NOVPUB
Chapter 109: Soul Siphoning
Zayn sighed as he reached his room, the door clicking shut behind him with a gentle thunk.
The comfort of being home after a dungeon raid was something you couldn’t put a price on — well, unless you factored in the actual reward from the dungeon, which was enough to keep them swimming in stew for weeks.
Maybe months, if he and Bran stopped triple-plating.
Which would never happen!
He shrugged off his light armor and stretched, rolling his shoulders with a satisfying crack before flopping onto his bed face-first.
The mattress squeaked in protest.
He stayed like that for a solid minute, letting his muscles slowly melt into the fabric.
It was peaceful. Quiet. A little sweaty, sure, but he was home.
Alive.
That was what mattered.
And then he remembered.
"Oh right," he mumbled into the pillow. "I have a new ability. And I haven’t broken anything with it yet."
Rolling over like a man too tired to be responsible, Zayn sat up, ran a hand through his hair, and raised his palm in front of his face.
A dark shimmer, like smoke tinged with purple and black, licked across his fingers as Soul Siphon activated.
He blinked at the eerie glow.
"Well... at least it looks cool," he said aloud to no one. "Not ominous at all."
The system had called it Soul Siphon (LV.1), and from what he understood, it allowed him to draw latent soul energy from his surroundings and funnel it into himself.
Possibly even into attacks. Possibly even into snacks. He wasn’t sure about that last one, but the concept was thrilling.
He stared at his palm a little longer, letting the dark aura swirl and twist like tiny ghostly tendrils.
"Getting the ability to soul rot might’ve been better," he muttered. "More... death wizard vibes. Very on brand. But nope. I get the magical equivalent of a Dyson vacuum."
Still, he was curious.
There was a subtle buzz in the air around him now, like static electricity dancing over his skin.
He closed his eyes and focused. To use this skill, he had to gather the soul energy that was everywhere, ambient, drifting like mist.
The trick was learning to pull it toward you.
He took a deep breath and visualized it.
The air around his hand began to shimmer, like heat rising off pavement.
Specks of silver and pink glimmered faintly in the light as the soul energy responded to his will.
It was slow at first, hesitant, as if the soul particles were squinting at him like "You sure about this, bro?"
But then it began to move.
The aura gathered, swirling around his palm, wrapping around his fingers like coiling smoke.
He could feel it now — threading into him.
It wasn’t painful or even hot.
It was... empowering.
Like downing an energy drink and doing a deep breath at the same time.
His chest expanded a little, his senses sharpening.
"Oho," he said with a grin. "Okay, okay, this isn’t bad. This is very not-bad."
His hand tingled with the concentration of soul energy.
He could sense the beam potential. The need to release it somewhere.
He turned to the open window on the far wall, still letting the energy flow into him.
"Well," he said, standing and aiming his palm out the window. "Let’s try firing this thing."
He braced himself, focused, and with a slight clench of his hand, released.
A loud whoooomp echoed through the room as a streak of pink-tinged energy shot from his palm like a magical cannonball.
It tore through the air, slicing across the sky in a brilliant line — before it collided directly with a bird mid-flight.
POOF!
Feathers exploded like confetti.
Zayn blinked.
"Oh no."
The bird did not screech.
The bird did not even flap. It just tumbled like a plush toy, spiraling out of control with a dramatic plop onto a nearby bush.
He leaned further out the window, eyes wide. "Are you okay?! That was supposed to be a light beam! Like... a warning shot!"
The bird popped its head out of the bush, dazed, beak slightly open like it was contemplating its life choices.
Then it slowly flapped its wings and wobbled into the air again, flying off in the most passive-aggressive manner Zayn had ever witnessed.
He sighed with relief. "Okay. Cool. No murder today. That’s a win."
Then a thought hit him.
What if someone saw that?
What if Elisse or Kara walked outside and saw a magical hole scorched into the bush and a traumatized bird doing barrel rolls?
"Oh gods, please don’t tell me Elisse was doing laundry out back again —"
He turned his ear to the door, waiting.
No footsteps. No screams. No sarcastic remarks about him setting the sky on fire.
He slumped back against the window frame.
"Alright," he breathed. "Note to self: don’t test new powers near wildlife."
The Soul Siphon ability had now dimmed in his palm, returning to its dormant state.
A knock came at the door.
Zayn nearly tripped over himself spinning around.
"Zayn?" It was Kara’s voice. "Kara says if you scorched anything, she’s not cleaning it."
He opened the door a crack. "Tell her it was a bird and it flew away. Mostly."
There was a sigh.
"You’re not allowed to train near windows anymore," Elisse said, walking away.
Zayn chuckled, shutting the door again.
He looked at his hand, where the residual glow of Soul Siphon still faintly pulsed.
"Alright then," he said. "Let’s see what else you can do."
Zayn held his palm out again, now thoroughly inspired after almost vaporizing a bird.
The incident had left him rattled, sure — but also intrigued.
The power of Soul Siphon wasn’t just for flashy air beams or traumatizing wildlife. He was beginning to understand its nuances.
There was a finesse to it.
"Alright, let’s see what else you’ve got," he muttered, adjusting his stance and letting his fingers spread wide.
The soul energy came quicker this time. Responding to him like a magnet pulling iron dust, it curled and slithered toward his hand in faint wisps.
It felt cool against his skin, but... not cold. Almost refreshing.
Like a soul-flavored mint. A bit dry, though.
Wait.
He squinted. "Is it just me or... is the room drier?"
He paused to lick his lips. Yep. Definitely drier.
The air felt less humid, like the moisture had been sucked out of it — and not in the cozy, winter fireplace kind of way.
No, this was the kind of dry that made your throat a little itchy and made you consider investing in lip balm.
He sniffed.
"Oh wow. It’s like the inside of a scroll archive in here."
