From Real to Realm

Val shook her head. “Alright, you’ve lost me.”

Qhemeria stepped forward, worried. “It won’t affect her long-term, right?”

Thalyes stepped back, circling his desk to sit. “Given what I could read, the urgency of your reincarnation didn’t factor in how the system would react to your presence. As I said, the system exists from the moment anyone is born.” He clasped his hands in front of his mouth, thinking. “You weren’t born into this world, this system. You were placed, and the system is struggling to adapt to your existence.”

“This sounds way too complicated for me,” Val said, throwing her hands up. “Can you try to simplify it?”

He sighed. “Your body has been on Athyris since birth; the system recognizes it. Your soul hasn’t, so the system isn’t working fully. It can give you the interface, your level, and even recognize your chosen class. However, that information is dependent on your body and choices within the interface.”

Feyris snapped her fingers. “That makes sense! It’s struggling to connect with the will of Val’s soul, right?”

Thalyes nodded. “Exactly. Reading the body’s pattern to fill out the interface is easy; understanding the soul within is another thing entirely.”

Val pinched the bridge of her nose. “That all sounds very interesting, but it doesn’t help me.”

Thalyes stood. “I may be able to help the system recognize your soul more clearly. What form that recognition takes, I cannot say.”

“Is that really possible?” Qhemeria asked, glancing between the two of them.

“It is, but what happens next depends greatly on Valnarei,” he said, approaching her. “Learned techniques are the system responding to the will, desire, and need of the soul to perform abilities that are uniquely its own. With my help, hopefully, the system will interpret your soul properly.”

Val sighed. “What do I need to do?”

Thalyes smiled faintly. “Only endure it. Leave the rest to me.”

“Alright. Hit me with it then.”

He slowly placed his hand over her heart. “Qhemeria, I need you to release the first level of the seal.”

Feyris and Qhemeria both went wide-eyed.

Qhemeria stepped forward, searching Val’s eyes. “If you truly feel she is ready.”

Feyris stepped forward. “Already?! Isn’t it a little early?”

“I believe she is more than ready for what comes next,” Thalyes said, closing his eyes. “She’s been through much already. She’s faced death and refused to let it stop her.” He opened his eyes as his hand began glowing.

Val closed her eyes as well. She didn’t know why, but her thoughts quickly began to haze. Thalyes’ hand was warm against her, and that warmth continued to build. The room began to blur around her as she struggled to focus on anything beyond the warmth building beneath his hand.

“Your journey is only beginning, Valnarei,” he whispered. “None of us intend to leave you to it alone.”

Val’s eyes shot open as she struggled to her hands and knees in bed. She was drenched in sweat as excess energy coursed through her. Her hands squeezed the sheets as her eyes adjusted to the dark room. Lynesia was blinking awake next to her, startled.

“Val?”

Was that just a dream?

“Valnarei? Love, are you okay?”

Fuck, there’s no way that was real. Right?

“VAL!” Lynesia reached over, grabbing Val’s chin. “Please tell me you’re okay!”

Val gulped, nodded. “I’m fine, I’m okay.”

Lynesia’s eyes searched her face. “Are you sure? You’re drenched in sweat and breathing hard. Do you feel okay?”

“I’m fine, I promise.” She stood from the bed, tossing her soaked shirt to the side. “Just a really crazy… dream.”

Val eventually was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. She couldn’t stop thinking about what she experienced. As much as she wished it was only a dream, she knew better. Dreams are hard to remember, yet she could remember every detail of what happened. The long uniform marble hallways, Feyris, Thalyes, and even the way Qhemeria looked at her before she closed her eyes.

What does releasing the first level of the seal mean?

She looked at her hand, flexing it. The excess energy from before had faded already. Val also couldn’t summon her class interface anymore. It worried her.

If him fucking with it ruins everything…

She clenched her fist, gritting her teeth.

He’d better hope not.

It took a bit longer for her to finally fall asleep.

When morning finally came, she woke up to an empty bed. Lynesia was already up and about. Val felt wired, like she had just slept for years and was ready to take on anything.

She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. “Please fucking work…” She took a deep breath. “Status.”

[Name:]

Valnarei Rose Strouss

[Age:] 19

[Race:]

Half-Elf

[Combat Type:] Hybrid

[Archetype:] Locked

[Level:] Five

[Strength:] C

[Endurance:] D

[Agility:] C

[Dexterity:] E

[Resolve:] D

[Resilience:] D

[Arcana:] E

[Mana:] E

[Skills:]

None

[Passive Traits:]

Harmonizing Touch, Divine Seal [Lvl 1]

The first thing that stood out was her techniques, or lack thereof.

“What the fuck? Skills?” She stared at it, as if it would revert just from that. “What the fuck does it mean by ‘skills’? How is that change supposed to help me earn anything?!”

However, something else stood out even more. Once she noticed it, she mentally opened the description.

Divine Seal [Level One]

The first release of a divine seal bound to your soul. Each subsequent release further strengthens your innate abilities.

[Level One]: Increases experience gain for you and your constant companions.

“Holy shit…”

This was the first concrete confirmation that last night wasn’t just a dream. Even staring at the trait made it hard to believe.

Val ran her hands through her hair. “I’m supposed to be some divine champion?” She looked down at her hands. “Can I even do that? I couldn’t protect Elza or Mina. Do I even deserve this kind of power?”

Lynesia turned the corner with breakfast. “Oh, you’re awake.” She slipped back into bed with both plates. “Are you feeling okay?”

It took everything in Val not to spill right then and there. Not having someone to talk to about this was driving her crazy.

“I feel fine, nothing feels off.”

Val accepted her plate of food and settled into bed with Lynesia. The two of them ate in relative silence together. Lynesia would occasionally glance at Val, as if checking to make sure nothing was off. It was obvious she could sense something, but there was no way she knew what was truly going on.

Maybe I should tell her the truth about me…

Val glanced over and felt her heart throb. The thought of lying to the woman she loved didn’t sit right with her anymore. Even if the truth could damage things beyond repair, it wasn’t fair to Lynesia anymore. It wasn’t to begin with, either.

She sat there, poking her food on the plate. There was no easy way to broach the subject.

How do I even say it? I can’t just blurt out the truth…

Eventually, she set her plate on the nightstand.

“Lynesia… I—I need to tell you something.”

Stuttering? I don’t stutter.

Of course, Lynesia’s expression shifted immediately to worry. “Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”

Val started to shake her head, then stopped. “I uh, fuck, um, not really? Yes? Kinda?”

The change from normal confidence to a stuttering wreck was affecting Lynesia. It wasn’t like Val to be this way.

“Val, you’re worrying me. What’s what? Did something happen?”

“Do you remember when I told you I lost my memories? That I didn’t remember anything before the coma?”

Lynesia’s expression lightened. “Have some come back?”

Val turned, taking Lynesia’s hand in her own. “No.” She gently rubbed the backs of Lynesia’s hands. “They can’t.”

She could see the confusion grow in Lynesia’s expression. The little hope that had been sparkling in her eyes gave way to growing confusion. She opened her mouth to say something, then stopped as she processed what Val said.

“What do you mean, ‘they can’t’?”

Val took a deep breath. “They aren’t my memories, so it’s not possible for me to have them.”

There was more than confusion now. It was deeper than mere confusion.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying,” she said, pulling away slightly.

“Lynesia… I’m not the Val you knew before the coma.” Val swallowed hard, tears spilling over. “My name was Christina, and when I died… the gods put my soul in this body.”

Dead silence.

Lynesia didn’t react; she just stared into Val’s eyes.

“Y—you’re serious… aren’t you?”

Val was caught off guard by the question. There was no way she’d ever joke about something as serious as this. Then she realized Lynesia was desperate for this to be a joke.

“I am,” Val said, wiping away tears. “Ever since I woke up, I’ve had people around me to support me. First my family, then you. Everything since I woke up has been real. It’s been me and only me.”

Lynesia pushed herself back, nearing the edge of the bed. “What happened to my best friend? What happened to Val?”

Instead of trying to stop her, Val sat still. “The goddess who brought me here said she helped Val’s soul move on.”

Lynesia’s bare feet hitting the floor were the only sound in the room. Her expression was strained. Multiple emotions were fighting to the surface as she tried wrapping her head around what Val said.

“D—did you kill Val?”

The question hurt so much.

Val shook her head, desperately. “No! I swear I had no choice in this! I was on my own world, falling asleep, and then I died…” She looked down at her hands. “I died and was offered another chance.”

The first spark of emotion finally showed.

“So you just took her place?!”

Val flinched at the question. “They told me if I didn’t, she’d die no matter what… I thought…” She swallowed, wiping more tears away. “My family on Earth had to bury me. If I could stop someone from going through the same hurt here, I was going to do it.”

Lynesia stared at Val for a moment. Her gaze held so many emotions it was hard to tell which was winning. “I—I can’t do this.”

Without warning, Lynesia started grabbing her clothes. Val shifted onto her knees, heart pounding as she watched.

“L—Lynesia…”

Val realized how dry her mouth was.

Lynesia didn’t worry about her hair. Once she was dressed, she grabbed a handful of her things.

“I don’t know who you are anymore…”

The last thing Val heard was the apartment door shutting. She stayed kneeling on the bed, staring at the door to her bedroom. The last look in Lynesia’s eyes broke her heart.

“FUCK!”

Val wanted nothing more than to run after her, but what would she say? What could she say?

“I…” She sobbed. “I’m sorry…”

An emptiness followed Val over the coming days. Over time, Lynesia had been involved with every aspect of Val’s life. She had become part of every corner of Val’s life. The kitchen wasn’t being used anymore, as Val had once again relied on Marxus’ wife’s cooking. Her bed felt empty and cold every night without Lynesia, as she struggled to fall asleep. The bathtub felt too big now that it was only ever Val inside of it.

Outside of her apartment, Lynesia’s absence was felt just as much. Considering she was the party’s mage, it affected more than just Val. With their mage absent, the rest of them had to rely on Stormveil whenever they wanted to delve. Of course, the rest of the group asked what happened, but Val didn’t go into detail. Maybe one day in the future, she could tell them the truth about herself, but right now she needed to get through this.

After the first couple of days, Val couldn’t take the silence around the apartment. Soon, she would spend all day either delving or training. It was rare for her to be home other than to sleep before going back out the next day.

You’re killing yourself out here, Val.

Amarisse had seen the spiral before anyone else did. Just because she could see it didn’t mean Val was willing to stop. It wasn’t like she was unnecessarily putting her life or others’ in danger. She was pushing herself too hard in training and down in the dungeon.

Thwack!

Val pivoted, sliding around the dummy.

Crunch!

Her halberd dug deep into the wood, almost bisecting the upper body. She placed her foot against the base and yanked her blade free. The sudden lack of tension caused her to fall back on her ass. The sun was beginning to set, and she’d been there since it rose into the sky. She was absolutely soaked to the bone in sweat. With the cold weather still lingering, getting sick was a real risk at this point.

“Fuck it’s cold.”

She stood up, brushing the dirt from her pants. There were more than a few small cuts across her exposed skin from the rough training she’d put herself through over the past handful of days.

Val groaned as her body protested every movement. “Still a little daylight left.”

The training yard was almost completely empty by now. Most adventurers had gone home for the day before the cold got any worse.

“You need a break.”

Val froze, heart lurching at the familiar voice.

“You’ll get sick if you aren’t careful.”

She turned, slowly, as if afraid she was imagining things. However, her gaze finally met Lynesia’s.

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