Echoes of the Astral

Tyla's body convulsed slightly as she gasped awake, her chest rising and falling in rapid succession. The dim glow of her bedside lamp flickered in her vision, the familiar warmth of her small apartment starkly contrasting the eerie, shifting landscapes of the astral world she had just escaped.

Her fingers curled into the sheets, damp with cold sweat. Her head throbbed, as if the foreign energies of the astral world still clung to her. Yet, the most jarring sensation wasn't the residual vertigo—it was the memory of the kiss.

Arthur.

A deep unease settled in her stomach. Why had she done that? In the heat of the moment, amidst the looming threat of the shadowy monster and nightmares , she had acted impulsively. Recklessly. It wasn't just about kissing anyone—it was him. Arthur Stone. The man who had imprisoned her for two years and three months. The man who had stolen her freedom, forcing himself into every corner of her existence.

He wasn't a stranger to her.

But in this life, she was supposed to be a stranger to him.

Her hands lifted to her lips, and her stomach twisted. What if he remembered it? What if he was able to connect her astral self to her real identity?

"No… that's not possible," she muttered, trying to steady herself. Her astral form didn't look exactly like her real body. Even in that world, she had instinctively willed her appearance to blur, to glow, making it harder to discern her true features. Still, the way his frozen blue eyes had locked onto her, the way his body had stiffened when their lips met—it had felt… real. Too real.

Shaking her head violently, she forced herself to focus on something else.

The System.

She pulled up the translucent interface with a thought, and as expected, a notification flashed across her vision.

[Congratulations! You have successfully learned Astral Projection.]

[Mission complete! Rewards have been issued.]

Tyla's fingers trembled slightly as she tapped on the reward notification.

Rewards for Learning Astral Projection:

+50 Mana

[Astral Cloak] (Passive Skill) – Your presence in the Astral World is harder to detect.

+100 System Points

Another notification popped up immediately after.

[Bonus Reward: You have saved your Soulmate!]

Tyla's breath hitched. Her soulmate? She quickly clicked on the details.

Rewards for Saving Your Soulmate:

+100 Mana

+5,000 System Points

[The Ultimate Household Spell Guide for New Housewives] – Newlywed and confused? Don't worry! With this guide, the house is your kingdom. Learn the best spells to cook, clean, and keep your home shining—because a true lady should rule her domain with grace and efficiency!

Tyla blinked. Then blinked again.

"…Excuse me?"

She had expected something profound, maybe even mysterious. But instead, the system had gifted her a housewife training manual?

Her eyes darted to the actual rewards for saving Arthur—mana and system points. That was fair. She had no complaints there.

But this?

A dry chuckle escaped her lips. "So the system thinks I need help… managing a household?"

[Yes! With this book, you can transform any messy dwelling into a perfectly enchanted home! (✿◕‿◕)]

Tyla scrolled through the details, barely holding back laughter. Self-cleaning floors. A wrinkle-free laundry spell. An enchantment to keep bread soft for days.

She pressed a hand against her forehead. "System, are you secretly trying to marry me off?"

[E-Eh?! N-No! (⊙_⊙;) But if you do get married, you'll be prepared! I am simply ensuring my Lady Boss has life skills! A true queen must rule her home with efficiency!]

Tyla let out a slow, exhausted sigh. "First of all, I live alone. Second, I am not interested in being anyone's wife. Third—" she waved at the glowing interface, "—how is this remotely related to me risking my life in the Astral World?"

System 111 hesitated, [N-Nooo…? (｡•́︿•̀｡) But imagine how easy housework would be!]

She groaned, throwing herself onto the bed. "I saved a man from an eldritch_like nightmares, and I get rewarded with a guide on folding clothes efficiently. Fantastic."

Still… compared to the real rewards she'd gotten, she could let this one slide. If nothing else, at least she could now clean her tiny apartment with magic.The sight of the new skill made her exhale in relief. The Astral World was a place of nightmares—she never wanted to experience something like that again unprepared. If the cloak truly worked, it would at least help her avoid unwanted encounters in the future.

As for the system points… her mind immediately went to the [Shop]. She needed more skills. More spells. She had barely scraped by in that terrifying realm.

But before that—

Her gaze flicked to the system's main interface. Among the five options, three were available: [Host], [Shop], and [Inventory]. However, something was different this time.

[Soulmate] was no longer grayed out.

Her breath caught.

She hesitated before clicking it.

The moment she did, a new screen unfolded before her, displaying a single name.

[Arthur Stone – Soulmate Linked]

Tyla's blood ran cold.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head, heart pounding in her ears.

This… this had to be a mistake.

This didn't mean anything.

It couldn't.

Yet, deep inside, she knew this was no coincidence.

And that terrified her more than anything else.

Her eyes flickered over the interface, scanning the details she had almost missed in her shock.

[Soulmate Bond: Active]

A fated connection formed between two souls, strengthening through shared experiences, emotions, and physical contact.

The stronger the bond, the deeper the connection between their magic, thoughts, and vitality.

Allows access to the soulmate's latent mana pool.

Strengthens both parties' magic over time.

If one side falls, the other will feel the repercussions.

Tyla's breath hitched.

Her magic—her very existence—was now linked to him?

Her eyes locked onto the last line, a chill creeping down her spine.

Arthur Stone wasn't just some ordinary person. He was a descendant of Orieus, a true Tabana Grand Sorcerer. Even if magic had faded from the modern world, his bloodline hadn't.

And neither had his mana pool.

Tyla gritted her teeth. She had felt his power in the Astral World, an overwhelming, abyssal force lurking beneath his icy exterior. If this bond meant she could draw from it, then—

She froze.

Her mind flashed back to the kiss.

Her magic had surged wildly in that moment—not just hers, but something else. A power foreign yet familiar had intertwined with her own, amplifying it.

The bond had reacted.

Her stomach twisted.

If physical contact could strengthen this connection, then what about deeper emotions?

Tyla's fingers clenched into fists.

This was bad.

She couldn't afford to be tied to him.

She refused to be connected to the man who had once stolen her freedom.

But the worst part?

A tiny, treacherous part of her whispered that she had already taken something from him, too.