam had stripped the soul of all memories and emotions before crafting Selene.

Consequently, every experience Selene had was filtered through her own heart. While certain traits were inescapable—

Such as her obsessive devotion to her son and the habit of referring to Noah as her baby, a trait mirrored from Maryam—

Selene had nonetheless forged her own identity. She had become herself, much like how Luminara had gained individuality despite being nothing more than the eye of a Primordial.

To the Elysiari and to Noah, Selene was far more than a mere clone of Maryam.

She was Selene Weaverheart Vaelgrim.

Their sister, and above all...

Noah's mother.

TAK-!

The flow of time seemed to halt.

Luminara and Selene both stared in shock as Noah’s hand clamped firmly around Maryam’s wrist.

The First Soul slowly shifted her gaze from Selene to Noah. She tilted her head curiously, her lips parting as she spoke,

"What are you doing, my baby?"

Maryam’s tone remained gentle. True confusion flickered within her vacant eyes.

The concept was foreign to her. Noah realized that to Maryam, Selene possessed no value beyond her original function—a temporary vessel to nurture Noah until Brandon returned.

Strictly speaking, she was correct. Selene was a tool. Having finished her task, she was now expected to fade away.

But that would not happen.

With steady, deliberate movements, the Vaelgrim began to reposition themselves, forming a protective circle around Selene. Neko fixed her mother with a sharp, narrowed glare.

The intensity of that look caused Luminara to retreat several steps in alarm, unnerved by the murderous intent radiating from the other wives. They were prepared for a lethal confrontation.

"I am sorry," Noah declared, "but I cannot let you absorb Selene, mother."

"Why?" Maryam questioned. "She is my soul. She belongs to me. She was never intended to exist as a separate entity."

"But she exists as one now," Noah replied, gently drawing his mother’s hand toward him.

Maryam offered no resistance. She welcomed the proximity to her son, even though her confusion remained.

In moments, they stood only an inch apart.

"Look at her, and then look at them," Noah said, gesturing toward Selene and his wives. "Do you see them, mother? Can you see what is in their eyes?"

"What do you perceive when they look at Selene?"

She hesitated, giving them a cursory glance. In truth, she didn't need to look; they were within her domain, and their deepest emotions were laid bare to her.

She only looked because her son requested it.

"Love, anxiety, and a fierce desire to protect," the ruler replied indifferently, seemingly moved very little by their loyalty.

"Do you believe we would feel such things for someone who wasn't a real person?"

"I understand," Maryam whispered, reaching out to stroke Noah’s face. "I truly do. However, I require my soul. Brandon, my baby, I am at war with the rulers and the Will itself. They seek my destruction. Every one of them wants me dead. I have been vulnerable because I am incomplete."

She paused, allowing the weight of her words to sink in.

"I must be whole again. I bestowed a vital part of myself upon Selene so she could provide you with better care. I need that part back now, my baby."

She pressed her forehead against his, planting a soft kiss on his cheek with a level of affection that felt chilling to anyone but Noah.

Everyone present heard her plea. They understood the stakes, but understanding did not mean they would permit Selene’s demise.

None of them would allow it.

The wives turned their gaze toward Noah, their eyes searching for a solution to this impossible dilemma.

Selene did the same, though her plea was more quiet. Her eyes shifted between Noah and the floor, terrified of becoming a burden to him.

She didn't want him to see her desperation to survive. She wanted to remain her own person and love him in her own right, even if the roots of that love had started with Maryam.

She had cultivated a love that was entirely hers.

Selene yearned to tell him that she couldn't bear to leave her sisters and wanted to stay by their side forever.

She wanted to scream for him to save her. To hold her close and kiss her. To love her as he always had, because she missed him intensely. Because she needed him.

The trials they had endured had left them fractured. They appeared composed while protecting one another, but they were drained. They stood on the very precipice of total collapse.

A sense of emptiness was beginning to take root, twisting within them painfully.

Only the presence of Noah and their sisters kept them upright.

In a way, defending Selene was an act of self-preservation. They knew instinctively that if even one of them was lost, the rest would shatter like glass figurines.

And that break would be final.

So they held their ground, staring down Luminara and Maryam, willing to sacrifice everything so a part of their family could remain whole. Such absolute devotion did not escape Noah’s notice.

A small smile played on his lips. It was a faint gesture, yet his transcendent beauty and status were such that even a slight smile caused those watching to widen their eyes in admiration. They all thought, quite unconsciously, what a stunning man he was.

The Prince felt a surge of pride. He was moved that he had fostered a family so tightly knit that they would die for one another.

As a husband and a father, this was the pinnacle of Noah's desires.

This family had defined his journey. They were the reason he had pushed beyond his limits and claimed the Will Eternal as his mother just to seize sufficient power.

It was for them that he had preserved his soul.

Because of them, he had succeeded. Because of them, he had sought to become a king in his own right, solely to ensure their safety.

The culmination of these efforts was a construct. A system. A system forged by his determination and their collective love for him.

And so...

"Mother," Noah whispered, leaning closer until their breaths mingled like coiled serpents, "Do you have faith in me?"

Maryam’s heart fluttered dangerously. She fought the taboo urge to press her lips against her son’s, mentally cursing how immortality could warp one's desires.

Despite herself, her body leaned closer to him instinctively...

"I believe in you, my baby. In you alone."

"Then," Noah asked, "do you submit to my rule?"

One might expect a supreme being like Maryam to weigh such a question carefully. But Maryam was a mother who had been separated from her son for countless ages.

She was famished. She starved for her son’s affection and was willing to do anything to earn his favor.

Without a moment's hesitation, her lips parted to give him her answer,

"Yes, I do."

DING!

-End of Chapter 443-