Farewell Stranger!

"...Wait!, I haven't checked my Astrix yet have I?"

He took his gaze off the mesmerising patterns and summoned the Runes.

The runes began to manifest out of thin air and it read:

[Name: Kai

Rank: Sequence 0

Class: Awakened

Astrix: Geno Adapt

Penance core: Sequence 0

Attributes: Crest of the Watchers

Astritems: Forgotten orb, Drop of ichor, Life essence crystal]

As Kai looked at the runes to see if anything changed, he was stunned to see that there were three new things.

First, his Astrix, which was Geno Adapt. He focused on it and its description appeared which said:

[Geno Adapt Description: Your body is more adaptable to different situations and environments and grants the ability to accommodate foreign DNA without it's structure breaking]

"...T-This is awesome!" Kai exclaimed in delight.

Then he moved his eyes to the second new set of runes which were not there earlier, which read:

[Penance Core: Sequence 0]

"Wait... Is that supposed to by my soul core? But what is with the penance prefix instead of the soul core, could it be that it absorbing the blackish-red light and during the forming of it could have changed it?"

Kai mind was filled with questions and there was only one way to answer them.

He concentrated on the runes and it expanded to show more about it:

[Penance Core: Sequence 0]

[Penance Fragments: 0/1000]

"According to what I remember, a soul core is saturated by soul fragments taken from the corpses of the creatures, so the question here arises, How do I saturate my soul core?"

Kai was perplexed thinking about this and then he thought of something strange which made his expression a bit funny.

"...Do I have to make people and creatures confess their sins to me and have them accept punishment, then kill them to absorb soul shards..."

"...Bullsh*t, that's what this is" Earlier Kai was happy of getting a unique soul core but now that his initial excitement died off, he was thinking that sometimes going on a well trodden path was the best.

"Well maybe it's something good that will show it's worth later..." Kai tried to be optimistic.

Abruptly the runes flickered.

[Every power has a price]

[You have received a flaw]

Kai's heart sank as he saw the message about receiving a flaw. It paused for a moment as if enjoying his uneasiness. He focused on the runes and a new set of words appeared:

[Flaw: Guilt-Seeker]

Kai was confused. Guilt-Seeker? What did that even mean? He focused on the Penance Core runes, and a new message appeared:

[Flaw description: The Guilt-Seeker flaw will compel you to seek out individuals who have transgressed and punish them, even if they do not deserve punishment.]

Kai's confusion turned to horror but strangely he felt complete after receiving it. He couldn't believe it.

His unique Penance Core came with a terrible price, his flaw. He would be compelled to seek out and punish even those who did not deserve it. The thought of it made him feel chills up his spine.

Kai tried to shake the feeling off and think of a way to overcome this flaw. Maybe he could use his power for good, seeking out those who truly deserved punishment and bringing them to justice. But he knew that it wouldn't be that simple.

The Guilt-Seeker flaw would consume him, making him lose sight of what was truly right and wrong.

Kai realised that he had to be careful with his new power, and try to keep his moral compass intact. He couldn't let his flaw consume him and turn him into a monster.

"Ahh... Why does everything have to be this complicated but I guess it does align with the saying I said to to Gerald and Fred"

Remembering them made him feel sad about what had happened earlier in the Ruins.

Kai took a deep breath pushed this matter to the back of his head and tried to calm himself down. He knew that he needed to think clearly if he wanted to control his new power.

He looked at the runes again, trying to find any clues or hints on how to overcome his flaw. But the runes remained silent as if the Psion was waiting for him to figure it out on his own.

Kai thought about his options. He could try to resist the urge to punish those who didn't deserve it, but he knew that it wouldn't be easy. His flaw would always be there, tempting him to seek out those who had transgressed, even if they were innocent.

As Kai stood still hovering in the infinite void of mesmerising patterns and runes, suddenly the Psion announced:

[Evaluation Complete]

[Farewell Stranger!]

"...The merchant?, what the hell, did I hear that wrong?"

"Wait why was the Psion...."

As he was saying this the world around him suddenly changed and he was again back in the real world.

The first thing he felt was his restraints and when he opened his eyes he saw the miss Amy looking at him with a vigilant gaze.

He felt awkward looking in her eyes and said:

"I am here right, alive and well and definitely not a mutated creature, so...when are you opening my restraints."

She was startled by his statement and stood up abruptly and said "Not now, first we will run some tests and then your restraints will be undone"

He waited for a few moments and then said "So, when will tests will be done?"

She suddenly moved towards the door and then ordered to the attending doctor. " Get the test done" and then walked out of the door.

Only then did Kai notice a bald man in his 50's standing on his right looking at him with creepy eyes.

"Hey, you!, keep your creepy eyes off of me and don't look at me like that"

"Hehehe... Of course, Of course..."

***

After some time Kai was back in his rooms waiting to be transported to the training centre and suddenly thought of the creepy doctor.

"Damn that baldy, looking at me with those creepy eyes!"

Kai couldn't shake off the unsettling feeling that the doctor's gaze had left on him. He wondered if there was something more to the man's presence than met the eye.

He tried to distract himself by looking around his room. It was a plain, white-walled chamber with no windows, and only a small bed, a table, and a chair for furniture. There was a screen on the wall that could be used for communication or entertainment, but it was currently turned off.

Kai sighed, feeling trapped and isolated. He had no idea how long he had been in this facility, but it felt like an eternity. He had lost track of time and had no sense of day or night.

"I just want to get out of here, I am here for who knows how long and I haven't even seen this new world yet but have already faced dangers..."

He decided to try and meditate to calm his mind. He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

"Yeah... Inner peace that's what I need, hmm?"

As he started to relax, he felt a strange sensation in his body, and it was coming from his penance core.