Kael opened his eyes and lay still for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling.
The dream was… too real.
He remembered every word of the Goddess, every emotion, the pressure, her laughter — and that arrogant line about having to bow three times if he ever wanted to talk to her.
Kael quietly exhaled.
"I'll bow next time… in my head. If I can," he muttered and pushed himself up.
His body felt strange.
Not sick. Not weak.
Strange — in a good way.
He carefully clenched one hand into a fist. Then the other.
Before, even such simple movements felt heavy, as if stones were tied to his arms. But now…
He stood up.
His legs easily supported his weight. His back didn't ache. His breathing was steady. Even his heartbeat felt calmer.
Kael took one step. Then another. Then a third — and stopped, as if afraid to break this feeling.
"Is this… real?" He looked at his hands. "Did that… life energy really fix my body?"
He closed his eyes and imagined the stigmata on the back of his hand.
A second later, it appeared — green intertwined lines, shaped like a leaf.
Kael stared at it and squinted.
"Looks nice… like a slave mark," he muttered.
He closed his eyes again and imagined it disappearing.
The mark vanished.
"Good. At least I can hide it."
Kael fell into thought. In his previous life, he hadn't believed in gods. But now, he couldn't deny reality. The Goddess was real. And so was the contract.
He sat on the edge of the bed and focused on what mattered most.
If his physique was no longer "impossible to improve," then…
Then he could open his mana channels.
And that changed everything.
Kael raised his hands and slowly inhaled.
"Calm down. No emotions. Like training."
After years of practicing the Enhancement Technique, he had learned one thing: forcing things only brought pain.
He began to sense his body from within — the same way he did when building the Memory Palace. But this time, he went deeper: to his blood, his bones, to what he called the "empty spaces."
He tried to feel mana.
Nothing.
He waited a few seconds, then grimaced.
"Great. 'Mana unlocked'… and in reality — zero."
He focused again.
Tried again.
And then, somewhere deep inside, at the edge of his awareness, a thin, barely noticeable tremor appeared. Like weak warmth trying to ignite.
Kael froze.
"There…"
He held onto the feeling, not letting it fade. He tried to guide it, like he once guided energy in the dungeons.
The warmth grew stronger.
Stronger.
And then—
His chest suddenly tightened.
Something flared inside him, and he doubled over, coughing violently.
"Kh… kh…!"
Cold sweat formed on his forehead. His vision darkened.
He gasped for air until the warmth vanished, as if someone had extinguished it.
He raised his head and whispered angrily:
"So that's how it is… The channels aren't ready yet. If I force it now, I'll kill myself."
He stood up, walked to the washbasin, and splashed cold water on his face.
His heartbeat slowly calmed.
"Alright. Fine. Not everything at once."
He sat down again, now calm. It didn't feel like a failure — more like confirmation that the path was open.
Then he heard footsteps in the corridor.
Not fast. Not heavy.
Calm.
A knock followed.
"Kael, are you awake?" Sister Miriel's voice came through.
Kael quickly stood.
"Yes, Sister Miriel."
The door opened slightly. Miriel peeked inside and smiled.
"You woke up earlier than usual. Are you feeling okay?"
Kael nodded.
"I'm fine."
She looked at him closely — too closely, as if she noticed something.
"You… look different," she said quietly.
Kael tensed slightly.
"Different?"
Miriel thought for a moment, then waved her hand.
"I don't know… You seem… more alive. Maybe it's just me. Get dressed, breakfast is soon. And Father Elion asked you to visit him afterward."
Kael kept his face calm.
"Okay."
After she left, he stood in silence for a few seconds.
"Father Elion…" he whispered. "So he noticed something. Or just decided to talk… at the right time."
He quickly dressed, tidied himself up, and checked his hand again. No stigmata.
Kael left his room and headed toward the dining hall.
On the way, he saw several children running, laughing, pushing each other.
Everything as usual.
But for him…
For him, it felt like a new world had begun.
When he entered the dining hall, the first person he saw was Lumi.
She was sitting at the table, talking animatedly and waving her hands. Rein sat beside her, lazily chewing bread and pretending not to care — though he was clearly listening.
Lumi noticed Kael and jumped up.
"KAAAEEL! Where were you?! I thought you were staring into nothing again!" She ran closer and squinted. "Wait… why do you look so… normal?"
Kael blinked.
"Normal?"
Rein looked up and squinted too.
"He does look weird. Not like usual. Usually he's like… an old man," Rein said bluntly.
Kael slowly turned toward him.
"Old man?"
Lumi burst out laughing.
"Yeah! You're always so serious, like you're a hundred years old! But today you're…" She hesitated. "Like you finally slept well!"
Kael felt slight irritation, but restrained it.
"I slept well."
Rein smirked.
"Suspicious."
Kael sat down.
"Eat. And talk less."
Lumi stuck out her tongue.
"Hmph, so grumpy. Fine, then tell me one thing! Why did Father Elion call you?"
Kael took some bread and pretended to think.
"Because I'm a good child."
Rein almost choked.
"HA! That's definitely strange. He joked."
Lumi stared at Kael with wide eyes.
"You can joke?!"
Kael rolled his eyes.
"Sometimes."
Lumi suddenly leaned closer and whispered:
"Hey… did you… maybe get stronger?"
Kael froze for a second, then calmly replied:
"I got… smarter. That's more important."
Rein snorted.
"So, stronger."
Kael didn't answer. He just kept eating.
But inside, he felt something strange.
Like he was living again. Not as a survivor — but as a human.
And that feeling… annoyed him.
Because it made it harder to think only about revenge.
After breakfast, Kael headed toward Father Elion's office.
He stopped before the door and took a deep breath.
"Alright," he whispered. "Let's see what you'll say, Holy Father."
He knocked.
"Come in," a calm voice replied.
Kael opened the door and entered.
Father Elion sat at his desk with a book. He raised his eyes, looked at Kael carefully, and smiled faintly.
"Sit down, Kael."
Kael sat.
Elion was silent for a few seconds, then said:
"This morning… you tried to do something you shouldn't yet be able to do."
Kael felt everything inside tighten.
Elion's gaze was calm, without threat, but far too perceptive.
"Tell me," he continued gently. "What changed last night?"
Kael remained silent.
And far away, in a place no one was watching…
A thin crack appeared in space.
And for a brief moment, cold leaked out.