As Alex turned away from the grand building, his steps were silently determined. The market's noise faded into the background as he moved into a quieter alley. The shadows stretched around him, concealing his figure from the bustling city.
"Still brooding," the tigress teased from her perch. "You're consistent, I'll give you that."
Alex didn't reply, but his focus shifted inward. He closed his eyes briefly, and a faint, mechanical hum resonated in his mind.
Then he murmured
Nova, what is our next step? Immediate after he said that a white-like platform could be seen come to life on his left eye retina,
[ INITIATING COMMAND ]
[ "Nova online," ] a cool, feminine-robotic-like voice echoed within him, crisp and precise.
The tigress tilted her head, sensing the shift. "Ah, the other voice in your head joins us. Hello, Nova. Tell me, how does it feel to be his eternal assistant?"
["Efficient, ma"] Nova replied, her tone calm and devoid of humor.
The tigress let out an exaggerated sigh. "So serious, the both of you. I am the life of this party."
Alex's voice broke through, quiet and firm. "Nova, update. What's our next target?"
A momentary silence followed, and Alex's vision shimmered with a translucent interface that only he could see. Data lines scrolled past, accompanied by faint markers and maps overlaid on his surroundings. Nova's voice guided him through the information.
[ "Target identified: The Earth Clan.]
[ Nexus of Power: Geb Stronghold, the capital of the Earth_Domain, located southeast of your current location, formerly known as Africa before the apocalypse, sir.]
Alex's eyes flickered open, his gaze distant as he processed the information. "Earth Clan," he muttered under his breath.
The tigress purred softly, her golden eyes gleaming with intrigue. "So it's the earth clan first."
Nova interjected, her tone unwavering.
[ "Success probability increases with a calculated approach. Confrontation is inadvisable without further data acquisition and resource preparation."]
Alex's lips curved into the faintest hint of a smirk. "You're always cautious, Nova. That's why you're here."
The tigress nudged his cheek with her head, her voice light but edged with seriousness. "And what am I? Comic relief?"
Nova's reply was immediate. [ "Marginally useful, though prone to distraction." ]
Alex exhaled, the smallest semblance of a chuckle escaping him. "Enough. Both of you." He stepped out of the alley, his cloak shifting with his movements as he rejoined the crowded street. "Geb Stronghold, then. Let's move."
The tigress rested her head on his shoulder again, her tail flicking lazily. "Well, at least it's never boring with you two."
Nova's voice resonated once more.
[ "Estimated travel time: three days. Shall I optimize for stealth and book all flights with a hacked ID, sir?" ]
Alex nodded, his focus sharpening as he wove through the city, his mind calculating the steps ahead. The tigress hummed softly, her golden eyes scanning the horizon. The path to the Earth Clans was set, and with it, another chapter in his relentless pursuit of revenge began.
….
The world had long since embraced mana, the lifeblood of all things, as more than just an ethereal force for mages, warriors, and scholars.
Through four decades of refinement and ingenuity, humans learned to harness its potential to fuel their everyday lives.
From the hum of mana-powered street lamps illuminating cities to the smallest automaton serving drinks at bustling cafes, the energy revolutionized civilization. It wasn't just a tool for survival anymore—it was a cornerstone of progress and innovation.
Even the mundane tasks of life, once powered by fossil fuels or electricity, now relied on mana crystals and intricate circuits of ley energy. Farmers plow their fields with mana-charged tractors, artisans shaped their works with precision tools imbued with elemental auras, and households bustled with mana-infused appliances that seemed to anticipate their owners' needs.
Travel underwent a significant transformation. The world had traded the roar of jet engines for the quiet hum of mana turbines.
Sleek and efficient airplanes now soared through the skies, powered by mana-reactor cores that converted energy into propulsion. These engineering marvels made travel faster but more sustainable, leaving behind faint trails of radiant energy.
….
Alex sat quietly in the terminal, blending into the flow of travelers bustling toward their gates. The Geb Fortress, a pinnacle of Earth Clan architecture and security, loomed as the next destination in his quest.
The challenge, however, was not reaching it; instead, it bypassed the rigorous checkpoints designed to detect anomalies.
As Alex neared the counter, he felt Nova's presence stir in his mind, calm but focused.
[ "We're up, sir." ]
[ "Already input your fake mana signature and ID, sir, ]
[ To their database and the mana-signature system, sir." ]
Alex nodded faintly, projecting confidence as he stepped forward using an artifact that changed his face to a more average look. The guard at the counter, a stern-faced man with a faint scar running down his cheek, gestured toward the kiosk.
"ID, please," the guard instructed, his voice clipped and professional.
Alex reached into his pocket, producing a plain-looking ID card that Nova had fabricated moments earlier. He placed it on the kiosk, watching as the interface flared to life, lines of mana light racing across its surface.
Nova had worked silently, infiltrating the system with the precision of a scalpel. Within milliseconds, she had bypassed the network's defenses, uploading a carefully crafted profile for Alex into the central database. The kiosk's screen displayed his face, name, and fabricated history, as though they had always existed within the system.
The scanner activated next, emitting a soft hum as it analyzed Alex's mana. Nova discreetly adjusted it, ensuring it perfectly matched the fake identity she had implanted.
"Scan complete. Welcome, Mr. Kael Draymor," the kiosk announced.
The guard glanced at the screen and then at Alex, his sharp eyes lingering longer than Alex would have preferred.
"Where are you headed?" the guard asked.
"Geb Fortress. Business," Alex replied evenly, forcing his expression to remain neutral.
The guard hesitated, his gaze briefly flicking to a colleague who gave a barely perceptible nod. After what felt like an eternity, he waved Alex through
He leaned back, letting Nova's soft hum in his thoughts soothe him. "One step closer," he thought.
[ "Indeed, sir," ] Nova replied.