Shadow Slave: Regret Name

The room did not look so different from Lin and mine.

Lyney did not seem to possess many valuables, or at least did not carry much.

Lyney, without any sign of urgency, casually took a seat on a part of furniture placed in the middle of the room, signaling me to have a seat too.

Having a bit of concerning thoughts with signs of suspicion, I sat down quietly with no rush, as well.

After a few quiet moments, Lyney started to speak.

"Have you seen your Soul Sea yet?"

"No, is that relevant as for now? I think it's a bit too late for that."

Lyney's expression seems as distant as always, but it seems as if her tact is also missing.

However, trusting her judgement, I decided to pry a bit deeper as if I'm taking the bait on purpose.

"How can I find out about my Soul Sea?"

"It is said that a Soul Sea could represent a person's nature. His soul, and of course, his Aspect.

"People who awakened before the days of the nightmare spell had to go through thorough trainings just to gain access to their Soul Sea.

"However, The Nightmare Spell gives us an easy access.

"All you need to do is think about it. Try it."

Lyney seems to know about the history before The Nightmare Spell.

'Must be from the classes of advanced theoretical knowledge of The Spell.'

Following the leads Lyney gave me, I started to simply think of reaching into my Soul Sea.

Before knowing it, I found myself standing on a land made of water, reaching to endless horizon as quiet waves move around.

'My Soul Sea.'

The entire space felt surprisingly natural. The sensation of the environment or any sensation, really, did not change.

That is to be expected, I was not transported anywhere, but rather, I managed to reach the depth of my soul. A part of myself.

The entire place felt quite eerie. The entire surface of the balmy sea was filled with mist, mystical as if it belonged to a spiritual existence.

The mist is not as thick as much, I could see through it, but it gave the environment a majestic sensation.

The fog moves around moving with the waves, but aside from that, the entire space looks empty. Too empty, even.

The core that was supposed to shine bright in the sky of my Soul Sea seems dimmed and faint, as if something is blocking it from shining.

The sky, however, showed two sparkling stars beside the core, radiating a familiar sensation. 'Those are… regrets.'

Each one represents the regrets I'm most associated with. Lin and Lyney's. However, they both seem to shine brighter than my Soul Core.

Thinking back, a certain rune came to mind, as I look at the dimmed, transparent sphere of light at the same.

[Pangs of Shattered Memories: Regrets exist to burden the soul. With each burden, your soul will grow heavier.] [0/50]

Does that mean each regret could affect my Soul Core, too?

'Only one way to find out.'

Finally, with this out of the way, I left the Soul Sea and found myself back in Lyney's room.

Noticing my consciousness returning, Lyney asked with a hint of curiosity how my Soul Sea looks like.

After telling her the details, including my Innate Ability, she asked me to try infusing her Regret Spirit with my soul.

"I can try, but I don't really know how it will affect you or me…"

"That's fine."

commanding her Regret Spirit, I took a firm grip on the Spirit.

Lyney showed an uneasy expression, as if she's being affected by an attack on the soul. Meanwhile, the Regret Spirit started to dissipate.

Feeling the same sensation of harmonization with the Spirit, as it's being absorbed and consumed into my own, with the discomfort slowly dying down.

Hearing groans of discomfort coming from Lyney, I could see her hiding her breaths, exhausted and injured.

Her face was red, as if she had caught a cold, and she was having a nightmare. As if my discomfort has been transferred to her.

Meanwhile, I finished absorbing the Spirit completely, leaving me with a faint momentary sensation of euphoria.

I felt my body changing, refined and lighter, as if my body had been reformed anew.

Forgetting the sensation, I hurried to help Lyney recover. Helping her sit down and bringing a refreshment in hope to help her re-adjust.

"You really should rest for some time. We could take care of you in the next few days."

"No… that won't be possible."

Her face seems unusually expressive, with terror and regret deriving her reaction and filling her voice.

She struggled to speak, her voice is weak and in pain, yet she insisted on staying up and shouting with an ounce of urgency.

"Right at this moment, the twins of Valor are getting rid of Lin."

"What?"

It's been around an hour since we left the dorm, if Valor were truly after Lin at this very time of the day they must have gathered an intel of the current situation.

Re-arranging the thoughts in my mind, I jumped off my seat and panic showed on my face as I yelled at Lyney out of concern to Lin.

"Wait, Lyney, the informant who gave you the intel of Valor about to make a move…"

Lyney regained her composure quite fast, as if her emotions were turned off again. But this time she was even more distant than usual.

"That's right, it was non other than the twins of Valor themselves.

"I was tasked with getting Lin in a position where he is left alone, therefore I kept you occupied for the past hour.

"But I cannot let you leave yet."

As Lyney spoke, an intense sense of drowsiness was spread, leaving me abnormally tired and forcing me to get into a state of relaxation.

Every sense of urgency and panic died down. The entire situation had seemed to change, my mind tried to convince me it was all fine.

But I knew it wasn't, the facts were standing in front of me.

In the past couple of weeks, I believed I could rely on Lin. Rely on Lyney…

But now it all seems like a distant dream.

All I wanted to do was just go back to that sweet dream, fall asleep and return to how things had been before.

But I couldn't! I can't. not now.

"Stop Lyney, what are you doing?

"Aren't you supposed to side with Lin?"

Lyney seems to have recovered almost completely by now. She sat down on the couch watching me fall into a deep slumber.

She did not speak, did not move, but simply watched me fall unconscious.

The last thing hearing her say is:

"I don't know what gave you that impression. He was the one following me."

And then, everything went dark. As a scene of darkness filled my vision. The tiredness took over and the false need of sleep drowned me into a deep slumber.

***

Clouds of doubt seem to cover my vision and thoughts. Filled with full of emotions.

Sorrow, Sadness, Anger, Hatred, Resentment…

Regret.

This emotion of Regret seems to stand out, as a sole light burns bright in a starless sky.

The light took out a form, a shape, of a familiar figure.

Me.

My first own Regret Spirit has been formed.