The tender slice of meat didn’t last long. I poked it with my fork and carved through it with a sharp knife. Juices spilled out as I cut into the meat, and I couldn’t hide the smile that spread across my face as I devoured it.
This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten! I shouted in my mind, barely holding myself back from voicing my joy aloud.
Even though nobody knew me here, I had to maintain some etiquette—somewhat, at least.
“You look like a starving beast,” Daniel chuckled, poking the asparagus on his gleaming plate until it was riddled with tiny holes. “I won’t take it away, nor will anyone else. If anything, you can order more. Your body will need it.”
The last bit was certainly true. My body, to be precise, was in dire need of more food. Better meals, with a decent mix of proteins and a mountain of nutrients.
The server arrived at our table with two more plates. She said something I couldn’t quite make out, but Daniel smiled at her and pointed to my side of the table. I glanced at the plates as the server put them down before me and then threw my friend a confused look.
“Consider it a small gift: two slices of beast meat—both from 3-Star Vitear Bisons. The sides are ether-grown as well. They contain all the nutrients you need to get your physique into shape.”
I stopped mid-bite, my eyes widening slowly. “Is that why you invited me out? I… was already feeling bad for taking advantage of you, but… I thought you were just lonely and needed someone to talk to.”
Daniel grimaced at the last bit. It was probably true. Yet I understood why he had brought me here, and it made me sick to my stomach. But it wasn’t my friend who made me sick—it was me, growing more and more inclined to accept his help. I had already taken advantage of Daniel so much, and it didn’t seem like there was an end to it.
“You better accept it,” Daniel said, pointing his fork at me. “If you want to go hunting, you’ll need a better physique. And once you start using ether to temper your body, you’ll need even more nutrients than normal meals can supply.”
The look in his eyes allowed no rebuttal.
“I don’t want you to die just because you were too damn stubborn to accept a little bit of help. We are friends, and friends help each other!” Daniel snapped, his voice growing in volume as he lost control of his emotions for a moment. People at the nearby table glanced over, but Daniel didn’t seem to mind the attention he drew. “Either you accept my help, or I will call—”
He got his point across, and I waved him off. There was no need to threaten me.
“In the worst case, you can always consider my help the sum of the birthday presents I forgot to give you, you stubborn old man!” Daniel grunted, but his expression lit up a little. “We should eat lunch together every day and have some fun preparing you for your first adventure afterward. That’d be fun, don’t you think?”
Fun. Was that really it?
Daniel’s idea of fun was… unique, to say the least. Submitting his awakening as a Blessed had been “fun” for him, too. At least, he’d looked like he had the time of his life when he joined me at the register, answering the clerk’s questions when I couldn’t.
Never did I imagine Daniel would be this helpful. But, as painful as it was to acknowledge it, he was a major contributor in the decision to bind the Soilback egg. His promise to hunt with me, and his relentless pushes, played a crucial role. They were the reason I hadn’t given up on becoming… normal.
I’d gained deeper access to the ethernet and a bunch of files with crucial information about the world outside and within the Bastion, which is what I had planned to exploit after training and refining my World. There weren’t many other things I could do—other than visiting my parents and talking to the beast egg. Not in my financial situation, at least.
But Daniel had different plans.
“If you finish your meal in the next ten minutes, we might be able to make it to the station in time,” he said, glancing at the holographic screen on his bracelet.
“What?” I said, stuffing my mouth. “Where are we going?”
Daniel looked up and met my eyes. “Isn’t that obvious? We need to temper your body, for one. And you need weapon training.”
He studied me and laughed at the quizzical look on my face.
“Did you really expect me to take you outside like that?” Daniel asked, pointing at me.
Rude… but true.
I was—still am—frail and inexperienced. I’d never harmed a soul and didn’t know anything about weapons, combat, or how I’d react in the face of danger—or death.
***
It felt like I had finally lost control of my body as my back hit the mattress. My head disappeared into the cushion, which felt softer than should be allowed. Yet I somehow found myself turning over, staring blankly at the ceiling above.
How did I manage to return to the flat? I had no idea. Everything after today’s workout was a blur.
The days passed by quickly, yet I couldn’t tell how long it had been. I stopped counting and reserved the mind juice for less mundane thoughts.
“Daniel is such a sadist,” I cursed weakly, glimpsing at the muddy beast egg, which had appeared atop my chest at some point.
“Did you know that ether tempering is much worse than regular training? I’ve discovered muscle groups I didn’t even know existed.” The words escaped my lips as I lifted my sore arm to place it beside the egg.
Looking back at the ceiling, my eyes unfocused once more.
“I need more than 24 hours in a day. How am I supposed to visit Dad in the hospital, train with Daniel like there’s no tomorrow, and get enough sleep to recover? He’s a demon if he thinks I can keep going like this for a few more weeks.”
I had to wake up early in the morning to start the day with the refinement of my World, which meant I had to work my body to the bone to stimulate my World into producing a little bit more soul energy.
“I shouldn’t have told Daniel about the pre-refinement workouts. That asshat intensified the daily routine. Can you imagine that, buddy?”
Nobody answered my whispered plea, but it wasn’t like I expected the Soilback to jump out of its shell to beat the living crap out of Daniel. Though that would be really cool.
Waking up dead tired at dawn was far from great, but Daniel’s plan worked. There was no need for an additional workout when my body was still wrecked from the day before. My World produced an excess of soul energy, which I could make use of, expanding the World a bit faster.
“Every day, I feel worse, and I don’t even know how that’s possible. My body feels alien to me, and my World is sore. I didn’t even know that was possible… Well, now I know, of course.”
This content has been misappropriated from NovelFire; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Only my voice resounded, but I had already gotten used to that. Though, to be honest, I hadn’t really gotten used to it. It was still odd to talk to the egg when nobody answered. Nobody sane would do that—talk to an egg. Not unless it was their Soulkin, and constant communication was used as a method for the Soulkin to get used to its companion and to strengthen their soulshare early on, of course.
But as useful as it was, according to Daniel and the dozen or more theses I’d read, I was still cringing on the inside.
I continued anyway. Feeling awkward was a fair exchange for a stronger soulshare.
“Daniel hasn’t stopped paying for my meals, and we’re training more often in the gym nowadays. I don’t know if I want to know how expensive the gym membership fee is… It has everything.”
It really did. The gym had dozens of machines—each an ether device that recorded everything to provide professional tips—several underground arenas equipped with more weapons and armor pieces than I had ever seen, and an entire floor overflowing with ether. The ether room was intense, to say the least. It emitted tremendous pressure and forced me to my knees the first time we entered it, but… it helped me to grow stronger.
No matter how exhausted I was at the end of the day, I could feel myself growing stronger. My physique was improving every day, and so was my hunger. I was hungrier than ever, and Daniel supplied me with everything I could possibly need to grow.
“Do you know what’s the worst?” I asked the egg, groaning as I lifted my head to look at the clumps of mud. “I am hesitating. I… I think I stopped resisting his help.”
Even though nobody was listening to me, saying it out loud had a different effect. I was being honest with myself for the first time.
“Should I just accept his help and repay him later when he needs me?”
Rather than feeling guilty, I could accept Daniel’s help and make the most out of it—and help him once he was in need of a helping hand.
“That’s what friends do, right?”
Being there for each other in need. Spending time together, sparring with one another, and exploring the world outside the Bastion.
I swallowed, ignoring the discomfort. Exploring Rizarn sounded exhilarating, but also scary. Fighting was frightening.
Just thinking about fighting—killing—made me shudder, especially after using the gym’s combat simulation program for the first time. Everything had been so real. The smell of blood was still in my head, but so were the pained, desperate shrieks of the thrashing pig as I’d pierced it.
There had been so much blood… so much pain.
I shuddered, but I knew there was no way around it. Someone had to fight the beasts outside the dome, and I was tired of depending on others.
No matter how safe it looked within the Bastions, the truth couldn’t have been more different. I had been aware of the dangers lurking outside, but gaining more access to the ethernet had shown me all I needed to know about mankind’s standing in Rizarn’s hierarchy – our rank in the food chain.
Our situation did not look great. If it had been any different, we wouldn’t have lost two Bastions in the last decade.
Mankind wouldn’t have been forced to retreat into the Bastions in the first place.
Surely, if we had been higher in the food chain in Rizarn, we would have been left with more than thirteen Bastions.
A life of peace would be great, and I could do that—live a life in peace with my parents. But was it truly peaceful when one had to hide behind others, seek cover in the Bastion, hoping their Bastion wouldn’t be the next to join the records of the Collapse?
Sure, I could be like many others and do something helpful to support others. To strengthen humanity without having to fight. Maybe even become a Beaster once all financial issues had been taken care of.
I had many options now that my body was no longer an issue. Nonetheless, I would have to rely on the strength of others—more so than before.
I didn’t like that. I… wanted to be the one others could rely on. Lean on in times of need.
It was ambitious—maybe even arrogant—to think like that. Most importantly, however, it was something anyone could say. Even someone who had yet to see the world outside the Bastion’s protective dome.
One step at a time. Let’s see how my first hunt goes first.
My eyelids grew heavier despite my desire to stay awake, and I barely managed to store the Soilback egg away, pushing it into my World, before the embrace of sleep enveloped me.
***
It had been a few days since the grain-sized World had expanded to the size of my thumb. Using ether refinement methods had been a game changer, but so had the bond with the Soilback egg. Even though the unhatched Soilback had yet to empower me physically, a portion of its power was already feeding me, nourishing both my World and my soul energy.
At this point, my World was growing every day—not by much, but the growth was clearly noticeable nonetheless. Yet, as much as my World was growing, I found myself lacking. As our bond grew firmer, I caught glimpses of the Soilback’s feelings—its demands.
It was impatient, and so was I. We both wanted to see it hatch, to see each other eye to eye, and to grow stronger alongside. Little did I know that our emotions would amplify one another, transforming the days of Daniel’s hellish training into days of pain, suffering, and madness-driving impatience.
Daniel was certain the egg would hatch soon, but he didn’t say why. That demon of a friend just smiled at me and pushed me harder than ever. Maybe that was for the best. After all, it wouldn’t be long before we would leave the Bastion to hunt once the Soilback hatched. Still, I couldn’t help myself—I cursed Daniel every night until my body shut down.
A few more weeks was all that separated me from the day. The day I would risk it all—gambling with my life on the line.
Was that really worth it? My parents would definitely say it wasn’t. They would cuss me out and lock me up the moment I were to tell them about my plan. Good thing I never mentioned it. After all, this was something I had to do. To decide.
And it was worth it in my opinion. Helping my parents financially was one thing, but this was also something I had to do for myself. To show everyone that I was not a loser. That I was no longer a cripple. That I deserved to be a Blessed and that I could fight for myself.
That... I deserved to be alive, and that I didn’t need others to bend over backwards to accommodate me.
Once fully awake, I sat upright with my eyes still shut tightly.
The soul energy in the World was fully replenished. Extracting ether from the World’s core, I intertwined it with the twinkling particles using swift, experienced movements. My attention drifted to the Soilback egg occupying the majority of my World and all of my soul energy. Maybe I should have gotten used to seeing the muddy egg at this point, but I was still smiling like a fool whenever I looked at it.
The Soilback could feel my emotions, and it reciprocated them with a wave of excitement and impatience.
It won’t be long, buddy. Just a little bit longer, and you will—
My smile froze for a moment as I pushed the last thread of energy into the World core.
Something was different today. The World rippled and... cracked?
A shudder riveted through my entire body, and my hair stood on end. Unsure what was happening, I could only wait and watch as the World expelled the Soilback egg. I opened my eyes in a hurry and caught the beast egg, only to feel a pulse—warm and soothing—spread through my palm. A clump of dirt trickled onto my blanket a moment later.
“Did...” Goosebumps spread through my entire body. “Did you just move?”
Something within me stirred again, and the beast egg was moving. Weakly, but I caught it wiggling.
“Is it time?” I exclaimed, scrambling out of bed, not daring to look away from the beast egg. I cupped it overly cautiously with both hands and rushed to my desk to lower it even more cautiously into a cushioned box which we had prepared for the little troublemaker. Specks of dirt fell from the beast egg as it wiggled again—stronger this time. The Soilback moved vigorously and pushed firmly against the inside of the shell.
It moved relentlessly, yet the eggshell didn’t break right away. My hand moved before I could think, and my fingers were about to reach the little egg when I recalled Daniel’s warning: never interrupt a hatching beast. Why? I had no idea, and Daniel didn’t seem certain either. But since he’d mentioned that it could damage the bond if a Blessed were to help their Soulkin hatch, I waited—impatiently.
I didn’t even notice the cold sweat drenching my back or the river of sweat pouring down my temples as I tuned out everything that had nothing to do with the Soilback.
It couldn’t have been more than a minute or two, but it felt like an eternity until I saw a tiny crack. Euphoria filled my entire being, and I failed to tell apart who was feeling like that. Was I overjoyed, excited, and proud of the Soilback as the crack expanded, or did all those emotions belong to the Soilback?
Does it matter?
It didn’t.
Holding my breath, I watched the little fighter break down the egg. The crack expanded until it covered most of the surface before it caved in. A clump of mud burst apart, and I lowered my worn body to take a glimpse through the hole.
And bright yellow reptilian eyes that glittered as bright as his golden soul energy greeted me on the other side.
“Hello there,” I greeted my Soulkin, seeing the tears streaking down my face in the reflection of the newborn Soilback’s eyes. “Welcome to the Savier family. I’m Adam.”