The infirmary slept.Moonlight poured through the arched windows in long, pale ribbons, washing everything in that bluish stillness that only comes when even the world seems to hold its breath.
I couldn't sleep.
The magic that pulsed under my skin felt… restless. Not painful, just aware — like it wanted my attention.
[Soul Resonance System: Active.][User State: Restless.][Recommendation: Reflection Mode.]
"Reflection mode?" I whispered.
A faint warmth spread from my chest, and a lattice of light unfolded in front of me — not words, but shapes.Geometric patterns, pulsing softly like constellations in slow rhythm.
Each point of light beat like a heartbeat. My heartbeat.
[Resonance Core: 61% Integrity.][Links Detected: 1.][Emotional Frequency: Unstable Harmony.][Dominant Emotion: Curiosity. Secondary: Longing.]
"Longing?" I muttered. "That's news to me."
The system pulsed faintly, as if laughing.
[Correction: Shared resonance detected. Source — Luna Vael.]
I froze. "Wait, you mean—"
[Emotional leakage minimal. Partner's field overlapping through latent bond.]
I closed my eyes, and for a moment, the silence wasn't empty.I felt something — a flicker, a pulse that wasn't mine. Warm, steady, tinged with a hint of confusion and… ache.
Luna.
I could feel her heartbeat echo through the link — distant but distinct. Not intrusive. Just… there.
It was strange, how calming it felt.
"Can she feel me too?" I asked softly.
[Unconfirmed. Emotional transparency depends on synchronization depth.]
"Fifty-two percent, right?"
[Current Synchronization: 57%. Increasing.]
"Why?"
[Emotional resonance strengthens through awareness, empathy, and proximity.][Note: Suppression is possible. However, suppression limits potential growth.]
So, the more I felt — the more human I was willing to be — the stronger I'd become.In a world built on emotional connection, that felt… fair. Terrifyingly fair.
Another window of light shimmered open. Not stats.Something deeper.
Aspect: "Soul Expression" — Manifestation of your unique power. (Locked.)
"Locked, huh? Figures."
I reached toward the "Aspect" node. It pulsed weakly, like something asleep beneath the surface.
[Aspect Awakening requires Resonance Trigger — genuine emotional alignment or trauma response.]
"So I have to feel something real before I can unlock it?"
[Affirmative.][Note: Artificial emotion will not suffice.]
I chuckled quietly. "Guess I can't fake my way to power here."
The room was quiet again. Only the hum of the healing wards and the whisper of the night air.And beneath it all, the faint, steady rhythm of a heartbeat not entirely my own.
For a while, I let it wash over me.
If this was what connection felt like — raw, unfiltered, grounding — then maybe it wasn't so bad.
[System Note: Emotional balance detected.][Resonance Core Stability: +8%.]
I smiled. "Goodnight, Luna."
Far away, through that thin silver thread of light, I swore I felt warmth ripple back.
And for the first time since waking in this world, sleep came easy.