The adventurer's words settled not in the air, but directly into Hill's consciousness.
A soul realm.
The proposition was absurd. In fact, it was a flagrant violation of every natural law Hill had ever known. But at this point, everything seemed to break those laws.
As he methodically reexamined the evidence available to him—experience and acquired knowledge—the cold thread of logic began to weave itself through his disbelief.
First, the complete cessation of his physical ailments. Before he had dozed off, he was suffering from a terrible fever. Yet when he opened his eyes within this realm, his body felt healthy and restored.
Second, the undeniable enhancement to his physical capabilities, demonstrated by the effortless sprint and the high jump. Here, his body felt foreign yet familiar. It was as if he was living in a potential body instead of his present one.
Third, the stability of the environment itself—it did not shift or warp, and every change seemed to be permanent. Looking back, he could still see the imprints of his footsteps in the black sand. Such clarity would be lost in a dream, after all.
His own observations corroborated Hero's outlandish theory. The conclusion, however unsettling, was quite difficult to refute. It was an absurd concept that he hadn't learned about at all.
"If... if what you're saying is true," Hill began, his voice steady despite the tremor in his spirit, "if this is my soul... what does that mean? And what does that make you?"
Hero's playful grin was entirely gone, replaced by a strange contemplative expression. "My memories seem to have serious gaps in them. I had noticed them earlier... but I had assumed that this was a dream despite the strange clarity I was experiencing. But now that I've met you, I realize that this isn't a dream, and I believe that you hold the answers to my problems."
Hill smiled nervously. "So, what do you need from me?"
Hero pointed to his chest with his thumb, pressing it against the flesh above where his heart should be. "Tell me, Hill. Has your soul core been awakened?"
"It unfortunately hasn't awakened."
Hero frowned. "How can that be? Only the awakened can perceive their own soul!" He scratched the stubble on his chin, his brow furrowed in concentration. "No matter... this must mean that something unusual has occurred. We just need to figure it out!"
Hero gestured to the empty space before Hill. "We must look into your runes. Summon them for me, if you would."
The familiar sense of failure washed over Hill. "I've attempted this before. In the outer world. It produced no result."
"The outer world is irrelevant here," Hero countered with strange certainty in his voice. "There, you were knocking on a locked door from the street. Here, we are already inside the house. The information isn't something you must call to you; it is something you must simply reveal. Runes are the language of this place. Still your mind. Concentrate on your own existence and command its information to be displayed to you."
Following Hero's logic, Hill closed his eyes. He bit down on his lip as he focused inward, thinking about what made him... Hill.
A faint warmth bloomed from a point deep within him. It was not a physical heat, but certainly an emotional one. Golden motes of light, like dust illuminated in a sunbeam that did not exist, began to gather and congeal in the space before him, spinning into a shimmering vortex with a low hum that sounded like the faint tinkling of wind chimes.
The light unfurled, flowing outward like the opening of a scroll, revealing glowing script that caused Hill's eyes to widen in wonder. The letters were foreign to him and he couldn't recognize a single one, yet he understood them as if he already knew what they meant.
Name: [Hillel Tehom]
Title: [None]
Age: [16]
Creature: [Human]
Soul Core: [0/100]
Soul Rank: [Dormant]
Blessing: [None]
Trait: [Feather Step]
Curse: [The Enchained Hollows]
Hero leaned in, his green eyes scanning the text.
"Name: Hillel Tehom. Age: 16. Creature: Human. The expected basic identity parameters. I have experience with these kinds of things, for I too have my own personal runes. Although, now that I mention it, I'm struggling to summon them as well. Anyway, what I've read so far is correct and accounted for."
He continued. "Title: None. Expected. A title is an honorific granted by someone stronger or earned through a significant deed that leaves a mark on the soul."
"Soul Core: 0/100. This... this is expected, I suppose. You aren't awakened, so I shouldn't expect to see anything greater than zero."
"Soul Rank: Dormant. And here is the confirmation... and the anomaly! A dormant soul is unactivated. Its functions should be entirely inaccessible. You should not be conscious within it."
"Blessing: None. This is consistent with a dormant rank. You have not awakened, so of course you don't possess any special ability."
"Trait: Feather Step." Hero paused, looking at Hill. "A trait is an inherent quality of a soul. But they can make their presence known even if you aren't awakened. Now, I want you to focus on that line of runes and wish it to expand."
Hill raised an eyebrow. "Expand?"
Hero smiled. "It will display more information, as long as you wish it."
Hill nodded in response, focusing his gaze on the feather step trait. Immediately, the other runes seemed to blur and slide away, except for the line containing the trait runes. Instead, this line seemed to grow larger, with more runes appearing below it.
Trait: [Feather Step]
Type: [Passive]
Description: [Your steps make no sound. Your presence is so minimal, it's as if the world forgets you exist the moment you stand still.]
"How interesting!" Hero laughed. "It's quite fitting for someone as frail as yourself!"
Hill scowled, but Hero didn't seem to care. He continued reading his runes. "But all of that is secondary. This... this seems to be the aberrant variable that explains the entire situation."
Hill's gaze followed his. There, at the bottom of the runes, was a line that seemed to have a different connotation compared to the rest. A negative one.
Curse: [The Enchained Hollows]
"I must admit, I have never heard of a curse before," Hero said, his voice tense. "I'm only familiar with blessings... How about you do as you did with your trait? Focus on the curse—perhaps the runes will display a description."
Hill focused his mind on the final line. The glowing runes of the curse flared, and a new line of text materialized beneath them.
Description: [Ten fragmented souls have been chained to your soul.]