Charlie blinked. What was going on? One moment Zephyr had been running an analysis on Parent, and the next both sets of the metallic floating rings went flying through the air.

He ignored the System notification for a moment, turning to look in the direction Parent’s rings had flown. Vetica, who was still sitting behind him, held on to him to make sure he didn’t lean turn too far and fall off the exam bed.

“Parent, are you okay?” Charlie asked.

Themis held his hands up. “Even though the Caladosian rings allow interfaces to take on a physical form, it doesn’t mean that they are suddenly at risk of being harmed. Your interface is safe, the rings however…hopefully they survived the impact.” Themis turned to look in the direction his own interface had flown. “Speaking of what happened, Zephyr?”

Zephyr’s rings slowly floated from the ground where they had crashed. The green aura was slightly dimmer than it had been before the analysis and subsequent flight across the room. “During analysis, I realized that the anomaly’s…Charlie’s interface wasn’t fully integrated with the System. The interface itself, Parent, also seems slightly unique compared to other interfaces. Further research is required. Upon noticing that the System had not granted Parent full integration, I sent a request to the System on Charlie’s behalf. The request was answered almost immediately, but the fluctuation of power was overwhelming for the rings. It seems to have stabilized now,” Zephyr said.

“What about Parent? How come he isn’t responding?” Charlie asked.

“He is currently undergoing an update. The System is granting access to information and resources Parent should have had access to all along. This will be a significant boon to you. However, it will take a few moments. Give it time. Did you receive a message from the System?” Zephyr asked.

Charlie nodded. “Yeah! It was something about a unique system. It was called ageist or something like that.”

Orb shook from side to side. “Ageus, not ageist!” he corrected. “I heard the notification, too. It was nice to be included for once, but I’m just as confused as you are.”

Charlie frowned. “It said a summary was complete but hasn’t told me anything!”

Themis turned to look at his floating interface. Zephyr vibrated slightly faster for a moment. “A unique system, and one with a name at that? Unheard of. I’m afraid we’ll have to wait a few moments for Parent to regain his sense of self. The System won’t offer a deeper explanation on its own. That’s what interfaces are for. For now, let’s—”

A series of quakes rocked the room. Merlin looked around. “Please don’t tell me the hex knights are here already…” he said.

Themis smiled. “Unlikely. I suspect its…yes, there.” Themis pointed down the hallway that the birds from the elevator had flown down earlier. Charlie recognized the cause of the loud noises. It was the same creature that had shot out of the portal and attacked Sir Redrick earlier.

The caldurra.

He was able to get a better look at it now. It was a massive creature, easily as wide as Merlin’s wagon, if not a bit wider. If you started measuring at the back of Merlin’s wagon, and then moved all the way to the front, past the reins, and up to Marvin’s face. You’d have a good idea of the length of it. The creatures had orange skin with red spikes all over its back and head. A long tail protruded from its rear that culminated in a large ball covered in more of the spikes. Despite its size and the fearsome spikes all over it, it had a relaxed expression on its face. It had a spike for a nose and thick eyelids.

Orb rotated to the side a bit and then paused. “It looks like a cross between a dinosaur and an armadillo.”

“Well, after seeing the creature up close, I think it’s safe to say that Redrick fellow is dead,” Merlin said.

Vetica grunted. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. He was tough. I’m still sore where he kicked me,” Vetica said. She tenderly lifted a hand toward her stomach and grimaced when it connected. Charlie frowned. He wished he could use some kind of healing magic. He didn’t enjoy seeing his friends hurt.

The Caldurra approached Themis, lifting its tail high in the air to avoid knocking things over or destroying the instruments and furniture in the room. As it got closer, Charlie realized its skin almost seemed like some kind of protective shell.

Themis rubbed the creature’s head, careful to avoid the spikes atop it. “Hello, Geby. Did you have fun playing, old girl?” he asked.

Geby’s head swayed from side to side, and her tail mimicked the movement as well. She closed her eyes and enjoyed Themis’ scratching. Her throat tightened and a deep noise rung throughout the room.

“It sounds like a ferry horn!” Orb said.

“What’s a ferry?” Charlie and Themis asked at the same time.

“It’s a boat on Earth! They sound just like that,” Orb explained.

Themis pulled a small notebook from his cloak pocket and jotted a note down. Apparently, Earth was another one of his interest. Charlie wondered if he might be able to learn more about Earth from Themis. After Themis finished, he returned the mini notebook to his pocket and returned to Zephyr. “And the others?”

Zephyr paused for a moment. His vibrating circles came to a halt. Then, just as quickly as they had stopped, they resumed. “We’ve lost two guardians and two-thirds of the force we sent into the streets. Aside from the ones instructed to venture deeper into the city to buy time, the others have all returned. What are your orders?”

Themis thought for a moment. “Geby, my goal is to hold them off for at least a couple of weeks. Having fought them, do you think it’s possible?” he asked.

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

Geby’s playful sway came to a sudden halt. She slammed her tail into the ground and the pleasant noise became sharp and grating. Like two large metallic blocks being forced against one another.

Themis peeked around her at the large crater in the ground where her tail had smashed. Geby turned and noticed the damage as well. Her eyes squinted, and she lowered her head.

Themis rubbed her again. “Don’t worry about it. I can fix it easily. It seems I called you back before you had your fill of fighting. That’s alright. There will be more.”

Merlin quirked a brow. “What did she say?”

Themis turned to look at him and shrugged. “Huh, I have no idea. I can’t understand her. I just figured she was angry because she smashed her tail into the floor!”

Merlin scoffed.

“Anyway,” Themis turned back to Zephyr. “Start preparing defenses. It’s inevitable they’ll force their way into the dungeon sooner or later. Ensure they have to take a winding, arduous route to get here. Throw everything we have to stop them every step of the way. Commit all our forces to this.”

Charlie frowned. “Aren’t you sad? About all the ones that died?” he asked. It sounded like a lot of them hadn’t come back safely. But all Themis was worried about was delaying the knights. If Charlie’s Scalers were out there getting hurt, he would be upset.

Themis shook his head. “Sad? Over what? They’re just beasts. They wander near Arcadeya, and the dungeon collects them for me. I have no attachment to them. Though Geby is an exception, of course. The other creatures aren’t intelligent. They don’t have feelings. They simply act on orders.”

Charlie started to protest. He’d seen firsthand with the Scalers how that hadn’t been true. But before he could get a word out, Parent suddenly shot into the air across the room.

“Parent! You’re back!”

“I never left. I simply needed a few moments to integrate new information. There’s something you need to know. Since you’ll likely tell everyone, anyway, would you like me to share with everyone in the room?” Parent asked.

Charlie nodded. At this point, he’d already told Themis everything he could think of. There wasn’t much of a point in hiding it. “Okay, what is it? Is this about the system thing?”

“Correct.”

All of Charlie’s friends perked up. It was obvious Parent had already made the adjustment so that they could listen in.

“When you came to this world, the System immediately took notice of you. A child bonded with a dungeon core. As you’ve learned, the System often grants interfaces to those with unique circumstances as well as people from other worlds. You were granted the Dungeon Core Baby class to help your development. However, the System predicted that your processing capabilities weren’t sufficient to handle an interface, which is why my arrival was delayed. You all already know that. But what you don’t know, is that the second System notification you received after my update began, was a delayed one. It’s been in place since you arrived in Aysela,” Parent said.

Charlie tilted his head. “Wait, so, I’ve had a unique system all this time? How come I’m just finding out?”

“Even though I was placed in a dormant state, the System further isolated you by severing its connection to your interface altogether. You bypassed my dormancy when Orb used Sentience on me. And now, thanks to Zephyr interceding on our behalf, the System has reevaluated your circumstances. In your current state, the connection should not present a threat to you any longer. So, you’re receiving a notification regarding a system that’s been in place since you first received your powers. One that explains a recent topic of conversation.”

Merlin scoffed. “That’s very nice. Can we just hear what exactly is so groundbreaking? For an interface, you really seem to like suspense.”

Themis pulled out his notebook and leaned in eagerly.

Charlie looked back at Vetica sitting behind him. She squeezed his hand reassuringly. Mousifer nuzzled up against Charlie’s neck to offer further support. “So, what exactly is it?” Charlie asked. For some reason, he was nervous. Whatever it was, it seemed like a big deal. What recent topic of conversation?

Parent’s rings glowed brighter. The maroon aura shimmered in the air around the floating metallic ring.

“The Ageus System. A unique System designed with your circumstances in mind. A System designed to protect you from your own powers. To ensure your body could keep up with a class that had unlimited potential. The System is simple. It operates by a single rule.”

Charlie swallowed.

“Your body’s aging has been and will be halted until conditions are met. As you get stronger and reach certain power thresholds, so shall your body grow. The Ageus System will ensure that your body develops alongside your power rather than independent of it.”

Themis’ quill broke against the notebook he was writing in. He looked up. “That is…incredible. The System’s way of mitigating your unique circumstances. With this, you can develop and grow at your own rate. Of course, it also poses questions. Could you simply stop training and live forever as a child? Or could you suddenly become an old man if you rapidly developed your powers? It becomes a question of balance. Interesting…”

Charlie felt an odd sensation in his mouth. He shook his head, focusing on Parent.

Merlin took a step toward Parent. He laid his hand on the bed Charlie and Vetica were sitting on. “You’re saying that Charlie will only get older if he gains more power? But…Charlie has already gotten stronger. The things he can do now were impossible for him when we first met. So why hasn’t he grown at all?”

“He has indeed grown stronger. The effects were delayed. It appears, however, that—”

Charlie’s mouth was really bothering him now. He looked around and instinctively reached out to grab Merlin’s hand.

Merlin offered a sympathetic look. “I know it’s worrying, but don’t worry, Charlie. We’ll figure this out.” He let Charlie take his hand and turned back to Parent.

That proved to be a mistake for Merlin. Charlie lifted the wizard’s hand toward his mouth and chomped down on it.

“Ow!” Merlin said, pulling his hand away. “Charlie bit me!”

Vetica leaned forward to inspect him. “Charlie are you okay?” she asked.

“Is he okay? He bit me!” Merlin said.

“My mouth hurts.” Charlie frowned.

Orb floated in front of him. “Did you get hit in the fight earlier? It’s weird you’re just noticing.”

The notebook Themis had been holding slammed into the ground. “He’s teething.”

Everyone in the room turned to look at the researcher. “What?” Merlin asked, looking away from his sore hand.

“As I said, the effects were delayed, but now it appears one is manifesting. The result of Charlie’s progression thus far.”

Charlie put a finger in his mouth and felt around. Two little bumps had formed on the bottom of his gum line. His eyes lit up when he realized what they were.

“Oh no! I won’t be like Bleedy anymore!” Charlie said.

Bleedy shouted his concerned response in all of their minds. “Baby!”