Sophie Wexler wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but since entering the room, the feeling of discomfort had intensified. It felt like something was squeezing her relentlessly, and her head was even starting to throb.
'Is this what they call the pressure of High-level Spiritual Power?'
Sophie didn't have time to dwell on it. The man on the bed was clearly in a terrible state. His eyes were shut tight, beads of sweat dripped from his temples, and the veins on his neck bulged from extreme exertion!
Sophie reached out and shook him vigorously. "Cillian Forrest, wake up!"
"Wake up! Something's wrong with your Spiritual Sea!"
But no matter how loud Sophie yelled, the man on the bed showed no signs of waking.
Sophie didn't know much about the Spiritual Sea or the Disorder Period. Even the original owner of her body, being an F-level Healer-class, had barely ever used her spiritual power. The one time she had was to soothe Cillian Forrest.
That experience had caused her immense pain, making her unwilling to use her spiritual power ever again.
Sophie looked at the man's obvious agony and felt helpless. 'I can't wake him up. What do I do?'
'Right,' Sophie suddenly remembered. 'Soothe him. Yes, I'll soothe him first.'
She had been in such a panic that she'd completely forgotten she could help by soothing him.
Sophie reached out and took Cillian's hand, struggling to mobilize her Spiritual Sea. Compared to last time, she felt much more proficient.
She could clearly feel her spiritual power flowing from their joined hands toward Cillian, slowly seeping into his Spiritual Sea.
Sophie had no idea if this would actually work. It was a long shot, but she had to try.
As time went on, Sophie felt the flow of her spiritual power accelerating. It moved faster and faster, as if drawn by something, rushing madly toward a single point.
Sophie's face turned pale, and the hair at her temples was soaked with sweat. She felt like she couldn't hold on much longer.
Sophie gritted her teeth. "Cillian Forrest, you have to wake up!"
Time ticked by, and Sophie's expression grew more and more strained.
'This can't go on. We have to go to the medical center. Why didn't I think of that before? The soothing treatment at the medical center has to be stronger than what a mere F-level like me can do.'
Feeling her strength wane, Sophie prepared to help him up and call for a medical transport.
Just as she was about to move, a powerful wave of spiritual power swept over her, violently flinging her hand away.
A sharp, needle-like pain instantly pierced Sophie's mind.
"Who's there!" A male voice boomed from above her, thick with a terrifying, oppressive aura.
Sophie snapped back to her senses and looked up. "Cillian Forrest, what are you doing?! I was just helping you! Is this how you repay kindness?"
The man came to his senses and instantly retracted his overflowing spiritual power. His dark pupils constricted as if he'd just realized something.
'Did he get his memory back?'
Everything that had happened during his amnesia flashed through his mind. Cillian suppressed his emotions and looked up at the person before him.
"Sophie Wexler?" His voice was hoarse, laced with the exhaustion that followed a spiritual power surge, but his gaze was exceptionally sharp. To be precise, he was scrutinizing her.
'So this is the woman who saved me, only to treat me horribly when she got nothing out of it?'
Sophie wanted to roll her eyes. 'Who else would it be?'
She had worked so hard to save him, and what does he do? The moment he opens his eyes, he nearly throws her across the room. The memory of that sweeping spiritual power made Sophie's heart pound with fear.
'What is this man's identity? His spiritual power is clearly not low.'
'How did the original Sophie dare to pick up someone like this? And to treat him so poorly... she truly had a death wish.'
Cillian stared at the person before him, his gaze profound. His temples were still throbbing violently.
He remembered being ambushed while fighting the Swarm. His next memory was of being found by this woman.
Cillian's brow furrowed. He could feel the Starbug's poison still present in his Spiritual Sea, actively attacking his Spirit Threads.
'Everyone knows a Starbug's poison is impossible to remove, and it has already invaded the functional areas of my brain. So how did I wake up?'
Cillian suppressed his shock and confusion. Just as he was about to speak, his spiritual power could no longer contain the poison in his body. He suddenly realized what was happening.
Sure enough, the next second, the poison once again flooded the functional areas of his brain, and Cillian reverted to his amnesiac state.
A few seconds later, Cillian squinted, confused about his current situation. 'What just happened?'
He looked at Sophie Wexler, frowned, and blurted out instinctively, "Sophie Wexler, what did you do now?"
Hearing this, Sophie gave him a very real, very hard eye-roll. "What did I do? My ass!"
"Your spiritual power went haywire, and I was kind enough to help soothe it, and now you're asking me what I did?"
Only then did Cillian notice how unnaturally pale she was. She looked as if she had just been pulled from a tank of water, completely drenched in sweat.
Cillian froze. He never expected her to save him, especially when before...
"Why?"
Seeing the suspicion in his eyes, Sophie let out an exasperated laugh.
"Why?" Sophie repeated, then said, "Because I didn't want someone dying in my house, alright? Are you satisfied with that answer?"
'I must have had nothing better to do than save this guy. I should have just let him fend for himself.'
'Truly, no good deed goes unpunished.'
After Sophie finished speaking, the room fell silent. Cillian stared at her with a complicated expression.
After a long moment, Sophie's anger subsided, and she sighed in resignation.
'Alright, alright. What's the point of arguing with him?'
'This is all just a mess the original Sophie left for me.'
'He was manipulated by the original Sophie too many times. Every bit of help came with a price tag, used to make outrageous demands. It's no wonder he thinks this way.'
"Forget it. It's good that you're awake." Seeing the look Cillian was giving her, Sophie relented. She knew she couldn't change his opinion of her overnight.
"Don't overthink it. I only helped you this time because you still owe me a lot of money. If you died, who would I collect from?"
Yes, the original owner had always used her status as his savior to order him around.
Besides that, money was the one thing the original owner constantly brought up. She'd claimed that saving him had cost a fortune, and he had to pay her back, or he wouldn't be allowed to leave.
'So, it's not wrong for me to say this.'
"Alright, just rest. If you still feel unwell, tell me, and I'll take you to the medical center," Sophie said, her voice weak.
After speaking, she stood up to leave the room, but her vision went black. The next second, she collapsed toward the bed.
Cillian instantly felt a weight settle on his shoulder as Sophie's entire body slumped against him.
Her shallow breaths ghosted across his neck, and Cillian's whole body stiffened.
After a long moment of stillness, Cillian slowly raised a hand to move her head away.
As he did, strands of Sophie's fine hair brushed against his fingertips, and Cillian's expression faltered.
He looked at her seriously for the first time. Her eyes were shut tight, her complexion was terrible, her lips were pale, and beads of fresh sweat still clung to her temples.
This was the result of excessive spiritual power depletion. Sophie had fainted from exhaustion.
Although Cillian hadn't been conscious just now, he had felt the gentle spiritual power of a Healer-class seeping into his Spiritual Sea, soothing his rampaging energy.
Moreover, toward the end, his own body had even started to actively draw a large amount of her spiritual power.
'She's just the lowest F-level. Before, she harshly refused to help me, terrified of the pain that soothing would cause. Why the change of heart this time?'
Cillian watched her, his eyes deep and dark. After a long while, he looked away, stood up, and lifted her into his arms.