Soul Damage

"Waaaaah Waaaaaah"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Inside the old house bordering the village's river, the pained screams of a ghost and the cries of a baby broke the peaceful atmosphere.

"ARGH, why does it hurt so much? It's even worse than when the wolf was biting me." Adam woke up feeling a horrible sensation of pain in his right forearm and stomach, causing him to roar in pain. 

The baby gazed at him, his eyes filled with shock and his mouth wide open. He even forgot to cry as the ghost's voice thundered once again.

"How can I feel so much pain as a ghost?! Status!" He quickly screamed, gripping his forearm.

Note: Soul is even more damaged. You won't even be a ghost anymore at this rate...

As Adam registered the gravity of the system's note in shock, the baby, now silent and wide-eyed, gazed at him with an innocence that contrasted sharply with the eerie cries that had filled the room just moments ago.

"I need to fix my soul to how it was before the trial. I don't like the meaning behind 'you won't even be a ghost anymore'. Am I reaching my limits? Will I disappear?" Adam questioned, his tone filled with urgency before shaking his head, determination glinting in his eyes.

'I didn't suffer this whole bullshit trial to die after completing it.' He thought, gritting his teeth as the pain assaulted him and made him suffer.

Doing his best to ignore it, he approached the baby, eager to test one of his ideas. Since he could only interact with him, could he lift him? And if so, could he carry the baby instead of being dragged by it?

As he floated before him, the baby gazed at him, trying to attract his attention with cute noises.

"Come see Uncle Ghost..." He said before shaking his head. "No, that sounds wrong... Come see big brother." Gently, he took the baby in his left arm, lifting him slowly, afraid he would pass through his embrace and fall.

Fortunately, the baby was firmly nestled against his chest.

"I can carry you, but then what? I can't go out like that. The villagers will see a floating baby and scream he is possessed by a demon!" He exclaimed, his brows creased as the baby reached for his nose playfully and giggled.

His gaze softened a little as he absentmindedly played with the baby, lost in thought and searching for a viable plan to leave the house and heal his soul.

"We can go out late at night when his mother sleeps and the streets are empty. But I have a bad feeling. I don't want to meet those three thugs again." he muttered, casting that idea aside, unwilling to be ambushed by those filthy men.

Engrossed in his thoughts, he failed to hear the door's lock clicking open as the silhouette of a young woman entered the house, dropping the vegetables she carried.

"AHHHH! How are you flying?" Alina yelled in shock, her eyes bulging as she saw her child floating and giggling in the middle of the room. She then hurriedly closed the door behind her, unwilling to attract unwarranted attention.

Simultaneously, Adam quickly put the baby back into his cradle, panic covering his features. He had messed up and hoped she would think she dreamed rather than believe her child was possessed.

However, he wasn't on Earth anymore but in a world where magic existed and paranormal existences scoured the lands. That's how a disturbing scene unfolded before his confused eyes.

Scared for her child, Alina prostrated in its direction, hitting her forehead with the floor in deference and shivering in fear.

"Oh mighty entity, I beg you, please leave my child in peace. If you need anything, take it from me. I'm willing to take its place." She pleaded respectfully, not sure if her actions made any sense. 

Upon hearing her words, Adam raised his left arm in joy, screaming, "I UNDERSTAND HER!" The grimoire Lingua's abilities had passively transformed him into a polyglot, resolving his most pressing issue.

His eyes darted left and right, searching for the extraordinary tome, when the baby suddenly cried loudly, forcing the already unreal situation to turn even more bizarre.

Taking the sudden wailing as a bad omen, Alina exploded in tears, the intensity of her fervent pleadings doubling.

"Oh, King of the unseen, I beg you... take me in his place... I'll do whatever you want, please." She yelled, pouring all her heart into her words in a desperate attempt to protect her baby and stunning Adam.

'What the hell is happening?' He thought, gazing at the woman in confusion. When did he become a mighty being or a king of whatever?

He pondered briefly before understanding flashed in his bright eyes.

'Can I salvage the situation?' He mused, the outline of a plan taking shape in his mind as he cradled the baby in his left arm.

Then, he floated towards the middle of the room as he nursed the baby, causing him to stop crying.

The room descended into a tense silence for a short second before Alina, thinking that her pleadings were effective, started to spout a deluge of nonsense about entities, kings and whatnot, causing Adam's face to pale.

"Are you conducting a ritual to summon them or what?!" He exclaimed, his brow creased before he used one of the baby's fingers to draw letters on the dusty ground before her face.

Soon, a message appeared, "I'm not a bad ghost! I suffered soul damage and need help to recover. I promise to leave you and your baby in peace once healed."

That was the plan he came up with. It would be too difficult to resolve his problem alone, and this misunderstanding offered him a convenient helper.

He thanked the Grimoire Lingua again for this newfound proficiency in writing as he gazed at the young woman, anticipating her answer.

Alina's eyes almost popped out of their sockets after she witnessed her baby draw various forms elegantly, failing to make sense of the situation before understanding they were letters.

After a few seconds of intense contemplation, her cheeks blushed in embarrassment.

"Please forgive me... I don't know how to read..." She said in shame.