n

n

nThere was another message, and if Eldrian was in his normal mood he would have been jumping from excitement. Now, instead, he simply looked at it and then logged out.

nSoul essence absorbed - Soul of Milgoroth, Tier 8, Level 42 (3

/5 absorbed)

n{The soul is the cornerstone of life, it is everything a person is outside of their physical body. Soul essence is what becomes of this once they die, both physically and ethereally. When true death arrives.}

n{Soul essence is filled with energy, however, often not all of it can be handled if someone (normally devils) attempt to absorb it. As such a great deal is wasted, yet even so the benefits are great.}

nGained 400M XP, turned into levels -> 4 levels gained

nReached level 32 -> New death penalty 4 levels on death (resurrection penalty)

nAttribute bonuses gained:

nStrength: 1% bonus

nAgility: 1% bonus

nSpirit: 2.5% bonus

nStat bonus gained:

nHP: 15% bonus

nMana: 5% bonus

nStamina: 10% bonus

nBonusses will last until Tier 8, upon which time it will turn into a flat value as your soul finally becomes strong enough to make use of all the soul essence absorbed.

nInstead of jumping from joy or looking at what his stats were now, Eldrian instead logged out. As soon as he did, he went for a walk and called his sister.

n

"Eldrian, what's up?

" Came a tired voice of someone who was woken in the middle of the night. Just hearing Jen's voice instantly ease Eldrian's heart.

n

"I did something terrible, Jen... Can we meet?

" Naturally, hearing the depressing tone in his voice she immediately jumped out of bed and started getting dressed in something more than pajamas.

n

"Of course, meet me at Elton Park.

"

n

"Thanks...

" Hanging up, Eldrian moved towards the gate and started running. Ignoring the fact that it was 8 kilometers (5mi) and that he could easily get a car or bicycle. Instead, he ran.

nHe started off with a light jog, yet when his mind was left to think it kept going over what he had done. So, he picked up his speed until he was sprinting at his fastest.

nHe arrived at the park just a few minutes after Jen, despite her having needed to walk just 1 kilometer (0.62mi).

nSeeing Eldrian arriving at an insane speed, Jen knew things were serious. And instead of asking, she just hugged him. Shocked that he was just slightly out of breath and that he was not soaked. More shocking, she realized he had likely ran the entire way.

nFeeling the embrace, Eldrian couldn't keep it in any longer and started crying. The two slowly fell to the ground as Eldrian's feet gave under him.

nTen minutes later Eldrian finally managed to collect his thoughts. The cry had made him feel massively better, yet, once his thoughts started again he quickly became saddened again.

n

"I'm here... If you want to talk,

" Jen said and Eldrian nodded. Taking a deep breath, he faltered. So he took another and failed again.

nAfter the fifth attempt, he blurted out,

"I killed someone!

"

nNot at all having expected something like that, Jen looked at Eldrian in shock.

"Wha-what do you mean?

"

n

"I-I... It...

" Eldrian faltered again as he had no idea how to explain what he had blurted.

"In ANW. I killed someone.

"

nHearing that it was about the game Jen instantly sighed in relief. Her first instincts were to say that it was just a game, however, she knew that it was much more to Eldrian. So, instead, she asked,

"What happened. There must be a reason, you wouldn't do something like that without a good reason.

"

nEldrian nodded and with a heavy heart he started recounting what had happened and what he had done. Jen failed to understand a massive part of it, yet, one thing was clear.

n

"But he was a terrible person. Not even a person, a devil.

"

n

"And why does that mean that he doesn't deserve to live?

"

n

"Of course he didn't! You just explained how he had killed plenty of people and even tried to kill you! How can you be worried about this?

"

n

"But...

" Hearing these words from Jen however finally made it click. Made what he had been telling himself finally have some weight behind them. Still, it was not so easy to recover.

n

"I still feel like ** for doing it,

" Eldrian said after a moment of silence.

n

"Good! I don't want you to start enjoying killing. But, you must have known you will have to kill. I mean, the entire premise of the game is a massive invasion instigated by these races.

"

nEldrian nodded,

"It was just... He was defenseless.

"

n

"And he had hoped that the person who he invaded would be defenseless. He was not a good person.

"

nEldrian nodded again and the two sat in silence in the dark. Two hours later Eldrian finally spoke again,

"Thank you.

"

nThis thank you was the most honest one he had ever said, from the depth of his heart. Jen's presence had calmed him as he worked through what had happened. Never had he thought he would feel so wracked with guilt.

nNodding, Jen helped him up and the two turned to look at the moon that was now halfway toward the horizon.

"Remember to enjoy the beautiful things, big or small. Everyday.

" Jen said and Eldrian nodded.

n

"Thanks.

"

nNodding, Jen turned to look at Eldrian seriously.

"Now that you calmed down, care to explain how you arrived?

"

n

"What do you mean?

" Eldrian asked and Jen sighed as she realized he had likely not realized due to the state he had been in.

n

"You ran here, right?

"

nEldrian nodded.

n

"Miracle is nearly 10 kilometers from here, right?

"

nAgain Eldrian nodded,

"Eight.

"

n

"Then how did you make it just a few minutes after me?

"

nStumped, realization dawned on Eldrian and when Jen pointed out that. It wasn't such an insane thing, he had simply crossed 8km in around 15 minutes. Yet, both of them realized that that was extremely fast.

nQuickly, Jen took out her phone to check the world record for such a distance. Finding that it was around 20 minutes.

n

"Eldrian...

" Showing her phone to him, Eldrian was just as stumped.

n'I know I have been feeling stronger and stronger. But, is this really possible?' He wondered, 5 minutes on such a massive distance was insane. They both knew it.

n

"Let's keep this between us for now,

" Eldrian said and Jen quickly agreed. She did not want Eldrian to suddenly become even more of a guinea pig.

nWalking Jen home, Eldrian thanked her again and on his way back to Miracle (this time at a relaxed walk) he messaged Erik and asked if they could go out some night. Eldrian needed an outlet, for while he felt much better, the guilt was still there.

nReturning to his room, Eldrian had no interest in logging into the game. Instead, he jumped onto his bed and had an uneasy sleep. Waking at the crack of dawn where he immediately went for a run. Making sure to not go at his max speed.. Yet, doing so it felt more like a jog than a run.

n