Elio Elian's Statistics
Skills:
Sacred Fla
Holy Water
Ice Sacrifice
Familiars:
Salamander (15/100)
Frog (0/1,000)
Rabbit (0/10,000)
(0/100,000) Level 4 required
Level 3
Mana: 30/30
Resistance: 30/30
Stamina: 7/7
Attack: 3 (8)
Magic Damage: 3
Strength: 3
Defense: 3 (5)
Speed: 3
Perception / Agility: 1.3
Superior Mana Spear / Attack 5
Superior Mana Spear / Attack 5
Superior Resistant uniform / Defense 2
Portable oral oxygen stone
Balance: 157,715 mana points
Elio paused before his house door, his heart pounding. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.
With 157,715 mana points in his balance, he knew he was about to change his family's life forever.
Finally, he gathered the courage to knock. The familiar pattern of knocks resonated inside the indestructible white stone structure.
The door opened, revealing Lena's tired but loving face. To Elio's surprise, she was no longer as thin as a stick, and her face looked much healthier.
Her eyes lit up at the sight of her son.
"Elio!" She enveloped him in a fierce hug. "My boy, you're ho."
Elio lted into the embrace, tension seeping from his shoulders.
"Hi, Mom," he managed, voice thick with emotion.
Before he could say anything else, a small whirlwind of energy pounced on him.
"Elio!" shouted Rian, his now 7-year-old brother, clinging to his legs. "You're back!"
Elio couldn't help but laugh, lifting the little one in his arms. "Hello, shorty. Did you miss ?"
Rian nodded vigorously. "A lot! You have to see my new trick!"
Before Elio could ask, Rian wriggled free from his arms and proceeded to do a sorsault... or at least tried to. He ended up rolling sideways but got up with a triumphant smile.
"See?" he exclaid proudly, his face red from the effort.
Elio applauded, laughing. "Impressive, Rian. Soon you'll be ready to join the wall."
"Elio!" Jacky's voice, his now 9-year-old sister, called from inside the house. "Co quick! You have to see this!"
Intrigued, Elio entered, followed closely by Lena and Rian. He found Jacky in the living room, holding a small stone slab with markings.
"Look," she said proudly, showing him the stone. "I've been practicing my writing. I can write our nas!"
Elio studied the rudintary strokes, warmth spreading in his chest. "That's incredible, Jacky. You've co so far."
Jacky smiled broadly, her cheeks flushing with pleasure.
Angie, eleven, thundered down the stairs, thrusting a small, carved stone at him. "It's a luck charm," she explained, eyes shining. "I made it. Will it work?"
Elio examined the scratched oxygen stone carefully. "It's beautiful, Angie. With craftsmanship like this, how could it not?"
Angie nodded, satisfied.
"Elio!" Brenda, thirteen, called from the kitchen. "Co taste this!"
Elio headed to the kitchen, where he found her assembling what looked like at between bread slices. "My invention," she declared. "I call it a Brendwich."
"It's tasty, Brenda, although I'm not sure if that na is the best," Elio said, doubting his sister's taste.
Jeanne and Lola, fifteen and seventeen, appeared last. Jeanne offered a quick hug. "Welco ho, brother."
Lola, trying to maintain her cool teenager facade, just nodded. "Hey."
But Elio could see the smile she was trying to hide.
Lena watched, eyes glistening. "It's good to have you ho, Elio."
Elio felt a surge of love for his family. He made a decision at that mont.
"Mom," he said, turning to Lena. "I have sothing to show you."
He took out his System book and opened it to the balance page. Lena's eyes widened at seeing the amount.
"Elio," she gasped. "This is... how?"
"I've been saving," Elio explained. "And I want to give you 150,000 points."
Lena shook her head, overwheld. "I can't accept so much, Elio. You'll need it for..."
"I already have everything I need," Elio interrupted.
To prove it, he took his two level 5 lances from his back.
"Look, they seem like steel ones but it's max level equipnt. Von Lucien has my level 5 armor too. I'm now level 3 and have 30 daily points, I don't need more..."
The tips of the lances glowed with an aura of power that made all his siblings gasp in awe.
"Cool!" exclaid Rian.
"Can I touch it?" asked Jacky, her eyes shining.
"Don't even dream about it," Lola replied, pulling her younger sister away. "Those things are dangerous."
Elio smiled, returning the lances to his back. "They're just for looking, not for touching," he warned.
Lena still hesitated. "Elio, are you sure? With the situation at the wall..."
Elio took his mother's hands. "I'm sure, Mom. It's because of the situation at the wall that I want you to be safe, to have a good life in case... Please, accept it."
Finally, Lena nodded, tears spilling. "Thank you, my boy. Thank you."
The transfer was made, and suddenly, the atmosphere in the house changed. It was as if an invisible weight had been lifted from everyone's shoulders.
"This deserves a celebration!" Lena declared, wiping away her tears. "Kids, let's prepare a feast!"
♢♢♢♢
What followed was an organized chaos of activity. Elio imdiately noticed the changes in the house since his last visit. The air was fresher and more abundant, a sign that Lena had been using mana points to maintain a constant oxygen supply.
The kitchen, once sparsely equipped, now had several good quality utensils. Elio watched Brenda use a sharp knife, a luxury they couldn't afford before.
"Mom bought so things for the house," Jeanne explained, noticing Elio's gaze. "She said it was an investnt in our happiness."
Elio smiled, realizing he hadn't expected this from his mother. Even with limited resources, Lena had managed to save for his maturity.
The sowhat stingy image of his mother he had… cracked.
While helping prepare the food, Elio learned how things had changed since his last visit.
Lena had used a good part of the 10,000 points Elio had left her last year to gradually improve their quality of life.
"Mom bought ergency air stones for everyone," Angie said excitedly. "Now we can breathe better when we go out."
"And we have thicker blankets," added Rian. "I'm not cold at night anymore."
Lola, who was bringing so food, nodded. "Mom also bought so wooden weapons. She says it's important that we keep practicing before maturity."
Elio felt overwheld with gratitude towards his mother. With limited resources, he thought she would try to spend as little as possible in case sothing happened to him. But apparently, his mother had full confidence that he would return.
Elio found himself dragged from one task to another, helping Brenda not burn the food, holding ingredients for Lena, and being the judge in an impromptu dance competition between Rian and Jacky.
anwhile, Jeanne and Lola bombarded him with questions about his life on the wall.
"Is it true that you can make your spear fly?" Jeanne asked, fascinated.
"Have you seen many monsters?" Lola added, trying and failing to hide her interest.
Elio grinned. "I'll show you my technique after dinner, okay?"
Both nodded enthusiastically.
Finally, they sat down to a feast. The table was full of dishes Elio had never seen before, the aroma was heavenly.
"We've been trying so luxuries from ti to ti," Lena said, placing a plate in front of him.
Dinner was a simple but abundant affair. There was soup, fresh bread, and even a large piece of so kind of at for each one (a rare luxury). Even for Elio, who had gotten used to spending 3 points per al, it was a feast. Just that amount of good at would cost about 10 points.
For the first ti in a long ti, Elio truly felt satisfied.
After dinner, as promised, Elio demonstrated his technique in the backyard. He showed how he could control its trajectory in the air.
"Wow!" exclaid Rian, his eyes wide. "You're magical, Elio!"
"It's not magic, silly," Jacky corrected. "It's science. Right, Elio?"
Elio laughed. "It's a bit of both, I guess."
As his siblings debated magic versus science, Elio felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Lena.
"I'm proud of you, son," she said softly. "Your father would be too."
Elio's throat tightened at the ntion of his father. He wanted to say sothing, express everything he felt, but the words wouldn't co out.
He simply nodded.
♢♢♢♢
That night, lying in his old bed (now with a proper mattress and warm blankets), Elio reflected on the changes he had seen.
His family was better off, more comfortable, safer. But he knew that the challenges he faced on the wall were still there, waiting for his return.
The constant threat of monsters, the manipulations of the privileged families, the mysteries of the System... all of that awaited him.
However, for now, at this mont, he was ho. He was safe. And his family had a brighter future ahead.
With that comforting thought, Elio fell asleep, a small smile on his lips. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, but tonight, he was exactly where he needed to be.
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