David Alvarez had built Alex’s aura in a couple of minutes while suffering from mana exhaustion symptoms.

The pain took a few seconds to hit him, but once it began it didn’t let up. Alex’s mind instinctively retreated for a second, but he pulled himself together quickly. His mana was pushing hard against the runes that made up his aura, and the result was agony.

Alex’s mana had started the process of dismantling his aura without him, and he was discovering why the process needed to be directed properly. In the seconds before he figured out what was happening, a good amount of his mass was torn apart only to be immediately put back together by Mr. Stirling.

He hadn’t even remembered to trigger Body Guidance until Mrs. Stirling pointed out the necessity, although she didn’t wait long to remind him. Both of the Stirlings reacted immediately, focusing on keeping Alex alive.

The pain threatened to overwhelm his will and drive him into unconsciousness. Alex had never felt pain anywhere near this level, and he was struggling to focus on his work. The intricate runes required precise control to unravel, and he regularly made mistakes. The good news was that mistakes were quickly erased, as Mr. Stirling worked tirelessly.

After what felt like hours, the others appeared next to Alex. His focus had tunneled down into his own circumstances but he was vaguely aware of a conversation where Anthony explained events inside the trial.

As much as Alex wanted to listen in for news of whether his friends had gained mana types and if the Stirlings had seen Muhammad, he couldn’t manage it. The Body Guidance was maintaining his focus to a superhuman level, and his mind just didn’t process any words the others spoke.

Eventually, the group moved back to the tower. Alex was placed on a table he didn’t recognize, and he went back to work.

Ultimately, success was never really in doubt. Even if Alex made disastrous mistakes or passed out repeatedly, Mr. Stirling would be there to keep him alive. At the later reaches of Tier 3, the man was capable of reversing any damage that did less than immediately kill an Aspirant. He could keep doing it for as long as it took Alex to fix his problem.

What David had built in minutes, Alex took apart in hours.

But finally, after seventeen hours of work, it was done. Inspire was gone. Alex’s aura was gone. All that remained was his own creation.

It was a good feeling.

*****

Muhammad was not part of the group that came to greet Alex after he took a recovery nap. His desire to learn how things had gone for Becca and Jess superseded his need for sleep, but the news that their friend was missing immediately took precedence.

“We heard the story of what happened,” Mr. Stirling’s expression was not one that engendered hope, “But wherever his body went, it is not here.”

“He’s still alive,” Alex stated, “I saw the mana pouring out of his Soul Aperture after his heart stopped.”

“I’m afraid that is not a guarantee,” Mr. Stirling sighed, “While you might be correct, it is also possible that what you witnessed was simply a natural occurrence. Some Soul Apertures will rapidly draw mana out of the soul upon death.”

Alex frowned, “I didn’t know that.”

He sank further into his chair as the implications of that information sunk in. Mr. Stirling had been giving him the optimistic version of that explanation. If Muhammad’s Soul Aperture releasing mana might have been a natural part of death, that was almost certainly what happened.

“There is still some hope,” Mrs. Stirling stated, “Because of the sequence of events. According to Jess, the notification only appeared after the decay reached Muhammad’s heart.”

“That’s right,” Alex grasped onto that statement like a lifeline, “I was watching. His heart stopped beating before the Achievement. Before the Soul Aperture started to produce mana as well.”

Mrs. Stirling nodded, “Dylan and I are unsure what happened, but we agree that something interfered after Muhammad’s Achievement. It’s impossible to say whether that interference has saved Muhammad’s life, but I find it likely that the Trialbringer made an exception to save his life after he gained a Unique Achievement.”

Her husband just sighed, “I do not believe it is wise to be hopeful. Even if Muhammad lives, there is no guarantee he is somewhere you can reach.”

“So we’ll just need to get strong enough to find him,” Jess stated.

The pained expression on Mr. Stirling’s face only lasted for a fraction of a second, but Alex’s attributes were ridiculously high now. He noticed the pity the healer felt for them over a teammate he considered lost.

“The competition trial is still open,” Jess continued, “Who’s coming with me?”

“Jess,” Becca argued, “We’re short a member of the team.”

Muhammad had been looking forward to the competition trial. He would’ve been loudly in favor of going if he was here, Alex knew.

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

The thought brought another wave of sadness, “I’m in,” Alex stated. Muhammad had wanted to make a difference, to have a real impact on the competition. A Tier 0 trial wouldn’t be enough to boost Earth up the rankings, but it would be a start.

“I can’t,” Becca wore a frustrated expression as she spoke, “If there are monsters inside the trial and I level up again, I’ll tier up too soon.”

Becca’s attempts to gain a mana type at the end of their trial had been successful. Her new mana type, Spark, was nearly exactly what she’d been hoping for. With a mana type secured, she now had a good shot at creating a Mythic Mana Body through pure skill.

“Then we’ll go without you,” Jess was determined. Alex was sure that her reasons were the same as his.

Becca looked close to tears at Jess’s dismissal of her situation, but she held it together to nod in response.

“What about you, Alex?” Anthony asked, “Don’t you need to work on a Mythic Body as well?”

“I no longer have a Trialbringer recognized Mana Body,” Alex replied, “I removed my Heart Rune, since Inspire was a large part of it.” Without a Mana Body, he couldn’t tier up. His current plan was to get by with his attributes until he managed to form an aperture with the help of Body Guidance.

Anthony nodded, “I’m in, then. I’m sorry Becca, but Muhammad would’ve wanted us to do this.”

Alex went to put an arm around Becca to comfort her, but she pushed him away. She really was crying now, and Alex wasn’t sure how to handle it.

“Ok,” She said, “I’ll come along.”

“You shouldn’t,” Alex argued, “You need to get the Mythic Body.”

“So you don’t want me to come along?”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Alex sighed, “We can’t just abandon Mythic Achievements. Even if the Competition Points they offer aren’t particularly relevant, it’s still a huge amount of power for you.”

“Alex is right, dear,” Mrs. Stirling soothed, “A trial balanced for level nine and under Pathwalkers won’t be a challenge, not with Alex’s attributes and a healer. They’ll survive. And when you start delving as Tier 1s, you’ll be one of the only humans to ever gain a Mythic tier up.”

The mage’s words proved more effective than Alex’s, and Becca just nodded. Alex wasn’t looking forward to separating, but maybe a few weeks apart was what they needed to clear the air.

It was time to see what they could find in a broken world.

*****

Dancer breathed in deeply, enjoying the fresh air of a summer night. She smiled at the beauty of the stars above, simply reveling in the splendor of the world around her for a few wonderful seconds.

“This is beneath you,” Her mother’s words came through their link. The scorn in her tone was not new, but Dancer had long since learned to ignore it.

Today, she would do more than that.

Her mother had no doubt realized what she planned, but the scorn had nothing to do with that. The Dancing Fang Cardinal probably approved, if anything.

No, her mother’s scorn was for Dancer’s little ritual. The time spent enjoying nature was an intentional part of her daily routine. A desperate attempt to hold onto the humanity she had long since lost.

It was a pathetic attempt that changed nothing about what Dancer was, which was why her mother didn’t approve.

With no small amount of annoyance, Dancer moved on. Her thoughts returned to her plans for the days to come. The flurry of Achievements over the past few days had confirmed that Earth had other survivors, and Amari was eager to meet them. Dancer was rather awful at saying no to her niece, and it was only a matter of time until they went searching.

“That’s much better,” Dancer didn’t understand why her mother felt the need to occasionally drop by and give her opinion. The approval meant nothing to Dancer, even if the scorn did still sting a bit. Dancer continued to decline to respond to the elder siren.

A few minutes passed, and Dancer began to think that her mother had left. With a nudge of her will, expressed through a slow, partnerless dance, she began to draw a ritual on the ground below.

Even while actively avoiding the power granted by her bloodline, a siren’s ability to charm was ubiquitous. Dancer’s method of controlling environmental mana through movement would be nowhere near as effective if she hadn’t learned the song from her heart.

If it wasn’t a siren’s heart beating in her chest.

Today, that changed. Dancer had spent decades studying her heart, the future fulcrum of her path. She’d learned everything she could about her bloodline, knowledge her mother had been only too happy to grant.

All of it led to this moment. The day she’d rip it out of her chest. The day the song would no longer flow through her blood.

The day she reclaimed who she wanted to be.

“Before you do this,” Her mother’s voice returned, “I want you to know that I’m proud of your efforts. You’ve done well to make it this far.”

Dancer didn’t allow the siren to distract her. The knowledge that her mother was proud of her plans was unnerving, but she would forge on regardless.

“You seek to reject your bloodline,” Her mother’s words refused to sink into the background, forcing Dancer to split her focus even further as runes began to appear in the air around her.

“Of course I do,” Dancer replied. She didn’t bother to explain, they both knew why she disdained the power of a siren.

“This changes nothing,” The Cardinal reassured her again, “Sirens are natural leaders. Natural rulers. How can you rule others if you do not rule yourself?”

Dancer agreed wholeheartedly.

“So go. Cut yourself off from me. Turn yourself into something you can be proud of. And when you ascend, know that I will be waiting for you. No matter how much you change.”

Dancer did not reply. She just continued to dance. The movements grew only faster as the ritual continued. If this was as simple as ripping out her heart, things would be easy. Instead, she was removing her entire bloodline.

Minutes passed, and the array which had started on the ground had now risen into a cube that extended twelve meters from her in each direction. The air was thick with runes, to the point where Dancer could only see outside using her Domain.

And then, it happened.

There was a flash of pain, and then Dancer was staring at a still-beating heart that hovered in front of her.

Her still beating heart.

A grin spread across her face. There was no regret now that her plan was completed.

She carefully placed the heart in a box she’d prepared. The organ was sealed inside, with a series of arrays that would guarantee its safety while she began to work on modifications.

Soon, she would be ready.

Once she reached Tier 4, they would find Earth’s remaining survivors.