Alex shook the Director's hand while taking in the man before him. Director Matthews had hard, honest eyes with a face lined in a way that spoke to a few decades of hard work in the sun. His suit was immaculate and fit his broad shoulders well, and his calloused grip spoke of someone who had led a hard life even before the integration.

The director’s gaze also lingered briefly on Alex’s face, taking in the jagged scar across his nose and mismatched eyes, though his expression remained professionally neutral.

Alex adjusted the blue and gold cloak around his shoulders, causing the fabric to settle more naturally as he did so. The heavyweight was comforting in such a setting.

"Thank you to you and your team for coming on such short notice," the director said while releasing Alex's hand. "Ms. Lee has told me quite a bit about you. I am sorry to meet you under such circumstances."

Alex glanced at Sarah, who stood off to the side with a small smile. The director gestured to a man beside him, who was younger than the director himself but older than Alex. He had a build of compact muscles and seemed to move with slow, deliberate movements. Where the director had light blue eyes that seemed honest and inviting, this man's eyes seemed calm and intelligent and moved across those gathered with a quiet assurance.

"This is Jonathan Reeves."

Alex's eyes widened a fraction as recognition hit him and all of the dots connected. This was the same face he'd seen on the TV countless times now. The Crimson Warrior wasn't quite the towering figure Alex had assumed from the broadcasts. Instead, Jonathan was close to his own height, though with much more muscle and a quiet confidence that filled the space around him.

The cameras definitely didn't capture this guy’s intensity.

Alex shot Sarah another look, this time with a raised eyebrow. He realized now that this was the friend she'd been trying to introduce him to. Literally, the poster child of the entire Hunters Association. She returned his gaze with a small shrug, though she couldn't stop the smile on her face from growing.

"It's good to finally meet you," Jonathan said as he extended his hand. "Sarah's mentioned you're a hell of a fighter and good with magic. I'm looking forward to hearing more about it."

There was a moment as they shook hands where both of them assessed the other. Alex could see some mana rolling off of the man's skin, but could tell that he was intentionally trying to hold it in, and Alex could respect his efforts. Other than himself, he hadn't seen many bother to put in the time to practice such a skill. He felt an urge to scan Jonathan, but resisted, knowing that it would be rude to do so.

"Likewise," Alex replied. They released grips, and Alex faced the Director again. “There are a lot more people gathered than I thought. I guess I assumed I’d just be briefing a few people on the sun elf situation, not giving a class?”

“There’s no need to give any such instruction. We could have done this in a small briefing room with a few people, but this should humanize you a bit more in their minds. Plus, I don’t know nearly enough about magic to understand half of what these researchers talk about.

“So that nothing is lost in translation, I thought it best that you answer their questions directly related to this situation. Ms. Lee filled me in on the general issues and emphasized the fact that this is a serious crisis we’re facing. There are researchers, administrators, and combat personnel here who will aid in the potential mission ahead. They might have some more basic and practical questions, and I thought that it would be best if it came directly from you. You only need to share what you feel comfortable with.”

Humanize me? Why would they think of me as anything else?

“All right. When do we start?”

“Whenever you’re ready,” Director Matthews said, though he raised a hand to make Alex pause. “As a warning, there are some politics here, as there are in any large organization. Some of the people here are fascinated that you’ve found or potentially created something new; others are jealous or want to try and disprove you for the sake of their own growing reputation.”

Alex groaned internally while keeping his face neutral.

“I just wanted to warn you before you stand up there and someone starts peppering you with questions. Remember that you have the ability to steer this thing. Don’t let them run you over.”

“Thanks for the heads up.” Alex turned to his friends and exchanged a few last comments with those of both groups before they all went and sat at one of the outer tables near the end of the semicircle. He stepped up onto the small raised platform and behind the podium.

A flexible microphone was attached to it, and he coughed lightly while tapping it to make sure that it was on. The device screeched and made a high-pitched noise, causing most of the noise in the room to die down, Val to stir, and all eyes to turn on him.

He felt the weight of their stares, and some of them openly gawked at him. He knew that his eye was likely glowing a bit, dispersing some of the low light of the environment, giving it a strange sheen. He heard a few whispers and brushed aside the self-conscious thoughts. It was silent for several long moments as he thought through how to proceed.

“H-hello,” he said while moving his mouth away from the mic. “My name is Alex Moore. I wasn’t prepared to answer questions in this style, but I’ll do my best to answer them. To keep things on track, I think it’s best to continue in this order: I’ll give an overview of how my magic works, what my goal has been in creating it, and what some of its limitations are at the moment. But then we should move on to the more practical questions about the current situation. The only reason I am here tonight is the loose Rift creatures.” He looked over to the director. “Does that work for your people, Director Matthews?”

Alex hoped that by establishing the order of events, he could limit the amount of detail he provided about his magic and keep the conversation focused on what truly mattered here—the Sun Elves.

“Wait a moment,” one of the researchers said. “Aren’t you going to demonstrate? If all of this is just theoretical, then there isn’t as much of a threat as you’re presenting.”

“A demonstration?” His brows came together, and he looked to the director and his people from the corner of his eye. “No, I don’t think that’s necessary. The magic is functional, and it’s been tested in combat against Rift monsters. Because of the size restrictions that I’ll speak to shortly, the spell takes almost a minute to set up and charge with the right amount of mana. But when it went off, it was something that I’m not sure how to compare to a modern weapon… it killed more than a hundred monsters from level 15 and up, in a single spell.”

The semi circle of tables in front of Alex burst into whispers and he knew he had most of them interested at that, even some of those who weren’t researchers. He scanned the faces across from him and still saw many that were skeptical, but he knew that there wasn’t anything to do about them unless he was willing to demonstrate his power in front of them all.

“Is this magic replicable?”

Alex thought about it and shrugged. “I guess so, but likely not in a very practical way. There are quite a few things you need to make it work, and one of them that’s crucial is a skill that requires a very high Willpower stat.”

He heard several people whispering Willpower as a question to each other while some others took notes.

They’d also need extensive knowledge of rituals and how to modify them on the fly, but I don’t see a reason to tell them that.

While he felt that working with the Hunters Association was important for the sake of solving the Sun Elf and Rylan issues, he didn’t have any intention of giving them all the information that they’d need to replicate his magic or the ability to assess his power level. At least not yet.

Someone began to speak up, but Alex interrupted them. “Everyone, please hold your questions until the end of the explanation. I’ll start by talking about the general theory and what I believe the elves could do with it. While the ritual’s circle is the base and guiding factor, the rune is…” he continued speaking for some time. Divulging enough information to let them know his theory and how the magic combined, but never enough to allow them to replicate his work anytime soon. He was intentionally vague around things like the modified ritual circles and catalyst node placement. One of the researchers attempted to call him out on this directly, but he just shrugged, said he wasn’t comfortable sharing at the moment, and reminded them that wasn’t the point of his being there. When they began to respond, the director spoke up in Alex’s favor and kept things on track.

Staff members moved through the room and broke down tables. The crowd had dispersed, leaving behind a few groups still talking quietly. Alex watched them as they chattered and spoke excitedly.

He yawned and, despite his [Sleep Resistance], felt drained from the events of the day. The fact that they’d been hanging out in the living room that morning, making plans for a farm and moving forward with no idea of what was coming, felt crazy. It felt like multiple days had been crammed into this single Saturday.

Alex felt his cloak grow heavier and nearly slip from his shoulders for the second time in the last half hour. Through their bond, he felt a drowsy sensation and couldn’t help but smile as he realized Val was literally falling asleep.

Director Matthews approached him. The man’s presence wasn’t easy to miss, as he still had two people trailing him. “Walk with me?” he asked as he gestured to the far end of the room.

Alex nodded and fell into step beside him. They walked in comfortable silence for a moment before the Director spoke.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“I’ll be honest with you, Alex. I wasn’t fully aware of how serious this situation was. I knew it was urgent from Sarah’s call, but between their levels, their powerful magic, enchanted items, and the fact that they’re already operating freely…” He shook his head. “Well, we clearly have a huge problem on our hands.”

Across the room, Sarah and Jonathan were deep in conversation with Mark, while Sam and Olivia had wandered toward the training rooms and watched a group of Awakened practice on the other side of the glass walls.

Alex nodded as he watched them and thought through the Director’s statement.

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention,” Matthews continued. “We’re bringing in our highest-level teams from time-dilated Rifts and can handle things from here.” He faced Alex. “I believe you mentioned having a piece of cloth from one of the elves. We have a Divination specialist who might be able to track them.”

Alex met the Director’s gaze steadily. “We’ll be participating in the fight.” It wasn’t a question or a request. Just a simple statement of fact.

The older man studied him with an unreadable expression. “Why?”

Alex thought through his answers. "Two reasons," he said. "First, while I was speaking, I could see the levels of almost everyone present. We're among the highest-level Awakened you have access to. I feel like that comes with a responsibility to help. I feel partially responsible. Not for the elves… but for Rylan. He seems to be working with them, and I had a chance — more than one, really — to do something about him and didn't take it. More importantly, though, they're planning to use my magic. Magic that I created. I don't know how they plan to use it, but that makes this my fight." He gestured toward his friends.

A smile broke out across the director’s face. “Good answer.”

“Was that a test?”

“Everything’s a test, son.” The man’s eyes crinkled at the corners as his smile grew. “Your attitude, your sense of responsibility— that’s exactly what we need around here. To your other point: yes, you’re high-level, but we still have some teams that are quite a bit higher. If you’re willing to help, we could certainly use your magical knowledge.”

Alex let out a breath he hadn’t realized that he’d been holding. Reaching into his pocket to disguise the use of his new spatial ring, Alex willed the cloth piece to emerge and appear as if it were folded in his pocket. “Here. I don’t think the divination will work, and it might not even be best to try it. Apparently, they’re very good at warding and would probably protect themselves from this kind of tracking.”

“Of course.” Matthews took the cloth carefully. “Thank you for trusting us with this. I’ll make sure they approach the tracking attempt cautiously, but if we plan to act, we need to assess the enemy. So, finding them is the first step in all of this.”

“All right. If you don’t get anything back in a few hours, I’d like it back.”

“Not a problem. It shouldn’t take more than an hour or two to know if we can get results.” He turned to leave and then paused. “Oh, and Alex? Feel free to use the training rooms while you wait. If you’d like, we can also supply rooms for you and your team to sleep in, or you’re welcome to find your own rooms in the city.”

Alex watched the Director walk away, already calling over someone who was wearing one of the researchers’ uniforms. He turned toward the training rooms where his friends waited and watched several rooms. As he approached Sarah, Jonathan, and Mark, Jonathan pulled away and gave Alex a nod while catching up to exchange words with the Director.

“They’re going to try tracking the elves through the cloth. They said they’d let us know in an hour or two if they think it’s possible.”

“I thought Maelis said it wouldn’t work?” Mark asked.

“He did, and I told them it probably wouldn’t. Guess they want to try anyway,” Alex said while suppressing another yawn. “If it works, then we have a location; if not, we’re back to square one.” Alex shrugged. “The director said we can hang out here and watch some training or go somewhere to crash for the night. They’ll give us rooms, but I feel like we should go find our own hotel or something.”

Jonathan wandered back over, typing slowly on his phone with his index finger. “I’d take them up on the offer to stay here. The Safe Zone’s packed, and finding decent rooms would be a nightmare.” He put his phone away and looked at the group, nodding at Sam and Olivia as they joined them.

“What do you guys want to do?” Alex asked the group.

“I think I’m done,” Mark said while stretching.

“I think I want to stay and watch some of the training,” Alex said at the same time.

“So much has happened today. I’m totally beat,” Olivia mentioned, giving Alex an apologetic smile as she agreed with Mark.

“I’ll stay down here with you,” Sarah said to Alex.

“I don’t really want us splitting up,” Alex said, shaking his head.

Jonathan spoke up. “The rooms we provide would just be upstairs, so some of you could stay, and some could head up if you want. I can have someone show you the way.”

Alex gave it some thought before nodding and agreeing to the offer. “Go on up with them,” he said quietly to his disguised companion. Val didn’t need to be told twice, unwinding himself from Alex’s shoulders as he pretended to “take off” the cloak. Olivia held out her arm, and Alex draped Val’s form over his forearm as she gave him a peck on the cheek.

The group seemed pleased with the decision, and everyone except Alex and Sarah went upstairs. Jonathan said that he would return after the others were settled into their rooms.

Alex watched them leave before turning back to the training rooms. He and Sarah walked slowly down the hall toward the elevator that their friends had taken. He looked left and right as they moved, observing those within the glass cubes. A few of them were completely blacked out. “What’s with those?” Alex asked, wondering if they were broken.

“All of the rooms have blackout features that turn the glass walls completely black and shut the cameras down.”

“Is that… safe?”

“It’s not meant for safety,” Sarah laughed. “It’s there for privacy. There are plenty of people here who want to practice or test things without being observed. But the cameras aren’t monitored anyway; they're there to record sessions in case anyone wants to watch their own training back.”

“Hmm,” Alex said, impressed. His skeptical outlook lately had him wondering how private the footage was and who could access it if they really wanted to.

“So, what do you think?” Sarah asked.

He let out a breath and scratched his head. “I’m pretty impressed. It’s about what I thought it would be. They obviously didn’t skimp on resources around here, and the average level of people in that talk was well above most people in the Guild.”

Sarah nodded. “It’s got its headaches and problems, but I really do like it here.”

Alex stopped behind a small group of people looking through one of the windows at a man standing alone. He had both arms raised in concentration, and a few in the crowd made less-than-supportive comments.

“Look at this guy again,” one of them snickered. “Think he’s one of the last ones from his grouping.”

Alex moved closer, and Sarah followed behind him. His mana sight could see what he was trying to do. The man was older, with Asian features and grey streaking through his black hair near his temples.

He’s trying to form a spell… with unstructured magic.

Unlike the near-instant manifestation of System skills that cast spells, this was different. Alex watched in fascination as the mana moved slowly and deliberately through the air.

A few of the other watchers made disparaging comments before wandering off, leaving Alex and Sarah alone at the glass. He studied the man’s mana movements carefully and saw the way he was attempting to construct the spell.

“Oh, no,” Sarah said while shaking her head. “I know that look.”

“Oh, come on! He’s using spellcasting but on his own. I’ve got to talk to him.”

Alex laughed out loud as he felt his tiredness wash away. Suddenly, the room felt brighter, and his shoulders felt lighter. He realized there was tension in his forehead, and he relaxed it while smiling at Sarah.

It was Sarah’s turn to let out a sigh. “There are couches around the corner there,” she said, pointing. “I’ll be doing some work on my tablet. Just call me if you need anything, and I’ll stick my head back over here in an hour or so.”

Alex nodded without looking away from the mage inside.

He heard her snort and say before leaving, “There’s an intercom to the right of the wall. You can use it to talk to him. His name is Kazuo, and he’s from one of the test groups that have become something of a spectacle around here.”

Finding the button, Alex pressed the intercom. “Mind if I join you?”

The man inside jumped slightly, and Alex watched the spell, which was already shaking, fall apart. He let out a sigh and turned toward the glass before studying Alex. Alex was surprised that the smaller Asian man seemed to be the only person during their entire day who didn’t stare or look closer at his face. Instead, he looked at Alex for a long moment before nodding and turning his back to the glass once again.

The door hissed open, and Alex stepped inside. “I’m Alex. That’s… impressive work you’re doing.”

“I’m Kazuo,” he said with a slight bow. “And most would disagree with you.” His accent was somewhat thick, though his words were clearly chosen and spoken in a deliberate manner. “They think I waste my time.”

“Why not use System skills?” Alex asked, genuinely curious to meet someone else who was going about things similarly to himself.

Kazuo’s eyes lit up as if he’d been waiting for someone to ask him about it. “I received a manual in Personal Quest. It was very old and very detailed. It shows the true way of using magic.” He gestured at the air where his spell had been forming. “System is… shortcut. Shortcuts do not lead to understanding.”

Alex nodded and said, “I also use unstructured magic. But I think your way is harder. I still use some skills to help me. Would you mind if I watched you practice for a bit?”

“You are first to ask,” Kazuo said with a slight smile. “Most only mock. We have other groups that try different magic and skills, but I am last in my group. Please, sit.”

Alex moved away to sit with his back against the right-hand wall so he could still look out of the glass if needed. He pulled up his knees and rested his forearms on them while watching. The older man’s movements were precise, and he moved his hands around quite a bit, which Alex assumed helped him to visualize how the mana was moving.

After several attempts, Alex found himself drawn to particular points in the construct where the mana seemed to bunch and coil.

“What are you trying to create?” Alex asked during a lull.

“Light spell. Simple thing, yes? But building from ground up… not so simple.”

Alex nodded, and his eyes kept returning to the knots of mana as he continued to practice. From what Alex knew about creating and modifying ritual circles, those parts of the spell would cause a problem with the flow of power through the spell, though the older man was intentionally creating them.

“What are those? The tight spots where the mana bunches up?”

Kazuo turned to him with surprise written on his face. “You can see so clearly? Even with using skill, it is blurry to see mana.”

“My Willpower is pretty high,” Alex said plainly. “Helps me with the clarity, I think.”

“Ah!” Kazuo said and nodded with a bright smile. “Those are control nodes. Very important. Manual speaks of them often.” He moved closer to Alex. “Think of… thread on a wooden peg. When thread wraps around peg, it changes direction, yes? Same with mana. Nodes control flow, speed, direction of power.” He gestured with his hands, mimicking the movements he was making before. “More wraps, slower flow. Different angles, different directions. Without nodes… spell falls apart.”

Alex felt his breath catch.

“Does this help in the stability of your spells?” He said the words and tried to keep himself from getting too excited.

But, as Kazuo nodded and showed him again, Alex had a feeling that this was the piece he’d been missing and searching for. His magic needed something like these nodes to properly control and direct the flow of power.

I’ve been trying to modify the ritual circles further, but I should have looked more into spellcasting from the start.

“Could you show me how to create them?” Alex asked, already activating [Parallel Mind]. As Kazuo began his excited explanation, Alex let one part of his mind focus intently on the instruction while letting the other work through the implications for his own magic and how to make them work within the modified circles.

If this works, it’ll change everything. With these, I could stabilize the entire construct, and the spell circle could hold at least one rune. The ritual circles could truly become my own… Spell Circles….

His mind raced with possibilities as Kazuo continued his instruction. Neither of them was aware of the time that slipped by or of Sarah and Jonathan watching from beyond the glass.