Hidden

Steven trudged from the dining hall, the crab meat soup and po-boy a warm weight in his belly, but the guild buzzed on without Melissa’s familiar spark. She was still at the mage tower, he figured, buried in files. Shrugging, he headed to the barracks hall, fishing out 1 copper for his room—his stash ticking down slightly—and pushed into the cramped space. The bed creaked as he flopped down, the Stormgull Flyer set still snug from the tailor. A long day—crabs, bandits, goblins, bear, troll, and scams—dragged him under, and he passed out fast, sleep claiming him like a tide.

Morning crept in, a faint warmth stirring him awake. His eyes fluttered open, and there she was—Melissa, curled tight against him, her silver hair spilling three feet across the pillow, her fuller curves pressed to his side. “When’d she…?” he wondered, blinking in the dim pre-dawn light filtering through the window. She must’ve slipped in late, her mage tower shift finally done. He lay still, savoring her closeness, then curiosity tugged—time to peek at his gains.

He cast Identify on himself, a silent window flaring: Steven Shatterkynn. Unarmed Combat Lvl 20, Resilience Lvl 26, Holy Magic Lvl 13, Fleshsculpting Lvl 5, Leatherworking Lvl 1. Hidden Skills: Mind-Dominion Lvl 1, Fleshsculpting Lvl 5, Soulbinding Lvl 2. Claws of Fury glowed new under his holy arsenal—half-inch talons of slashing fire. Satisfied, his gaze shifted to Melissa, her breath soft against him. Why not? He cast Identify on her.

The window bloomed—and his jaw dropped: Melissa Veylthorne. Race: Gnome. Age: 62. Holy Magic Lvl 28, Arcane Manipulation Lvl 15, Filing Mastery Lvl 10. Status: Soulbound (Bound to Steven Shatterkynn via Soulcatcher’s Band). Sensitivity: Enhanced (x2, Soulbinding Effect). Shock hit him—her soul, tethered to his ring, stared back in stark text. Her sensitivity, doubled by his tweak, explained her wild nights. He hadn’t peeked before—now her essence, her power, her ownership by him lay bare, a D-rank secret pulsing in the dawn.

Steven lay still, Melissa’s warmth pressed against him, her silver hair spilling over the bed as dawn’s faint light crept in. The Identify window hung in his mind—Melissa Veylthorne, Soulbound to Steven Shatterkynn, Sensitivity Enhanced x2—a stark revelation of his hold over her. “Can’t have anyone findin’ out,” he thought, a chill cutting through the morning haze. If another mage peeked, his secret would unravel—her soul tethered to his Soulcatcher’s Band, her heightened passion his doing. He focused, tapping his Soulbinding Lvl 2, willing it to shield her status—hide the binding, mask the sensitivity.

Golden energy pulsed from the ring, subtle and sharp, threading into her essence. The window flickered—Status: Soulbound and Sensitivity: Enhanced x2 vanished from the main view, shifting to a new section: Private (Visible to Steven Shatterkynn Only). He exhaled, relief washing over him—her secrets locked safe, visible just to him. A sudden DING chimed in his skull, his skill leveling. He cast Identify on Soulbinding: Soulbinding Lvl 3: Binds souls via Soulcatcher’s Band through verbal pacts. Capacity: 2 major souls, 1 minor soul. Influence: Subtle nudges, stronger with level. New: Automatically hides soulbound information in new thralls from all but the binder’s sight.

He smirked—level 3 now cloaked his tracks by default, a D-rank edge sharpened in silence. Melissa stirred faintly, oblivious, her soul his unseen prize.