Sunlight barely crept through the gaps in the curtains and painted warm stripes across Alex's far bedroom wall. He opened his eyes and savored the quiet of the early morning. Wriggling back and forth within the sheets, he marveled at the luxury of his new bed.
He didn't feel tired. He felt like he'd slept and rested more in the last two days than he had in a long ti, but for so reason, the comfortable bed and warm sheets called for him to close his eyes again.
Despite the comfort, he forced himself to sit up and push his legs over the side. His muscles protested as he stretched, and he was careful not to disturb Olivia's sleeping form beside him. The scar on his shoulder pulled tight, and he rembered the fight with Naraka, the Firstborn. He rubbed the spot and then traced the slashing wound on his other shoulder from when he was ambushed weeks before that by the shadow sect mbers. Both had healed well enough, though scars still remained as slightly discolored and puckered flesh. From there, his fingers drifted to the bridge of his nose, and he felt the raised line there.
At least that one makes look tough. Or maybe like I can't dodge a sword.
Behind him, Olivia stirred but didn’t wake. He looked over his shoulder and saw her dark hair splayed out on the pillow and smiled. She’d spread out to occupy the space as soon as he sat up, taking up twice as much space as he had been.
Slipping from the bed, he paused to watch her chest’s steady rise and fall. As he watched, he saw wisps of dark shadow curling around her shoulders through his Heavenly Eye.
We'll figure this out. Whatever that thing is doing to you.
Alex walked down the stairs, and as he passed his office, Valtherion stirred and followed him. The gym welcod him with silence, and he only turned on half of the lights to keep it sowhat dim. He turned on so music at half volu and looked around, finding it odd that Mark wasn't present. With a shrug, he loaded plates on the bar before testing them and adding more plates. A wry smile crossed his face as he counted the weight when he had found sothing suitably challenging.
A world record amount of weight for a warm-up... I guess the system has really got so perks.
Alex settled under the bar, and after two sets, he began to feel a little bored. So, he activated [Parallel Mind] and made his primary focus stay on his lifting form and breathing while the other portion of his mind drifted to practicing with the [Mirage] skill. After having recent thoughts of a potential jail break, he realized it had been so ti since he worked on the movents of his illusion. He’d been focusing so much on his ritual circles that so of his other training had fallen to the wayside.
The illusory figure stumbled through basic walking motions a short distance away from him in the gym, and its movents still looked quite jerky and unnatural. He watched it move between one of his sets and couldn’t help but smile as he saw Valtherion floating along next to the illusion’s head. He seed to be sniffing at it, and Alex watched closely in case the little glutton decided to try to begin siphoning the mana from the illusion. However, after a few minutes, he seed to lose interest and went to inspect sothing else.
Why is sothing so simple, so damn difficult? I've been walking all my life. Why can't I make this illusion walk normally?
He lay down for another set and sweat began to bead on his forehead as he increased the weight and strained his muscles. Nearby, the phantom figure of his skill crashed into the squat rack, and as soon as physical contact was made, the illusion shattered and dissipated like ethereal smoke. Alex reford it and tried again. While progress felt slow, he felt that there was nothing to do about it other than continue to practice.
He kept going through the rest of a push workout, and after his final rep, he settled onto the mats in a cross-legged position and closed his eyes to focus on mana cycling. For that particular exercise, he wanted all of his focus, attention, and ntal stats focused on getting the mana within his core moving. He felt the familiar resistance as he tried to guide the energy into the swirling whirlpool; he still had the sa issues as before. Controlling the mana into a tight area had gotten easier, while getting it up to as fast a speed as Eura had shown him was the difficult part.
Well, he did say it would take years to see results, not months.
As he continued to work at it, his focus was montarily interrupted as Val ca and settled into a tight coil in his lap. He folded his wings in tight, and before laying his head on Alex’s knee, he looked back up at him. When Alex gave the top of his head a few pats, Val seed satisfied and rested his head while Alex continued to train.
Alex pressed on for about twenty minutes before he felt exhausted, like he'd been attempting to push his hands against a brick wall and expected to slide it across the ground.
He spent so ti stretching out his muscles on the mat, and while he did, he began his practice with [Mirage] once again.
After his workout, Alex walked quietly back into the master bedroom. Olivia hadn't moved other than to roll over and spread out more now that his side of the bed was vacant. He walked past the bed and into the walk-in closet where he grabbed a pair of dark jeans and one of his heavy weighted black hoodies.
Steam filled the bathroom as he showered and washed away the morning's sweat. The hot water did a lot to ease the lingering tension in his shoulders, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Olivia. He wanted to help, but he wasn't sure how.
After he was dressed and walked down the stairs, he could sll the delicious scent from the kitchen before he had even made it out of the foyer.
"Just in ti!" Gabby's voice carried her usual enthusiasm with a little more oomph. "I need a taste tester for my first skill-created magical creation."
"Magical creation?"
She gestured at a plate where perfectly scrambled eggs had a slight blue tone to them. "I’ve only been able to make als to boost your stats occasionally over the last month, but yesterday, I finally earned the skill that will let make it happen consistently. It’s called [Cook’s Creation]. Try these eggs. I got them from the auction house yesterday and had to do a bit of testing, but this monster al should actually increase your stats for a ti."
Alex used his Heavenly Eye to analyze the item and saw that the dish was recognized by the system and definitely had mana running through it.
E Rank Dish - Thunder Quail Eggs
Rarity: Common Type: (Consumable) Food
Enhancent - Vitality I, Agility I
"I see it’s got Vitality I and Agility I. Do you know how long it lasts or by how much it will increase my stats?" Alex asked as he looked at the al skeptically.
"Well, I'm not one hundred percent certain. But based on what my trait told about the eggs, I knew that it would boost your vitality and agility for so ti and was happy to see the sa when I scanned it a few minutes ago. For the specifics, we’ll just need to test it and see." Gabby's face lit up with excitent. "Perfect timing for after a workout, don't ya think?"
Alex looked at the dish and then at Gabby skeptically, unsure if he was willing to be the guinea pig for this particular experint. After a long mont of debate, he shrugged his shoulders and decided to give it a try.
Worst-case scenario, I just get a bit sick and have to go wake up Sam.
The first bite was delicious, and he wasn't sure if he was overthinking it, but he felt it made an imdiate and noticeable difference. The eggs did have a slight tang to them that Alex would not have associated with eggs normally, and he couldn't help but wonder if it had to do with them being titled as thunder quail. "This is incredible, Gabby. The seasoning is amazing."
He pulled up his status screen and saw that both his Vitality and Agility had increased by 2, but he wasn’t sure for how long the stat buff would last.
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"Sam's been growing so enhanced herbs, and he was just telling yesterday that his [Flourish] skill is going to open up a lot of possibilities. Makes a difference, doesn't it?"
"Keep experinting and see if you can’t create different dishes for each stat. This is exactly what I was hoping for when we first started talking about you awakening." He loaded a second plate of eggs. "Think you could make these regularly?"
"Already ordered more eggs." She gave a grin. "Though it is a bit expensive, you might find it worth it to go gather so of the ingredients yourself. Go on, take so to Sleeping Beauty."
Upstairs, Alex pushed the bedroom door open with his elbow. Olivia still hadn't moved, and he wasn't sure when she'd feel the energy to get up and out of bed. The few tis she'd slept over since moving in, she was almost always up before him or soon after, though for the last three days since she'd returned from her trip, she barely left the bed.
Well, I can't bla her. And to be fair, the first thing she said was that she needed so sleep… I just didn’t expect it to be quite so much.
Edwin was already hard at work when Alex entered his office. The butler's precise movents quickly organized small stacks of paperwork to face his chair.
"Good morning, Master Moore." Edwin's posture was formal and rigid as he turned to give Alex a half-bow. "I've prepared today's schedule for your review. The contractor will arrive at ten to continue the repairs on the workshop, and the last of the items on the sale list from your team's event was sold this morning."
"Thanks, Edwin," Alex said as he sat behind the desk in his comfortable leather chair. "Not sure if there's been any movent on the potential staff additions that I ntioned. If there are any, could you walk through the candidates to discuss?"
Edwin gave a slight cough. "Perhaps, sir, it would be more appropriate to say 'walk through the candidates.’ Edwin's tone was perfectly respectful despite the gentle nudge. "As the head of the house, direct statents better suit your position."
Alex nodded. "Alright, walk through the candidates, then."
"Of course, sir." Edwin produced three folders. "For the gardening position, I found several applicants. Most are experienced botanists or herbalists, drawn by Samuel's reputation. The Guild has been spreading his success and interest in plants as part of the good that he could do."
Alex flipped through the folder and frowned. "These all seem too... academic. I really want to try and find soone willing to work the land, not run experints in a greenhouse. Let's try to find a farr instead, soone who understands crops and isn't afraid to get their hands dirty. Anyway, I think Sam's got the herbs covered." He paused, and his head snapped up to Edwin. "Wait, I'm an idiot. Sam's got the herbs covered, but his parents are lifelong farrs. The Grants could be a perfect fit for this if they're interested."
He chewed on the inside of his lip and thought back to the day before, when the Grants had moved their main belongings to the Team House and settled into one of the extra rooms. Mr. Grant had co to Alex soon after arriving and broached the topic of awakening, though to Alex's surprise, the father had been asking out of curiosity on gaining a combat class. When Alex asked him why, the answer was obvious. After thinking that Sam had disappeared a second ti and finding that he was detained and out of reach, he was feeling particularly protective over his family.
Alex didn't bla the man but wondered if this might be a more natural step for the lifelong farr into the world of the Awakened.
At the very least, gaining so stats might help with his hurt leg or hip.
"An excellent idea, sir. I'll remove the role from the search criteria and let you approach the conversation with the Grants when you're ready." Edwin moved on to the next folder. "Regarding the driver position, I found candidates with defensive driving experience. The two on the top have prior military experience."
"Are any of them interested in awakening? I let it be optional for you and Gabby, but I feel like for this position, it should be required. If we're traveling to Rift sites regularly, I don't want soone to potentially be a risk."
"The second candidate," Edwin said as he tapped the file. "He has forr private security and contractor experience. He expressed a particular interest in the job when it was ntioned that the current staff was awakened as a part of the job. I believe that he would view that more as a bonus to the position rather than a requirent."
"And the handyman?"
He set down the third folder. "Would you like to prioritize combat experience for that position as well?"
Alex raised an eyebrow and had a humorous ntal image of a combat-focused plumber pop into his mind. "No, but if they're willing to awaken, that's a bonus. Could you—" Alex caught himself and adjusted the tone of this request. "Find soone reliable and hardworking first; awakening potential cos second."
Edwin's mustache twitched slightly at Alex's self-correction. "Very good, sir. Now, regarding the properties you inquired about yesterday. Mary has identified three estates within a 10-mile radius. The Morgan property includes 40 acres with a small lake. The Wilson estate offers an old manse at the top of a hill, as you had requested for anything that had a more defensible position, though it is smaller and not connected to this property. The third is the old Chester farm, nearly 80 acres, but requires significant renovation and is the furthest property to the northwest.”
Alex chewed on his lip. "Prices?"
"All are well below market value. The exodus of people flocking to the Safe Zone has left many properties practically abandoned. The Morgan estate is listed at 40% below value, with the others even lower."
Alex leaned back and considered his options.
With how things are now, should I even spend the money to buy them? People are abandoning properties left and right. Should I just go over and occupy them? Or should I spend the money so that the paperwork is official? If that's the case, I might want to wait a little longer and see if the price drops further.
"Tell Mary I want to view all three properties and et with her about how she thinks it's best to proceed."
"Very good, sir." Edwin gave another half-bow. "I'll arrange the viewings. Also, as a reminder, Mr. Parker will be here at three, sir."
Alex nodded and thanked Edwin before dismissing him. Edwin left, and Alex activated [Parallel Mind]. With one part of his consciousness, he began the simple mana-shaping exercises in his hand, designed to help with so of his newly modified ritual circles.
He perford the exercises idly while running through so thoughts in his head with the other half of his consciousness. He wondered if he should charge the amulet soon for another lesson with Maelis. He felt it had gotten pushed to the side over the last week with everything else that had demanded attention. Between the team's issues, his own training, and Olivia’s return, he felt like he barely had ti to focus on magical studies.
But maybe I’ve been thinking about this wrong. Maelis demands that I complete the training in the proper order. As long as I’ve t his requirent for moving forward, I could always use [Parallel Mind] to take his lesson while going about the rest of my day or even sleeping.
He smirked as he thought of the grumpy spirit making remarks about Alex only giving him half of his attention or ntal stats, though Alex knew that even half of his stats were more than most E Rank Awakened had, especially after his recent titles. It would be plenty enough to gain the knowledge he needed from the lesson.
His mind drifted back to Olivia. The story she told him the morning after her return had left him concerned. The shadow spirit bound to her was troubling enough, but the way that it drained her mana worried him more. She had barely left the bed in three days, being repeatedly brought down to mana fatigue by the creature's constant leeching and leaving her exhausted.
The bond had a certain amount of aggression that made him nervous, and its connection to The Night were both red flags that he didn't feel like ignoring. What made everything worse was the power gap, which she had told him was more than ten levels above her own.
He had been shocked and tried to say sothing about the concerns of that imbalance in the relationship, but she just laughed it off and made a witty comnt.
*"*It worked for us, didn't it?" she had said, referencing their own level difference when he'd returned.
But they both knew that this was very different. It could be dangerous. She had gained levels rapidly through whatever hell she'd been through in the rare Rift, bringing her up to twenty-six, which was only two levels below his own. To him, it seed almost like she’d been through sothing similar to his own ti-dilated power leveling experience, though she had to fight tooth and nail for her levels, while Alex had largely coasted through by the grace of the Mana Spinners. While it was impressive, he was concerned at the cost and wondered at the fact that the system even allowed her to bond with the creature so far above her own level.
He offered to help supply her with more mana with his [Mana Infusion], but she refused.
Maybe I can make so sort of enchantnt to help?
Alex gave a snort and shook his head, realizing that it was only wishful thinking. He wasn't even close to creating a charm, let alone an actual enchantnt or sothing to be helpful in this situation.
Olivia had insisted that leveling up was the only answer to fixing her current dilemma. She argued that the more points in mana and wisdom she had, the easier it would be to manage the fatigue. Reaching D Rank, only four levels away from where she was, would help her body adjust even further and reduce the imbalance of power between her and the companion. It made sense, watching her be so constantly drained and inactive in his bed… he just worried for her foundation. Eura had made a point to stress—
A blue window suddenly appeared in his vision.
Congratulations, [Mana Thread] has leveled up!
Nice, [Mana Thread] up to Journeyman level five. It’s moving along nicely.
He could appreciate that the early levels in each proficiency seed to be easily gained from just using and practicing the skill. Compared to the last few levels, where one really needed to push the skill in a desired direction to gain the required levels.
His phone buzzed on the desk and startled him out of his thoughts. Elana's na flashed on the screen, and Alex debated for a mont not answering it. He still felt frustrated at her dismissal from a few days before, and with what had happened with Sam, he felt even more certain that Rylan was involved.
But with a sigh, he slid the lock to the side and held the phone up to his ear. "Hey, Elana. What's up?"
"Alex, we’ve got an ergency situation." Her voice was urgent, and there was none of the usual warmth and friendly banter she often made ti for. "I need your help. The Guild needs your help."
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