Chương 20: Chapter 19: The Quality of One's Soul

Alice yawned and followed Evelyn and the others back into the classroom. She had stayed up nearly all night reading about bloodlines and demihumans. It wasn't as if there was anything else to do in this place. I don't want to read that book for a while. I just wanna rest my eyes. Before Alice could take her seat, Father Orlando said aloud, "Alice, Evelyn. Could you come over here for a moment?" Alice widened her eyes and glanced at Evelyn.

"What's this about?" Evelyn shrugged.

"I don't know." They both went to the front of the class, standing before Father Orlando.

"Why are you so far? Come closer," Orlando said. The two of them inched towards Orlando's desk.

"Good. Father Arno wants to see the two of you in his office. You can leave my class," Orlando said.

"Are we… are we in trouble?" Alice said. A strange chortle escaped Orlando's mouth.

"Who knows? Just go there and you'll find out." Evelyn quickly nodded.

"Let's go, Alice."

"Ye… yeah," Alice murmured, and followed Evelyn out of the classroom. They strode down the hallway, taking numerous twists and turns. Along the way, Alice couldn't help but feel a foreboding feeling build up in her stomach.

"Do you think Father Arno found out?"

"Found what out?"

"The thing we did at the garden."

"I don't think Father Arno would care about that. Probably not."

"Probably…" Alice murmured. That sounds bad coming from Evelyn. I feel like she has a nugget for a brain sometimes. A pretty face with a brain nugget… After a while, they arrived at Arno's office door. Evelyn wrapped her fingers around the brass knob, about to pull it wide open.

"You should knock first," Alice said.

"Ri… right." Evelyn rapped her hand on the office door. A familiar voice echoed from the other side.

"Come in." Evelyn pulled the door open, and the two of them stepped inside. Father Arno sat by his office desk, with a few papers and letters scattered about. He smiled as he looked up at them.

"It's you two. Please, take a seat." The two of them sat in front of Arno, Alice fidgeting and snuggling on the velvet chair.

"Why did you call us, Father Arno?" Evelyn raised her brows.

"I just received a letter from one of our Patrons. They're curious about the awakened. They wanted to see your Soul Quality. I'm going to have to measure it," Father Arno said. Patrons? Who is he talking about?

"Soul… quality?" Evelyn tilted her head to the side. Arno chuckled.

"It's how much spirituality your soul can store and transport." I thought she'd have known about that by now. She really isn't reading her books, is she?

"Transport? Don't our souls produce spirituality?" Goddess, she's a lost cause.

"Produce is the wrong word. The soul doesn't create spirituality. Within every soul is a tiny portal that connects to the Ether. Do you know what the Ether is, Evelyn?" Evelyn slowly nodded.

"Ye… yeah. It's where spirituality is from." Arno nodded.

"The soul simply takes spirituality from the Ether. The bigger your soul, the more it can store and take."

"Father Arno, why are we the only ones getting tested?" Alice furrowed her brows.

"Originally, we wanted to test all of them when they arrived. But their souls were too unstable. I deemed it too dangerous. Even now, Father Orlando says it might even harm them." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Is this… dangerous?" Evelyn said.

"Not for the two of you. It will be quick, and you might feel a little discomfort." Arno grabbed a cloth glove from his desk, slipping it over his left hand.

"My bloodline allows me to peer into souls. But I need to be touching the part nearest to your soul." Evelyn frowned and looked down at the light swell of her breasts.

"You mean…"

"I apologize, but this is the safest way. Once I begin, you won't even feel my touch," Arno said.

"Alright then, if it's… really necessary." Evelyn gulped and closed her eyes. Arno nodded, his expression unchanging as he planted his open palm over the center of Evelyn's chest. His fingers unfurled outwards, as though trying to cover as much skin as humanly possible.

"Agnosis," Arno whispered, and a bright auburn light shimmered out of his palms in a bedazzling array of rays. Alice widened her eyes as she watched keenly. That's… that's her spirituality. I can see it so clearly, clearer than with my own eyes. Evelyn's breath hitched, her face scrunched up in discomfort, and beads of sweat started forming on her forehead. Her legs trembled and her hands squirmed along her sides, wriggling like worms. This feels wrong. It's hard to watch her like this.

Alice averted her gaze for a second, grabbing onto the sides of her chair. Arno removed his hand, and the rays of light died to a complete dim.

"You can open your eyes." Evelyn's eyes flew open and she coughed and then heaved for air.

"What… what did you do to me?"

"I gazed into your soul. It seems I might have overestimated your spiritual control," Arno said. Evelyn gritted her teeth, and she wiped the sweat off her brow.

"Are you alright, Evelyn?" Alice said.

"I… I think I am…" Evelyn murmured. Alice gently patted Evelyn's back, and she gazed at Arno and said, "What did you find, Father?"

"Her soul is remarkable, comparable to a seventh generation. I already expected something like this, but to see it with my own two eyes is different. Mortals are usually born with little to no traces of spirituality. We call those Null Souls. Your soul is somewhere around the third tier." Soul Tiers? I haven't read about that yet.

"How many tiers are there?" Alice said.

"There are five tiers. Null Tier, First Tier, Second Tier, and so on and so forth. But the lower the generation, the less Soul Quality matters. Eventually, the soul expands naturally when you descend. But considering you're an eight, it will make your life a lot easier," Arno said.

"I guess… that's good to hear," Evelyn said.

"You should be glad to be so blessed. Now, it is your turn, my child." Arno pulled back his glove slightly, and looked at Alice. Evelyn looked horrible earlier. Is it really that bad? Just don't think about it. You can't do anything about it anyways.

"Okay, I'm ready," Alice gulped. Should I close my eyes? Do I need to close them? Father Arno didn't mention anything.

"Good." Father Arno placed his hand on the flat expanse that was Alice's chest.

"Agnosis." A dim silver light shimmered from in between Arno's fingers, shining bright but not as grand as Evelyn's soul. It trailed up in billows, and not in rays, and it seemed to flutter back and forth. Wow, that's my sou— Alice sharply inhaled as a sharp pain throbbed inside her chest. It was followed by a tinge of swelling, and then a strange squirming deep inside her body. It felt like worms were burrowing under her skin, making their way into the depths of her flesh. This feels disgusting. But…

I thought it would be worse. I guess Evelyn's a little sensitive up here… I could guess why. Arno's lips suddenly curled into a frown. Is something wrong? Why is he frowning? When Arno pulled his hand back, the light and the skin-crawling sensation vanished, leaving an unnatural emptiness deep inside her chest. Alice frowned, placing her palm where Arno's once lay. It felt as if a part of herself was taken away. Arno pushed back his eyeglasses.

"Quality wise, there is nothing special about your soul. It is only slightly above average. The upper reaches of Tier One." What? Just the first Tier? That's… that's a little disappointing. But there has to be more, right?

"Quality wise?" Alice furrowed her brows.

"Tell me, how long have you really been practicing spiritual control?" Arno leaned forwards.

"Last week, Father. I couldn't even use spirituality before that," Alice said. A strange yellow gleam burned within Arno's pupils as he gazed deep into Alice's eyes, boring into her soul once more. Alice froze stiff, and felt a chill run down her spine.

"I see… it seems you aren't lying." Arno averted his gaze, and wrote something down on a piece of paper.

"Your spiritual control is terrifying for someone your age. It's as if you've had years of training." Evelyn tilted her head in confusion.

"Isn't that a good thing, Father?"

"It is far too early to tell. Spiritual control cannot be inherited, nor is it inborn. It needs to be learned. It's like an infant child suddenly standing up and going for a run. It is… unnatural," Arno said. Alice bit her lower lip as she listened on. Unnatural? So, this is an effect of my awakening? Why am I the only one affected? Arno's expression softened, noticing Alice's worried face.

"I wouldn't dwell on it, child. Awakenings are known to cause anomalies, both harmful and helpful. You dwell with the best healers and minds in this city. If something were to happen, the Lady will help you." Alice let out a sigh of relief.

"I still can't help but feel a little unnerved."

"Come devil or demon, you are safe here." Arno wrote down something else on his paper.

"You can take your leave. And you don't need to go back to your classroom. I've heard many good things from Father Orlando." He smiled back at them. Evelyn's lips curled into a wry grin. Arno's smile faded.

"And a few other disappointing things. Do not fall behind on your studies, Evelyn." Evelyn let out a nervous laugh.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Father. I'm studying very hard." Arno chuckled.

"I'm sure you are. Now go, I still have many things to do."

"Goodbye, Father," Alice said. The two of them stood up, and left Arno's office. Evelyn closed the door as gently as she could, and exhaled, planting her palm over the swell of her plump chest.

"Did you feel that too? It felt like worms were digging inside of me." Alice looked down at her flat board of a chest.

"It wasn't that bad."

"Father Arno looks kind, but he can be scary sometimes," Evelyn said.

"Yeah… what do you think his bloodline is?" Alice said.

"No idea. But it must be pretty powerful. We should get out of here before he hears us," Evelyn said.

"Are we going back to the room?"

"I don't want to. Nothing to do there."

"Garden?"

"Yeah, that could work. Just the two of us." Evelyn grabbed Alice's hand.

"Let's go, Alice," she said, leading Alice down the corridor.