Chapter 143 - 137

"This is it," the acolyte murmured, gesturing toward an unremarkable door. If Nick hadn't known it was Alexander's room, he wouldn't have been able to tell it housed the temple's Vicar. "Thank you, I'll take it from here," he replied, ignoring the skeptical look he got back. When he was finally alone, Nick took a moment to reflect. Alexander was likely still reeling from having his goddess possess him, and according to Arthur, he would probably be out of sorts. His personality might even be different. He's not taking care of himself. This either indicates that his mind was damaged or that he's still so overwhelmed that he can't manage anything at the moment. I should first try to determine how different he is. If he responds to me in the first place, of course. There was another option, but he decided to set it aside unless the situation proved to be that serious. First things first, let's make sure he's really inside. Nick carefully unfurled his senses, being cautious not to overdo it. A small smile crossed his lips as he felt only a twinge of discomfort. It seemed that his coils were healing, and he would likely be ready to return to training in a couple of days. Still, he maintained a firm grip on the mana, dispersing it into the air and tracking its movements. The room beyond the door revealed itself to his mind, and it didn't take long for him to find his target. Alexander sat on his bed with his head bowed, unmoving. Only the steady rise and fall of his breathing reassured Nick that he was still alive. *Knock Knock* Nick waited for a moment, but when he felt no movement at all, he announced himself, "Vicar, it's me, Nicholas Crowley." A small twitch followed, which was encouraging. It suggested that Alexander was still capable of responding to external stimuli. However, it wasn't enough, so Nick knocked again. Another twitch, but nothing else. Alright. I might have to break in. After a moment of thought, Nick discarded the idea. He could probably kick down the door, but there was no reason to do so. Instead, he grasped the leftover mana he was using to sense and slowly shaped it into a familiar spell. [Telekinetic Field] was a relatively simple piece of magic, complicated only by its need for versatility, but Nick's condition meant he couldn't merely spin up the matrix and activate it. Instead, he carefully went through the steps, manually crafting the circle in his mind and coupling it with an intense desire to reach beyond what he could physically touch. It wasn't often that Nick had to take the long way to cast spells, but as he did, he noticed tiny imperfections in his circle. Without much thought, he adjusted them, ensuring the lines were clean and the concepts well represented. He blinked in surprise as the resulting circle smoothed out the mana flow to such an extent that it required so little attention he knew he could maintain it at all times, had he not still been recovering. CONGRATULATIONS! You have advanced your Spell: [Telekinetic Field] to Advanced! +12.222 Exp Huh. Would you look at that. I must have already been on the cusp. Somehow, Nick wasn't that surprised. He knew his understanding of mana had significantly deepened during the raid, and his increased mental faculties had to bear fruit, sooner or later. Alright, this is very interesting, and the implications are enticing, but I need to stay focused. I can save the tinkering for later. Turning his attention back to the door, Nick inserted a thread of mana into the lock and effortlessly pulled the internal lever, unlocking it. Force spells had always come easily to him, but this was an order of magnitude beyond. I hardly used any mana. I wonder just how far I can push the matrix before I reach the limits now… Pushing the door open with his hand, Nick entered the room and was immediately hit by a musty smell. Wrinkling his nose, he took a step back to let in some fresh air before sighing and finally stepping inside. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. He had already scouted the room with his senses, but Nick still took a moment to take in the sight. Signs indicated it had once been a tidy place, featuring a small bookshelf with neatly ordered binders and a nightstand holding sacred texts wrapped in cloth. However, it was clear that despite the acolytes' best efforts, the occupant had not cared to maintain such cleanliness. On a bed not much larger than the one Nick had slept on in his parents' home sat Alexander. He stared listlessly ahead and didn't react to his entrance. Looking at him now, with the bags under his eyes and his vacant stare, Nick was almost certain he wasn't as lost as he had feared because he recognized some of those symptoms. However, if he was right, he might have to take the less pleasant route. "Sorry, I let myself in," he said, taking the chair next to the desk, moving it in front of the bed, and sitting down. Silence. "You know, it's not gonna get better if you stay here like this." Alexander twitched. Bending his head, Nick noticed that his lips were pursed. Good. "Whatever you saw isn't worth turning into a shell of yourself. I understand it may be hard to face reality, but—" "Do you?" A harsh, raspy voice interrupted him. Despite looking directly at him, it took Nick a moment to reconcile the voice with the man he knew. "I do. Better than almost anyone else, I'd say," he replied, keeping his cool. When there was no answer, he decided to probe the wound even more. I have to get all the negativity out before we can deal with the damage. "She almost possessed me in the dungeon. I could feel my mind about to break before I was able to eject her." That finally got a reaction. Alexander's head whipped up, and he glared at him, "She would never!" Nick leaned back, unfazed. "But she did, didn't she? She took you over without so much as a by your leave, puppeteered you, and then left." Nick was sure he had struck a nerve by how hard Alexander was grinding his teeth. "It was you! Whatever sorcery you used must have interfered with her presence, or she would have never discarded me like that! She would not have ignored my prayers!" Even as he shouted, with spittle flying from his mouth, Nick could see the doubt in his eyes. "You didn't even get a reward, did you?" He needled. Alexander sneered, shaking his head like a rabid dog. "I did! She granted me a wealth of experience and an enhanced affinity for Fire!" That would have been a significant reward for Nick. He would have been more than happy to endure momentary discomfort if it meant gaining levels and boons. However, there was one thing that didn't make sense. "It wasn't her, and you know it. The System recognized your survival. There was no gift. You endured her presence within you, and it is only because you were strong enough to survive it that you achieved those results. She had nothing to do with them. And you know it." A bark of laughter escaped the Vicar as he stood up. For a moment, Nick almost jumped back, but fortunately, Alexander only began to pace. His first few steps were wobbly, but he grabbed hold of the wall and walked back and forth. "I would have never received such blessings if it wasn't for her. She must have known those would come. Or even better, she gave them to me herself. She is above the System!" "You don't really believe that, do you?" Nick asked with pity. "You have devoted your life to preaching her word and studying her methods. If things had gone as you claim, you wouldn't be in this state." That seemed to drain his strength, and Alexander slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. "It cannot be. She must not have heard my voice. I begged her to speak to me, to not hurt me. I could feel her burning me away." He choked back a sob, and Nick felt safe enough to join him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I do not pretend to know why she behaved this way," he said and hurriedly kept going, not wanting to give the impression of justifying the goddess. "But I know that it wasn't right to treat you as she did. You are one of her followers, yes, but that doesn't mean you are her property." "But I am," Alexander replied, staring up at the ceiling as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I am," he repeated, tugging at his tunic until Nick could see a brand imprinted on his chest. The skin was red and looked painful, and horror engulfed him as he realized just how close he had come to the same fate. To say that Nick's emotions were controlled would be a lie. He had never placed his trust in something so distant as a god, yet he had thought of Sashara as one of the better ones. Seeing her brand on Alexander's skin—a mark he had clearly not chosen to accept—only deepened his conviction that he should steer clear of organized religion. If even one of the "good ones" could treat her followers so coldly... No, he didn't want to contemplate what that indicated for the "bad ones." Still, he had been given a task, and so he gradually coaxed Alexander up from the floor and assisted him into the nearby bathroom, where he carefully cleaned himself. The man was not okay, and Nick doubted he would be anytime soon, considering the crisis of faith he had just endured. But at the very least, he seemed to have found some strength in sharing his burden, allowing him to accompany the Vicar to the mess hall. Dozens of eyes snapped to them the moment they entered, but it seemed they had the sense to stay away for the moment. Or they have been ordered to give us space. That makes more sense. Alexander then ate in silence and got up on his own. "Thank you. I will be fine now," he said. Though Nick doubted that would be the case, there wasn't much else he could do at the moment. Maybe when I'm stronger… I will return to Floria one day and I will right many wrongs. But for now, this will have to be enough. Watching Alexander leave on his own two feet, Nick felt a bitter feeling rise in his throat. This was the second time that Sashara had hurt him or those close to him, and the second time he had to swallow his pride and remain silent because he was too weak. His wand was a personal attack, and while its destruction annoyed him greatly, he could have eventually gotten over it. Alexander was a different case. Nick had a complicated relationship with him, but he respected him and his intellect. He knew he could rely on him to have Floria's best interests in mind. To see him so diminished… "You did well," came Marthas' aged voice, and Nick turned to see the Prelate standing on his own power. He still looked weak and almost feverish, but his gaze was steady. "Better than any of us. I see I wasn't wrong to seek your help." Nick pursed his lips but eventually nodded. There was nothing to gain from launching the blistering accusations he wanted to make. "Vicar Alexander is a pillar of the community. The people of Floria will always be grateful to him, and we'll always look out for him." He replied instead, placing emphasis on the last words. Marthas regarded him with a neutral gaze before eventually nodding, and he knew the message was received. Whatever would come of Alexander's crisis of faith, he couldn't just disappear quietly. That was as much as Nick could do in his current position. "I would like to reward you for your assistance, both now and during the raid. More than once, you have proven yourself to be a young man of great power and discernment. That cannot go unrecognized, for the nascent flame must always be nurtured." With that, Marthas took a long, thin package from his robes and presented it to Nick. "I hope this will aid you in your journeys."