The soul crystals pulsed with ethereal light as Kaelen arranged them in the ritual circle. Twelve lives. Twelve
second chances. The weight of that responsibility pressed against his chest like a physical force.
"The ritual requires precise mana control,
" Seraphina warned, her violet eyes tracking his movements
with scholarly intensity.
"One misalignment and the souls could dissipate permanently.
"
Kaelen nodded, his [Eyes of the Sovereign] already analyzing the complex web of magical equations that
comprised the restoration ritual. To his enhanced vision, the soul crystals appeared as intricate lattices of light,
each one unique, each one precious.
[Quest Update: The Lost Souls]
[Progress: 12/12 souls recovered]
[Next Phase: Restoration Ritual]
[Success Rate: 94.7% with current parameters]
"I can see the fracture points,
" Kaelen said, his voice distant as he manipulated threads of void mana with
surgical precision.
"The Labyrinth Lord didn't destroy them—just... compressed them. Like files in an archive.
"
Seraphina blinked.
"Files? Archive? Kaelen, sometimes you use the strangest words.
"
He almost laughed. Memories of another world, another life, flickered at the edge of his consciousness. The
System had brought him to Aethelgard, but fragments of his past existence occasionally surfaced in his
vocabulary.
"Focus,
" he muttered to himself.
The ritual circle blazed to life. Golden light intertwined with the purple-black of void energy, creating a
spiraling vortex that lifted the soul crystals into the air. One by one, they began to glow brighter, their
internal structures unraveling, expanding, becoming.
The first figure materialized—a young woman in tattered academy robes. She gasped, falling to her knees,
her eyes wide with confusion and terror.
"Easy,
" Kaelen said, his voice gentle despite the strain of maintaining the ritual.
Lord is dead.
"
"You're safe. The Labyrinth
5The Soul Restoration
"Dead?" she whispered.
"But... Professor V eldon said...
" Her eyes focused on Kaelen, then widened further.
"You're the one. The V oid Walker.
"
More figures appeared. Students, researchers, the professor himself. Each restoration drained Kaelen's
mana reserves further, but he refused to stop. These people had suffered because of the System's hidden
dangers. They deserved their lives back.
When the final soul crystallized into flesh—an elderly researcher who immediately began taking notes on
his own resurrection—Kaelen collapsed.
[Quest Complete: The Lost Souls]
[Reward: 50,000 XP]
[Reward: Title - Soul Shepherd]
[Reward: Skill - Resurrection Touch (Limited)]
[Level Up! Current Level: 42]
Seraphina caught him before he hit the ground.
could have stopped after ten. Saved your strength.
"
"No one gets left behind,
" Kaelen mumbled, consciousness fading.
He dreamed of golden eyes watching from beyond the stars.
"Idiot,
" she whispered, but her arms were gentle.
"You
"Not on my watch.