Later that evening, after the nine had settled into their rooms and the estate fell into quiet stillness, Asher made his way to one of the inner chambers—designed specifically for soul cultivation. It was a circular space, inscribed with ancient soul-conducting runes that glowed faintly in shades of deep violet and silver.
Sitting cross-legged at the center of the formation was the youngest of the nine—a boy no older than ten. He had jet-black hair, pale skin, and golden eyes that seemed too deep for someone his age. This was the child with the Soul Heart—the rarest of spiritual anomalies, capable of nurturing and refining the soul far beyond mortal limitations.
Asher approached and sat down across from him.
"You've felt it, haven't you?" he asked quietly.
The boy nodded. "It's… like something inside me is always moving. Always watching."
Asher nodded in return. "That's your Soul Heart. A gift… and a curse, if left untrained."
