Merline threw the lock closed and leaned his head back against the door. He wanted to slide down to the floor and just sit there, but his nerves were too wound up to stop moving.
Ashley saw me when I was coming up the stairs. She could clearly tell something was wrong.
He glanced down at himself and almost laughed at the sight his neighbor must have seen.
Who wouldn't be able to tell something was wrong? I look like I just got mauled by an animal, rolled in the dirt, and then ran several city blocks. Come to think of it... that is kind of what happened.
Sweat stained his shirt and his sock was torn from fleeing the Rift location. Surprisingly, despite his frantic state and disheveled appearance, he was largely ignored on the subway ride back to his apartment.
They probably thought I was homeless or on drugs… I'll need to think up an excuse and reassure Ashley that everything is fine later. I don't think my hasty yelling really did anything to help convince her I was alright.
He paced forward and kicked off his single ruined dress shoe, annoyed.
Fuck.
Why did I run? I'm not in trouble, right?
Running his fingers through his sweat-matted hair, he walked to his room.
I need some water.
He backtracked and stood in his doorway for a moment to stare blankly at his apartment. The living room was open and had a small set of windows on the wall opposite the entry door. His living room consisted of a comfortable rug, a coffee table, and an old couch that served to view the flat screen. Past the couch was an island countertop, which marked the start of the kitchen. The fake stone counters and white cabinets combined for a clean presentation, and he was thankful that he had a decent-sized refrigerator.
Normally, the apartment felt large for just him. The ceilings were vaulted in the living room with exposed brick walls and natural wood flooring, which gave the feeling of a large and open loft. Today, however, it felt entirely too small, like the walls were closing in on him.
He walked past the couch and into the kitchen to grab a plastic cup. His hand shook as he filled it with water from the fridge and gulped it down.
I killed something. That can't be good, right?
But it was a monster. Killing that kind of makes me a hero, right?
Fuck, why is it so hot in here?
He moved to the other side of the living room and turned the thermostat down further before continuing to berate himself.
Hero? Don't be an idiot! I almost died trying to fight a damn slime. A slime!
Looking down at his leg and the state of his ruined work clothes, he shook his head.
People clearly saw me exit the Rift. Some of them had cameras. Are they going to be able to find me now?
The government is recruiting people for that initiative program. Will they try to draft me into the program?
Panic began to rise in his chest, and he quickly moved to the bathroom, stripping off the ruined work outfit.
What should I even do with these? Burn them?
Seems drastic. Trash chute?
He groaned and decided to tackle one thing at a time. First, he needed to just breathe for a second. Then, he needed to shower and assess his leg. No one was going to come banging down his door looking for him in the immediate future.
Just breathe... everything is going to be okay. Probably.
He stepped into the shower after letting it warm up. The water felt relaxing as it ran down his face and shoulders, ridding him of the layers of sweat and grime that had built up over the last few hours.
He glanced down at his legs, still slightly splotchy from where the slime had attached itself to him. The memory of the little green monster squishing and pulsing against his leg made him shudder.
I need to relax.
The heat from the shower was doing its job and helping him to unwind.
Maybe this was all just a dream. A really fucked up, vivid dream.
He turned off the water and stepped out onto the bathmat. Shaking his head, he grabbed the towel off the nearby hook and started drying himself off.
He would have an easier time convincing himself that all of this was just a vivid dream if the area the blue motes entered his body didn't hurt as he dried himself off.
He tossed the towel onto the counter and walked into his bedroom. He opted for something more comfortable, throwing on some sweats, knowing that the apartment would get chilly as the AC kicked in.
Grabbing a trash bag from the kitchen, he tossed his ruined clothes inside and set the bag by the door.
I'll figure out what to do with them later.
Thinking about how cool this all could have been, he considered telling Mark. Partly to let someone else in on the secret and partly to vent his frustration.
Everything was so crazy, and the System windows even looked like they were straight out of some game. Should I tell him?
His feet moved before he even consciously registered the thought, pacing back and forth across the room.
He'd think I was insane for doing it alone. Then he'd breeze past that and just want to hear about what Trait I got.
"Primordial Will." Merline scoffed.
What the hell kind of useless trait was that?
"It might not be useless," he muttered aloud, stopping his pacing to stare at the wall. "I just don't know how it works yet."
He ran a hand through his damp hair and sighed. The justification sounded lame, even to his ears.
No, I can't tell him yet. Not like this. Not when I don't even understand what happened to me or what my Trait does.
"Monday," he said, nodding to himself. "I'll tell him on Monday." Merline sighed in resignation and laid down on his bed.
When things were back to normal and they were back at work together.
The word echoed in his mind for a moment, and he sat up straight on his bed.
Wait.
His stomach dropped.
Work.
He'd left during his lunch break without telling anyone.
Henderson is going to kill me.
And then another, even more pressing thought:
Fuck! The deadline.
He scrambled across the bed to grab his phone from the desk. Panic seized him as he fumbled with the phone lock.
It was due tonight at midnight.
The time flashed on the screen: 10:47 PM.
He stared at it, his chest constricting.
And then he just started laughing. It was a chuckle at first, then nervous, and finally, a full-bodied laugh that was a bit manic. The stress of the last few hours escaped him, and he allowed himself to get it out.
Work. Deadline. Henderson.
It all seemed so absurd now. So utterly insignificant compared to the impossible things he'd just experienced.
He laughed until his eyes watered, and there was no breath left in his lungs.
He just couldn't bring himself to care at that moment, not after stepping through a tear in space into another miniature world with an entire ecosystem, multiple suns, and crystals floating in the sky.
Hell, I have magic now, right?
He moved from his bed to his desk chair and leaned back in it, willing the System Status Window to show up for the first time since he used it in the Rift. He looked specifically toward the section labeled "Magical Stats."
Magical Stats:
Intellect - 6
Willpower - 3
Mana - 6
Wisdom - 6
At first glance, this made him think that he could actually do magic. And surprisingly, all of these stats were higher than his physical stats.
I guess I was always more of an intellectual than a meat head, but still... only a four in strength?
And come on, a 3 in Willpower? I'm not that weak-willed, am I?
He let out a sigh and turned his attention back to the floating blue screen, which looked so out of place in his normal setting. This bedroom had been largely the same for years, and for some reason, this little floating screen seemed to change everything.
"Can I get more information on Intellect but leave the Status Window open?" he asked. Unsure if he was asking himself or seeing if the System had a response for him.
Rather than a response through conversation, the System merely obliged. A smaller window appeared with the description of the Intellect Stat.
He read through the description, and it made a lot of sense to him. It checked out with most of the video games he had experienced in the past.
With another shift in focus, he queried the System to see if it would bring up a description of the three other magical stats in the same window. It did so, showing him all four magic-related stats.
Intellect - Represents an Awakened One's raw magical power and their ability to comprehend and manipulate magical energies. As Intellect increases, spells become more potent, and the Awakened can wield more complex and powerful magic. This stat also reflects a deeper understanding of arcane knowledge and the ability to tap into greater sources of magical energy.
Willpower - Represents an Awakened One's ability to harness their determination and intent to expertly direct their magical energy. As this stat increases, spells are cast with increased speed and precision, allowing for more effective manipulation of magic that aligns with the caster's strong will.
Mana - Represents the total reservoir of magical energy an Awakened can draw upon. A higher Mana stat increases one's Core capacity, allowing them to cast more spells before needing to allow Mana to regenerate.
Wisdom - Represents an Awakened One's ability to regenerate mana and their understanding of the deeper, spiritual aspects of magic. A high Wisdom stat allows for faster mana recovery, enabling one to cast spells more frequently. Awakened with high Wisdom may also display an aura of calm and insight.
This was a lot of information. Mana and Wisdom functioned as he would expect.
Merline couldn't help but focus on Willpower. {Primordial Will} stated he could only add his Free Points to it. He began to theorize.
So, if I can only ever put points into Willpower, then the amount of mana I have and how quickly it regenerates will never increase? Doesn't that sort of screw me over a bit?
His brain kept running, and more questions popped into his head as he glanced at the total Mana available to him.
60/60 Mana? This must mean 10 MP per 1 Mana stat. Does that mean I'd forever only have 60 mana? How much is that? I wonder how much mana it took that kid to cast firebolt in the video Mark sent me.
How often do I get Free Points? Do I get one per level? Would having high Willpower and being able to cast complex spells matter if I don't have enough Mana to do so or the Intellect to understand what I'm doing?
Fuck.
There were just too many unknowns, and he just wanted to set aside all of these question marks for now. So, he did what he often did.
He got up from his chair, walked to one of his shelves, grabbed a notebook, and began to brain-dump all of the questions he had. Once most of them were out of his head, he set the notebook aside and tried to move on.
Knowing himself well, it was all too obvious that he could get lost in a sea of questions that he'd never be able to answer.
Let's try something more concrete.
Sitting back in his chair, he thought about how the System seemed to be used mainly through intent. With this thought in mind, he stared at his blank computer screens and thought about that pain in his stomach.
While he had been suspicious before, after reading the Mana description, he felt that he was right in his assumption. Absorbing those motes of light from a monster was what helped humans form their Core. If it was anything like other fantasy books he had read, this was a little ball of energy that lived in the pit of his stomach.
Assuming these two things, he tried to will some of that mana to move around. He wasn't exactly sure where this Core was, but the burning feeling in his stomach from the awakening wasn't easily forgotten. In his mind, he pictured his desire to travel to that same space and try to push something around.
Woah.
It was an odd feeling. It was not quite like someone was moving his insides, but there was clearly something inside him that he was able to move just by wanting it to happen.
Mentally, he equated it to when he was in a pool or hot tub and cupped his hand along the surface of the water. The water moved and shifted with his hand, though it all stayed in the pool.
What if I try to scoop some of it out?
With a bit more effort, he tried to do just that. Surprisingly, it worked! It felt extremely clumsy, and almost as soon as he pulled the energy away from the Core, it dissipated, but it was clear that he could move it away from the main body of energy.
Out of curiosity, he opened his Status Window again and confirmed his theory.
Status
Name: Merline Moore
Class: None
HP: 50/50
MP: 47/60
Traits: (1/3)
{Primordial Will}
Oh, fuck yeah. Magic!