The floor of the Pit was cold stone, smelling of old sweat and mold. Evo sat against the damp wall, his eyes closed. In his head, he wasn't just sitting. He was moving. He felt the heavy boots of the guard, Kiel, hitting the stone stairs. Every step felt like a drum beating in Evo's own chest. It was a strange, dizzying feeling to be perfectly still in the dark while his mind felt the rhythm of someone else's walk.
"It feels like I am in two places at once," Evo whispered into the empty cell.
[The Link is active,] the cold, mechanical voice said in his head. [You do not see his thoughts or his memories. You only control his shell. He is the pawn; you are the king].
"But I'm blind," Evo said. "I can't see the levels. I can't see the 'Soul Scripts' everyone talks about".
[Because you have no Blessing, you are outside the world's system,] the voice replied. [In this kingdom, life is defined by the script. Without a baptism, you are a ghost. You are a 'Blanky'—a pile of free experience waiting to be harvested]. [However, the Link is an extension of yourself. Through Kiel's eyes, the world's UI is visible. He sees what the kingdom has taught him to see].
Evo pushed a thought through the thread of energy connecting him to Kiel. Tell me how to see this world. How do I fit in?
In the stairwell, Kiel's mouth moved. His voice was raspy and dry. Through the Link, Evo heard the guard's voice as if it were his own.
"The Temple," Kiel muttered, the words echoing off the cold stone walls. "You need a Baptism Scroll. It links your soul to the kingdom's system. Without it, you aren't a person. You're just... meat. The guards kill Blanks because the church does not track the loss of unscripted souls."
"And the power?" Evo asked. "If I get this scroll, what happens to the strength I take from others?".
[Power is the only real thing in this world,] the E-System voice explained. [Levels and attributes are just an interface—a screen used by the kingdom to measure the power you have]. [Once you have experience, you have choices].
"Tell me."
[One: 'Manifestation,'] the voice said.
[This is what happens with everyone. This makes the kingdom's blessing show an increase in level or attributes.]
[Two: 'Conversion.' You turn experience into Stars of Evanescence to fuel the E-System].
[Three: 'Sacrifice.' In which you trade your power for a surge of Evanescence.]
"So the level isn't real strength," Evo realized. "It's just a label."
[Correct. It is just a language of power.]
"Kiel, move," Evo commanded. "Go to the surface. Get the scroll."
<<----------->>
The feeling was sickening. As Kiel walked into the Gatehouse, the sudden light and noise made Evo's head spin. He felt Kiel's heart beat faster—a reflex of fear the man still had.
"Kiel! Where do you think you're going, you rat?" a loud voice barked.
Through Kiel's eyes, Evo saw a large man sitting at a desk cluttered with ledgers. Floating above the man's head was a flickering script of light.
[Captain Thorne. Level 25,] the Link reported.
Evo could feel the "pressure" coming from the man even through the thread. It was the weight of someone who had killed many things to gain experience.
"Captain Thorne," Kiel said, bowing his head. "I'm heading to the Temple, sir."
Thorne looked up. His eyes were lazy and mean. "The Temple? Since when do you care about your soul? I thought you were busy in the Pit. What about that 'Blanky' the guards caught? Is he dead yet?"
Evo felt Kiel's hand shake. Lie to him, Evo commanded. Use his greed.
"A delay, Captain," Kiel said smoothly. "The boy says he is a relative of a noble from the border. I am going to the Temple to check his status with the records. If he is truly a 'Blank,' I will bring him to you. You can have his experience points".
Thorne laughed, a sound like grinding stones. "Noble blood? He's lying to save his skin. Fine. Go. But if he is a Blank, I want that experience. Don't let the priests take a 'Tithe' for the Church."
"Yes, Captain."
Kiel walked out into the city square. Suddenly, a rat with glowing purple eyes ran across the street. It was a pest, a small creature full of stolen power from eating other pests.
Kill it, Evo ordered.
Kiel didn't hesitate. He brought his heavy boot down with a loud crunch.
In the dark cell, Evo felt a warm stream of water flow into his skin. It was a small amount of power, but it was real.
[Experience acquired. Command?].
"Manifest," Evo whispered. "Let's see what power feels like."
In the Pit, Evo's body felt lighter.
Back in the city, Kiel looked at the empty air through the Link. He saw a small, dim script appear over Evo's distant soul.
[Level 2.]
[You are now Level 2 in this Kingdom's definitions. However, to the world, you are still just a weak peasant.]
<<----------->>
Kiel reached the Grand Temple. It was made of blinding white stone that seemed to pulse with light. To Evo, every priest he passed felt like a bag of stolen experience. Kiel navigated the halls until he found a young acolyte.
"I need a Baptism Scroll for a prisoner in the Pit," Kiel said. "High-priority cleansing."
As Kiel took the glowing paper, a hand touched his shoulder. It was soft but very firm.
"Kiel. I was beginning to think the Pit had finally swallowed you whole".
Kiel froze. Evo felt the guard's pulse jump. Through Kiel's eyes, Evo saw a woman in white silk. Above her head, the script was a blinding, sharp gold.
[Sister Martha. Level 40.]
She looked beautiful, but her smile was sharp, like a knife waiting to cut.
"Sister Martha," Kiel said, his voice trembling.
"You look different today," she purred, leaning close. She didn't see the Link; she only saw the guard she had used many times before. She ran a finger over his armor. "Are you keeping secrets from me?"
"No, Sister. Just working."
She leaned closer, whispering into his ear. Evo heard it clearly through the Link. "It is good you are here. We have a fresh batch of orphans arriving tonight. They are 'Blanks' from the borderlands. They have no baptismal protection".
In his cell, Evo felt a cold chill.
"Because they are not baptized, their potential is pure," Martha said, her eyes gleaming. "You know how the system works. The Baptism sends the experience back to the land when we kill the faithful. But these children... their experience is yours to keep. Think of how fast you could level up, Kiel."
She pressed the Baptism Scroll into Kiel's hand.
"When you are finished with your 'Blanky' in the Pit, come to the lower sanctum tonight," she added, her voice a low melodic hum. "I want to watch you break them. There is so much power released when those little shells are broken".
She turned and walked away into the light of the Temple.
<<----------->>
Evo sat in the silence of the Pit, the scroll finally in Kiel's hand. He looked at his own hands. The world wasn't just any fantasy world; it was a farm where the weak were harvested for the strong.
"The Church," Evo whispered. "It seems it always ends up in that kind of setting, huh?"
[Correct,] the voice said. [Will you attend the harvest and take their power?]
Evo looked at the three broken men on his floor, then back at the thread of the Link. The orphans were just "free experience" in this world's eyes. He could feel the hunger of the system in his head, wanting more Evanescence.
"No," Evo said softly, his voice cold and flat. "Let her have her harvest for now."
[You would waste such a concentrated surge of experience?] the voice asked, sounding almost surprised.
Evo stood up. He looked down the dark hallway of the prison.
"I have other plans," he said.