Robert sat on the couch of his modest apartment. One would expect that, with space expansion and the huge footprint, the arcology would have more room for their employees but the upper floors where the rich lived lavishly took most of the space.

Robert believed he was rich when Jeremiah transferred the five million dollars. But no. His account now had around seventy thousand dollars. Every other dollar vanished in a four-hour frantic shopping session where Amanda led him to spend all his money.

"I'm poor again," Robert complained.

"You still have to get the rewards from the families. Now that you signed up with us, it is safe to do those two visits.to the people who wanted to hire you. I expect at least a million in total, if not more. Not to mention the equipment still in the Mollusk Realm. I can get you inside."

He still couldn't believe he returned the bodies with the spatial rings. But at least that bought him a lot of goodwill.

"Is it worth the effort?"

"Sure. Some idiots might stop wasting company time if the gear appears. You saw how expensive your new equipment was. Multiply that by four and you'll have an estimate of how much you'll get from the equipment buyback."

Things were looking better now. But Robert was mentally exhausted. Spending so much time alone in the void was making him a sort of hermit. He sat straight, hands on the armrests, then slipped into the void. With the couch.

He pulled the notebook and did the math. Three hours since the meeting room, around fourteen days. He laid on the couch and slept his mental fatigue away. He split the remainder of the twelve days between training qigong, sleeping, gathering, and other minor activities.

"Where were we?" He asked as he returned. He should start recording the context and scenario so he could remember where he left off on the real world.

Amanda sighed. "I was telling you how much money we can expect you to get from the bounties and returning the equipment."

No mention to the couch vanishing into another dimension in-between instants.

"Yes, but that money already has a destination. I want to buy lots of books. Lots and lots of books. Perhaps another backpack of holding just for my books."

"Oh, do you like books?" Amanda perked up at the idea.

"Yes. If I could, I would have the world's biggest library."

"That's interesting. I think I will let you rest."

"Sure."

Amanda left. Robert closed the door and assessed his new home. Two hundred and fifty feet split into bedroom, living room, and a tiny square bathroom. Shower, sink, toilet, and door each on a quadrant.

The bedroom had bed, desk, and dresser. To get around, the desk folded into the wall. He thought the chair was missing but found a folding chair between bed and dresser. The windows were fake, just light panels hidden behind a curtain.

The living room had a two-seat couch, a square table with two chairs, a small fridge, and cabinets covering the back wall. The fridge was empty.

It was still better than his makeshift void home in the park. Speaking of which…

He should talk to Mickey.

Robert locked his apartment and followed the signage to get out of the arcology. Then he crossed the twenty-third district and reached the park. He spent two hours gathering Life around the park and then entered the liminal void.

Approaching the makeshift home, Mickey came out to greet him. "Heya, Robert. How are you doing?"

Something felt odd. "Hey, Mickey. Say, buddy, can you tell me how much rime passes since we last saw each other?"

"Oh, golly. I can't say. Without you nearby to stabilize time, the liminal void doesn't care about it. It needs an anchor like your Prime Vestige to give it reference on the time axis. Without an anchor. It is very susceptible to external influence. Sometimes it moves slowly, sometimes the scenery changes abruptly. This a subjective dimension few are adapted to survive in."

"Is this how you found me in the ATA?"

"Yes, your presence here in the liminal void is very noticeable. Whenever you are in this dimension, I can find you."

"Good. Because I am moving. You see, I got a job?"

"Hot dog! That’s swell, Robert! What is this job of yours?"

"Bodyguard for a heiress."

Mickey's ears drooped. He looked disappointed. "Well, if that's what you want to do."

"The pay is good."

The cartoon returned to his usual cheer. "Excellent. I'm happy for you, Robert."

"But this means I'm here to gather my things."

"Sure thing, buddy."

"I don't want to leave you alone."

Mickey chuckled. "Don't worry about me! I’ll be fine! And if you need my help, you just need to ask!"

"That's good to hear," Robert said, relieved. "Actually, there's one thing."

"Shoot!"

"Can you take me to that place near the deep void again?"

"Sure thing! But not right now. The deep void is in turmoil. Something or someone is probing around."

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"I see."

"I believe they're searching for you."

"What?"

"Don’t, you worry, though! They won't find you. Because the void takes on the subjective traits the visitor believes it should have. Unless their frame of reference is very similar to yours, they can't even reach this place."

"Because it's based on my impression of reality?"

"Yes. The void has no concept of time nor space. But it can be molded by the visitor's will."

Robert had an idea. "Can I leave before spending ninety-nine times the time outside?"

"Not without changing your prime vestige."

He froze, then understood what Mickey said. Once bound to a human's soul, a prime vestige stayed forever. Robert and 1% Life'sReal were together for all eternity. "I see."

"But it can evolve with you. Who knows in which direction it will grow?"

That gave him some hope. Robert bade Mickey farewell for now. He collected his things on the backpack of holding and the more sensitive items in his ring.

The ring had an essence lock, a modern feature recently introduced. Anyone else trying to access it would need to break this attunement. By connecting with a trickle of energy, his mental projection appeared inside the space. The size of his projection was subjective and the space seemed like a big empty warehouse. Until he put the first book inside. It looked the size of a pile of crates. He pulled his projection away until the book looked book sized.

He gathered everything, except for the dirty sheets and threadbare clothes. Robert bade Mickey farewell for now and returned to the arcology.

*

*

Robert placed his things in the liminal void, leaving the spartan apartment untouched. People would hardly say someone lived there.

Even with all the benefits his job would provide, he still felt like he got the short stick. Amanda showed some hidden layers of her personality and explained some of her motivation during the shopping trip. He felt that his decision to treat her as an employer and keep his distance was for the best.

Do the job, get paid, learn as much as possible, get every advantage his job offered, and have an exit strategy ready. If Robert had enough provisions, he could disappear into a passage for quite a while.

He should get another of these spatial backpacks and fill it with food to leave in the void. A thought for later.

What would they do if they knew he had infinite, timeless storage space?

It was only a matter of time for them to figure out how his talent worked. As much as he wanted to keep it secret, Robert had a hunch they were well-suited to finding out. Samson must have an extensive library on Arch powers.

But he had officially moved in. Now, he had to visit HR to get his corporate id tags and uniforms. After that, he was looking forward to spending the night at the arcology's library.

*

*

Next morning, he had read a hundred books, most of them primers for other affinities. Robert's goal was to learn enough of how affinities in general worked to compile his own manual for the Void affinity.

In the month he spent reading these manuals, he filled two notebooks with ideas and insights he obtained.

The interior of the complex received no natural sunlight. But the high ceiling had lights that mimicked the day and night cycle. The days were not as bright and the nights not so dark. But at least it was enough to keep up with people's circadian rhythm.

He went home, showered, and put on the Samson security uniform. Then he took a tram to the training facility.

*

*

He disembarked on the basement five hub. The floor and walls were entirely made out of metal but Robert couldn’t feel other people's footsteps along the floor. He checked the signs and the map they gave him. Crossing a small maze of corridors and doors, he found the place he was supposed to be. Ten minutes earlier, too.

Training grounds 5B-epsilon was a miniature athletics stadium. The ceiling was at least forty feet high, covering about eight acres of open grounds. Wind blew in his face from above, courtesy of the powerful HVAC system.

Dozens of people in the same uniform as him worked out in the field. Others, in a fancier uniform, guided them. Robert didn't have to wait for too long. One of the latter jogged his way.

"Robert Blaze?"

"Yes, sir."

They shook hands. "I'm Patrick. Welcome to Samson. Mr. Jeremiah tasked me with your training. I hope we can have a healthy partnership, because we will be together until you finish all of our security training. Unless you have a scheduled delve with Ms. Amanda, you must report to me every morning at this time."

"That won't be a problem," Robert replied.

"Good. I read your file last night, and you were a civilian before your ascension two weeks ago, right?"

Robert nodded. He could read on Patrick's eyes the unspoken question of how he landed the job.

"I also noticed that your talent and full abilities are classified," Patrick continued. "Though not ideal to design your training regimen, it is what it is. What I am about to say might sound confusing but keep it that way. Do not disclose more about it than you have to. I have the impression that this is a "need to know" situation. I do not want loose lips causing me trouble, understood?"

"Loud and clear, sir."

"Good. Now, we will perform a physical evaluation. Let's go to the gym. Change into your workout clothes."

Robert spent the whole morning doing endurance and strength tests, pushing his body to the limit. Between teats, he had to use lavi flows to get himself back to perfect condition.

The clock hit eleven when Patrick called the end of the last test. Robert dripped sweat all over and was so low in essence that he felt a migraine throb in his forehead.

"Take a quick shower and meet me here. There's a gathering chamber ready for you."

Patrick did his best to be professional but Robert noticed some resentment on his voice.

"How were the tests?"

"I'm not grading you, don't worry. These tests only let me know your current abilities. Now I can plan your training. You have a long way ahead, don't think otherwise. Your task is to give your all to the training. For that you need to trust me to have your best interest in mind. I won't do anything unnecessary out of spite or just to harm you. If there’s anything you don't understand, ask. Any doubts, ask. Any injuries or strain, report them before healing it. We are together. Is that okay?"

"It's fine."

*

*

Even still in the real world, Robert could tell the gathering chamber was chock full of Life and Time wisps. Robert couldn't believe it.

It was a featureless circular room twenty feet across with walls covered in white glowing panels and abstract decals. The carpeted floor and a huge sitting pillow gave it a calming and relaxing atmosphere.

"You have forty-five minutes to gather," Patrick said. Do not waste a single second. It's safe to access the Netherecho here."

Robert didn't wait for him to change his mind. He rushed to sit on the pillow. Opening his soul to the Netherecho, he started harvesting them. He sucked cartoon clocks of all shapes and forms into his soul while he almost inhaled the green-and-gold abstract orbs or clouds of lifeforce. It all served to feed his star and he watched it grow.

For some reason, the star grew more than he expected. Recalling what he studied in the library, Robert connected the dots. The recent altercation with the deviant squid gave him a lot of aura.

While wisps were ether given form and an affinity by interacting with physical matter, aura was an energy given by physical objects and constructs by interacting with ether released in certain impactful events.

For example, a weapon used to commit mass murder would gain a cursed aura. The ether released in the murders would cling to the weapon and linger around as aura.

When an Arch performed outstanding feats, they accumulated aura. That's why combat Archs needed to go out and fight, artist Archs needed to make great works of art, and production Archs needed to craft things. A star was an aura construct. To grow it, an Arch needed to balance the weight of the star with their accumulated aura. Without this counterbalance, stars would grow slowly.

This is what Amanda was complaining during their visit to Mrs. Diana. She needed to expose herself to greater risk to increase her aura and grow faster.

Robert focused on his star, measuring his progress. It grew by a few percentile points during his session. To experience this much growth again, he would need to get out and do something notable. Easier said than done. This is where several Archhumans found their demise. To grow as fast as possible, they sought bigger and bigger challenges, until they met their match and perished.

Once his forty-five minutes were up, Patrick returned to get him out.

"Full on essence?" The instructor asked.

"Yes."

"Good. Because this afternoon, we are testing your essence capacity and healing abilities. But now, let's go to the cafeteria grab lunch."