Codex Null: Simulation Through Madness

[The crystal began dissolving slowly inside your Soul Zone, and with each passing moment, your soul embraced the influx of power — its rank beginning to rise even as the last traces of its long-standing damage knit themselves together.]

Had all the suffering he endured in the simulation until now finally started to pay off?

With a faint smile, Noel wondered.

He knew it wasn't that simple — the matter was far too complex to be wrapped up in a single thought.

Still, to think that in this simulation he would even find the chance to break through in his soul rank… it was a surprise he didn't expect.

His relationship with Serah deepening to this extent was actually something he could accept.

But for her to give him something this priceless?

That was beyond what he thought possible.

After all, Serah had always been more of a spectator than a participant.

She, who had always seemed to see him as an amusing performance to observe from the sidelines, now showed signs that her feelings toward him were shifting… growing.

Or was he wrong in his assumption?

He couldn't be sure.

[The loose seal on the relic trembled under the pressure of the power flooding into you, but before it could interfere too much, the crystal dissolved completely, and your breakthrough in soul rank was nearly complete.]

[Strength surged through your soul, filling it with a sense of boundless clarity and weight, and with your mood lifted, you prepared to seize control of the situation — to tighten the bindings around the Scarf relic — when, without warning, a searing, all consuming pain from your soul's final mending crashed into you.]

[Your expression twisted, and even with all your willpower, you felt your consciousness teetering on the edge of slipping away. But then, just as abruptly, the agony began to ebb, replaced by the rush of something else — your long forgotten memories returning in a single, overwhelming flood.]

[You couldn't focus entirely on them, though, for at that same moment your soul gave one final push forward, crossing the threshold into the next rank.]

'Yes,' Noel thought, his fist clenching tightly.

Reaching this point, he couldn't help but feel that this simulation was turning out even better than the one before.

[Your Boundless Soul had reached the Eclipsed rank.]

[One overwhelming development after another kept unfolding, and for a moment, you felt as if nothing could be better — until the seal on the relic broke away completely.]

[Your focus snapped toward it, and you immediately moved to control the amount of soul power it was devouring.]

[For now, everything was going smoothly. Even without activating the ritual, you held your ground against the relic's powerful suction using your own strength alone. Still, you kept your guard up, aware of the subtle but steady increase in its hunger.]

[Hours slipped by, the pull of the relic mounting until you were forced to compromise, channeling more soul power into it.]

[Your Boundless Soul could still provide everything the relic demanded, and you were far from exhausting yourself — yet you could feel, little by little, that it was steadily pushing you toward that limit.]

[One day passed. Surprisingly, it wasn't your Soul Power that reached its end first, but something else entirely… your very soul itself felt as though it were on the verge of cracking apart once more.]

[It had been worn down by the relentless pull-and-tug battle with the Scarf relic, and even after advancing to the Eclipsed rank, in the face of that parasitic scarf it still wasn't enough.]

[Realizing that, you finally gave the word to Selena to activate the ritual.]

[Another day slipped by. You could sense the relic nearing its own upper limit now, and if you could just endure the next few hours, you would cross into safer ground.]

[It would be dangerous, of course — the strain was already gnawing at your soul — but you felt confident you could endure. That confidence faltered slightly when, without warning, a calm voice murmured beside your ear, "Should I give you a helping hand?"]

[Your eyes snapped open to find the source — Edith — the one person you least wished to see you in such a state of strain and struggle.]

[There was a sharp intrigue in her gaze, the kind she had not even shown the last time she helped seal the relic within you. Yet, rather than satisfaction, you felt an unwelcome prick of frustration.]

[You wanted her to see you differently, not like this. That thought burned within you as your now amethyst eyes glimmered with intensity. With a steady, unwavering tone, you told her you could handle it.]

Amethyst? Where did this one come from?

Noel raised his eyebrow, thinking. And then, almost absently, he recalled something he'd once heard — that Laws and relics could sometimes alter a person's eyes.

So… this time, was it the relic's doing? Or the Law's?

The question lingered in his mind, and Noel felt a faint but steadily growing curiosity.

[Edith's lips curved in a soft chuckle as she caught your gaze, but she ignored your words entirely. Instead, she placed her hand firmly against your back, and lent her strength — helping you despite your clear refusal.]

[With her unexpected support, the final standoff between you and the Scarf relic ended without incident. The relic's suction on your soul power plummeted to more than ten times weaker — something your current Boundless Soul could endure with ease.]

[Only then did you allow yourself to relax. Turning to Edith, a flood of words rose to the tip of your tongue, ready to be spoken… but she cut the moment short. She merely reminded you that her earlier offer still stood, and without waiting for a reply, she took her leave.]

Tapping his fingers lightly against the desk as he reread Edith's part in the simulation, Noel pondered what was going on… what exactly was the offer she had made to him back then?

Everything about her carried weight in his mind — worth dissecting, worth remembering.