Having a conversation like this was strange. I couldn’t move my body; yet I didn’t feel the need or want to move my body. Nor could I watch for cues from the other person; again I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything.

Furthermore, I wasn’t even truly within my body; yet I was. I was in some kind of strange space; but at the same time, I was within my body.

If I pushed myself, I could even make sense of what was going outside of my body. For example, feeling the warmth of my Brother’s hand.

But here, in this space, as in the real world, thoughts and feelings were as important as the words. However, here you could feel—sense might be a better way of putting it, but it was lacking all the same—what they were feeling instead of just relying on physical cues.

The distant storm I felt from within Brother broke. There was a feeling of clarity. Sort of like the way the sun shone through storm clouds, changing a dull, overcast world filled with rain into a bright one which glittered as the sun illuminated everything.

‘Before he died, Father told me something. The timing of everything, the amount of effort and time Father put into telling me, and how quickly Father died, all were suspicious.

‘And you are trying your hardest to convince of something. I had my doubts about the goddess religion, right back when the goddess called on me to kill you.’

Whatever confusion he had was now mostly gone, replaced by a fury.

‘She led me and you out into the forest, all the way to that depression in the ground. A forest is no place where any Trait Seven or Trait Nine should ever go—unless they were part of the Suppression Forces.’

I didn’t quite understand what he was going on about, but like he had been patient for me in my round about arguments, I decided to be patient for him.

Somehow my feelings got across to him, and I felt a return of love coming from him.

‘Father told me about his time in that Fissure. Showed me things which he shouldn’t have access to. In fact, my work in supporting you was laid upon the foundations of the work he had already started.

‘Even right after giving you to the Temple, he went back to the House and made an edit in the register. Not a destruction, an edit. Which means if we can get your traits back, you’re able to come back into civilised society again.

‘And he, like me, was eager to hear rumours of what you were up to. More than anything it was a relief when he heard rumours you were still alive.’

It felt like my Brother had just sighed, as a slight amount of tension faded away. He didn’t carry on, so I stayed quiet, allowing him time. Yet all the while I sent acceptance vibes his way.

‘He said that during his time in the Fissure, the one he cleared, he made contact with a being in it. And that being saved our Father, but also worked with my Father in clearing said Fissure.’

That surprised me. I had never heard that story before, but I guess it was because I was young at the time and probably seen as innocent. Maybe this was why this body was deemed to have an impact on the world. A curious boy who unearthed secrets which the goddess had wanted buried.

Not only that, a power Tier Nine one. Beyond even that, I was a Mana Capable Tier Nine. The rarest of the rare. A true powerhouse in society.

Oh, damn it. A wave of unease washed through me. I was certain my Brother felt it too.

I spent ten years as a Tier Three improving things not only for them, but for the Suppression Troop as a whole. And I was already from a family which held high status for my Father’s tier, but also for his actions in clearing a Fissure. My brother had also formed tight links with a powerful Central House too.

It looked like I was in trouble if the goddess ever found out about me.

‘Yes, Brother, I have found you a wife for when you come back with me. It took a lot of hidden discussions. She’s a Tier Nine from a House with close ties to my wife’s House. Not only that, they have close links with the Central Heartland Temple. With both of these ties in place, you should be safe.’

‘Brother—’ The link between us felt grainy.

Warning: Low Bandwidth

I could sense my Brother trying to say something to me. But before I could work out what he was trying to say or what feelings he was sending my way, I felt his fragmented link drop.

Warning: Low Bandwidth

‎ All non-essential channels closed: four (4) channels closed.

**SuperiorSoulSolutions System 0.98.6 OtherWorld Edition updated to SuperiorSoulSolutions System 0.99.1 OtherWorld Edition.

Pre-existing Soul damage found

External Soul fragment with repair instructions found. Using external Soul fragment and repair instructions for basis for repair.

Repair instructions incomplete.

Additional repair instructions inserted.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Unable to fully incorporate additional repair instructions with external repair instructions.

External Soul fragment integration remains at 42% (estimated).

All artificial restriction of traits removed.

Traits 4 through 9: unlocked

Limited store access to System Traits granted.

Enhanced Security Features activated.

Detailed Analysis: installed.

Name: People’s Defender (Displayed: Solider’s Defender)

Concept: Belligerent Commander of Soldiers (Displayed: Solider for the Soldiers)

Traits:

‎ Beloved Blacksheep Solider: 5M-0 (Displayed: Solider)

‎ Troublesome Inquisitiveness: 4M-3 (Displayed: Seeker)

‎ Demi-God: 6M-1 (Displayed: Divine Blessing: 5M-0)

‎ Mana Capable: 0M-0

‎ (5 unused trait slots)

Hidden Traits:

‎ School of Hard Knock's Toughness: 5M-7

‎ Sneaky-Beaky Lookie and Scoutie: 4M-2

‎ (1 unused trait slots)

System Traits:

‎ Detailed Analysis: 1M-2 (Displayed: Standard Analysis)

‎ Standard System Communication: 0M-0

‎ (1 unused slot—access /store/ for further System Trait Applications)

Exiting Administration Mode

Secure Communication Protocol Ended

My body felt heavy upon my soul as everything hit me at once.

It took me a few heartbeats to take a proper breath.

The smells of the room, of the faint dustiness, of the varnish, of the sweat of my unwashed body, of the perfumed soap my brother used mixed into one before they faded back into the background.

The plainness of the walls and my brother’s far-too-familiar-yet-strange flushed face sitting over the other side of the expanse—no, the other side of my desk.

Sounds of heavy breathing, and not just from me.

‘I should leave you now. Your troops are way too loyal to you for comfort. Hopefully, when you arrive back into the Heartlands and we unveil your Tier and the mission we placed you under years ago, the calls for your Disposal will fade.’

‘I thought that my blessing was what was saving me?’

‘It was, in part, but only because our House kept making people aware of it and donated an obscenely large amount of funds to the Temple. But with the recent vastly increased survival rates for the Tier Seven and Tier Nine, less and less are calling for your Disposal these days.

‘Still, they are wary of you. We need to move quickly, not only because of your marriage, but also because I’ve heard disturbing rumours that some opposing political faction within the Heartlands do not like of how our House has been prospering lately. You, the one with the weakest protection, are likely their target.’

I looked at my brother, ‘okay, I’ll go with your plan—’

He looked happy; it was an odd look to see on my face.

‘But I reserve the rights to change things.’ I warned him. ‘I am doing this for as much my sake as anything else. And it will be nice to not have to worry about whether the next time I leave for a patrol I’ll die.’

There was a look on his face, a dark expression which seemed familiar on a face which looked like mine. ‘Brother, even though you may not face death as you have out here, there are still dangers back in the Heartlands. And the dangers you’ll face will likely not be carried by you. I have a child, your niece, and it’s her life which will be in danger because of any missteps on your behalf.’

My confusion must’ve been plain to see for my brother, as he gave me a sad smile.

‘Our Mother and Radiant Flute were mothers. Not only that, they were lower-level ones who were sent to our House because their House needed to “prove” their loyalty to the faction of Houses we belong to.’

It had been a long time since I thought of our mother, but I had been aware of the tension and sometimes outright bullying that not only us two, but Radiant Flute’s daughter, and our mothers had suffered. It was lucky that my brother had been a Nine Trait, because that had likely saved us—well, at least my brother—our mother: and Radiant Flute too.

I hadn’t even arrived back into the Heartlands, and already I was missing Outer Heart.

‘Sir,’ a voice shouted from the front entrance, ‘we’ve reports of a raiding party, sir.’

A raiding party?

It had been such a long time since I had heard that term I had almost forgotten about them. Things here had been so peaceful. Other than when we focused upon the Fissures, I’d forgotten about the tribes who lived in these Wild Lands. There hadn’t been a raid in… In a long time. I couldn’t even remember the last time one had been seen.

My brother was looking at me, unsure of what to do.

Not a good reaction—well, maybe it was a good reaction. He was looking at someone who could help him navigate the situation as well as possible. Yeah, it was a good reaction.

‘Call for a Combined Three and Five Instant Reaction Detachment.‘ I ordered in my best command voice. ’I’ll lead them myself.’