The energy from the soul. Such an infinitely small amount increased my healing abilities more than what I gained from the Raffia embryo.
So this is why soul energy is so prized. There’snothinglike it in the universe.
“Nyk.”
Moe’s voice interrupts my thoughts.
I turn.
She’s at the barrier, her hand pressed against it. It gives way just as a disembodied voice echoes in the arena.
Nykander v’Kyro wins. You are awarded two points.
It barely registers thatitknows my full name. All that matters at this point is reaching Moe.
I run toward her just as she dashes toward me and we meet in the middle.
“Are you hurt?” she asks. “Are you in pain?”
She looks me up and down, going in circles around me and inspecting every inch of my flesh. She pays special attention to mynow-minor injuries, nodding to herself.
“I’m fine.Weare fine,” I tell her, smiling in spite of myself.
Her gaze softens. “We are. I’m proud of you,” she whispers as she presses her cheek against my chest.
Around us, the arena begins to fade.
The cracked marble dissolves beneath my feet, the red sky collapsing inward once again as the world pulls itself apart and then snaps back into place.
We’re standing in front of the obelisk again.
The surface of the obelisk ripples, and the shifting light settles just long enough for a single line to form.
Nykander v’Kyro. Level Unassigned. +2 Ascension Points. Total points: 2
I stare at it. Two points.Onlytwo points for all that effort. And it’s just the beginning.
Moe’s hand finds mine and she squeezes it in comfort.
Neither of us speaks.
I killed someone with my own hands, with my own abilities. That in itself is worthy of praise. But I know the truth. If it hadn’tbeen for Moe… If it had been onlymylife on the line, I doubt I would have reacted with the same urgency.
I doubt I would have survived.
My gaze lifts from the obelisk, drifting back toward the ruins, toward the distant shapes moving through the red haze.
Two ascension points are one day’s worth of food for the two of us. If we’re to make any progress I can’t afford to keep choosing the weakest opponents.
The obelisk’s glow fades back into its restless shifting, my new status dissolving into a stream of unknown names and their points.
“Today is a win, Nyk. Take it. We can think about tomorrow later,” Moe says, interrupting my thoughts.
I nod, though I’m unable to shake this fear I have inside—that this was just luck; that tomorrow I might switch fortune for misfortune.
“Let’s explore the area and get some food.”
We turn around and start walking.
