The morning sun streamed through Alex's blinds, landing squarely on his face.
He groaned and buried his head under a pillow. Last night's meditation session had devolved into an unplanned nap, leaving him groggy and irritable.
"Balance of mind and body," he muttered, dragging himself out of bed.
"Why can't it be 'Order pizza and chill'? I'd ace that in a heartbeat."
The Quest App remained stubbornly unforgiving, its ticking timer a reminder of his procrastination.
The promise of new quests dangled just out of reach, taunting him.
Determined to try again, Alex resolved to start the day fresh.
At school, things were off to a rocky start. Alex had barely stepped into the lecture hall when he tripped over someone's oversized bag and sprawled face-first onto the floor.
"Whoa, dude, you okay?"
Alex looked up to see a tall, lanky guy with thick-rimmed glasses and a wide grin. The newcomer had an air of uncoordinated energy, like a baby giraffe learning to walk.
"Just testing gravity," Alex said deadpanned, dusting himself off.
The guy extended a hand, his grin widening. "Name's Brook Adams. Sorry about the bag. It's my...uh, portable library."
Alex glanced at the bulging monstrosity. "You carrying books for a small country or something?"
Brook laughed, a little too loudly. "Nah, just everything I might need for class. You never know when a random fact about 16th-century art will save the day."
Alex shook his head, already regretting the conversation. But as they walked to their seats, Brook kept talking.
By lunchtime, Alex was mentally drained.
Brook had attached himself like a particularly persistent barnacle, chatting about everything from medieval weaponry to his theory that squirrels were secretly plotting to overthrow humanity.
"I mean, think about it," Brook said, gesturing wildly with his sandwich. "They're always watching. Gathering intel. It's only a matter of time before they make their move."
Alex stared at him, unsure whether to laugh or be concerned. "You're...unique, I'll give you that."
Mia appeared, tray in hand, and gave Brook a curious look. "Who's this?"
"Brook," Alex said, sighing. "The universe's answer to silence."
Brook beamed. "Nice to meet you! Did you know the longest pizza delivery was from London to Melbourne? Over 10,000 miles!"
Mia blinked, clearly unsure how to respond. "Uh, cool?"
After lunch, Alex decided to tackle the mind-body harmony quest head-on. He found a quiet spot in the library and sat cross-legged, trying to meditate.
Five minutes in, Brook appeared out of nowhere and plopped down beside him.
"What're you doing? Yoga? Mental summoning? Oh! Are you astral projecting?"
Alex opened one eye. "I'm trying to meditate. Quietly."
Brook nodded solemnly. "Got it."
Thirty seconds later, Brook was humming.
"Are you humming?" Alex snapped.
"It helps me focus," Brook whispered loudly.
Alex groaned. Does this guy what whisper is?
"Focus somewhere else!"
"Hehe"
Brook left, but not before knocking over a stack of books on his way out.
The crash echoed through the library, and Alex sank deeper into his seat, wishing for invisibility.
The rest of the day wasn't much better.
Alex tried a few light stretches in gym class, only to end up with a cramp that left him hobbling like a pirate.
During a group project discussion, he attempted deep breathing to clear his mind but got so lightheaded he had to sit down.
His efforts were met with a surprise prompt from the Quest App:
[New Quest: A Helping Hand – Assist someone in need today. Reward: ???]
Alex frowned at the notification. "Seriously? You couldn't wait until I finished one quest before throwing another at me?"
But the app, as always, offered no explanation.
By the end of the school day, Alex was ready to call it quits. The balance of mind and body felt more like a cruel joke than an achievable goal.
As he packed up, Mia approached him. "Walking home?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Same. Let's go."
The walk was quiet at first, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows on the sidewalk. Mia glanced at Alex a few times, as if debating whether to say something.
"You seem...distracted," she finally said.
Alex shrugged. "Just got a lot on my mind."
"Anything you want to talk about?"
"Not really," Alex said, though he appreciated the offer.
As they walked, Alex found himself relaxing. The pressure of the day eased, and his thoughts grew less tangled. By the time they reached Mia's street, he felt lighter, more at peace.
"Thanks for the company," Mia said, smiling softly.
"Anytime," Alex replied, surprised to realize he meant it.
When he got home, Alex opened the Quest App out of habit. To his shock, the "Balance the Scales" quest was marked as complete.
[Name: Alex]
[Charisma: 2]
[Health: 7]
[Strength: 5]
[Wisdom: 5 -> 6]
[Dexterity: 3 -> 5]
[Luck: 1]
[Creativity: 3]
[Cooking: 2]
[Empathy: 2]
"What? How?" he muttered.
He replayed the day in his mind. The mishaps, the failures, the unexpected calm during the walk with Mia... Could that have been it?
Alex shook his head, laughing softly. "Guess I'm a Zen master now. Who knew?"
A small smile on his face. Sometimes, it seemed, balance found you when you stopped trying so hard to find it.
Alex slumped against his bedroom wall, his fingers idly scrolling through the Quest App.
The usual list of stats stared back at him, but his mind was stuck on one thing: the new quest he'd received earlier that day.
[New Quest: A Helping Hand – Assist someone in need today. Reward: ???]
It felt like the app had finally taken pity on him, giving him a quest that sounded simple enough.
The only problem? The day was almost over, and he hadn't helped anyone yet.
He glanced out his window at the darkening sky, groaning.
"I'm gonna fail this one, aren't I?" he muttered to himself.
The app's timer was ticking down fast. The reward was still a mystery, but he couldn't help but feel an odd sense of excitement.
Alex had already been through a lot today. He'd accidentally completed the "Balance the Scales" quest, had a laughably failed attempt at meditation, and narrowly avoided getting injured in gym class.
Now, this quest loomed over him like a challenge he couldn't ignore.
But it was already late, and the streets were empty.
Everyone was likely winding down for the night, not exactly in need of some random college guy to offer help. But, Alex thought, he'd do his best to find someone.
He grabbed his jacket and headed out the door.
"Damn, the vibe feels like I'm a vigilante. I'm just missing a bow and a green suit."
Chapter title: The Accidental Sage