Chapter 15 — What the Soul Reveals
The guild hall felt smaller than it ever had.
Not because of the number of people packed inside it, nor the armored soldiers lining the walls, but because the air itself seemed compressed—heavy with scrutiny, with expectation, with something unspoken pressing down on everyone present.
Alex stood near the stone wall, arms folded loosely, posture deliberately unremarkable. He had learned early that surviving without power meant learning how to disappear. How to blend into corners. How to become forgettable.
Today, that instinct screamed louder than ever.
The investigators were already here.
At the center of the hall stood the priest.
Up close, his presence was worse than Alex had imagined.
Not oppressive. Not violent.
Unsettling.
The man's ash-gray robes bore no grand symbols, yet faint silver sigils stitched along the hems pulsed softly, as if responding to something beneath the surface of the world. His movements were unhurried. His breathing calm. His eyes—clear, observant, far too steady for a man standing amid armed adventurers and military officers.
He inclined his head slightly.
"I am Eldrin Vael," he said, voice measured. "Senior Soul Warden of the Church of Soul, Calm, and Guardianship."
A murmur rippled through the guild.
Senior.
That single word carried weight.
Beside him, the military officer stepped forward. His armor creaked faintly as he moved, polished but scarred, worn by someone who had seen enough battle to stop romanticizing it.
"Commander Rhen Talos," he announced. "Third Division of the Military Aristocracy. Acting authority over this investigation."
The guild master forced a respectful bow. "You honor us with your presence."
Neither man acknowledged it.
"We will begin immediately," Commander Talos said. "All survivors of the recent rift incident will be questioned. Records will be seized. Cooperation is expected."
Expected.
Not requested.
Alex felt his shoulders tighten.
Eldrin's gaze drifted—not randomly, but with intention—toward the infirmary wing.
"The one who nearly crossed over," the priest said softly. "Bring her first."
Alex's heart skipped.
Liora.
She emerged moments later, wrapped in a clean cloak, supported gently on either side by healers. Her steps were slow, careful, as though the world might shatter again if she moved too quickly. Her face was pale, but her eyes were awake.
Alive.
Alex exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Then he felt it.
That pull.
The same subtle tug he'd felt when she first opened her eyes. It wasn't pain. It wasn't fear. It was quieter than that—persistent, insistent, like a thread tied somewhere deep inside him, drawing him toward her without his permission.
His jaw tightened.
Is this… you?
He didn't hesitate this time.
Status.
The interface answered instantly.
Not with sound or light, but with presence—cold, precise information unfolding directly inside his awareness.
[Host: Alex Rim]
[Race: Human]
[Level: 1]
[Rank: F]
[exp:0/200]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Endurance: 10]
[Perception: 10]
[Abyssal Energy: 30 / 30]
[System Sync: 17 / 1000]
Alex's breath caught.
Thirty.
It was full.
That was the only change.
No new lines. No explanations. No hidden messages.
But the timing was unmistakable.
As Liora took another step forward, the fully restored Abyssal Energy pulsed once—slow, deliberate—then stilled, as if acknowledging her presence.
Alex swallowed hard and dismissed the interface immediately.
It vanished without resistance.
Whatever this thing was…
It wasn't just watching him.
It was aware of her.
Eldrin stopped a few steps away from Liora. He didn't touch her. Didn't chant. Didn't draw sigils or call upon anything visible.
He simply looked.
The air grew heavy.
Alex felt pressure bloom in his chest again, sharper than before. The presence inside him went alert—not aggressive, but attentive, like something ancient lifting its head.
Eldrin's brow creased—just slightly.
"…Interesting," the priest murmured.
Commander Talos frowned. "Explain."
"She should not be this stable," Eldrin replied. "Her soul was pierced. Such damage leaves scars. Echoes. Weakness."
Liora stiffened. "Is… is something wrong with me?"
Eldrin met her gaze calmly. "No. That is precisely the concern."
A chill swept through the hall.
Alex's fingers curled into fists.
Eldrin raised one hand slowly, palm open—a calming gesture. "Do not be afraid. You are whole." His eyes sharpened faintly. "But not unaided."
Silence fell like a blade.
The guild master cleared his throat nervously. "Priest Eldrin, are you suggesting—"
"That something intervened," Eldrin finished. "Yes."
Commander Talos's expression hardened. "A blessing?"
Eldrin shook his head once.
"No."
Alex's pulse thundered in his ears.
Talos scanned the hall. "Then every survivor will give a full account."
His gaze passed briefly over Alex.
Alex kept his face neutral.
Inside, his thoughts raced.
Liora broke the tension.
"Alex was with me," she said suddenly. "In the ruins. He protected me."
Every head turned.
Alex's stomach dropped.
Commander Talos studied him openly now. "Name?"
"Alex Rim," he answered, forcing steadiness into his voice.
"Blessing?"
Alex shook his head. "None."
A few adventurers shifted uneasily.
Unblessed survivors were rare.
Eldrin's gaze returned to Alex.
For a single heartbeat, the pressure inside Alex surged—then compressed, as though something deep within him had learned restraint.
Eldrin blinked.
Once.
His composure cracked—barely.
"…Curious," he said softly.
Alex felt cold sweat bead at the base of his spine.
Then the priest looked away.
"For now," Eldrin said, "there is nothing further."
Commander Talos frowned. "You're certain?"
"For now," Eldrin repeated.
The words echoed ominously.
As the investigators turned back toward the guild master, Alex felt it again—
That quiet, ancient presence inside him, coiling tighter.
Not threatened.
Not exposed.
Satisfied.
And somewhere beyond the reach of Churches, armies, and human understanding, something vast and forgotten had begun to remember the name Alex Rim.