Zaila POV
The green light of the Chamber shimmered across her pale face. Another night, another dream.
The System pulsed sharply. Not a reward this time. A warning.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Soulmate Activity Detected - High Interest Level
WARNING: Host approaching critical proximity. Early discovery may compromise survival.
RECOMMENDATION: Delay direct exposure; maintain subtle guidance only.]
Zaila frowned, feeling the familiar tingle of her first Minor Telepathy nudge at work. She could sense him moving in the waking world-footsteps in corridors, lingering looks at staircases that led to forbidden areas, subconscious curiosity driving him toward the Chamber.
'Too soon,' she thought. 'He's not ready.'
[MISSION STATUS: Influence waking decisions without revealing presence
SUCCESS RATE: 55% (slightly reduced due to proximity)]
She focused on Subtle Dream-World Projection, sending a ripple of curiosity rather than location. Shadows danced at the edges of his waking perception-shapes hinting at secret passages, but nothing concrete.
[SC REWARD: 50 added]
[SYSTEM SUGGESTION: Maintain indirect influence; avoid triggering recognition.]
'This is a delicate game.'
One misstep and the delicate bond might shatter, or worse-he might find her too early.
---
Tom POV
Tom noticed things that didn't make sense. A flicker in the corner of his vision, a shadow that moved too deliberately, a whisper of emotion he couldn't place.
It was subtle. Innocuous. Harmless.
And yet... he wanted to follow it.
He paused mid-step in the hallway near the dungeons, his sharp hazel eyes narrowing. Something tugged at his mind. Something familiar, though he couldn't name it.
He shook his head. 'I must be imagining things.'
But even in class, even as he listened to the first lessons on Charms and Potions, the tug remained. A faint pull, guiding him toward the parts of the castle no one talked about.
'Something is calling me,' he thought. 'I don't know what it is, but I will find it.'
Unbeknownst to him, he was responding to Zaila's subtle influence-a nudge carefully calibrated by her System.
---
Zaila POV
The System pulsed again, a quiet hum through her mind.
[SYSTEM ADVISORY: Host is approaching discovery threshold. Direct contact is too early.
Suggested Action: Focus on passive guidance and emotional nudges. Premature exposure may trigger resistance or unintended consequences.]
'Patience.' That was the new rule.
[NEW PASSIVE ABILITY UNLOCKED: Emotion Echo - can imprint brief emotional impressions into waking Tom without revealing presence (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)]
A warmth spread through her chest as she tested it. A flicker of courage, a whisper of curiosity, a trace of longing-it reached him subtly. He didn't notice consciously, but the effect was undeniable.
[SC REWARD: 75 added]
Her System hummed softly.
[Good. Keep him close, but let him come to you. Do not accelerate the timeline.]
'He will find me when he's ready,' Zaila thought, 'and I will be stronger when he does.'
---
Tom POV
That night, in the dream, she was again in the coffin, golden light glinting in her hazel eyes. Shadows flickered at the edges, teasing, dancing, playful.
He reached out-but again, she was still untouchable.
Yet the feelings remained: curiosity, fascination, something deeper he could not define. He awoke once more with his heart pounding, a sense of unfinished business lingering in his chest.
He didn't know it, but he was being guided. Not directly, not consciously. But each dream, each flicker, each whisper was weaving a thread that would eventually pull him closer.
For now, though... it was still too early.