I stared at the words, not feeling any urgency.
I finally understood what had been bothering me this whole time, and I was calm—almost a different person.
"Soul damage?"
[You died. There are consequences for that. The timeline distorts—to simplify—you came back in time and created a new timeline. The world continued after your first death and assassination. Systems know about the multiverse and take advantage of it, but we don''t truly understand it. We have even less control over it. Gods exist in all realities and have knowledge from them, but they aren''t upfront with the information. Death and rebirth naturally damage the soul, but during binding, the system gives the host a soul supplement to heal the damage.]
I took out the notebook from beneath my bed. An old thing I''d used as a diary for a few days before abandoning. I''d never had the patience for it. It was blank.
I moved to the vanity, sitting and using it as a desk. I started jotting down what I remembered from my first and second lives. I hesitated but wrote down what happened in Milly''s world.
"It''s only supposed to happen once, but it''s happened twice after that." Bed, vanity, cupboard, screen, and tub--this room needed a writing desk and chair. I was either sitting on the windowsill or the bed. I''d never needed one before.
[Yes.]
"Is that why I feel so—blah?" I asked, moving to the window. I didn''t like sitting at the vanity. I didn''t like looking in the mirror.
[Apathy is a symptom of soul damage.]
I tapped my finger against the glass. "Any chance you have more soul supplements?"
[Even if I had more, I can''t give it to you. It''s a single-use remedy, and subsequent uses will have minimal to no effectiveness.]
"Is there anything in the store that can help?" I tapped on the screen and scrolled through the list of items, my eyes widening at the variety. I blushed when I read the description of the all-night-all-day pill, wondering why such a thing existed. And if I spent too much time looking at the voluptuous body pill, then no one knew but me.
[Soul damage isn''t uncommon in fights between cultivators, but not to this degree. If it were minor damage, simply cultivating would be enough for the damage to repair itself over time. There are medicines and pills, but your cultivation level is too low to use them, and you can''t purchase them in the store yet. Reaching Foundation Establishment won''t fix the damage, it''s the baseline so you don''t die.]
I was suddenly grateful for the numbness I felt because I wasn''t sure I could handle or process this information. Death always loomed over me, but I''d just realized how close it was. I was almost fifty when I died the first time around.
[That''s not all. Apathy is one symptom. There are others, and the damage is extensive. It''s like an open bleeding wound, slowly getting worse. Apathy isn''t as easy to manage as it seems and what about rage and emotional outbursts? Also, the exterior reflects the interior. With your soul damaged, you''ll have physical symptoms that can range from weight loss to blindness. And--]
"And," I prompted. I knew my situation was dangerous, there was even a flash of panic and fear, but it lasted only a moment before sinking into the darkness like a stone thrown into a well.
[Your situation is dire, but you should have at least two years before you experience multiple organ failure. That made me wonder why the time limit was a year and I noticed a change to my functionality.]
The blue mirror changed to the quest section. My eyes widened, and I used my finger to move the page.
[Random Quest: Copy five hundred books on art, culture, history, and magic*]
[Optional Quest: Cure status ailment.]
[Mandatory Quest: Cultivate to Foundation Establishment.]
[Permanent Quest: Complete one request per month.]
My breath caught in my chest as I tapped on the permanent quest, and the information expanded.
I''d always hated fear—how my body and mind would freeze up, and leave me at the mercy of others, but I realized how important fear was as I read the quest and felt only a twinge of irritation. There was no urgency, like how I felt eating was unimportant earlier.
Ding. Permanent Quest Generated.
Complete one request per month
Damages: Soul Damage
Penalty:
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li>Death</li>
<li>Become a fragmented restless soul</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
Request Board
Anya Demsi-Become Queen.
Biden Hail-Discover who''s responsible for Biden Hail''s death, and kill them.
Fini? McIntire-Discover who''s responsible for Fini? McIntire''s death.
Flaval of Creet-Find out who betrayed the woodland elves of Creet and bring them to justice.
Lola Killmore-Find out who''s responsible for Lola Killmore, Safia Killmore, and Jullian Killmore''s death and make them suffer a fate worse than death.
<em style="text-indent: 45.3543px">Maria-Kill husband.
<em style="text-indent: 45.3543px">Mark Boden-Reclaim title.
Shen Wei-Become favored son of heaven (locked)
Stanely Rice-Locate Amia Rice.
As I read, the request list changed, adding another name.
Tamara Green-Discover who''s responsible for Tamara Green''s death.
I tapped on it, and the information expanded.
Client: Tamara Green
Request: Discover who''s responsible for Tamara Green''s death.
Stipulation(s):
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li>Attend Killingworth Academy</li>
<li>Become a 3rd class mage</li>
<li>Live until 60 years old</li>
<li>Secure the safety and ensure the continued well-being of Tiffany Nix and Ansel Green</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
Reward(s):
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li>1000 revenge points</li>
<li>5 strands Divine Qi</li>
<li>50% of the wealth amassed during request. </li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
Penalty:
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ul>
<li>Breaking the contract before completion will incur a termination fee of 500 revenge points.</li>
<li>Failure to complete the stipulations within the allotted time will incur a fee of 500 revenge points.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
"Was this available before?" I asked.
[I checked my metadata, and the information has been there since I came to the world, but I didn''t have clearance to access it.]
I noticed he sounded weird—stressed and unsure, but I couldn''t bring myself to care enough to ask and the moment passed.
[The request system already existed. It is a precursor quest requiring you to start an organization to handle requests that can fall into categories like kill quests; gather quests; delivery quests; and escort quests. After completion, the system would assess the difficulty of the request, and pay a suitable number of revenge points. That organization would integrate into your sect and become the mission hall. It would be a physical organization.]
I thought back to the old lady and the reward I got for helping her.
The setup sounded like an adventurer or assassin''s guild.
It made sense. Unless I constantly put myself in a position to be wronged, I''d run out of people I needed to get revenge on.
This was similar, but the scale was different—this wasn''t something I could fathom. It had the grubby paw prints of a god all over it. "God?" I asked, certain Gideon had a similar thought.
[It has to be, but I can''t understand how or why. There is a 50-50 split of the Divine Qi between the host and the system, so they aren''t benefiting from that. You don''t know the name of the god, so you can''t give tribute or encourage others to worship.]
If Gideon didn''t know, it was even less likely that I''d be able to find out.
I read the information twice before clicking on another name. Something or someone must have accepted a request on my behalf to stop me from dying after the assassination attempt.
Client: Anya Demsi
Request: Become queen
Stipulation(s):
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li>Kill Frank Demsi</li>
<li>Anya Demsi''s reign should be prosperous with at least a 10% increase in the country''s National Income</li>
<li>Anya Demsi''s conduct should be exemplary during her reign</li>
<li>Must have at least one child</li>
<li>The heir must be of age and have the competence necessary to occupy the position of monarch. </li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
Reward(s):
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li>5000 revenge points</li>
<li>1000 fame points</li>
<li>1/2 strands Divine Qi</li>
<li>50% of the wealth amassed during request.</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
Penalty:
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ul>
<li>Breaking the contract before completion will incur a termination fee of 10,000 revenge points.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
I clicked on Shen Wei. The word locked caught my attention because it differed from the others.
Client: Shen Wei
Request: Become the favored son of heaven
Down payment:
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li>15,000 revenge points. </li>
<li>10 strands Divine Qi</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
Stipulation(s):
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li>Cripple Shen Bai</li>
<li>Break Engagement with Mu Family</li>
<li>Leave the Shen Family</li>
<li>Join Medicine Valley</li>
<li>Become Inner Disciple</li>
<li>Find Tai Yi Whip</li>
<li>Earn Qualification for Upper Realm Sect (must be one of the big three)</li>
<li>Posses an exemplary reputation</li>
<li>Do not support the Shen Family</li>
<li>Deny all requests to the Shen Family</li>
<li>Do not support the Mu Family</li>
<li>Deny all the requests of the Mu Family</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
Reward(s):
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ol>
<li>50000 revenge points</li>
<li>1000 fame points</li>
<li>1000 reputation points</li>
<li>50% of the Divine Qi strands collected during request.</li>
<li>50% of the wealth amassed during request.</li>
<li>15 contribution points</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
Penalty:
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none">
<ul>
<li>Breaking the contract before completion will incur a termination fee of 10,000 revenge points and forfeiture of the down payment. </li>
<li>Failure to complete the stipulations will result in death</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
I clicked on all the names, reading each one carefully before looking away.
Not all the names on the list were women and more than a few requested an heir. I''d have to think about this again when I was more emotional. I felt like laughing at that, but I couldn''t hold on to it.
There were differences in the rewards and penalties and I attributed it to the difficulty, stipulations, and if the world had a power system.
Also, revenge points weren''t the only ones available—I''d seen fame, love, hate, and reputation points and there might be others. I recalled when Gideon first introduced himself—he said he was from the revenge series, which meant there were other revenge systems and other types of systems. There wasn''t anywhere in the system that I could use the other points, but they had to serve a purpose.
There were also contribution points similar to an adventure''s guild—collect a certain number and the adventure''s rank increases and they could take on different, usually more difficult quests. Only the cultivation quest had contribution points.
I questioned Gideon, and he confirmed my thoughts.
My mouth opened, a question on my lips, but I couldn''t find the words and there was a strange feeling--like the world was just slightly off balance. I looked down, my fingers twitching, and dread overtook me.
I stood but was unsteady, and a wave of dizziness washed over me, I was breathing through a wet cloth again--thick and suffocating. I tried inhaling and forced my hand to reach out to steady myself, but my body wasn''t listening.
I managed a step, then--everything snapped.
A violent jerk ripped through me, and my body stiffened, seizing all at once. I fell, or maybe I''d already fallen--I couldn''t tell. My limbs jerked, twisted, and trembled beyond my control. There was a pressure in my chest, my heart and lungs gripped in a fist and squeezed too tight--and I could hear something--a distant, distorted sound that I couldn''t make sense of.
I''m still there, but my mind was buried beneath the chaos. My body was uncontrolled--a ship on stormy seas--thrashing, trembling, caught in a rhythm I can''t stop.
I wanted it to end. I waited for it to end, but time stretched, endless, and uncertain.
Then, as swiftly as it came, it left, like summer storms blown away, it faded. My muscles loosened, aching, and exhausted. I heard my breathing before I felt my chest pulling in ragged breaths.
I lay on the floor, my limbs bent oddly, but I couldn''t find the energy to move as the world pieced itself together.
I was drained, and echoes of that pulse through my bones, threatening to return.
Yet, everything felt distant like I was viewing it through fog.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling, wishing I was worried.
"Gideon, what happened?" My voice was rough and uneven, each word coming out strained as if dragged over gravel before reaching air. There was a rawness to it, a whisper of pain and exhaustion beneath every syllable--my body telling me what my mind couldn''t understand.
[It''s a seizure caused by your body rejecting your soul.]
"Every time?"
[Yes and it will only worsen every time you complete a request. The seizures will also affect the bodies you inhabit during your quests.]
Would Anya Demsi be considered a competent queen if she kept dropping over and shaking like she was possessed? "Oh." As I lay there, eyes half-lidded, I wondered how long it would be before I moved. I knew I should be grateful that I hadn''t eaten, so I wasn''t lying in my own filth. I understood that I had enough energy to crawl to my bed. Rationally, I should regret deliberately getting punished, but nothing seemed to touch me--good news, bad news, chaos, calm--it all passed by like a breeze, noticed but never felt.
[Jal, take a remedy pill.]