Lurona city [southern shores of Fuminao Legacy Kingdom], local time [1794.01.11]

A long, slightly slopped passageway was leading to the isolation room. It had three doors that were opening one at a time, like in a double decontamination chamber. Recessed shelves dotted the walls in the first part of the passage and he left all his clothes, amulets, and other belongings there, as per instructions.

Walking to the second chamber, he immediately felt the difference in Ambient Mana density. As he waited for the last doors to open, the density rose to the levels just below his current tolerance and, a few seconds later, the doors to the room opened.

It was small and empty. No decorations or furniture were present to cover the smooth, black walls that were forming a dome. The dim light seemed to come from the whole floor – as if it was the surface of a gigantic computer screen that was turned on but only displayed a black wallpaper.

The air and Mana were still. Unnaturally so. In some strange way, the room resembled an anechoic chamber, just built with the Mana in mind.

He walked to the center and sat down with crossed legs.

A notification opened with new instructions. It was a long list that started with simple tasks – like stilling the flow of Mana in his body and Veil, powering the enchantment on the floor to empty his internal Mana reserves, and so on. But the further he read, the stranger the instructions were becoming. At some point, he was required to just react to the sensual stimuli while limiting, as much as possible, all metal-stabilization effects he possessed – Will and Willforce Morphon standing proudly at the top of possible interferences.

He sighed after realizing it was as much a physical test, as it was a psychological one. Which meant, it would probably take much longer than two hours.

Nonetheless, he focused and started with the first part, determined to follow the instructions as closely as he could.

~~~

That would be all.

Only expected issues were detected.

Functionality of [Shrine Seed] restored.

An uncertain time later, the System sent him in a direct message while closing the Soul connection they used for the latest test.

Zeph sighed in relief. The exercises and tests weren’t difficult, but he was still under a lot of stress and felt mentally exhausted. The uncertainty of his situation wasn’t helping. The fact the System started to communicate directly again was a good sign, though.

“So, what was all that about? You could have been more informative…”

Not before making sure. We would rather not disclose anything to our enemy in case you were compromised.

The offending [Soul fragment], and your being as a whole, don’t seem to be connected to anything external. You are safe.

As much as that information calmed him down, he still had some questions and doubts. “Well, you can’t detect Netherlings, don’t you?” he asked skeptically.

That is correct. We aren’t able to check if you are infected with one. But that is not important currently – we calculated the risks long ago and made our decisions.

The higher-quality [Cohesive] [Soul fragment] posed a problem. It was already partially integrated into your [Soul]. Removing it for safekeeping would damage you. All the same, we had to make sure it wasn’t tinkered with.

As for [Netherlings], they cannot be implanted into higher-quality [Souls]. It would be first such case. Only fully-developed [Netherbeings] can influence so advanced [Souls]. And those changes are detectable. From our inspection, that [Soul fragment] is safe.

For that matter, your whole body and [Soul] are free from external manipulation. No energy traces suggest any form of tracking or connection.

“Next time, take something like that Soul fragment for yourself and pay me in normal ones,” he said, massaging his temples. A slight headache developed over the course of his time in the room. “Especially because the thing is clearly dangerous.”

We certainly would if that was possible. Or did you manage to forget what the situation looked like at the time?

[Soul nucleus] isn’t dangerous by itself.

“Yeah, sure…” He squinted at the message. “What’s with the ‘higher-quality’ and ‘cohesive’, though? How much do you want for the information on its state? I should be able to integrate it.”

That knowledge would cost you nothing. (You Are Welcome!)

Zeph’s eyebrows raised at that…

But the boon we prepared for your [Level] [100] [Class] specialization as a reward for saving this [Soul] would take a hit should you choose to take the knowledge.

…And quickly came down into a deep frown. “Why?”

We deemed it wasteful and unnecessary for you to pay for it. The [Garuan] is already close to understanding the situation. It would be more profitable for everyone if you were to discover it by yourself.

He didn’t have anything to say to that.

Allow us to return to more pressing matters.

[Zeph Einar], holder of [Greater Willpower], don’t you understand what [Will] is?

The message was oozing with disappointment and scorn. Zeph grimaced, expecting an earful.

It seems to us that you forgot, so we will remind you.

As an intelligent species that achieved full sapience, the [Will] that you produce mirrors your life experiences and your convictions. It’s modulating not only how your brain works, reacts, and influences memories in your [Soul] – it’s majorly responsible for the decisions you make as a person. It represents your personality; your ego.

So, pray tell us, why are you so eager to corrupt it?

Zeph sat there in silence and shame, already suspecting why the System was angry with him.

Depleting your [Will] to influence physicality is very commendable. Especially when you do that in self-defense. With your [Full-body Modification], you can do it as much as you like. Go ahead and spend it all.

But, for the love of the universe, why are you allowing it to recover actively by using your unstable mind and weakened [Soul]?

Was the description of [Willforce Morphon] not clear? Your body and [Soul] are to be regenerated and rested, first and foremost!

Not to mention, your [Will] was touched by the [Neterbeing]. You resonated with it. Don’t you think it would be prudent to try to stabilize it first and make sure the being didn’t leave any lasting effect on it?

“Wait, wait, wait! How am I even to do that? And Willforce Morphon shouldn’t work when my resources aren’t full,” he exclaimed indignantly.

The System flipped an imaginary table.

You do it all the time, fool. Just redirect the functionality of [Willforce] particles.

And deal with your [Will] yourself, we aren’t capable of monitoring it!

The [Full-body Modification] would only stop if your [Soul] or body were [damaged]. Do you have any damage?

He paused and slowly closed his mouth.

[Willforce Morphon] is a tool. An [Enhancement]. You are to use it.

Zeph shook his head in disbelief at his own stupidity. He closed his eyes and concentrated on redirecting the flow of resources in his body. He left his Will alone and strengthened the connection between his body and Soul. He was, indeed, already proficient in doing so. “So, I’m mentally unstable?” he asked in a small voice.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Among other [Psychological traumas], we diagnosed [Brief reactive psychosis], [Stress disorder], [Soul-memory discrepancy], and [Unsuccessful memory repression]. You can evaluate those results yourself.

The real problem is, your [Will] is regenerating when they are all active, strengthening the symptoms and effects as a result…

“Yes, yes, I understand. Recovery first… Should I take some medicaments?” he asked, sighing again. “Is that what I saw during the journey back? A hallucination?” That is good news, all things considered, he thought.

…The probability of that is only [67.3%]…

He opened his eyes in shock, looking at the message with fear. “What do you mean?”

As we said, you are not being traced. To the best of our knowledge, there is nothing put on you that could play that role.

But the [Infected] you met could be one of… a rather rare species. The chances that we interpreted your memories correctly are below [50%], though. You do not possess perception abilities that could confirm our suspicion.

This was confusing for Zeph. “You said it was a Netherbeing?”

Even if we are right, that being would be two in one.

The species we are talking about isn’t called [Faen] without reason. Although, besides the similar pronunciation, the term ‘demon’ doesn’t even go close to their true name – the [Faerie].

Zeph felt his Soul lurching when the System spelled the names, as if it was trying to panic by instinct. There was no stimulus, though. In this room, he couldn’t feel a thing from his auguring ability, not to mention Mana.

They are physiologically very different from most organisms. Their connection to matter is symbolic at best. In that, they closely resemble the highest beings, like us. The true nature of their body structure lies in [Soul] and [Energy].

We doubt they can be taken over by a [Netherbeing] without dying. It would mean that you met an [Infected] specimen – one containing both, the [Fearie] and invading [Netherbeing]. As improbable of an occurrence as that would be.

If you want to access more detailed knowledge, please upgrade your [Corora Lifeforms] [General Skill].

Zeph gave up after that explanation. If he had his mental capabilities in order, maybe he would as more. But right now, all he wanted is a peace of mind.

“I have a feeling we should talk about that with Makani… Anyway, medicaments? And, what’s wrong with my contaminations? The modulation seems to affect them in a strange way…”

None before the [Duels]. After your fights on the first day, take [100 ml] of [12.5%] extract from [Ganoderma mentalis] or a substitute. It should put you to sleep for around [20] Corora hours, which should be enough for your Soul to regenerate. Also, you own your body around 45k calories, so make sure to eat enough before sleep today.

You can use your [Ambient Mana Channeling] to fuel your [Planaria Ferrium Fullerene] [Soul contamination], but only after recovering fully. The [Soul contamination] disbalance is temporary. You shouldn’t try to place a foundation for any new one until your [Soul] stabilizes.

“Understood,” he nodded. After taking a better grip on his internal Willforce circulation, he slowly stood up. “Shall we visit Makani?”

Indeed.

Not wasting time, he left the room and put on his clothes.

The travel down was swift thanks to the technologically-advanced lifts in the Shrine, but it was enough for Zeph to feel worse for wear. The isolation room managed to soothe his mind and Soul somehow, but he could immediately tell that the System was right – something was wrong with his Will.

It tried to act when he started receiving sensations from his Veil and Soul. And what it tried to do stood exactly in opposition to his desired state of peacefulness.

As he stepped into the conversation room, though, his ‘ethereal’ senses were dampened once again. As so, he decided to leave working on his Will—if that was even possible—for later.

“You don’t look too good,” Makani greeted him, seeping from a steaming teacup.

“Oh, what could have given that away?” he asked, rolling his eyes.

“Pale face and blueish lips, for one,” Makani said indifferently.

Zeph frowned as the doors closed behind him. “I don’t have hypoxia, right?” he asked into the air.

No, but your capillaries constricted in response to your brain activity after you left the isolation room. It was expected – your implants are re-engaging.

We suggest that both of you stay for the night in the Shrine.

“First things first,” Makani said, shaking his head slightly. “Are the talks with Custos Naturae finished?”

We will present the summary shortly.

As for the remuneration, we deemed your proposition inappropriate. We can agree to the following: in the next year, both of you will have three [Full body scans] available for free; limited hospitality will be provided at the [Shrine] for today.

Makani groaned. “I’m starting to understand why Zeph is complaining about your business practices…”

All meaningful rewards will come in due time.

“If we survive that long, that is…”

As they spoke, Zeph walked to Makani’s table and sat down in a soft, golden armchair. The room had many more tables and a small, self-service bar. The two of them were the only occupants at the moment, though.

“I see that you two finally got acquainted?” Zeph asked casually.

“Don’t even start. Why do I feel like I ended up with a worse deal than at the very beginning?” He massaged his goatee. “How were the results?”

“Acceptable. After the Tournament, I will need to take a few days off to get my mind in order… and maybe talk with someone…”

That isn’t recommendable. Please speak with [Garuan] if you have to.

Complications can happen.

“…”

Zeph sent a deadpan look at the notification. He was much too tired to even answer that suggestion.

The summary is ready.

[Custos Naturae] refutes all accusations. We are convinced they are speaking the truth on the matter.

They refuse to detail the scope of their perception, for obvious reasons.

They state that they didn’t take an active part in anything that happened in the [Brenn Garden]. They want to emphasize that they are working on countering the [Nether] as much as any of us. Playing an active role in the descent of the [Netherbeing] would be counterproductive at best, and autodestructive at worst.

The presence of high-level individuals was, indeed, noticed, but ignored for the fact that they weren’t privy to the political maneuvering that caused them to arrive at their [Garden].

The reason for the sickness of people living in the area is well known to them. The only reason they allowed us to help was because the number of deaths was majorly exceeding their expectations. Moreover, they have to stay neutral towards this matter, as it is truly a trial for the people.

The actions you both took in the village are already spreading. We can expect the number of deaths to decrease in a few months.

End of the summary.

Makani was grinding his teeth in silence, but Zeph didn’t have this much restraint.

“This sounds like bullshit,” he said, losing himself in the anger for a moment.

As soon as he felt that, though, he tried to calm himself down, re-establishing the questionable balance inside his body.

What did you expect? The whole truth? It’s an official statement in the name of his faction, no matter how small it could be.

And remember, we are supporting his standing. Whatever happened, the risk of [Custos Naturae] going against the world is less than [0.001%].

That said, he is not known for rewarding people and we believe that we evaluated your involvement properly.

Makani hid his face in his hands, evidently giving up. But Zeph saw a small flaw in what the System said.

“So, you are supporting their decision? You are giving your word for him?”

Yes…

“Great! Then you shouldn’t have a problem helping us if something goes wrong with his involvement, right?”

Makani suddenly looked up, sending him a grateful nod.

…

“We made a mission for you. I am working for you. Are you going to stand by your word or not?” Zeph pressed the ‘god’.

Haaah… Yes. Yes, we will stand by our decision. Come the time that something happens to one of you – if it will be connected to this case in any way, we will interfere.

Zeph nodded with approval. “And that is a good business. As long as you keep us alive. But… maybe you should abstain from giving me commissions sourced from other Onjis? Let’s keep it safe, for a while at least.”

Noted. Your involvement this time is enough to spare you two years, either way. We will still require some minor missions, though.

“Sure. Anyway, you were talking about some limited hospitality? I’m getting hungry…”

Makani perked up and raised his hand. “Ummm, does that involve entree with certain Soul contamination maybe?...”

~~~

The System refused them any entree, stating that the Shrine wasn’t a restaurant, but the food they got was of such high quality that they couldn’t even complain about the lack of Soul fragments. Especially Zeph, as it seemed that the meals were prepared specifically to enhance and resupply his body. A few quite rare ingredients he found in his dishes convinced him of that.

The night passed peacefully. Zeph slept on the hard floor of the isolation room while Makani occupied the leisure one.

All too early, their transport arrived. Zeph was awakened by the System and after a few minutes, was back on the ground floor.

The first thing that welcomed him after the lift opened was a hardened breastplate of Aisha’s armor crushing his face.

She was silent as she lifted him. Zeph could tell it was because she was holding her breath. He wasn’t sure if she was trying to stop her tears or an angry shout, though.

As he felt his feet touch the floor again, she finally let the air out of her lungs, took another breath, and spoke, grabbing him by the shoulders and violently pushing him away to the full length of her arms.

“I just had a very strong urge to crush your head, so be nice and don’t worry me this much ever again,” she said sternly. “For your own safety, of course.”

He smiled awkwardly at that, fully aware how easy that act would be for her.

A gigantic, armed hand fell on her shoulder just then. “Leave the guy alone. He did what he could.” The head of an almost-four-meter high metal monstrosity turned to him. “Welcome back,” Ghrughah said, slowly pushing Aisha away.

“Is that true?” Pavail’s excited voice came from behind the giant. A moment later, she stepped around him, pushing the shyly protesting Irra before herself. “Was the letter true?”

“T-the f-f-fa—” Irra started, stuttering. She was holding her hands together as if praying, looking at him in awe.

“Stop it, brah!” P’pfel shouted from somewhere. “Not here, you idiot!” Zeph could swear he heard a bottle crashing on the ground after that.

Someone clapped their hands. Loudly. “We should pack up and move on,” Kwan stated. He saw her a moment later, as Ghrughah turned around and to the side. “We are happy you are safe, and all that,” she said without emotion. “But we are now on a schedule,” she looked around at all gathered people.

Zeph noticed Makani at the back of the small crowd, lying face-down in a small pool of blood.

Haha… it’s good to be late, he thought with a shiver.

But inside, he was trying to suppress slightly different emotions.

Involuntarily, he swept the corner of his eyes.

It’s good to be back… he thought with a small smile.