Chương 4: Chapter 3 - Soul Shepherd

Elowen stared at Varrin. For a moment, no words came. Her mouth opened slightly, then closed again, her thoughts colliding with each other mid-sentence. Finally, her composure shattered completely and she dismissed the sword in another flurry of white motes.

"That," she snapped, storming forward, finger stabbing toward Varrin's chest, "is the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard come out of someone's mouth!"

"Hand over a house relic?" the elf girl said, any trace of noble poise vanishing as her voice rose.

"To someone I met less than an hour ago? Are you stupid?" Varrin raised both hands placatingly, lips curling into a lazy, mocking grin.

"Relax. I was just thinking about what's best for the group."

"Oh?" Elowen scoffed.

"Well," Varrin continued with a shrug, "I am the best swordsman here." Elowen's face flushed, ears burning red as her anger peaked, but whatever sharp retort she was forming tangled itself into nothing. She sputtered, clenched her fists, and glared daggers at Varrin. Ren watched the exchange quietly.' I'm in for a rough ride, aren't I?

'he thought tiredly as he looked at his bracelet.' Oh Yumè… look what your brother has gotten himself into.' He sighed and turned his attention back to the glowing white text still hovering before him. [Aethersoul Ren] [Rank: Awakened] [Dominion: -] [Soul Power: Soul Shepherd] [Soul Saturation Level: 0/1000] [Soul Attributes: Accelerated Regeneration, Survival Instincts] [Soul Attunements: -] Whatever his power was, and whatever all these new terms meant, they weren't going to explain themselves.

Ren focused on the line that read 'Soul Shepherd'. The text shifted and a new section unfolded neatly beneath it, letters forming smoothly as if responding to his intent. [Soul Shepherd] [You may offer sanctuary to a defeated individual who is at your mercy. If accepted, their soul will be entrusted to your care and reside within your Soul Plane, where you are at your most vulnerable. The sheltered soul retains its personality, memories, and abilities, but its continued existence is bound to yours. Only one soul may be shepherded at any given time. You may summon a sheltered soul into the physical world by calling upon its name, or guide it back using the same method. While under your protection, sheltered souls may heal their wounds by drawing upon your Soul Essence when they are within your Soul Plane.] [Shepherded Soul: -] Ren blinked, excitement racing through him as he read it twice.

"…Huh." That was… a lot. His heart thudded a little faster as the words sank in properly. The idea alone sent a strange shiver through him—shepherding someone's soul, and housing it inside his own. The text put it plainly and matter-of-factly, as if this were just another function of everyday life. He frowned at the unfamiliar terms.' Soul Plane? Soul Essence?

'Ren thought, a little confused.' The elf girl said something about essence I think, maybe I should ask her?' Whatever they were, the words in front of him clearly expected him to understand them eventually. He looked up, prepared to try and educate himself despite whether his two newfound companions thought of him as a liability or not. But both the elf and the silver-haired person were still going at each other's throats.' I... can wait a little longer,' Ren told himself.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Still, excitement continually crept in. A real Soul Power. His very own Soul Power. Ren exhaled slowly, forcing the rush down before it could run away with him and focusing back onto Soul Shepherd's description.

"I can only shepherd one soul," he muttered as he reread it, "so I'll just have to find someone worthy." His gaze lingered on the description a moment longer before he released his focus, his eyes resettling on his first Soul Attribute, the words blooming and rearranging to fit the mental command. [Accelerated Regeneration] [Your body heals faster than normal. Minor injuries recover rapidly, bleeding stops quickly, and overall recovery time is greatly reduced.] Ren's eyebrows rose.

"That's… really useful," he murmured under his breath, as he remembered the times in his childhood when he had come back home all battered and bruised. He flexed his fingers, suddenly wondering how much damage he could take now before the effect was overwhelmed. He moved onto the next Attribute. [Survival Instincts] [Your soul reacts to hostile intent before conscious thought, releasing a warning. When another being directs a genuine attempt to cause you physical harm, your awareness sharpens and your reflexes are slightly enhanced.] Ren let out a low whistle.

"Yeah," he said quietly, "that one's sure to be helpful as well." Ren finally remembered something important and looked down from the white text at the bracelet still clenched in his fist. The gift his sister made him had survived the journey to wherever he was now, along with the rest of him.' Just you wait Yumè,' he thought as he pulled back his t-shirt's sleeve and tied the bracelet around his wrist, securing it tightly.' Once I make it back to you, we can head to the capital and cure your Soul Rot!''

It is kind of funny how the charm you used signifies guidance on a long journey, did you somehow predict something like this was going to happen?' By the time he looked up again, Elowen had backed away from Varrin, her anger simmering rather than exploding now. Annoyance painted her face, sharp and vivid against her light blue hair and sparkling eyes. Without thinking, the words slipped out of his mouth.

"Hey, Varrin," Ren said casually, "are you a boy or a girl?" The clearing went dead silent as Varrin froze. Elowen spun around so fast her pale blue hair whipped through the air.

"Oh—!" Varrin stared at Ren like he'd just been struck by lightning.

"I—what?" they stammered. Ren blinked, before sheepishly trying to explain himself.

"I mean—sorry. I was just curious." Varrin opened their mouth, closed it before running a hand through their silver hair in clear disbelief.

"I'm a boy," he said finally in a tight voice.

"I would've thought that was obvious." Elowen tilted her head, all traces of anger gone now.

"But you're so pretty…"

"Yeah," Ren nodded in agreement. The silence returned, thicker this time as Varrin's eye twitched. He scoffed sharply and turned on his heel, beginning to walk out of the clearing.

"Unbelievable," he muttered. Ren watched him go, then glanced at Elowen.

"… We're off to a great start," he said. Elowen sighed and shook her head. Varrin didn't get far as Ren and Elowen followed him out of the clearing and through the trees, the forest thinning as the ground began to slope downward. The air was cold and biting while the sounds of birds and rustling leaves faded, replaced by the soft whisper of an icy wind moving through open space. They emerged at the edge of a small cliff, below them lay a village.

It was modest, no more than a few dozen buildings clustered together surrounded by multiple small wheat fields, with narrow dirt paths winding between them. Wooden homes with slanted roofs, smoke lazily curling from a handful of chimneys. It reminded Ren a lot of his village, only much smaller.' Couldn't be more than five hundred people,'he thought after counting the buildings.' We should be pretty far out from Losso then. But in which direction?'

He was still very confused as to how he came here after having that dream that felt so real, but worrying wasn't going to fix it. And other than somehow becoming a Blessed, nothing seemed wrong with him, so he would figure out a way to get back to Yumè as soon as he oriented himself. On the outskirts of the village stood a little church, its stone walls worn and weathered, a simple bell tower rising above the rooftops. An idea suddenly came to Ren.'

If we can learn which god in the pantheon this church is dedicated to,'he surmised,' we'll be able to pinpoint which region in Xantris we are in. That's assuming the priest doesn't just tell us anyway.' Varrin knelt and started to inspect the slope while Elowen raised a hand in order to block the sun from her face.

"So," Ren said, breaking the silence, "should we head down?" Varrin didn't even turn around to look at him.

"The princess can't," he replied flatly, gesturing vaguely over his shoulder.

"Not dressed like that." Elowen opened her mouth.

"I am not a princess—" She cut herself off when she looked down. The light nightgown Elowen wore fluttered softly in the breeze, the thin fabric doing absolutely nothing to preserve dignity or warmth. The realisation hit her all at once and Elowen's face went crimson once again. Though this time it wasn't out of anger.

"I—this is—" she stammered, ears burning red again.

"I didn't—this isn't—" Ren cleared his throat quickly.

"It's alright," he said.

"You can stay here for now. Varrin and I can check the village out." Varrin snorted and tossed a pebble down the slope.

"You hear that? Heroic already."

"I've still got my satchel, so I should have enough coin to get you something basic to wear," Ren continued, ignoring the silver-haired boy's comment. Elowen looked up at him, eyes wide.

"You'd… do that?"

"Of course," Ren answered with a smile.

"It's not like we can leave you here forever." Varrin laughed under his breath as he stood.

"Good luck finding anything befitting a princess down there."

"I am not—" Elowen tried to say but he simply waved a hand dismissively.

"You two do whatever you want. I'm going." And before either Ren or Elowen could respond, he stepped forward and slid down the slope with seeming ease, boots skidding against loose dirt and stone until he landed near the treeline below. Ren watched his graceful figure descend, then glanced back at Elowen. She looked at him, lips pressed into a firm line, whatever flicker of worry that surfaced in her blue eyes quickly steeled over into something harder.

"... Do not do anything reckless," she said evenly. Ren sighed.

"Stay hidden," he replied, turning toward the slope.

"We'll be back soon enough."