I continued roaming around when an anomaly caught my attention almost immediately.
At first glance she appeared no different from the thousands of other souls moving through the streets of the city. A middle-aged woman with long white hair walked calmly through the crowd while carrying a small bag in one hand, occasionally stopping to inspect a storefront or exchange greetings with familiar faces.
Yet the longer I observed, the more unusual she became. Every resident carried soul force.
That was normal.
Every resident carried a registration mark. That was normal too.
She carried both.
But something else was happening. Soul force continuously leaked from her body. Not enough for ordinary people to notice. Not enough to affect her daily life.
But enough for me.
Thin streams of silver energy escaped her soul every second before being drawn toward the distant center of the region through channels I couldn’t immediately identify.
More importantly she was powerful. My perception settled upon her soul.
Peak Transcendent.
And hidden beneath the countless layers of soul force, I recognized something else. The signature of Space Laws.
Not weak either but developed and refined. The discovery immediately made me curious. People didn’t simply reach that level by accident. Especially not inside a controlled territory.
So I followed.
For nearly an hour she wandered through various districts before finally leaving the crowded city center. Once she was certain nobody was paying attention, her pace changed.
The woman stepped into an empty alley.
Space distorted.
Then she vanished.
I smiled.
A moment later I followed.
The city blurred around me as I tracked the fluctuations left behind by her teleportation. She moved quickly and with considerable experience, covering enormous distances while continuously changing direction. Had I been weaker, I might have lost her several times.
Eventually she stopped.
The woman appeared within a quiet residential district located near the edge of the city. Unlike the towering structures dominating most of the region, this area consisted of individual houses separated by gardens and winding stone pathways.
She walked toward a modest two-story home and entered without hesitation.
I waited.
Several minutes passed.
Nothing happened.
Then I extended my perception through the structure.
One occupant. Satisfied, I folded space around myself and stepped through.
The bedroom appeared around me instantly. The room was surprisingly simple.
A bed occupied one corner. A wooden cupboard stood against the wall. Several books rested upon a small table. Apart from that, the room was almost completely empty.
No decorations or photographs.
Nothing revealing the identity of its owner.
I was still examining the room when the door opened. The woman walked inside.
Then stopped.
I turned around.
She froze.
For several seconds neither of us moved.
My eyes widened.
Her eyes widened.
The reason was immediately obvious. Apparently while returning home she had decided to prepare for a bath first.
Which meant she had removed her clothes before entering the bedroom.
Unfortunately for both of us, she had not expected to find a strange man standing beside her bed.
We stared at each other. Then spoke simultaneously.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"Why are you naked?" I asked.
The silence that followed somehow became even worse.The woman’s face immediately darkened.
The air around her distorted.
Space Laws activated. Without the slightest warning she slashed her hand forward. A razor-thin blade of compressed space tore through the room.
The attack crossed the distance instantly.
I raised my hand. The space blade struck my palm.
Then shattered.
The woman’s expression changed immediately.
The attack capable of cutting through most Transcendents had broken apart like glass.
For a brief moment neither of us moved.
Then I sighed.
"Can we start over?"
"No."
Another space blade began forming around her fingers.
I raised both hands.
"Calm down. I’m not here to hurt you."
"You broke into my house."
"Technically."
"You broke into my bedroom."
"Also technically."
"You appeared while I was undressed."
"That part was unfortunate."
Her eye twitched. The space around the room began vibrating dangerously.
Clearly this conversation was not improving the situation.
So I solved the immediate problem.
With a wave of my hand, silver-violet soul force flowed outward and wrapped around her body. The energy transformed instantly into a long violet gown that covered her completely.
The woman looked down.
Then back at me. For some reason that seemed to annoy her even more.
Before she could launch another attack, I snapped my fingers.
Space folded.
The bedroom disappeared. A moment later both of us appeared inside the living room downstairs.
She was seated on one sofa.
I occupied another.
The woman immediately attempted to stand.
Nothing happened.
Her expression changed. I locked the space around her. Just enough to keep her from disappearing.
She tested the restraint once.
Then twice.
Then slowly looked toward me.
"What exactly are you trying to do here?"
I leaned back slightly.
"That’s a much better question. I am just here to talk."
She continued staring at me.
"Alright, so I’m new to the city and noticed something strange." I pointed toward her. "Soul force is leaking from your soul continuously. Now that’s unusual, isn’t it? Out of the thousands of people I’ve seen since arriving here, you’re the only one carrying a condition like that. Naturally, I got curious and followed you. So my question is simple. Why?"
"It’s a disease," she answered.
I immediately shook my head.
"I don’t think so. I would’ve noticed if it was something natural." My gaze settled on the mark embedded within her soul. "Whatever is happening to you was put there intentionally."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Who are you?"
"Just a passerby."
"You’re not from here, are you?" she asked. "I can’t see a registration mark on your soul."
A small smile appeared on my face.
"No. As I said, I’m just a passerby looking for some people."
For a few seconds she remained silent. Her eyes studied me carefully as though trying to decide whether I was lying or simply insane.
Then she exhaled slowly.
"It’s not a disease."
"I figured."
Her hand unconsciously moved toward her chest where the mark was embedded.
"It’s a curse."
The room grew quieter.
"A few centuries ago I was part of a rebellion." A bitter smile appeared on her face. "One of the leaders actually. We thought we could change something."
"I’m guessing that didn’t go well."
She laughed softly.
"Most of us died. The lucky ones anyway."
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"I survived, so they made an example out of me. Every time I accumulate enough power to approach Saint rank, the curse drains it away. Soul force, comprehension, growth, everything."
I looked at the mark again.
"So you’re trapped."
"Exactly." She nodded. "A peak Transcendent forever. Strong enough to be useful. Weak enough to never become a threat."
For the first time since entering the house, genuine curiosity appeared in her eyes.
"Now answer my question."
I raised an eyebrow.
"What question?"
"If you’re not from here, not marked, and powerful enough to casually stop my attacks, then why are you really here?"