Kyle had prepared himself for the possibility of finding another one of the crimson stones, but the sudden shock of absorbing it had still taken him by surprise. Before he knew it, he was back in the strange dreamscape he experienced the time before. This time, he started as an ant defending his colony from an invader. Then he was a mantis waiting patiently for prey to step close enough to strike. Then he was back on the mountainside with his grandfather, staring up at the stars. That stirred something in him, and he desperately tried to hold onto that memory, regaining some of his sense of self. He still felt as though he was in the middle of a raging river, but the thought of his precious time with his grandfather served as an anchor, a blazing north star in a swirling night sky.

As he drifted from perspective to perspective, he held fast to Clark’s words of praise, the ache in his muscles from trying to keep up, the taste of toasted marshmallow on his tongue. Slowly, steadily, he gained ground against the storm in his mind. The shifting slowed, then stopped, and Kyle found himself looking down on a tapestry of different images and experiences. His experiences, he realized. He was present for all of them, but the perspectives were different. A bee outside a classroom, an anthill he walked past with his grandfather, all connected to his life.

As he looked at how each of the pieces were linked, a familiar presence began to wash over him. The images faded one after another, and Kyle found himself floating in an empty void. There was no up, no down, nothing he could see or touch. The only thing he could feel was the sense of being observed, and the same feeling of terror at the sheer power of the presence stirred inside him. This time the presence lingered on him, seeming to take real notice for the first time. What the hell is this? Kyle thought, fear continuing to build as he existed, exposed before whatever creature was watching him.

THE CORRECT QUESTION IS ‘WHO AM I,’ LITTLE LARVA. The booming voice spoke directly into Kyle’s mind, shaking him to his core. YOU ARE A LONG WAY FROM HAVING THE RIGHT TO ASK, MUCH LESS TO RECEIVE AN ANSWER. SURVIVE, AND ONE DAY THAT MAY CHANGE. With that, the presence vanished, and Kyle’s eyes opened.

The pain was still there, but much less than the last time he’d awoken from this experience. His body was still recovering from the injuries he suffered in his fight with the Infernal, and he had a migraine that made his head feel as though it was about to split into pieces. Still, he was alive. He was on the opposite wall of the unmoving body of the Infernal, which was no longer releasing any pulses of mana. He was still in a cold sweat, recovering from the interaction with the being in his dream. Whatever it was, at this point Kyle was convinced that it wasn’t a product of his imagination, but a real creature. It was powerful, and it was somehow connected to the disaster that had struck the world. Worst of all, the terrifying presence knew who he was. Little larva? What the hell? Another shudder ran through him as he considered those implications.

He took several steadying breaths, refocusing. He had come out on top in his fight against the Infernal, which marked more than a couple milestones. Kyle had faced down death again, and he’d won. The victory was proof of Kyle’s progress – an enemy that he couldn’t have defeated just four weeks ago was dead. It wasn’t because of major changes to his attributes, it wasn’t due to new Skills, it was the fruit of training and effort. And if he could overcome this challenge, what else could he overcome?

Kyle was curious to see if absorbing this stone had led to any changes, but he resisted the temptation to enter meditation immediately. Instead, he laboriously made his way back in the direction where he’d left C.H.A.D.D. His body ached, but other than being in pain he didn’t feel meaningfully different than before. As he turned the corner to the entrance of the larger chamber he’d called home the last four weeks, his eyes widened. C.H.A.D.D. was right where he’d expected, but Kyle could see a faint sparkle in the air around the drone, gently moving into his travel companion.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“C.H.A.D.D., what are you doing?”

[WAITING FOR YOU TO RETURN, DR. MAYHEW. WHICH YOU HAVE. WELCOME BACK!]

Kyle considered how to respond to that, when out of the corner of his eye he saw a similar sparkle in the air next to his body. Focusing on it, he saw dozens of similar streams flowing into his body, each moving in the now familiar rhythm. This is mana, Kyle realized, observing the energy infusing his body. As if to confirm his suspicions, C.H.A.D.D. spoke up.

[DR. MAYHEW, SCANS OF YOUR BODY ARE COMPLETED. NERVE CLUSTERS IN OCCIPITAL LOBE HAVE GROWN, ADDITIONAL MANA CONDUCTIVITY FLOWING THROUGH THE REGION. I AM ALSO NOTING CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITON OF THE NERVE GANGLIA IN YOUR EYES.]

Kyle nodded slowly as he processed the information C.H.A.D.D. shared with him. Wordlessly, he picked up his companion and they walked to the pool of clean water, dread building as he thought about what he would see.

“C.H.A.D.D., can you give me a little light here?”

The drone obliged, and Kyle looked at his reflection in the pool. It wasn’t a substitute for a mirror, but Kyle saw enough to give him a sigh of relief. He was worried he’d see large bug eyes on his face, but from what he could see his face looked normal. Well, as normal as it could with a scruffy beard and shaggy hair. That fear behind him, he drank deeply from his canteen and washed, wincing as the water ran across the still-recovering burns on his back. It was a humbling reminder of how close a thing his fight with the Infernal had been, and how much room he still had to grow.

Settling back into the cavern, Kyle looked around before he prepared to meditate. The rocks had now become familiar in the warm glow that C.H.A.D.D. provided, and as odd as it was Kyle knew he would miss the cavern when they left to return to Albaum. In many ways it just as much of a home in this broken new world. He was thankful for what this space had allowed him to accomplish, and even more thankful that C.H.A.D.D. had pushed him to stay as long as they had. With the feeling of gratitude in his chest, he entered meditation.

To Kyle’s relief, the changes from absorbing the gemstone this time were much less significant. The twisting streams of energy were stronger and more vibrant, and another one of the arms representing his attributes had a filled node. He focused on the glowing red node, and the impression formed words in his mind. ADAPTIVE ANATOMY – 2/? – ENHANCED CARAPACE, AURIC PERCEPTION. Just as before, he didn’t get any deeper impressions of what that meant for him, only that it was tied to his Perception attribute. He focused on the outline of himself at the center, and it pulled up his overview.

KYLE MAYHEW. ARTHRO-HUMAN CHIMERA (AWAKENED), HEALER. LEVEL 60

ADAPTIVE ANATOMY – 2/? – ENHANCED CARAPACE, AURIC PERCEPTION

VITALITY: 218

ENDURANCE: 218

STRENGTH: 68

DEXTERITY: 145

WILLPOWER: 166

INTELLIGENCE: 221

PERCEPTION: 220

FREE ATTRIBUTES: 4

He absently allocated his free attribute points to Willpower, bringing it up to 170. He took a moment to admire the growth he’d experienced over the last several months. Level 60 used to be nearly unheard of, with nobody publicly reaching the level in decades. And here, in a matter of months, Kyle had not only reached the level, but the sheer amount of attributes he’d accumulated likely dwarfed what any other human alive could do. Maybe I’m more like Grandpa than I thought, Kyle mused.

He might be a deviant, rejected by the Central Authority, but he was growing into a damn powerful one. All that done, Kyle turned his attention to three indistinct grey orbs. They hovered above a foundation of three well-defined patterns, the skills Kyle had selected and used as he had struggled to survive. And now, in this moment, he was faced with one of the most important decisions he’d have to make for quite a while – the last skill selection of the E Grade.