"This fear will bring about the end of your existence."
A voice he couldn’t recognize echoed through the void, making him frown.
"Your existence holds a meaning beyond the comprehension of any immortal. You must face this matter without being swayed by the demands of others or the pull of your own emotions."
The voice was urging him toward something he no longer wished to do.
To survive.
To continue existing.
But why did he want to end his own life? What had happened to drive him toward such a desperate decision?
"You have come this far by delivering justice without partiality. You were never biased, not even toward your own children. Then why now?"
There was unmistakable disappointment in the mysterious voice.
Why did he want to die?
That question should have sounded absurd, yet the certainty of what would follow made it anything but. The thought alone was enough to fill him with dread.
"You must realize your true essence. You exist to consume all that grows beyond its rightful bounds. You cannot escape your fate. You must carry forward your identity."
Every word left him increasingly uneasy.
Kyle willed the voice to disappear.
The next instant, complete silence.
Only then did he open his eyes.
Once again, he found himself in that endless expanse of nothingness.
His gaze swept across the void, but there was no sign of whoever had been speaking to him.
"What is this place?" he asked.
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his voice sounded different.
He took a step forward, an uneasy weight settling over his chest.
Why was he always alone in these memories?
And who exactly was he, to always be the one left behind?
Kyle hated the feeling.
He slowly dropped to his knees in the endless void.
A suffocating sensation crashed over him, as though he had been trapped inside a tiny, airless cage.
So he did what he had always done to keep himself from breaking down.
He closed his eyes.
.....
"Ah... haaah..."
Kyle breathed heavily as he stared at the unfamiliar ceiling for several long moments.
Bringing a hand to his forehead, he muttered, "That crazy dream... again."
Maybe he really should see a psychiatrist. At this point, the dreams were getting completely out of hand.
With a weary sigh, he pushed himself into a sitting position.
Was it truly just a dream?
Or another memory?
"This is seriously messed up."
He climbed out of bed, his body stiff from sleep. Rolling his shoulder, he winced as the joint let out a loud pop.
"System... any idea what I was seeing?"
[Host, the system was unable to observe your dream. However, your heart rate remained unusually low until you woke up abruptly.]
Kyle let out a quiet hum.
The feeling still lingered.
That crushing loneliness.
It tugged at the frayed threads of memories he had buried deep inside, memories he had no intention of ever sharing with anyone.
Looking at the campus bathed in the faint light of the rising sun, Kyle muttered, "I wonder... if I suddenly asked Amanda to come live with me after graduation, what would her reaction be?"
Would she be happy?
Or would she be more worried than anything else?
And what would her parents think?
He decided to leave those questions for another time.
[Host, your stats have changed after the last battle, and your status screen has been updated.]
Tempting enough,
"Show me."
Stats:
Strength: 24 -> 30
Speed: 22 -> 32
Endurance: 32 -> 34
Intelligence: 20 -> 28
Affinity:
Magic Control: 20% -> 55%
Efficiency: 7.5% -> 25%
Skills:
God’s Eye: Lvl 1 -> Lvl 2 (300/2000 EXP)
Overlord: Lvl 1 (500/1000 EXP)
King Dominion: Lvl 1 (150/500 EXP)
[Soul Points: 2300->9000]
[Host, you have successfully leveled up God’s Eye. The inherent skill is now eligible for evolution if the host wishes to proceed. Upon confirmation, the host will be transported to a training zone, where a trial will introduce the skill’s new functions and oversee its advancement.]
Kyle blinked in surprise.
"I can level up my skills and unlock entirely new abilities? But God’s Eye already feels ridiculously overpowered."
[Host, while this may disappoint the host, you have already unlocked several functions that were originally meant for the next level. For example, the third person perspective was a forced awakening. Under normal circumstances, it should not have been available while God’s Eye was still at Level 1.]
"..."
Not training his skills gets him absurd quest and training his skills gets complaints.
Kyle let out a resigned sigh.
This system really had the heart of a woman.
"Regardless..." Kyle muttered, glancing over his status screen. "I’ve earned quite a lot of Soul Points, but I don’t think leveling up would be a good idea right now."
[You are correct, Host. Your recent growth has been exceptionally rapid. Rather than advancing further, you should spend time mastering your newly acquired skills and continue exploring the Temple to accumulate practical experience. Even the fastest growth requires periods of consolidation.]
Kyle let out a soft chuckle.
"Yeah... this is my break."
He reached for his phone resting on the bedside table. An incoming call from an unknown number lit up the screen.
Even so, he already knew who it was.
{Mister Kyle. May I ask how soon you could be ready to leave?}
He hadn’t expected to recognize Pascal’s voice so instantly, but well it was understandable considering how often they were talking these days.
"I’ll need about an hour to freshen up and grab something to eat."
His stomach had been protesting ever since he woke up. He had barely eaten dinner the previous night, and the battle that followed had drained what little energy he had left.
{A meal has already been prepared for you aboard the aircraft. If you could finish getting ready a little sooner...}
Kyle frowned.
"Wait. An aircraft?"
{Yes. It is currently waiting for you atop the clock tower.}
"..."
That was one way to be unnecessarily dramatic.
"Fine. Give me fifteen minutes."
He ended the call with a helpless sigh.
Perhaps throwing himself into work was the best way to keep his mind off that unsettling dream.