# 293
Chapter 293: Skyward Bard
Lin Qiye stared at Idun for a long time and sighed.
He finally understood what Bragi’s problem was… Idun had given Bragi the heart of the Goddess of Youth, and under the influence of the fog, her soul had accidentally merged into Bragi’s body as well, resulting in the current situation of two souls in one body.
His case was somewhat similar to Merlin’s, yet fundamentally different.
Merlin had strayed into a mysterious world while exploring reality, where a pink starfish seized his mind; which of the two controlled the body was unpredictable—an external soul invasion.
Bragi and Idun, however, shared one body with two souls. Bragi’s body still beat with Idun’s heart; Idun’s soul hid within that heart, emerging only when Bragi fell asleep. They weren’t hostile—more like symbiotic partners.
Lin Qiye could certainly pull Idun’s soul out the same way he had dealt with Merlin, but that would scatter her spirit. Since the panel listed Idun as part of the patient, such an action would fail the treatment requirement.
So how should he treat Bragi and Idun…
“By the way, does Bragi know about this?” Lin Qiye pointed to the heart on Bragi’s right.
Idun shook her head. “He doesn’t. When I gave him my heart, he was unconscious. I only come out after he’s asleep, and I put everything back afterward—he’s never noticed me.”
“Why not tell him?”
Idun looked at the familiar face in the mirror, a bitter smile appearing. “If he learned the truth, it would drive him mad… I don’t want him living forever in guilt. A warm, gentle man like him shouldn’t live that way.”
She turned to Lin Qiye, eyes full of pleading. “Headmaster, I beg you… don’t tell him. I won’t disturb his life. If you demand it, I can vanish forever—I only want to watch him quietly…”
Seeing Idun’s reddened eyes, Lin Qiye hesitated, then nodded.
“Rest assured, I won’t reveal you, nor do you need to disappear. When night falls and Bragi sleeps, you may still walk about—but be sure no one sees you, especially that orderly Li Yifei…”
Lin Qiye warned her solemnly.
Right now Li Yifei thought Bragi simply had split personalities or sleep-walking; if he learned of Idun, he’d rush to Bragi the next day and whisper, “I’ll tell you a secret…”
Lin Qiye promised to keep Idun hidden not only because she asked, but for Bragi’s mental health.
If Bragi discovered he’d survived only because his wife gave up her heart, he’d likely break down—he might even become a second Nyx. Lin Qiye didn’t want the treatment progress to drop into negatives…
Still, he needed to think carefully about how to treat this dual-soul condition.
Just then, the familiar panel appeared before him.
"
Bragi (Idun) treatment progress: 1%
Reward condition met. Randomly drawing Bragi (Idun) divine ability…
"
Lin Qiye blinked, delight flashing in his eyes; merely agreeing to Idun’s request had pushed progress by 1%.
On reflection it made sense: for years Idun had hidden inside Bragi, objectively an intruder, a wandering spirit possessing Bragi at night. The instant Lin Qiye accepted her plea, she shifted from trespasser to patient—she gained his “recognition.” A simple change in status could affect her mental state.
Lin Qiye studied the floating wheel, surprised.
Unlike previous ability wheels, this one was twice as large, split into gold and red sections, with double the number of abilities.
The gold zone held powers from the God of Poetry Bragi: “Voice of Divine Favor,” “Origin of Art,” “Eschatological Bard,” “Poem of Destruction,” “Super Handsome,” “Soul-Dominating Melody”…
The red zone came from the Goddess of Youth Idun: “Heart of Youth,” “Eternal Secret Garden,” “Undying Body,” “Minor Wish Art,” “Animism”…
The dense wheel dazzled him; though some entries looked odd, he was getting used to it.
He felt a twinge of regret—he’d hoped that with two gods in Ward Three he might spin two separate wheels, but obviously that was wishful thinking.
Lin Qiye took a deep breath and started the wheel; the two-colored disk whirled dizzyingly fast.
He stared, heart in throat.
Gradually the wheel slowed, the pointer stopping on a gold section:
——Skyward Bard.
“Skyward Bard?” Puzzlement filled his eyes.
What kind of ability was this?
He reached out; the six glowing characters turned into white light and poured into him. Lines of text appeared:
"
Skyward Bard:
Poetry has spirit. Whenever you recite a verse that resonates with your heart, the surrounding environment changes accordingly. The stronger the resonance, the greater the effect.
"
Lin Qiye read every word, then stood blankly.
What did this mean—verbal law through poetry?
Suppressing his confusion, he bade Idun farewell and returned to the dark, empty courtyard.
He opened his mouth—then froze.
Recite poetry… but he knew nothing of foreign poems. School hadn’t taught them, and the training camp certainly hadn’t. Was he supposed to buy a book of foreign verse and study it?
He wondered whether a foreign god’s power could work with Great Xia poetry…
After a moment he decided to try. He cleared his throat and declaimed:
“Torrents descend three thousand feet, as if the Silver River falls—”
Splash——!!
Mid-sentence, a gleam flashed in his eyes; his voice gained strange charm. The next instant, a colossal mass of water crashed from the sky!