Noctis focused on the runic letters, slowly reading them while skipping the parts he couldn't understand. When he reached halfway through, terror washed over him.
[ ...Congratulations, early one... The Spell has forgiven you. Be thankful for being forgiven. ]
'Be thankful?'
[Sinner: Noctis]
[Soul: Awakened within the void]
[Soul Tier: Must enter the Trial]
[Potential: Very High]
[Core Status: Extremely Open]
[To ascend, you must enter the Trial.]
[Warning: The core cannot find its path. The body lacks essence channels. The core is flowing inward. Core explosion imminent.]
[To form channels, the body must ascend.]
[Time until core explosion:
5 days, 7 hours, 39 minutes, 9 seconds.]
'What?'
[Would you like to enter the first trial?]
[Yes / No]
Noctis read the writings again and again. Each time, his anxiety grew stronger. His breathing quickened, and he felt cold sweat slide down his back.
'What should I do? I have to take the trial... but what do I even know about it?'
He spent several minutes in deep thought but couldn't find any answers. Then he went to his grandfather's room and tried to wake him. He nudged him gently, keeping his voice low.
"Hey, Grandpa... wake up. Please, wake up!"
The old man slowly opened his single visible eye and turned toward him. At first, he couldn't grasp what was happening and spoke in a drowsy, raspy voice.
"Noctis... what is it, my boy? Your voice sounds strange."
Once his grandfather was awake, Noctis handed him some water and sat down on the chair beside him. He took a deep breath before speaking.
"Grandpa, please... stay calm."
The old man raised his only visible brow. His voice creaked.
"Go on. Tell me."
Noctis hesitated for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts before speaking.
"The spell chose me. The writings in front of me say I'm a sinner... I don't know how or why it happened. I just had a nightmare, and when I woke up, the letters were there... and there's a countdown. If I don't take the trial, I'll die."
The old man froze, staring blankly into Noctis's eyes. Because Noctis spoke so plainly, he was left speechless.
"Countdown? Nightmare? Did something happen to you?"
The old man slowly began to understand. He realized the danger Noctis was in and the confusion he must have felt. He was just as shocked and worried as Noctis, but he didn't show it.
"I… I don't know, Grandpa. I feel fine. Actually, I feel really good... The countdown ends in five days."
Noctis told him about the nightmare as well. The old man thought for a while but couldn't come up with anything. A few minutes of silence filled the room. Though he didn't show it, fear was eating away at him from within.
Noctis was all he had left from his son and daughter-in-law. He hid his sorrow well, but his voice trembled slightly. His single visible eye widened.
"My boy... there isn't much I can do for you. You should tell your uncle Sylen. He's a Second-Tier Sinner. He can help you."
Noctis and his grandfather talked for a while longer. Noctis tried to calm him down. Though the old man hid it, Noctis could tell how much he was struggling. His old heart was tired from the weight of what he'd just heard.
When Noctis noticed how exhausted his grandfather was, he insisted that he should rest, but the old man refused. Grandpa told him to visit Uncle Sylen tomorrow and talk to him in detail.
Noctis was still worried, and his grandfather knew it. Neither of them showed it, but both were afraid—one for his grandson, the other for both his own life and for what would become of the old man if Noctis were to die.
Grandpa asked about the nightmare, but Noctis said he couldn't remember it clearly, and whenever he tried, his head started to hurt. The old man stared at him for a long time. The weight of that stare made Noctis uneasy. The old man spoke in a creaky yet serious tone.
"Come closer, Noctis."
"Uh… okay, but what's going on—what are you doing, Grandpa?"
As Noctis stepped closer, the old man suddenly struck his chest lightly with his palm, then left his hand there, closing his eye and saying nothing. Noctis blinked a few times. He didn't speak—just stared with a confused expression.
A while passed, and Noctis began to grow restless. He rested his chin on his hand and closed his eyes. Within a few seconds, he felt something stir inside his soul. His brows furrowed. The feeling wasn't threatening, but it was deeply unsettling. Something bright was moving endlessly within his soul, shimmering as if searching for something—but it kept getting blocked by another force.
It wandered through the vast emptiness like a seeker, searching tirelessly yet finding nothing. Whatever it was inside him, it seemed to grow frustrated. Noctis felt strange. Then, the darkness within his soul suddenly swallowed the shining presence.
The moment it was consumed, his grandfather recoiled in sudden panic. The old man's fear made Noctis flinch as well.
"Grandpa, are you all right? What happened?"
Grandpa took deep, shaky breaths. His face was filled with worry, and his voice trembled to match it.
"My boy… what's inside you? That thing—it's terrifying."
Noctis didn't understand. His eyes widened as he stared at the old man in confusion.
"Grandpa… what are you talking about?"
The old man was still breathing heavily. He clutched his chest, his single eye widening as his breathing slowed to a stop. Noctis's eyes grew wide in fear. Suddenly, the old man released a strange aura.
Because Noctis had been chosen by the spell, he could now sense the magic. His grandfather's soul had fractured again.
The old man felt a sharp pain from the fracture but didn't show it. Forcing himself to stay calm, he slowly regained composure and looked at Noctis.
"Listen, my boy… I don't know what that thing inside you is, and I don't want to know. But even though I'm your grandfather, it devoured a part of my soul. Because of that thing, my soul cracked again."
After those last words, Noctis grew even more worried. He wanted to do something, but the old man refused. The elder took a few slow breaths before speaking again.
"Yes… your core lacks essence channels. It's pulling the essence inward. This is the first time I've ever seen something like this."
Noctis understood what he meant—but he couldn't understand how his grandfather knew such a thing. He assumed it had something to do with his illness, though as far as he knew, such a thing shouldn't have been possible.
That illness was born of magic—a curse that infected those who had committed great sins. It slowly devoured the soul of its host, consuming it with unbearable pain. But it didn't grant the ability to wander within other souls.
Those afflicted could sometimes sense magical presences faintly, but never to the extent his grandfather just had. Noctis was deeply unsettled by it. He wanted to ask, but doubted the old man would explain.
Noctis forgot about his own situation for a moment and focused on his grandfather instead. He was curious about what the old man had seen—and worried because his soul had cracked again.
"Grandpa, when your soul cracks, just sleep… I know it doesn't help, but at least it'll dull the pain."
The old man gave a faint smile. After a few minutes, he shifted slightly in bed and closed his single visible eye. Noctis watched him for a while longer.
'When he wakes up, I'll make him talk.'
As Noctis watched his sleeping grandfather, his eyes drifted to the ring in his hand. The moment he looked at it, a sudden longing stirred within him. That ring had always been on the old man's finger, and every time Noctis gazed at it, he felt something strange deep inside. But ever since his soul had awakened, that feeling had become far stronger—almost alive.
Noctis wanted to take a closer look at the ring, but he didn't dare disturb his grandfather's sleep.
Hours passed, and eventually, the old man awoke. Around the same time, Noctis had just woken from his own brief rest. He glanced at his grandfather with a strange look in his eyes. The old man shivered slightly under that gaze, though a faint smile tugged at his lips.
The old man smiled gently. The bright sunlight danced through his white hair.
"Now then… since you're a sinner, it's time I told you everything."