Lancer and the group of Shades arrived at the ridge overlooking the village. The sunlight bathed the area in a warm glow, but the Shades hesitated, lingering in the shadows of the trees.
Lancer sighed and gestured impatiently. "It's just sunlight, not a death trap. Are we doing this or not?"
Remus, his expression a mixture of nerves and determination, took a deep breath. "I'll go first."
He stepped tentatively into the light, his movements careful as if expecting to burst into flames. When nothing happened, his surprise was palpable. "It's fine!" he called back, his voice tinged with relief.
The rest of the Shades hesitantly followed, one by one, into the sunlight. Lancer crossed his arms and grumbled, "You know, it's a little insulting how little you trust me."
Remus gave him an apologetic glance but said nothing.
As they approached the village gate, the sound of panicked screams and shouts reached their ears. Lancer's stomach twisted as unwelcome memories of the previous attack surfaced. Without hesitation, he broke into a run, pushing through the crowd.
He was immediately stopped by the guards, who tensed at his sudden arrival. Their hands hovered near their weapons before one of them recognized him.
"Relax," Lancer said quickly."What's going on?"
The guard exhaled and lowered his hand. "There's been a huge and terrifying magic presence nearby. People are freaking out."
Lancer blinked, then turned to glance at the group of Shades trailing behind him. "It's probably them," he explained, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.
The guard followed his gaze, his expression shifting to one of curiosity and wariness. "Alright," he said cautiously, "but what are they doing here?"
"They're staying in the village," Lancer said firmly. "Their home keeps getting attacked, and they've been forced to keep moving. They need a place to live."
The guard hesitated but eventually nodded. "If you vouch for them, we'll allow it."
As the gate opened and the group stepped inside, Remus leaned closer to Chief Kanto and whispered, "I'm sure we've reined in most of the magic our bodies emit."
Kanto chuckled quietly, his eyes on Lancer. "I doubt he even knows his own magic is leaking out."
Remus walked alongside Lancer, his expression thoughtful. "You know," he began, "that huge magic presence everyone's afraid of—it's you."
Lancer froze mid-step, staring at Remus in disbelief. "Wait, me?"
Remus nodded. "It makes sense. Your magic is intense. We could feel it from quite a distance. You've absorbed a lot of energy recently, haven't you?"
Lancer blinked, remembering the bounty hunters from the night before. "I mean, yeah, I guess. There was that one guy who fought Kanto. He seemed pretty strong."
His thoughts raced as he turned inward. "System, what's my magic points count now?"
[Approximately 500,000.]
Lancer stopped dead in his tracks, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. "What?! Half a million? Is that... okay? Am I going to, I don't know, explode or something?"
[There is no danger of physical harm. However, your magic is leaking excessively. Shall I store the excess to stabilize your output?]
"Yes, do that!" he said quickly.
Remus, watching closely, noticed a subtle shift in Lancer's aura as the oppressive pressure seemed to vanish. His eyes widened in amazement. "Incredible. You've already learned to reign in your magic?"
Lancer gave him an awkward shrug, trying not to show how much he was sweating. "Uh... yeah, something like that." He wasn't about to explain that a mysterious voice in his head had done all the work.
As they continued walking, the villagers began to gather, curiosity replacing the fear from earlier. Children ran out from the crowd, their gazes fixed on the Shades. One of the braver kids approached Thalia, hesitating for a moment before asking, "Do you want to play with us?"
Thalia's eyes lit up, and she eagerly joined them, soon laughing and running with the group of children.
Alastor, standing nearby, crossed his arms and muttered, "I've never seen humans welcome us like this before."
Lancer glanced at him and said firmly, "Not all people are bad. Some just need a chance to understand."
Livia took it upon herself to explain the Shades' situation to the villagers, calming any remaining doubts. Slowly, the air of unease dissipated, replaced by a sense of acceptance.
Now, all that was left was to create a proper living space for the Shades.
He decided it was time for the village to expand. It wasn't ideal since he had just finished repairing it, but there was no helping it—growth required change. Taking a deep breath, he broke down part of the wall surrounding the village, the sound of crumbling stone echoing through the area.
Once the area was cleared of plants and debris, Lancer turned to the Shades. "I need to know what kind of homes you'd prefer. If it's alright, I'd like to use Data Transfer to help get everything just right."
The Shades exchanged glances before nodding their approval. The system worked efficiently, organizing the combined input from each of the Shades into detailed blueprints. With the designs in mind, Lancer got to work.
Thanks to Atomic Reconstruction and his newly unlocked Level 2 abilities, his magic was far more efficient. He could now channel significantly more mana at once, and at a much faster rate. What once would have taken hours now took mere minutes. The new Shades' section of the village began to take shape: sturdy homes with shaded courtyards, unique embellishments reflecting their culture, and reinforced structures suited for their lifestyle.
When the last piece was in place, the crowd erupted in applause. Kanto stepped forward, smiling broadly. "Your power truly is something else, Lancer. You've given us more than we could have asked for."
Lancer scratched the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly. "It's no big deal. This place is home for all of us now."
With the expansion complete, the village population had grown significantly, and roles were quickly distributed among the new residents. The administrative duties were handled jointly by Kanto, the human village elders, and the Shade elders. Meanwhile, the younger Shades took on responsibilities such as hunting in the forest and bolstering village security, utilizing their natural abilities to great effect.
As Lancer looked out at the bustling village, now a harmonious blend of humans and Shades, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. It seemed like this new way of life was off to a promising start.