Third Person's POV
As Alaric shoveled down his pancakes, barely tasting them between eye rolls and grumbling thoughts, the panel lit up again.
[So, aren't you going to ask what the eyes do?]
'Can I see through walls?' he thought, without even pausing between bites.
[Not really.]
'Can I see three kilometers away from the terrace then?' Alaric's tone was flat as he jabbed his fork into another pancake.
[...No. Why three kilometers?]
He sighed dramatically, slumping in his chair. 'Can I at least shoot flames from my eyes?'
[...]
'Are you sure you aren't useless?' Alaric poked at his food with all the enthusiasm of someone who'd just been told Santa wasn't real.
The silence lingered, and Alaric could almost feel the panel's exasperation. Still, he kept chewing, refusing to let his disappointment spoil the flavor. The pancakes were too good for that.
[KID! Let me tell you, that power is absolutely strong.]
'Yeah, yeah,' Alaric waved his fork dismissively. 'Does it let me regrow my eyeballs so I can pluck the old ones and chuck them at others?'
For a moment, the panel stayed silent, as if it were gathering the will to continue.
Alaric shook his head with a dramatic sigh, gulping down the last bite of pancake. 'All that pain, and for what? No flame-throwing eyes, no wall peeping...' He clicked his tongue in mock disappointment.
[...I will just show the rest.]
'Tsk, tsk. This better be good.' Alaric nodded sagely to himself, grabbing another slice of toast, clearly in no rush to experience whatever 'amazing power' Boon was bragging about.
[Well, since you're still weak, there aren't many features to show, but as you grow, more will unlock. For now, I'll show you the one feature that is available.]
Another panel appeared.
[Tome]
[The [Tome] is the central hub where the Host can access all acquired [System Abilities], [Skills], and [Spells]. Once an entry is made within the Tome, the Host can freely utilize any of these powers at will. The Tome organizes and catalogues everything in the Host's full arsenal of capabilities.]
'Magical diary? Cool, my life is complete now.'
Alaric thought, snickering aloud. He could almost hear Boon's mental eye-roll. Assuming that he got these eyes from the system they must be counted in [System Abilities], he opened the section and it was there.
[Eyes of Panoptes - The All-seeing Eyes
- Range: Infinite, as long as the host can see it.
- Duration: As long as the Host desires
- Cost: None.]
'Hmm? All-seeing eyes?' Alaric glanced around, narrowing his gaze. He concentrated, but nothing changed. No magical insights, no enhanced vision.
[Use it on someone, it'll make more sense.]
Alaric clicked his tongue in annoyance. Breakfast was done, and although he definitely had no ulterior motives, he decided reading sounded like a much better plan.
[There's also one other thing for now. Your stats.]
Alaric's eyebrows shot up. 'Stats?' Now that sounded interesting. As he walked, the next panel popped up, covered in mysterious numbers and titles. He scanned through it, trying to make sense of it.
[Host's Stats]
[Name: Alaric Athran]
[Age: 7]
[Title: The Doted Child of Athran household]
[Core: Black]
[Level: 5]
[Mana: 10]
[Talent: —]
[Vitality: 8]
[Strength: 9]
[Defence: 7]
[Speed: 8]
[Intelligence: 15]
[Stamina: 5]
[Balance]
Aurel Points: 0
Astral Shards: 0
Alaric squinted at the panel, his brain doing somersaults as the numbers stared back at him like a puzzle missing half its pieces. He rubbed his temples. "Okay, am I smart or am I a corpse? Because these stats aren't making sense, and don't even get me started on the empty Talent section… What's up with that?"
[...]
Alaric looked at the panel it had nothing written on it but Boon clearly spoke. He heard a weird noise in his head, which meant Boon didn't have permission to speak about it.
[Well, I will just answer your other questions. First, a title is something you gain from influence. In this case, the household includes the maids, the butlers, your parents and the doctor and since all of them dote on you, that is your title. One person can have many titles, you will meet many people that have multiple titles, you can say it is something sort of a trophy they have earned, be it from a good deed... or a bad one.]
Alaric, for once, was listening to Boon silently as Boon continued to answer.
[About the Stamina part, that is literally all you have. From what I know that is like the average of the stage you are in. Your Intelligence reflects your ability to control mana. That's why it's so high... You don't have a question about the [Balance] part?]
'I mean I do, but I don't think I have done something to earn points yet so it is of no use. Explain it to me if you are at it.' Hearing Alaric Boon began speaking in his head again.
[Balance shows you how many points you've got.]
'Wow,' Alaric deadpanned. 'Thanks, Boon. Truly groundbreaking. Next, you'll tell me water is wet.'
[... Aurel Points are the common currency, you can earn Aurel points by doing tasks or quests given by the system.]
'A glorified to-do list' Alaric sighed 'So, how or when do I get quests or tasks?'
[That is something even I don't know. The quests or tasks trigger if you encounter something or if it is a necessity.]
'And what about the shards?'
[Astral Shards are the rarer currency you can earn after leveling up or breaking through to a new stage.]
'So how do I increase my stats? Punching trees or something?'
[Training, obviously.]
Alaric let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Of course. Training. My favorite hobby. Clearly, the system knows me too well."
'Are you going to keep talking to me always now? No more privacy in my life?'
[You easily will me off, I am simply an assis—]
Alaric mentally slammed the door on Boon, enjoying the rare quiet. His head felt clearer without the constant commentary. Too clear, actually. When he finally snapped out of his thoughts, he was already standing in front of the library, the door handle cold under his hand.
Alaric pushed the library door open with a slight creak, the familiar scent of old parchment filling his senses. His eyes darted around the room, searching for something—or rather, someone.
And there she was. Aurelia, seated in her usual spot by the window, bathed in the soft glow of the sunlight filtering through the glass. She looked up from her book as he entered, her lips curving into a knowing smile.
"Well, well," she drawled, her voice smooth and teasing, "If it isn't our newly minted cultivator."
Alaric's throat felt dry, his fingers twitching in his pockets as if they could somehow fidget the tension away. "Uh, hey. Just... came to grab a book." His voice cracked, betraying the calm he desperately tried to fake.
"Oh?" Aurelia tilted her head, eyes twinkling with mischief. "What kind of book, Alaric?"
Alaric, with his hands in his pockets, walked up to the shelf avoiding her gaze, and pulled out a book.
'Fireball'
Alaric sat down, a little too quickly, his knee knocking into the table as he fumbled with the book. He was sitting close to her, Alaric had no idea how or why, his body chose the spot on its own and right now he was an inch or two away from Aurelia who was looking at him like an animal who was playing with prey before devouring it.
Aurelia's eyes gleamed as she leaned over, just enough to read the title. "Fireball? Well, well," she mused, tapping a finger on her chin. "Only formed your core this morning, and already planning on setting the place ablaze? Should I be worried, or impressed?"
"I—well, it's just for, you know, reading. Nothing serious," Alaric stammered, he could feel the heat radiating off her, smell the faint scent of her shampoo.
"Aren't you just adorable, getting ahead of yourself with a skill already?" she whispered, her voice so close that the heat of her breath tickled his ear. "But first things first—you need to learn how to channel mana"
Alaric's brain short-circuited. Yes, she was right, but in that tone? It felt more like she was reciting poetry—very distracting poetry. Was this supposed to be helpful, or was she just enjoying watching him squirm?
Aurelia chuckled, the sound light and teasing. "You really are too cute when you're flustered, you know that? I could do this all day."
His heart raced, beating so loud he swore she could hear it. "C-Can we... just focus on reading? Please?" He managed to stammer, hoping—praying—that reading would somehow make the heat in his face disappear.
"Of course," she said sweetly, pulling back and settling into her own book. But not before casting him one last, teasing glance. "Though I can't promise I won't peek over at your little 'Fireball' lesson."
Aurelia returned her focus to her own book with a smile as if satisfied after playing with Alaric.
Alaric exhaled, his expression returning to normal as soon as Aurelia retreated, feeling both relieved and disappointed. He tried to focus on the book. But the room was so quiet, so still. Except for the soft rustle of pages turning, and... Aurelia's breath. He couldn't stop hearing it, couldn't stop being aware of her presence beside him.
They sat like that for hours, the light outside slowly fading as evening approached. The quiet became comfortable, even if Alaric's mind couldn't quite focus on the book in front of him. He still completed the book and closed it.
Pushing his chair back he got up, silently walking to the shelf and placing the book back from where he took it. He returned to his seat, much more calm this time.
"Hmm?" Aurelia raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a playful smirk. "You've been staring. Mesmerized by my beauty, are we? Am I that gorgeous?" Her voice was lilting, teasing, fully expecting to see him blush and fumble over his words like before.
"You are," Alaric replied with a shrug as if stating the obvious. Aurelia blinked, and just when she thought he might be teasing her back, he leaned in slightly. "But actually, I wanted to ask you something."
Aurelia's smirk faltered for a fraction of a second. She didn't expect him to say it so... easily. She tilted her head, watching him with renewed curiosity, though her playful mask stayed firmly in place.
"The book I was reading was a Rank-1 Skill book right?"
"It was. There are only four Rank-1 Skills so anyone with core knows all of them." Aurelia shifted in her seat, turning to face him fully, her knees brushing against his. She leaned her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her palm, her eyes narrowing in playful suspicion.
"Then how much time do you think a Rank-1 skill takes to learn, even to someone who has no talent," Alaric asked shuffling, Aurelia's lips curled.
"Relax, you're more than capable. But reading a skill book doesn't magically make you a master. First things first, you've got to learn to channel mana. You've literally just formed your core—baby steps, Alaric." She gave him a playful nudge as if to say, 'no pressure.'
"But still, how long does it take?" Alaric still insisted on knowing.
Aurelia hummed trying to think of a number, "Well you can say even a talentless person who has learned how to channel mana inside his body can learn [Fireball] in a month."
"I see," Alaric muttered extending his hand on top of the table and closing his eyes.
Aurelia watched him, a small smile playing on her lips. It was cute, really, how he was trying so hard. But she knew better—there was no way he could pull it off. Not yet. He'd only just formed his core. That is what she thought.
A tiny spark leapt from his palm, crackling in the air and Aurelia's face went pale in an instant.
Speechless. Stunned. She could only watch, her jaw slack, eyes wide as she saw what just happened. This wasn't just unusual—it was impossible.
Alaric wasn't over, the sparks turned frequent, his closed eyes tightened, and suddenly...
A sharp gasp escaped her, and before she could stop herself, she jumped from her seat, nearly knocking the table over in her shock. Her eyes locked on his hand, wide with disbelief.