Zilon gave a sigh as he finished explaining everything to Lyla.
While he closed his eyes, he was expecting her to call him a liar, because who would believe it?.
His mind despite coming to terms with reality, is still unconsciously tied to the concept of earth.
Although she had told him to find the core of the Noxoton, she didn't specify were exactly so he couldn't be sure if she knew anything about it.
But even after a full minute he didn't hear anything from her.
Infact he didn't here any sound, he couldn't also sense any movement from the bed, is as if she was gone.
" I knew it she might not believe me "
With slumped shoulders, he opened his eyes not expecting to see anyone at all.
"huh?..." Zilon's eyes widened slightly as he saw that Lyla was still there and infact was looking at him.
Zilon stared at her with genuine surprise as for the first time he saw with his own eyes that, she now had a surprised expression plastered on her face.
Zilon was taken aback by this and had to clean his eyes to confirm if he was seeing things.
The moment he brought his hands down, he was caught off guard when by the return of her usual indifferent expression.
"Was..... I really seeing things? " Those were his thoughts as he closed his mouth which was slightly open.
Since he didn't see it again, it probably means that he was just seeing things he shock his head and dismissed the thought.
"I see, well I guess I will have to be keeping an extra eye on you since he is said those words " She said as she stood up.
She had approached the door when he heard her say:
" Don't forget to take a rest, what you had today... wasn't an easy one"
She then walked out of his room.
She headed too her room, upon reaching, she opened the door and soundlessly walked inside.
Sitting down on the soft mattress of her bed she couldn't help but sigh.
" I can't believe he..... survived that " she thought with mixed emotions.
She had almost lost Zilon today, and it was partially because of her recklessness.
"If I have just given him the medicine, this all wouldn't have happened....."
" I have almost failed dad...just 5 days since his wakening" She muttered shame visible in her tone.
If Zilon was here to see her now , he would have been shocked out of his mind to see her in such a state, because right at the corner of her eyes was...a single tear drop.
Suddenly she let out a puff of air as she tried to surpress the image of her dad's disappointed gaze.
A few moments later after breathing in and out severally, she smiled, her smile brighten up the atmosphere from its previous glummor.
" I thank you.....for not dying...I really thank you " She muttered under her breath.
She closed her eyes for a long while as memories of her past resurfaced in her mind.
From the good times...to that fateful day were she lost the only joy in her life.
Ever since that day she had been tasked with protecting Zilon, at beginning all she felt for him was hate, but because the most important person in her life had told her to guard him, she had to do it.
Years slowly pass by and her hate began to subside to anger, then it changed to emptiness, she didn't hate him anymore as she came to understand that it wasn't really his fault, but even then she couldn't bring her self to like him.
One way or the other it was somehow related to him that it happened.
"But today things have changed...." She said as she opened her eyes abruptly.
Her eyes shone for a brief moment, but it wasn't magic, it was her resolve that shone through her eyes.
She placed a hand on her chest, as she felt a pang in her chest, it wasn't hate, or anger, it wasn't grief or sorrow either.
It was an emotion she was familiar with and not familiar with at the same time.
The reason, because she had only felt this same type of emotion for one person all her life.
It was far from love, but in another sense it was close to it.
"You have earned my respect, Zilon miruba " She said as she stood up and walked to a drawer near her.
--------------------
Back in Zilon's room----
Zilon sat on his bed with a slightly weird expression on his face.
"Rest?" Zilon repeated her words and found it weird for some reason.
Shacking his his head he tried to stand.
But as soon as he did he felt something heavy hitting his head and electric spread over his body.
" Damn.....what hit me "
He said as he fell back to his bed.
In reality nothing had hit him,it was just the pain from his mental consciousness that was receiving the backlash of over exercising it.
Zilon suddenly realized that he had visited his soul not too long ago and was greated with a show that he never asked for.
The memories of his fight with the demon's puppet flashed in his mind making his head hurt badly.
Redirecting those thoughts aside he tried to remember something that happened when Lyla was in his room.
Then it clicked....
"Oh now I remember....." He said as he tried to summon the system.
While he was in the mid process of explaining the events in his soul to Lyla, he indeed saw a message from system telling him he had received something.
" I hope it's something really good "
The moment he thought about the system and the messages , a blue panel materialized in front of him.
"Maybe because i already understand how it works so there isn't a need for me to strain my mind to summon it? " He said with slight confusion in his tone, a little surprised of the lack of difficulty to summon the system even with his condition.
"That or because some how my mental strength had grown stronger.... "
Be that as it may, Zilon was still relieved he didn't have to injure himself just to call the system this time.
He lay motionless, staring at the glowing blue panel that had replaced the ceiling above him. Lines of text shimmered into focus.
[ You have received a title. ]
[ You have received a title. ]
[...]
Zilon blinked slowly, still dazed, his breathing gradually returning to normal. His expression was calm—until the realization hit him.
"A title... I received a title—no, two?!" he muttered, the excitement creeping into his voice.
"What are the odds of that happening " Zilon said with excitement.
But just as he tried to sit up again, a sharp jolt of pain tore through his head like a flash of lightning, causing him to grunt and clutch his temple.
Based on what had explained for him before, a person can live his whole life with getting a single title, so if he was to assume that humans have the same lifespan as those on earth, then yeah the odds are pretty low.
He forced himself to calm down, letting his heartbeat settle before reaching out mentally to examine the first title.
[Title Acquired: Edge of Oblivion]
You have stood at the edge of death, and looked into the abyss without flinching.
While facing an opponent of overwhelming strength, your instincts sharpen, allowing you to momentarily ignore fear and hesitation. The closer you are to defeat, the sharper you become.]
Zilon stared at the description, lips slightly parted.
"This... explains it," he whispered.
He knew that what he faced as a puppet wasn't ordinary, he knew that much ,but to the very end he still underestimated the power the puppet had.
Suddenly he had a vivid recallation of the demon's words.
--------------
"HOW DID YOU SURVIVE THIS?! YOU WEREN'T MEANT TO! NO ONE WAS MEANT TO!!"
---------------
He unconsciously shivered as he now actually realized how close he was to dying.
But no matter what he will never really understand how impossible his situation have been,not for a long while.
Pushing all thoughts aside, A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"[Edge of Oblivion] huh... Sounds just about right."
He will have to have to examine the title in details, so that he maybe able to graspe it's effect.
Right now apart from the obvious, there might be things he wasn't aware of so it was best for him to check on it more later.
He subtly nods his head , eyes drifting back to the panel. He still had another title to check.
He had gained something from the encounter— although unexpected , a strange boost, yes—but more than that, a shift. One that would ripple through everything that came next.
Zilon turned his attention back to the panel, mentally prompting it once again. The interface shimmered, and the notification returned—but this time, only one remained.
As he focused on it, the text distorted slightly, then realigned itself. The blue panel blurred at the edges as a new screen pushed its way forward, blocking out his vision entirely.
[Title Acquired: Fated Challenger]
Fate marks you as a test subject of strength.
You are bound to encounter opponents far beyond your level. Survival is not guaranteed — but evolution is.]
Zilon squinted at the screen, his brows slowly knitting together.
"What type of f*uck up title description is this? "
"This one... feels like a curse disguised as a blessing," he muttered, unease creeping into his voice.
A system that pits him against stronger enemies—on purpose. A fate that wants him to struggle. To suffer. To evolve.
Zilon wasn't really happy with what he received, it had no outright benefits whatsoever and now he had experienced how it feels to fight someone who is way stronger than he was.
"Its painfully unpleasant, to the least "
If it weren't because almost everything worked on his side on that fight he was sure he wouldn't have woken up again.
Still he gave a sigh as he tried to cheer up remembering the first title.
"Well nothing is ever simple for those who transmigrated, I should have expected that much " he said with a chuckle remembering all those drama and anime he watched.
He decided to close the window not without confirmin that he had gotten everything and he didn't miss anything.
Closing the current panel,he entered the previous panel as if he was scrolling through tabs.
But the instant he did , he saw another notification, the way it appeared was so quick that Zilon was confused whether it just came now or it had been there since.
Still reading the contents his expression froze.
[ You have been cursed ]
Zilon stared at the message with an empty expression, almost resembling the puppet he had fought.
He read the line over and over again.
"No... it can't be…"
He shook his head, trying to ground himself.
"Calm down, Zilon. It might just be a side effect… from what happened inside my soul, right? If it comes to it… I can always ask her for help."
He exhaled a shaky breath, attempting to be optimistic, he thought of different scenarios.
But it failed—miserably.
As the name implies, a curse is a curse.
Which means bad news.
His body trembled uncontrollably, the tremors subtle at first but growing, and small beads of sweat slid down his temple like silent betrayals. His stomach churned. His thoughts felt like a thousand knives all pointed inward.
With one final breath, he focused on the new notification, forcing himself to face it.
The text split and reshaped itself in the usual way—but to Zilon, it felt like time had fractured. Like the letters were spinning endlessly before forming coherent lines.
And then… it appeared:
[Curse Inflicted: Split Mind]
Inflicted by the Demon Lord of Ruin.
Every 10 seconds in battle, for 2 seconds, your thoughts fracture — reason becomes clouded, instincts contradict, and control slips.
You are your own worst enemy.]
He stopped.
Wiped his eyes.
Read it again.
And again.
Until the full weight of it settled in.
Zilon didn't scream.
He didn't panic.
Well actually he couldn't even if he wanted too, his head already buzzed from the pain.
He just stared—eyes darkening, shoulders still, his chest rising and falling like someone slowly being drowned in invisible water.
"…Of all the things…" he whispered hoarsely.
His chest rose and fell as he tried to control the heat that was burning in his chest.
"That bastard..." Zilon gritted his teeth.
He held his chest and breathed in and out trying to calm his mind .
" Demon lord of ruin huh?....." Zilon eyes showed a murderous glint in eyes and he gazed at his panel remembering the last words of the demon lord before he woke up.
.....
"No matter... You are someone I can no longer take lightly..... Don't expect anything to be easy for you"
...
" We will see about that....." Zilon said as he suddenly grinned, a stark contrast to the anger he felt burning in his chest.
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