Chapter 23: Companion Talent
Long after Ethan Cross left, Sophie Wexler was still in a daze. ’What was all that about?’
She curled up on the sofa, pulling a nearby stuffed doll into her arms and pondering with her gaze lowered.
’Why would Ethan Cross tell him to report to the military district?’
Suddenly, as if remembering something, she shot upright on the sofa and looked at Cillian Forrest beside her.
Cillian Forrest looked up. "What’s wrong?"
Sophie Wexler said, "I think I heard that Ethan Cross guy say something right before I fainted."
Cillian Forrest’s hands stilled. He glanced at Sophie Wexler, then asked in a level voice, "What did you hear?"
"Did he call out to you?" Her consciousness had been fuzzy then, so she couldn’t remember clearly. It was like she’d faintly heard a voice.
"Why would he tell you to go to the military district?"
"Do you know him?" Sophie Wexler looked at Cillian Forrest, studying him carefully.
"He’s my superior," Cillian Forrest said without a hint of pressure.
Her superior?
Sophie Wexler remembered now. When the original host had saved this man, he had indeed been wearing a military uniform. He was probably a soldier.
She had even planned on extorting a bit of money from him, but who would have thought he’d get amnesia? And since no one came looking for him, her plan fell through.
"Oh, I knew you were probably a soldier. That uniform is still..." Wait. Sophie Wexler suddenly realized something and stared at him in shock. "Cillian Forrest, has your memory returned?!"
’How else would he know that man was his superior officer?’
Cillian Forrest was silent for two seconds before contemplating and admitting, "I’ve remembered some of it."
"Then do you know where you live? Where your family is? Do you have any friends?"
The man who had, in fact, remembered everything paused slightly, then shook his head and said with a calm expression, "I don’t know."
Sophie Wexler: "?"
"I’ve only remembered a part of it."
Sophie Wexler was instantly disappointed. "Alright, then. In that case, you’ll have to keep living here."
Cillian Forrest hummed in agreement. His eyes, tinged with a faint, deep blue, met Sophie Wexler’s as he slowly explained, "When you were soothing my Spiritual Sea, you cleared away some of the Starbug toxin, so I remembered a few things."
"I helped you clear the toxin?" Sophie Wexler looked astonished.
"But aren’t they saying Starbug toxin is impossible to remove?"
She recalled that was indeed the case in the original host’s memory. It was precisely because the toxin couldn’t be removed, and the man was doomed to die sooner or later, that she had felt she’d wasted money saving a lost cause.
"It must be your talent," Cillian Forrest explained.
"Talent?" Sophie Wexler asked, confused.
"Some people in the Empire manifest a Companion Talent when they awaken. The abilities of these talents vary, but one thing is certain: if a Companion Talent appears, that person’s Level will definitely not be low."
"But I’m just F-level." The lowest Level on the planet.
"Which means your Level after your spiritual power’s secondary growth won’t be low."
Companion Talents mostly appear in people with High-level Spiritual Power. Because Healer-class spiritual power is gentle, their Levels are generally lower than average, so very few of them have Companion Talents.
But Sophie Wexler, an F-level Healer-class, happened to have a Companion Talent. Therefore, her spiritual power rating after her secondary growth was bound to be high.
"That’s great!" Sophie Wexler’s eyes curved into crescents. "Since my talent can clear the toxin, we can completely purge all that poison from your Spiritual Sea."
’This way, his opinion of me is sure to do a complete one-eighty!’
"Come on, I’ll help you clear it right now." Sophie Wexler was a woman of action, ready to get started immediately.
’Once his toxin is completely gone, he definitely won’t want to kill me anymore. Then, once I find a way to remove the neck ring, I can finally make him leave.’
"No." Cillian Forrest uttered the single word coolly.
Sophie Wexler: "?"
"Most of the toxin is deep within my Spiritual Sea. Your current Level is too low for your spiritual power to penetrate it."
Sophie Wexler: "...Alright."
With that, she slumped back into the sofa and sighed. ’Of course, nothing happens overnight. The road to self-preservation is still long.’
"Oh, right." Speaking of self-preservation, Sophie Wexler thought of the most important person—the Imperial Marshal who takes the original host’s life at the end of the book. "Since you’ve recovered some of your memories, do you happen to know the Imperial Marshal?"
Cillian Forrest’s expression froze. He turned his head to look at Sophie Wexler, his eyes darkening.
Completely oblivious to the change in Cillian Forrest’s expression, Sophie Wexler continued, "Or maybe your superior knows him?"
She remembered that back at The Wexlers Family’s home, Ethan Cross had mentioned the Marshal.
"I don’t know him," Cillian Forrest said. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason. Just a casual question. I’m a little curious what kind of person the Marshal is."
"I bet he’s totally love-obsessed, and a simp at that. And he’s definitely going to fall for Rosalind Rhodes later on."
Cillian Forrest frowned. ’Rosalind Rhodes?’
The woman who had drugged him along with Sophie. He scoffed internally. ’Me, fall for her?’
Cillian Forrest took a sip of water, then asked with a straight face, "Why do you say that?"
’Why?’
’Because he offed the original host at the end of the book! If that wasn’t because he was in love with Rosalind Rhodes, what other reason could there be? If that behavior doesn’t scream ’simp,’ I don’t know what does.’
’But how could I possibly tell you all that?’ Sophie Wexler just waved her hand. "No reason. You wouldn’t get it even if I explained."
Cillian Forrest never expected to hear such an evaluation of himself from Sophie Wexler’s lips.
’What on earth gave her such a mistaken impression?’
"It seems you’re very curious about the Marshal. Next time, I can help you ask Eth—" Cillian Forrest paused. "Help you ask my superior."
Hearing this, Sophie Wexler’s eyes flew wide open, and she frantically waved her hands. "No, no, no! I’m not curious about him at all! I’ll never be curious about him as long as I live!"
"And you’re not allowed to ask either!"
She wanted nothing to do with the Imperial Marshal who had offed her.
"You won’t run into the Marshal after you go to the military district, will you?" Sophie Wexler asked Cillian Forrest cautiously.
Not only did she want to keep her distance, but she also needed the people around her to do the same. She had to cut off all possible avenues of contact!
Cillian Forrest watched her resistant expression with confusion. ’Logically, she shouldn’t know who I am. So why this aversion?’
"He’s on the Capital Planet. Azura’s satellite planets are all managed by their own military districts. The Capital Planet generally doesn’t interfere."
In other words, under normal circumstances, Cillian Forrest would not appear on the lower satellite planets.
Sophie Wexler let out a sigh of relief. "That’s good."
But just in case, she still reminded him, "If—and I’m just saying if—you happen to see the Marshal at the military district, you have to stay far, far away from him. And most, most, most importantly, you must never mention me."
Sophie Wexler might as well have had the words "I really hate him" stamped on her forehead.
’Duh. Who would like someone who’s going to take their life?’
Cillian Forrest studied her face, thinking. He was certain he had never been to this planet before, nor did he know Sophie Wexler.
’Then why does she hate—or even fear—me so much?’
"Cillian Forrest, did you hear me? You have to stay far, far away."
Cillian Forrest hummed in acknowledgment. "Okay."