"Ew... no. Before his 'ascension', Cread was a known creep. I could never believe in such a yucky god."
The pink-haired girl spoke with a pouted lip, as though it was personal between her and Cread.
Aldiun wanted to laugh.
Is that why I refused to believe in him as well? Was Cread really some sort of weirdo?
Aldiun held out his hand and helped the girl to her feet. She was a short woman, at least a head shorter than him.
"I'm Aldiun. What's your name?"
"I'm Faez."
"What are you doing down here, Faez? This place is dangerous, and you clearly don't know how to use your weapon."
The weapon that was now lost in the brain of a zombie.
The pink-haired woman thought for a moment, as if contemplating whether she should tell him or not.
"Come on..." he probed. "You know my story, so at least let me hear yours."
Afterwards, she conceded and explained her tale.
"I'm an orphan. This is my home. Every few days I climb to the surface to steal food from the markets, only to return down here and spend my days."
Her eyes then fell on the zombie, slowly being carried by the current.
"Until that thing arrived a few days ago. It ruined my home, and I've been running from it ever since. Thanks to you, it's over!"
Aldiun wanted to take pride in what he had done for the woman. He could see the joy in her eyes, even through the darkness.
However, why did she have to live in such a way in the first place? Where was the fairness in that?
What do the gods have to say for themselves?
"Huh, what's wrong?" Faez asked, noticing Aldiun's grim expression. "I said you saved my life."
"I know, but you shouldn't have to live like this in the first place."
"What? But your life is just as bad as mine!"
Aldiun scratched at his chin in thought. She was right, but there was something different about his situation.
He had been given a second chance at life already. His simply being here was already lucky for him.
And also, he had his power. The ability to enter the stillworld.
Can't I use this power to help her? To help us?
Faez watched him puzzled, as he tried to rack his brain. Finally, he came up with an idea.
"Are there any other... horrors that live in the sewers. Things like that zombie?"
Faez shrugged her shoulders, confused. "Not that I know of."
It was then that he recalled his encounter with the zombie. He found it in the stillworld first, before it passed through to the real world.
If I want to find these horrors, I need to catch them before they get here. That's when they become a threat to lives.
Aldiun closed his eyes for only a moment, swiftly entering the stillworld.
He saw himself and Faez standing in front of each other, but from an outsider's perspective.
My EXP is at 6/10. If I level up, then I think I'll unlock new abilities in my astral form.
With more abilities, Aldiun knew that his chances of helping himself and Faez to survive would skyrocket. So he had to figure out a way to earn EXP.
He stepped closer to Faez and noticed the string protruding from her chest. It was a shade of blue connected to Aldiun that told him it was a representation of fear.
Fear? The strongest feeling she had towards me right now is fear?
After further thought, it made sense. He had a hanged scar around his neck, his hair was turning white, and he had just used a knife to take down a beast that had been haunting her.
He placed a hand on her shoulder to get a look at her current thoughts by using Present Thought.
[Scary. Scary man.]
Shit.
It's fine. I can change this.
Aldiun reached forward and grabbed hold of the string. Instincts told him that if he pulled the string towards her, it would increase her emotion, but if he pulled it away, it would decrease.
He pulled it away and watched as the string lost its blue shade and slowly became translucent. Then, it changed to a different shade.
A faint pink, representing slight admiration.
Afterwards, he tapped her shoulder again. The thought was different this time.
[He risked his life to save me. Is this what it feels like to have someone care for you?]
The words surprisingly hit him hard. Pulling away her fear had revealed the next most present emotion in her heart, and it was admiration.
Aldiun realised then that he could tug on her admiration if he wished, and have it increased further. He shivered at the thought of what more evil men would do with such a power.
Afterwards, he closed his eyes and returned to his physical body.
[You have altered a human's emotions. 1 EXP gained]
[7/10]
Faez still stood there, staring at him as though nothing had changed at all. Though he did notice that the way she stood changed slightly, as though she had become less tense.
Alright... I can use her to reach level 2. Hopefully, then I'll be given an ability that can help me make a difference in our situation.
He flashed the woman a smile and sat down on a platform in the sewers, gesturing for her to sit next to him.
He thought he noticed a blush in her cheeks.
"Come." He said. "Sit down and tell me more about yourself."
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