Chapter 55: What Lingers Beneath
The training yard behind the guildhall wasn't large, but it was private. Stone walls enclosed it on three sides, and the fourth faced a quiet grove where birds stirred the branches with soft calls. It was the perfect place for testing skills—without drawing too many eyes.
Isaac stood with his arms folded as Lira took a deep breath and raised her staff.
"Again?" he asked.
Lira nodded. "Again."
She pointed the staff forward, channeling her breath.
[Stormlash – Rank A – Activated]
A coiling bolt of white-blue lightning cracked through the air, slamming into a wooden target dummy with a thunderclap. The wood burst apart—splinters scattering like sparks.
Isaac whistled. "Definitely stronger than last time."
She exhaled slowly, sweat forming on her brow. "I didn't push harder."
He stepped forward. "You leveled again, didn't you?"
Lira hesitated—then nodded.
Isaac grinned. "Then let's see it."
[STATUS – Lira]
Level: 18Race: Human (Altered-Bloodline)Class: NoneAffiliation: None
HP: 120 / 120MP: 138 / 138Strength: 13Agility: 15Endurance: 12Intelligence: 23Willpower: 14Charisma: 8Luck: ???Unknown Stat: ??? (Sealed)
Skills:
[Stormlash – Rank A] Channel a bolt of lightning that arcs to nearby targets. Scales with Intelligence and Willpower. Chance to apply Paralysis (2–3 seconds). Cooldown: 20 seconds.
[???] (Sealed)
Isaac let out a low hum. "That sealed stat's still locked, huh?"
"Still sealed," she confirmed, "but… something's different."
She turned away from the training dummy, gripping her staff tighter. "I felt it again. When the lightning hit. Like… something echoed inside me. A name. A song. I don't remember learning it, but it felt like mine."
Isaac's expression softened.
"The soul remembers," he murmured.
She looked at him sharply. "You've said that before."
He nodded. "Because it's true. The Spiral tried to erase what made you you. But your System didn't forget."
Lira swallowed, then sat down against the courtyard wall.
"I'm not afraid of the power," she said. "But I am afraid of what comes with it. If I change too much... what if I forget again?"
Isaac sat beside her. "Then I'll remember for both of us."
She looked at him.
"Promise?"
He nodded. "On the flame that brought me back."
Later that afternoon, as they walked back into the main guildhall, a soft voice stopped them.
"Excuse me," said a woman in gray and silver robes. A chapel sigil hung from her neck—marking her as a priestess of one of the regional orders. Her hands were clean, but ink-stained at the tips.
"I'm part of the Divine Records circle," she said. "We handle System-related irregularities. I'm not here to accuse. Just to… observe."
Isaac's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.
"We don't believe you did anything wrong," she continued. "But the chapel has begun detecting small ripple signatures since the day you registered. It's not a breach. Not Spiral. Just... unfamiliar."
"Then there's nothing to worry about," Isaac replied smoothly.
She smiled faintly. "No. But small anomalies have a way of growing."
She gave a polite nod and walked past them without waiting for an answer.
Lira exhaled. "They're watching."
"They always watch," Isaac muttered. "The only question is who they think we are."
That night, the sky over Karlune's Rest was clear.
Isaac sat alone on the upper dorm balcony, watching the stars. The moon was a thin crescent, quiet and pale. His hand rested on the edge of the wooden railing, fingers still faintly warm from residual lightning.
He'd felt it too.
When Lira channeled her power earlier—something inside him responded.
Not from fear.
Not from danger.
But from recognition.
His flame pulsed once—soft, warm, and unmistakably aware.
[Seluriel's Grace – Resonance Response: 17%][Linked Soul Signature Detected: Subject – Lira][Status: Cross-Affinity Echo Present]
He stared at the notice until it faded.
Then whispered to the night:
"I don't think it's just me they're watching anymore."