Zaila POV
Another night in the glass coffin, another dream with him. The System chimed as she awakened-well, as much as "awake" meant in her current... condition.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Soulmate Present - Dream Phase Active
Mission Optional: Influence waking decisions (Tom M. Riddle)
Reward: 75 SC + Ability Integration]
Influence his choices? In the real world?
The System pulsed.
[Yes. Carefully. Subtly. Survival favors subtlety.]
[PASSIVE ABILITY UNLOCKED: Minor Telepathy - can implant small suggestions or nudge feelings while he is awake or dreaming (Doctor Who)]
She concentrated. Just a ripple in his subconscious, a whisper of curiosity. She didn't need him to know her yet-just a tiny nudge that would guide him without breaking the dream's integrity.
[SC REWARD: 75 added]
Next, she spent some credits to gain another ability-something practical for survival if she needed more active influence.
[ACQUIRED: Labyrinth's Flickering Illusions - can generate ephemeral, minor visual distortions in dream-space or adjacent physical spaces (Labyrinth)]
[SC BALANCE: 0]
'Good.' That would let her distract, mislead, or test limits without ever stepping out of the coffin.
---
Tom POV
He woke again before sunrise, tangled in sheets, heart pounding with that same ineffable pull. Something in him stirred-curiosity, longing, frustration all tangled together.
He couldn't name the feeling. All he knew was that some instinct, alien and unnerving, wanted him to go down, deeper, somewhere forbidden.
Even in the middle of breakfast, he found his mind thinking about the basement corridors, the stone staircases, the echoes of the castle's oldest places. The pull was subtle-he couldn't explain it, but it was there, like a whisper at the back of his mind.
At night, in dreams, he saw her again. The coffin glimmered. Her hazel eyes, molten gold at the edges, seemed to smile at him. Shadows flickered around her, dancing almost mischievously-shapes he couldn't place, yet felt drawn toward.
He felt compelled, not entirely consciously, to take small steps in waking life-lingering near the library's restricted sections, finding excuses to wander the dungeons.
Something guided him, though he didn't understand what it was.
---
Zaila POV
She noted it, carefully. Small nudges here, small flickers there. Her dream-space manipulations were beginning to echo into the waking world, though subtly.
[MISSION UPDATE: Influence waking decisions without revealing presence
Progress: 40% complete]
Tonight, she tried a new tactic. A shadow flickered in his vision-a ghostly hint of movement at the edge of his perception. Something playful. Curious. Innocuous, but enough to pull his thoughts toward the hidden stairwell near the Chamber.
[SC REWARD: 50 added]
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: Subtle Dream-World Projection - can project faint visual cues or emotional impressions from dream-space into waking perception (Labyrinth)]
It worked. Tom paused mid-step, eyes narrowing. A shiver ran down his spine. And though he didn't know why, he felt compelled to follow it.
[Good] the System noted. [Survival probability increasing. Host influence expanding.]
---
The green glow of the Chamber beneath reflected under her eyelids.
One day, he would find her.
One day, he would know her.
Until then, Zaila had dreams, shadows, and subtle influence.
The game had just begun.