Everyone was panicking. Well, Chloe Zerog certainly was. She walked through the living room like a restless cat—or one that had just been stung by a bee.
She glared daggers at Merlin and insulted him for informing his own flesh and blood so late about the changes. It was already problematic that the Camp was starting ahead of its initial schedule—I needed more time to grow stronger—but for there to be a test for all retinues as well… that was bad. Aureus had yet to evolve, which would likely take up most of the remaining month—probably more than that—and I was currently still a Novice.
Once Aureus evolved, I’d likely meet all requirements to be registered as an Adept. However, I would only be a weak Adept, even then.
Despite the annoying news, I remained silent. I left all the talking and cursing to Chloe and the others as exhaustion consumed me. I was just so damn tired after working myself to the bone for the last week. Or were the last few months finally catching up to me? I had no idea, but I returned to my room, my mind racing while my body was already half-asleep.
I didn’t even make it into my room when my parents caught up to me. A surge of frustration rose in my mind as I wanted nothing more than to sleep. Was it really that hard to let me sleep for a few hours after I’d worked so hard? However, all the negativity and bad thoughts forming in my mind evaporated when I turned to my parents.
It… had been a while since I had talked to them, hadn’t it? Except for the occasional, quick chatter, I hadn’t really spoken with them, and watching them fidget around uncomfortably made me feel like the worst human on Rizarn. I felt bad seeing them like that—and rightfully so.
“I am fine,” I said, forcing a smile even though I knew my parents didn’t believe me for a moment.
“Do you really want to do this?” Mom’s voice was shaking. “All of this?”
She had been starting to visit a therapist ever since Chloe forced her to. It hadn’t been easy, but Daniel’s mother made it work. Mom was still feeling bad about accepting Chloe’s generosity, but I understood her very well. My parents were just like me, so how could I not understand what was on their minds? They had nothing against going to therapy, but it was difficult for my mother to accept Chloe’s generosity. After all, therapy sessions were far from cheap—especially the Journeyman Chloe Zerog had hired.
The therapist worked with several Soulkins who did… something. I had no idea what they were actually doing, but they helped my mother greatly. She was already doing much better after nearly dying to a few beasts during the Mistral incident. Father, on the other hand, received some training. He joined the Silverstreek gym and was trying hard.
While they weren’t given serums or anything like that, the Zerogs helped them greatly in their own ways, and I was grateful for everything.
“What do you mean?” I asked uncertainly. “I want to join the Camp, if that’s what you’re talking about. Joining the Camp is something I’ve always wanted, Mom.”
Mom’s lips formed a thin line. “But you’re not really fine, are you? I know Chloe and her husband mean well. Even I can tell that much after spending some time with them, but you’ll be one of the youngest cadets in the Camp. What have you been doing in the last few months other than training, training, and more training? You look worn, Adam. You are growing stronger—I can see that too—but all those bruises and the fading light in your eyes are not normal. I…”
Mom swallowed the last word, teary-eyed, lips pressed even tighter together than before. Her words stung more than they probably should have, but I just smiled at her.
“I don’t want to grow complacent, Mom,” I said reluctantly. My lips parted but closed again when I felt Aureus’ desire to evolve, to grow stronger… to make me stronger… to fight all those who antagonized us in the past—Mistral included.
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I grimaced. “I want to give this my best. Sure, I might not make it far in the Camp. Maybe they’ll throw me out because I’m not talented enough… or they’ll tell me to try again in a year or two. But this is the best chance I’ve got, and you know that, Mom. Daniel’s parents offer me everything I need to make it work. I feel better than I have... ever... and... and I want to repay them. Not only for their investment but also—...”
I took a deep breath.
“I also want to thank them for their trust. They… They believe in me, and they invest so much into my growth because they think I can make it.” The words struggled to escape my lips as my vision blurred. “They think I am good enough. That I will succeed where they failed.”
I hadn’t noticed the tears welling in my eyes until my sight grew hazy, but I could no longer stop them after that. Why was I like that? Why…
Mom stared blankly at me for a moment before stepping closer to pull me into a tight hug.
“I’m sorry, my little baby,” she sobbed, and her entire body shuddered as she embraced me even tighter. “I didn’t want to discourage you. I… I’m just worried, you know? After seeing so many… so many people die, I… I don’t want you to jump into danger. I-I…”
Mom began to cry bitterly, and even Dad joined us. He tried to look tough for a moment, but that didn’t last long. He cleared his throat and joined the embrace.
“I love you guys… you know that, right?” I muttered, not even realizing as the weight of responsibility and desire evaporated. For now, even if it was only for a few hours, I was just a teenager. A bit emotional and cringy, but so be it. I didn’t have to be strong at all times, and especially not in my parents’ embrace.
“I’m tired…” I chuckled, pulling closer into my parents’ embrace. “But I love my current life.”
***
The evolution serum didn’t look like anything special. It was viscous like most serums and even plainer than Pith Potency. The serum in my hands was muddy-colored and didn’t radiate a trace of ether. Either Beaster Bert had messed up big time, or the ingredients used to concoct the serum perfectly concealed the evolution serum’s properties—including the ether swirling through it. Or… I was just too nervous to sense anything.
Aureus slapped my calf with his tail and bombarded me with his impatience. He was as excited as I was, but the glutton wanted to get it over with. The faster he consumed the evolution serum, the faster he would be stronger. Images of Aureus, gargantuan and mightier than ever, appeared in my mind, and I had to suppress a chuckle. Aureus was great at distracting me, and I played along.
I sent him waves of a miniature lizard with strong spiritual powers rather than great physical strength, speed, and size. Aureus didn’t like that and slapped me again with his tail, only to freeze in his tracks when I bent down with the evolution serum. He didn’t want to spill even the slightest droplet—neither did I.
Time seemed to come to a crawl as Aureus emptied the tiny, unassuming vial. Nothing happened in the first seconds, and Aureus glanced over to me, wondering if he had done something wrong. Then everything changed.
Aureus’ golden eyes widened, and a pained yelp resounded. His scales cracked and burst apart as blood that smelled as rotten as death spilled out of him.
My heart was racing, and I looked around in panic, my lips parted for a scream of help, only to see everyone looking at Aureus—calmly. Some looked coldly at my Soulkin, while others just stared at him like they had expected that to happen.
Only my parents and their Blackbellied Gibbons were frantic. They paled, and I caught Mom rushing to Chloe to beg her to make it stop. Chloe Zerog regarded my mom for a moment and sighed.
“This is a necessity.”
She didn’t look panicked at all. There was not even a trace of worry in her voice, which was reassuring—if not for Aureus’ pain flowing through our bond. I couldn’t quite grasp the bond enough to take Aureus’ pain and make it mine, but we could share it. At least, I was hoping we shared his pain.
I didn’t leave Aureus in the open for long and stored him in the World, hoping the World’s properties would accelerate Aureus’ evolution and ease the pain. Every World could heal their bonded Soulkin faster, and I was happy it worked with all kinds of wounds. Aureus drained my core and consumed the soul energy particles swirling through the World, and it actually worked against Aureus’ suffering.
“I have to leave. Workout,” I said, turning to the elevator. Several voices reached me, but I ignored them all as my mind drifted to the best ways to produce more soul energy.
While it was still unclear how my physique could accelerate the World’s recovery rate with something as mundane as ‘exhaustion,’ I knew it worked. As weird as it was, I could make use of the blessing of my cursed physique.