Eli sat near the hearth, letting the warmth seep into his sore muscles. The glowing words hovered in front of him, “Unallocated Ability Points: 10” waiting for his decision.
His body still ached from the Raiken fight, but the frustration bubbling inside him outweighed the pain.
Across from him, Dainen crossed his arms. “You need to put at least one point into Titan Form.”
Eli sighed, running a hand through his hair. “No.” The word came out sharper than he intended. He exhaled, softer this time. “No.”
“You’re at the level where you need it,” Dainen argued. “It makes you stronger, more durable. You’ll take hits that would drop you otherwise.”
“And I’ll be slow as hell in the process,” Eli shot back. “I barely got out of that fight alive because I could react faster than the Raiken. If I’d used Titan Form, I’d be dead.”
He pushed himself to his feet, his frustration boiling over. “Not only does it slow me down, but the mana drain is ridiculous. I clearly made a mistake choosing it as my power ability.”
Alira, sitting at the table, rested her chin on one hand. “You haven’t learned how to use it properly yet. Titan Form isn’t just about brute force, Eli. It’s about control. You’re resisting it instead of adapting to it.”
Eli clenched his jaw. “I don’t have time to ‘adapt.’ I need to focus on what actually works.”
Dainen smirked. “So you’re just going to ignore it?”
Eli exhaled sharply. “I’m going for a walk.” Without another word, he turned and left the house, the door clicking shut behind him.
Dainen let him go without protest.
Alira stared at the closed door for a long moment before exhaling through her nose. “I think the fight made all this a little too real for Eli. He knows where he is and how far he still has to go.”
She stood and stretched. “I want him to feel in control of something. Everything that’s happened to him—it’s all been out of his control.”
Dainen leaned back tilting his chair, eyes still on the door.
Alira continued, “He keeps getting thrown into these situations he never asked for.”
“I know.” Dainen sighed. “He’ll figure it out.”
As Eli walked, lost in thought, he kept replaying the fight with the Raiken in his head. He had thought he was prepared, but the moment the battle began, he realized just how far he was from being able to stand on his own here.
Alira had warned him about the attention he would draw. If he had nearly died against a gold-tier Raiken, what chance did he have against a gold-tier user who actually knew what they were doing?
He had felt like he was making progress sparring with Teran, but he still only won about a third of the time. And when he sparred with Dainen, he couldn’t even land a blow.
“AAAAHHHHHHHH!” Eli screamed.
The sound echoed off the walls of ruins he hadn’t even realized he’d wandered into.
The ruins stretched before him, long since reclaimed by nature. Cracked stone foundations, weathered by time, peeked through the grass. A few walls still stood, their surfaces covered in creeping vines.
Eli exhaled slowly, pushing his frustration down as he walked through what had once been a home—a village. He reached out, running his fingers over the smooth stone of an old wall.
A glowing interface flickered into view:
? Ruins of Willowstead
? Formerly: Town Hall of Willowstead
? Founded: Estimated 15,000 years ago, during the Age of Verdant Dawn.
? Purpose: Town gatherings for entertainment, politics, social events.
? Current Status: Destroyed during The Sundering War (Approx. 10,000 years ago).
? Potentially Harmful: No active enchantments detected. Structural Integrity: 27%
Eli let out a slow breath. Over ten thousand years ago.
The weight of time settled over him differently than he expected.
He had seen the ping from the Ruins of Vel’Theras—those were over 100,000 years old. But for some reason, this place felt more real. It grounded him.
He’d spent his life thinking fifty years was a long time. Yet here he was, walking through a place that had existed before entire civilizations had even been imagined on Earth.
He kept moving, letting the HUD feed him scraps of history. Each stone, each ruin had something to say. It was overwhelming, yet in a strange way, it steadied him.
He needed to stop fixating on the Preserver and the Reformer. Stop fighting inevitabilities. Stop overthinking. He just needed to focus on getting stronger every day.
And when the time came to stand against them, he would either be strong enough—or he wouldn’t.
Eli took a deep breath, scanning the ruins for a quiet place to meditate.
Finding a relatively flat patch of ground, he sat down and closed his eyes. If he was going to make his decision, he wanted to do it here—in a small village, lost to time and memory.
He would remember them.
He pulled up his ability tracker.
? Ability Progress Tracker
Current Tier: Silver (Level 26)
Unallocated Ability Points: 10
Max Cap for Silver-Tier Abilities: 7 Points
?? Titan Form – Copper Level 2 → 98% ??????????
?? Herculean Strength – Silver Level 4 - 0% ??????????
?? Reinforced Ligaments – Silver Level 4 - 0% ??????????
?? Adamant Heart – Copper Level 3→ 67% ??????????
?? Meteor Dash – Copper Level 3 → 89% ??????????
?? Fusion Punch – Copper Level 3 → 76% ??????????
Silver-Tier Max Cap Levels (7 Points per Ability)
- Press “+” to allocate points, “-” to remove them.
- Points cannot exceed 7 per ability for Silver.
- Unallocated points must be used before confirming changes.
?? Titan Form – 2 +/- __
?? Herculean Strength – 4 +/- __
?? Reinforced Ligaments – 4 +/- __
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?? Adamant Heart – 3 +/- __
?? Meteor Dash – 3 +/- __
?? Fusion Punch – 3 +/- __
He considered his choices carefully.
“3 to Strength makes it 7. I like that.”
“3 to Reinforced makes that 7.”
“2 to Adamant is 5 for that.”
“Then 1 to Meteor and Fusion pushes those to 4”
His HUD pinged:
Would you like to see your new base stats based on the current point allocation?
Confirm [Yes / No]
“Yes.” Eli thought.
A table flew up into his vision that he had not seen before.
“Why didn’t you show me this before?” Eli asked his HUD.
His HUD pinged:
You didn’t ask.
Eli just shook his head and went through his base info.
? Eli’s Adjusted Primary Attributes (Silver-Tier)
Yesterday Eli would have compared himself to Teran, Alira or Dainen.
Now, he was just trying to be better today than HE was yesterday.
“Do you want to confirm your allocated points?” His HUD pinged.
[Yes / No]
Eli took a deep breath.
“Yes” he said out loud.
Confirmed – Please allow 2-3 hours of downtime for your body and mana to sync.
“Why did you make it sound like I am a PC about to go through downtime to upgrade to the new CMI OS firmware 3.4.0?” Eli asked his HUD. “Wait, are you mad at me for muting you?”
Eli waited a beat before closing his eyes to start his meditation.
His HUD pinged: “DOWNLOAD BEGINNING”
Eli just shook his head, that was a problem he could tackle later.
A deep warmth spread through his limbs. His mana pulsed, adjusting to the changes. He could feel it flowing in and out of his body—like a second heartbeat, tracing each muscle and bone.
Eli focused, following the current of energy within him. It was subtle at first, but as he concentrated, he could almost hear it—a faint hum beneath his skin, as if his body was syncing with something beyond himself.
His HUD pinged.
“Firmware downloaded.”
Eli blinked. “Seriously?”
“We can discuss this later. You are not making a strong case for me unmuting you.”
He snorted but didn’t argue. His Silver-Tier Mana Rank had just jumped from 26 to 36. Silver 1 to Silver 2.
Eli smiled at that.
Standing up, he felt like he could jump over a mountain. His body radiated power, the sheer force of his upgrades humming beneath his skin.
"This world is pretty cool," Eli muttered to himself.
Alira and Dainen sat at the makeshift table outside Dainen’s house, a map spread between them.
“We’ll take the Grand Mana Rail to Stormspire,” Dainen said, tapping a route. “Fastest way.”
“We’ll need to avoid major checkpoints,” Alira added. “Venya still has people watching for us.”
Teran walked up, arms crossed. “So when do we leave?”
Dainen sighed. “We don’t.”
Teran froze. “What?”
“You’re staying here,” Alira said, not looking up.
Teran’s face darkened. “That’s bullshit.”
Mirelle stepped in, her glare sharp. “No, what’s bullshit is you thinking you can just run off when you have a family here.”
“I can help,” Teran snapped. “I can fight.”
Mirelle didn’t back down. “You have a wife and two children who need you here,” she shot back. “We don’t get to be reckless. We don’t get to chase adventure. We raise our children so they can become better versions of us.”
Frustration hung in the air.
Alira finally looked up, locking eyes with Teran. “This is reality now. We’re not just training anymore. Every step we take from here gets harder. There’s no guarantee we come back from this.”
Silence settled over the group.
Teran exhaled, then looked at Mirelle. He nodded. “Sorry, love. I guess I got caught up in all this.” He waved a hand vaguely, as if “this” was something tangible hanging in the air.
Eli made his way back to the Homestead, feeling lighter—more confident.
Mana pulsed through him, flowing in and out like a steady rhythm.
As he rounded the corner, he spotted Dainen and Alira.
Dainen smirked. “Figured you’d just do what you wanted anyway.”
Eli rolled his shoulders, feeling his mana settle.
“I’m not trying to be difficult,” he said, meeting Alira’s gaze. “I know I need to master everything, not just what comes easy.”
His expression hardened. “But I also need to stay ahead of the curve. My speed and precision are what will keep me alive. Titan Form will be a luxury—when I can master it. Right now, I need to focus on maximizing my strengths.”
Alira studied him for a long moment, then nodded. “I get it. I’m sorry we made you feel like you didn’t have a choice. I sometimes forget I don’t have all the answers.”
“Well, I have all the answers, so don’t lump me into that category,” Dainen said as he leaned back tilting his chair.
Alira pretended to throw her cup at him.
Dainen flinched—his chair tipping backward—he crashed to the ground with a loud thud.
Eli walked over and shook his head. “I figured of all people, you’d know better than to mess with Ally when she’s in her Lite Fuse Era.”
Alira didn’t hesitate this time. She actually threw her cup, nailing Eli in the back of the head.
“Ouch!” Eli yelped. “This is an unsafe environment.”
Later that night, after Alira and Eli had returned to their cabin, Eli sat at the table, eating a bowl of stew that Mirelle had made. His gaze remained fixed on the unknown ring in his inventory.
“Alira,” he said.
She glanced up from her journal, scanning for anything she might have written that could help them.
“There’s something I didn’t mention after the fight,” he continued.
Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out the ring.
The moment it left the HUD’s storage, a notification pinged.
? HUD Notification – Celestial Relic Detected
Item: Sableis, The Veilbound Oath
Material: Celestial Alloy – Composition Unknown
Runic Etchings: Active – Celestial Script (Untranslated)
Core Enchantment: Dormant – Requires Attunement
Mana Signature: Suppressed – Resonance Detected
? Relic Overview:
?? Sableis, The Veilbound Oath is an artifact of Celestial origin, its purpose shrouded in the echoes of forgotten epochs.
?? The ring is linked to an affinity-forged saber, a weapon formed through the will of its bearer—bound by oath and unbroken intent.
?? Its runes shift as though alive, whispering in a language not meant for mortal comprehension.
?? The gemstone at its heart pulses in harmony with nearby mana currents, suggesting deep attunement potential.
? Celestial Archive Data (Limited):
"The blade exists not in the hand but in the soul. To wear the Oath is to command the unseen, to shape the formless, to strike without hesitation. Only those who walk between fate’s woven threads may bear its weight."
? Warning:
?? The ring’s power is sealed—attunement required.
?? Unattuned, it remains dormant.
?? Celestial artifacts may react unpredictably based on the wielder’s essence.
? Action Required:
Would you like to attempt attunement?
[Yes / No]
As Eli read the ping aloud, Alira’s eyes narrowed.
She frowned. “That is… I’ve heard of many Celestial Relics, but I’ve only ever seen a handful.”
Eli dropped the ring into her palm.
The moment it touched her skin, its color shifted from silver to deep ruby.
Eli’s eyes widened. “Uh…”
Alira turned it over in her hand, her expression unreadable.
“It adapts to the user’s mana tier,” she murmured, more to herself than to Eli.
They stared at it.
“The band is inscribed with Celestial script,” she said in awe, tracing the shifting runes with her thumb.
Eli frowned. “Why the hell did this get looted from a Gold-Tier Raiken?”
Alira didn’t look up, still studying the ring. Her voice was quiet but firm.
“I don’t think it came from the Raiken.”