Episode 9 – Soulbound (2/2)
She s her eyes
”He doesn't need to believe it to be the truth What he needs to believe is that you don't knohat happened And if you tell hieneration increased because you had awakened your latent potential, while under the oath of truth, he will conclude that you don't know the actual reason and leave you be”
Kiel's eyes widened Of course! Feigning ignorance! That ht work!
He felt a single drop of sweat rolling down his neck Elaru's ability to twist the truth was unsettling Shethe facts, weaving a new version of the truth
”I get it I can do that But I'll need a dummy artifact to make others believe it to be the source of aze strong, unwavering
”Way ahead of you et one” She barely resisted puffing up her chest in pride
Kiel looked at her suspiciously
”Why?”
Elaru looked at him in confusion ”Why what?”
”Why would you get me such an artifact? Wouldn't it be siic besides augh the trouble just so I can be free to use arcane and transic?”
No matter how he looked at it, it didn't make any sense Did she not trust him to be able to keep his pure mana a secret? Surely, it wasn't because she actually wanted to help him out?
She blinked at hiet, a du you to use transic?” She paused briefly before answering her own question ”The artifact is much simpler and cheaper to obtain”
Elaru shrugged ”Besides, it doesn't seeic and you can't”
Kiel sighed in resignation If she wanted to help him out, he wouldn't complain
”How long will it take you to obtain such an artifact?”
”A few days I can get it before the Ashar entrance exams start”
Kiel nodded in agreeht Let'sof the exaive me the artifact then”
The smile on Elaru's face froze for a fewinto a line Kiel thought she probably wanted to test out telepathy or some similar effects of the bond However, he had no intention to communicate with her, he just needed that artifact and her ain
It was tio their separate ways He had n up for the exams And she needed to hunt down a rather hard to find artifact
”I arateful for your help, Elaru Wayvin” Kiel squeezed out It's better to leave things on good terms She is not a person he would like to have as an eneet him that artifact
”You've already confirmed that we can send memories to each other I think it is safe to assume that this contract was a success and part our ways”
Her blank look disappeared replaced by a nervous laugh A tense face looked strange on a confident person such as Elaru
”Ah… I suppose you didn't really connect the dots huh?” She scratched her head grinning sheepishly
Hairs on Kiel's neck stood up in alarm ”Excuse me?”
”We are now soulbound Our souls are literally glued to each other”
Kiel didn't like where this was going ”Yes, I am aware of that What is your point?”
She sed before explaining
”One soul can only be at one place at a time, and we effectively have one soul now When we ht between us The further apart we get froet from our soul The further apart from the soul we are, the more the mana has to travel from the soul to our body and mind to sustain it”
Elaru paused briefly to catch a breath
”The mark of the bond is a direct link to our soul and its main function is to continuously transfer the mana from the soul to our bodies However, how rowth level of the bond and the distance from the soul If we pass a certain liful look towards Kiel
Kiel froze His lips quietly voiced out the continuation ” we get weaker and weaker to the point of feeling excruciating pain and ultimately death?”
Elaru nodded
Of course It made perfect sense Mana was life itself Both mind and body needed mana to stay alive Mana deficiency leads to weakness, excruciating pain, and death Why didn't this occur to hi so obvious?!
The aura around Kiel changed, telare he could
”Weakness? Excruciating pain? You toldglued to you like a Siae?!”
She sht this side effect was obvious! Besides, being withto the same place anyways”
Kiel's face kept darkening Elaru quickly tried to salvage the situation
”It is only a tee Since we just established the bond, it's in its initial phases and thefunction isn't powerful Therefore, it's only able to transfer a small amount of e that we can be away from each other As the level increases, its efficiency will increase as well, so eventually, on't need to be near each other at all”
”And what do we do until then?! Hoe even raise the level?!” Kiel bit his tongue, preventing hier outburst Elaru smiled and waved her hand at him dismissively
”No proble to the sah isn't an issue! And surely by the tih already!” She grinned ”Just like I said, no disadvantage at all!”
In all her life, Elaru Wayvin had never been so wrong
A noble non-e chained by his own past, bound to a nameless tracker whose entire existence depended on the dense veil of countless secrets
It had been a foolish idea froerous and foolish idea, born out of desperation, put into action by unrealistic hope
Yet, neither the grinning Elaru nor fist and teeth clenching Kiel noticed how this single limitation would utterly twist their life