Bai Shi woke up on the sofa.
The unique sensation of Melina's soul still lingered on his hand.
Melina hadn't pulled her hand back; he wondered if she had also fallen asleep.
Bai Shi looked over, but there was still nothing there.
He began to ponder if there was a way for Melina to regain a physical body.
However, the few methods he could think of seemed impossible to attempt for now. He would have to wait.
Bai Shi didn't move, not wanting to disturb Melina. He simply turned his head to look out the window.
Daylight had broken. The giant moon had vanished under the radiance of the Erdtree.
The majestic Erdtree seemed to be reminding Bai Shi that he, too, had long since lost his home.
At this thought, Bai Shi couldn't help but reveal a slight smile.‘Learning the techniques of a Banished Knight... It’s quite fitting, isn't it?’
Bai Shi wouldn't wallow in memories. It was enough for the home he could never return to to exist only in his heart.
He had more important things to do and would never let his old home hold him back.
—
Not long after Bai Shi awoke, Melina, sensing the fluctuations from his soul, woke up as well.
As just a soul, Melina was incredibly sensitive to spiritual auras, especially when the two of them were in contact.
Melina opened her eyes and looked at their joined hands. Having fallen asleep, they were no longer grasping each other.
Her fingers were gently hooked around Bai Shi's thumb and forefinger, barely holding on.
Fortunately, Bai Shi's fingers were very strong, and they hooked back around hers, which was the only reason they hadn't separated.
His fingers were covered in numerous fine scars and thick calluses.
Melina remembered the first time she held Bai Shi's hand, at the Gatefront Ruins.
Back then, she was about to help him turn runes into strength when he saw the scars on her hand and suddenly took it in his.
At that time, Bai Shi's hands were still fair and smooth, without a single callus. He didn't seem like a warrior at all.
In contrast, looking at his hands now stirred a sense of pity.
She wondered if that was how Bai Shi had seen her back then, and if that was why he had so suddenly taken her hand.
Melina shook her head.
To feel pity for the wounds on a warrior's hands was, in a way, to trample on his resolve.
‘Is it morning already? To think I slept for so long. How rare.’
Just as Melina was about to move her fingers, she saw Bai Shi's head turn toward her.
Even though Bai Shi shouldn't have been able to see her, his gaze inexplicably fell with perfect precision upon her face.
Melina's eyes met Bai Shi's.
Seeing him look directly at her, Melina froze.
‘Huh? Can he see me?’
Melina raised her other hand and waved it between them.
Bai Shi didn't react.
‘It really was just a coincidence.’
Even knowing this, Melina still felt a slight twinge of disappointment.
It wasn't that she wanted to be unseen; it was simply the unavoidable state of being a soul.
She watched Bai Shi turn his head back to look out the window.
Suddenly, Melina was no longer in a hurry to pull her hand away.
Bai Shi showed no sign of letting go, so there was no need to move just yet.
Just a little while longer. Just a moment more would be fine.
—
Merely two or three minutes after Bai Shi had turned to look at the Erdtree, Melina's voice sounded beside him.
"I just woke up. I'm sorry, I didn't let go of your hand."
"You don't have to apologize for everything. You just promised me yesterday."
Bai Shi felt a bit helpless. Melina was too fond of apologizing, when this was nothing at all.
"It's a hard habit to break. I'm sor— No, I'll be more mindful." Feeling Melina's fingertips slowly pulling away, Bai Shi suddenly had an indescribable feeling in his heart.
He couldn't put a name to the emotion, but it felt as though the phantom pain that had vanished from his body had returned.
Bai Shi was suddenly reminded of a saying that seemed quite fitting for the moment:
"Why do people feel pain when they part?"
"Because life itself is painful, and that person's existence is like a painkiller."
Bai Shi stood up and stretched his body.
He had slept exceptionally soundly last night, with no nightmares.
Such a faint phantom pain was nothing to be concerned about.
The time for rest was over. Now, it was time to move forward.
—
Bai Shi cleaned himself with water. He had sweated during his nightmares last night, and the sticky feeling was uncomfortable.
As he poured scoop after scoop of water over his body, his spirits lifted.
Castle Morne had an abundance of water, so Bai Shi bathed every day or two.
To be fair, the basic living conditions in the Lands Between were quite good.
Bathing, toilets, food, and clothing—all aspects were decent enough.
Though less than half the population farmed, and no one really researched crops beyond some potato-like vegetables and strange plants for making bread, in reality, most residents could live well enough just by hunting.
After all, the Shattering had killed so many people that the current population couldn't keep up with the natural resources.
It was just that personal safety wasn't well-guaranteed.
Bai Shi looked at the muscles on his body. They seemed to have grown even firmer since he last allocated his stats.
If he maxed out his stats, would he turn into a super-muscular man like Godfrey?
Rather than just packing on muscle, Bai Shi actually hoped he could change his body size.
Many enemies in the Lands Between were very large.
It wasn't quite like in the game, where even common soldiers towered over the Tarnished.
But facing large enemies was still a pain; fighting them was like chipping away at their ankles.
He wondered what effect a Great Rune would have on him when he finally got one. Would he grow in size like the demigods?
But if he did get bigger, what would he do about using sorcery?
A brawny sorcerer like Starscourge Radahn wasn't out of the question, of course.
But if conditions allowed, Bai Shi still wanted to play the part of a proper mage.
Oh well, no point thinking about it. He hadn't even seen a shadow of a Great Rune yet.
The higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
Bai Shi threw on his clothes and walked out of the washroom.
There was still one day left before he could pick up his repaired equipment from the Roundtable Hold.
There was plenty to do today.
For example, learning Icestorm from Erlisa.
Or, he could pay a visit to Edgar.
After all, Godrick, whom they were about to kill, was Edgar's direct superior.
Bai Shi figured Edgar probably already knew, but it was still best to inform him of such things in person.
When Bai Shi knocked on Edgar's door, the castellan was still hunched over his desk, handling various matters for Castle Morne.
The castle now had more people, and construction was moving much faster, but all sorts of other problems had followed.
Edgar looked up at Bai Shi, a little surprised. Bai Shi normally wouldn't come to him unless it was for something important.
"Oh? It's you. Is something the matter?"
Bai Shi nodded.
"Tomorrow, after we get our repaired armor back, we're heading to Stormveil to take down Godrick."
"I wanted to come and ask what your thoughts are on this first."