"ce your hand on my soul."


    The repeated gently.


    "I have something to show you."


    Hesitantly, Alex stepped forward, reaching out his hand toward the ck sphere.


    He paused for a moment, feeling the strange energy that radiated from it, then ced his palm against its surface.


    "I may not know my ce in this universe…"


    The instant his hand made contact, a surge of power exploded through him.


    "But I can do this."


    The said, its voice steady.


    Alex''s eyes widened in shock as an unimaginable amount of energy flowed into his body.


    It was unlike anything he had ever felt—raw, pure, and overwhelming.


    His entire body trembled, his knees buckling as the energy crashed into him like a tidal wave.


    "What... the hell?"


    Alex gasped, feeling his internal barriers shatter, one by one.


    He had been thinking about checking his requirements to reach C+ rank for a while now, but got depressed at the thought of it being even more stupidly difficult than all his previous ones.


    Now he wouldn''t get that chance, that barrier was gone. Completely obliterated.


    He was pushed directly to C+ rank…


    The power surged through him, filling every fibre of his being, expanding his senses and his abilities to levels he had never imagined possible.


    His entire body thrummed with energy, like he was on the verge of exploding from the sheer force of it all.


    "That was a''s blessing."


    The said, its voice calm despite the overwhelming force coursing through Alex.


    "I can only give five of them out in my entire lifetime. And you were the first."


    Alex could barely process what was happening.


    His heart pounded in his chest, his vision swimming as he struggled to stay upright. The sheer power he felt was terrifying, but at the same time, intoxicating.


    "Holy... crap."


    Alex muttered, his voice shaky.


    "You... you just..."


    "I forcibly broke through your barrier."


    The finished for him.


    "Though you had not yet fulfilled the requirements, I granted you the strength you were striving for."


    Alex was utterly bbergasted.


    He had never heard of anything like this happening.


    Not only had the given him a power boost—he had broken through a barrier that Alex hadn''t even reached yet.


    It was unheard of.


    "Not many things in this universe can bend the rules of the System. Sentient celestial objects like myself are one of them though."


    "That''s insane."


    Alex finally managed to say, still reeling from the experience.


    "I didn''t even—how did you...?"


    The''s voice remained calm, though there was a hint of sadness beneath it.


    "It was my gift to you, Alex. A''s blessing, something that can only be given out five times in my entire existence. You were the first to receive it."


    Alex blinked, still trying to wrap his head around what had just happened.


    He had been given the kind of power boost most people could only dream of, and he hadn''t even earned it through his own efforts.


    It was a gift.


    But the''s next words hit him harder than the power surge had.


    "Though I doubt I''ll see the chance to use the other four."


    The said quietly.


    "There is no more life inhabiting me."


    The sadness in the''s voice was palpable, and Alex felt a pang of guilt settle in his chest.


    This ancient, powerful being had been alone for so long—watching over a world that no longer lived, giving him a gift it could only bestow five times in its entire existence.


    And there was no one left to give the others to.


    The atmosphere grew heavy with the weight of that realisation. The had saved its most precious gift for someone like Alex, a stranger, because it had no one else to give it to.


    "I... I don''t know what to say."


    Alex muttered, feeling the weight of what the just said.


    He didn''t know how the itself felt about it, but if he were in the position where he was the home, the provider, the caretaker of billions of living beings, he would view them as his own children.


    "I... I''m sorry."


    He couldn''t imagine what it would be like to lose one''s own children…


    The was quiet for a long time before it spoke again.


    "There is no need to apologise, Alex. You have done more for me than anyone ever has."


    Alex clenched his fists, the overwhelming power still thrumming through his body.


    He couldn''t imagine what it must feel like to be this ancient entity, watching over a world that had long since died.


    But even as the sadness lingered, there was a quiet strength in the''s voice.


    "Thank you, Alex."


    Tt said softly.


    "You have given me hope, even if only for a moment."


    Alex nodded, though he wasn''t sure if the could feel it.


    "You''re wee."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    He stood there for a moment longer, his hand still resting on the ck sphere, feeling the pulse of the''s soul beneath his fingers.


    Then, with a deep breath, he stepped away, ready to face whatever came next.


    ***


    "We''ve lost contact with Gorath…"


    Themunications officer said in a shaky voice, not daring to look directly at his superior.


    His fingers trembled as he tapped at the controls, trying to re-establish a connection to the desert, but nothing came through.


    The signal had gone dark.


    The demon leader''s eyes flickered with interest. He slowly rose from his throne-like chair, the floor creaking under his weight as he stepped forward, his boots making a dull thud with every step.


    "Repeat that."


    The leader growled, his voice low but filled with authority. His presencemanded absolute fear and respect.


    The officer swallowed hard.


    "The... the Gorath, my lord. We''ve lost allmunication with the outposts. No signals. No reports. Nothing."


    For a moment, the leader said nothing. He simply stared at the map, watching the flickering icon that represented Gorath dim and disappear entirely from the disy.


    "We''ve got to get out of this ce…"


    He muttered, turning to go and report to his own superiors.