The cave was quiet. The makeshift fire crackled softly, its glow casting shifting shadows on the damp walls.
Ma pushed her back against one of the cave walls and closed her eyes, feeling the strain of wandering so much and being on constant alert for hours.
After all, unlike me, she still had her mana core sealed and would only be able to unseal it when we reached the Romero State.
The cave was damp, and the air was thick with the lingering scent of moss.
The walls stretched unevenly, and the whole area seemed just enough to keep us hidden properly.
The ground beneath me was rough, filled with small pebbles and dried leaves.
It had become quiet with Ma resting and the only sound audible was the occasional spark of the flames we had lit up.
I leaned back against the cold stone, exhaling slowly. My body ached. Not the sharp, piercing pain of an injury but the deep, all-encompassing fatigue that seeped into my bones.
My hands wouldn’t stop trembling—small, involuntary shakes that I couldn’t control no matter how hard I clenched my fists.
I had pushed myself too hard.
Twice today, I used my abilities in ways I wasn’t prepared for. My body wasn’t ready.
"…Tch." I exhaled sharply, bringing my hands up to my face. The trembling was worse than before.
It felt like my own body was betraying me, refusing to listen after I had forced it past its limits.
"You’ve overused your physique."
Turning my head slightly, I realised the comment had been from Ma. She was watching me, her black eyes full of intelligence.
Frowning, my eyebrows shot up in defence. "I barely used it-"
"And yet you’re shaking like a leaf," she pointed out.
I clicked my tongue, looking away. It was frustrating. My body felt strong—so much stronger than it had been before—but it was unreliable. Unstable.
"Why?" I muttered. "Why does this keep happening?"
Ma didn’t answer immediately. She poked at the fire with a stray branch, the flames dancing along the wooden stick.
"You haven’t assimilated yet."
She sighed, finally turning to face me fully. "Assimilation, Noah. It’s the process of completely harmonizing with one’s Heavenly physique. You haven’t undergone it yet, which is why your body is resisting the strain."
Assimilation? I had never heard of that before.
"You needn’t worry," she interrupted, a small, rare smile gracing her lips. "I am pretty sure that old coot won’t stop at anything from helping you after he realises that you have finally awakened a heavenly physique.
I opened my mouth, then closed it again. My grandfather… Right.
My memories regarding him were pretty conflicted, to be honest.
We were so close to each other, I would always run up to him and mock wrestle with him.
We laughed and played and were always together. Grandpa was more like my second father...That was until Mom and Dad died.
My Grandfather was forced to make a decision.
Either stop the whole family from launching a widescale revolt by ousting us or protect us from the outrage of the death of my dad and risk a rebellion.
A deep exhaustion settled over me as flashes of the past surfaced through my mind, dragging at my consciousness.
My limbs felt heavier by the second, the weight of fatigue pressing down on me like an anchor.
I let my eyes close, just for a moment. Just long enough to breathe when a loud voice in my head startled me awake.
"Wake up, little villain. We need to talk."
My eyes snapped open and I jerked upright.
What the hell was that?
I was still on extreme guard around whatever this entity was. All I knew about it was that the Hero of this world was supposed to have one.
But then again, from what I have read about the so-called systems, they are just supposed to be an AI that generates quests and grants you rewards.
Then what was this mindfu-
I mean then what was this sentient entity?
It had said that people called it a ’System’ but I was damn sure it wasn’t an ordinary one.
This one seemed more close to a human than to some technological genius.
’What is it?’ I asked the being in my mind.
And then, in its usual mechanical but human-like voice, it continued.
’Before I say anything or however you react, I wanna call it a truce. Like hey man, our souls are quite literally bonded together. You may not know this but all your thoughts are open to me even-’
A vein on my forehead popped up as I held back a curse.
It was like I knew what expressions the system was making even though I knew it was just a voice in my head.
Maybe this was what It meant when it said that our souls are connected.
"You have read through the lines of fate.
Haven’t you?" The system asked me in my brain, almost appearing amused.
Although my face went pale, I tried not to make it obvious. "Lines of fate? Is this another one of your bullshit jokes? Coz let me tell you that I don’t understand shit."
"Typical you. It hasn’t been hours and I can already see through your facade.
This is not how you will be a good villain you know~"
I could practically hear a weird sarcasm in its voice as I tried to be firmer. "Get to the point already."
"Fine. Fine. Talk about spilling water over the tea." Although the voice appeared to be casual, I could sense a kind of apprehension it did not have before as it asked me another question.
"You have already read through the plot...the lines of destiny of this world...Haven’t you?"
I kept my silence even though the system seemed pretty serious about knowing my answer but what I didn’t expect was that it would continue talking.
"...What if I tell you that I have complete access to this thing you call the Book of Sin?"
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