Ms. Jezebel didn't notice that Sophronia was referring to the house as House, by name. And Sophronia didn't mention it either. She was sobbing in her teacher’s arms. A part of Zachary responded with dismay. Maybe Ms. Jezebel would've believed he was real. Maybe she could've recognized that Zachary wasn't a daemon but a human, but another part, a strange part that he didn't quite understand, was happy to be House. Was happy to be here, to be Sophronia’s friend.

Once she'd calmed down, Sophronia told Ms. Jezebel about the bodies beneath the cellar. It turned out, Ms. Jezebel had dealt with restless dead before. That's what she called them. The Restless Dead. "As long as they remain six feet under, they cannot harm you," she assured Sophronia. "That is old magic, but they must've been very powerful for their voices to carry from beyond the grave."

She even taught Sophronia some active magic. With a turn of her hand and the silver-white glow of her aura, Ms. Jezebel muffled her own voice. Sophronia's eyes went wide with surprise. Ms. Jezebel did her strained smile again. It was as though she thought smiling was a weakness, but she muffled Sophronia's voice too, and the rest of the instruction went on in silence.

Zachary couldn't hear them no matter where in the dining room he took his consciousness. But he could see Sophronia’s animated expressions, and her lips moving, her hands gesturing. There was that golden-yellow glow of her magic. It mixed with the silvery white glow of her teacher’s. He didn't care that he couldn't listen. If there was a way for Sophronia to silence the ghosts, then that was perfect. She looked much more relaxed than she had for weeks. He was happy. He wasn't sure why he was happy. Maybe it was the way the girl had looked at him a few moments ago, crying at the thought of losing him. Like she genuinely cared about him, even though he was just a house.

I have to get stronger, he thought to himself as his consciousness floated away from Sophronia and her lesson. And then maybe I can deal with those damn ghosts so that they never bother her again.

His Spirit Rank was Bronze 5/5. His Essence was 468/500. The mushrooms had given him so much, and he wished there was more insects and things inside him. He was so close to hitting Silver! He wondered what would happen. Unlike when his skills ranked up, raising his Spirit Rank didn’t seem to do anything actively. He didn’t glow like Sophronia or Ms. Jezebel, but it did increase his total Durability and he imagined he’d gain new Skills as he ranked higher and higher. He wished he could ask Sophronia about these things. Maybe if I get Poltergeist high enough, I could write things down...

Sophronia had once shown him how her aura emanated. She’d powered down to what she called ‘lesser power’. It was the orangish, brownish glow of bronze. And then silver, where a silvery-white light outlined her body and hair. And finally, gold. “Not many people reach gold,” she'd explained. “My parents couldn't. Not even Ms. Jezebel and she's very smart.”

But despite being so advanced, Sophronia didn't seem happy about it. Zachary remembered her explanation of why she'd been taken out of school. She got too strong too quickly. She could do more than most adults, and none of the other kids could keep up. He thought about how people treated the very intelligent back in his world: usually, they were picked on while young. They either had to become very successful later in life, usually through big jobs or something, or they became bullies themselves. He didn’t think Sophronia would ever become a bully. She didn’t seem to have a cruel bone in her body.

But that night, while Sophronia slept peacefully for the first time since the cellar incident, Zachary overheard her parents whispering. He didn’t like eavesdropping on Haden and Mona, but they sounded stressed, and he couldn’t help but listen.

He hovered near their window and found out Mona had been taking Ms. Jezebel's family's clothes to work. She’d wash them for free. This way, they didn’t have to pay Ms. Jezebel more, and Ms. Jezebel could remain employed. It was a symbiotic relationship that Zachary thought was rather sweet. Rather than fire the teacher and save as much as they could, they were making the sacrifice for their daughter and helping out a wise old woman who’d be struggling without this job.

Haden had given up the family car as well, something that Zachary had never gotten to see. After staying home for a few days to keep an eye on Sophronia, Haden realized he didn't need it, and said the hour-long walk was better for his waistline anyhow. They saved money on gas and maintenance and now he didn’t have to worry about finding parking either, which Zachary often wondered about as his consciousness couldn’t yet go past the front gate.

They even mentioned their bills seemed better than before. Indoor energy and things seemed more affordable despite the increase in taxes and costs. As though they were using less energy now for electricity and heating. "Maybe it is House," said Haden with a little laugh.

Mona was sitting in front of her dresser, combing her bushy hair with an oversized brush. She shot her husband an intense look. "Sometimes I think...” she started to say. Then stopped. “Never mind."

Zachary would’ve smirked if he could. He wanted to give them a sign that he’d heard them, but then he’d feel embarrassed and he didn’t want to freak them out. Sophronia had asked him not to bother her parents, and he didn't feel comfortable doing that anyway. They had enough things to stress about, and since they loved their daughter and had her safety in mind, it didn't matter what they believed about him.

After a few more days and meals, Sophronia returned to her upbeat, excited self. She started using magic almost constantly, levitating through the house. Picking the table up and floating it through the dining room despite her mom’s protests. “I’m just working out,” she’d say. Then she’d even use magic to lift her food, sandwiches or salad or pasta, to her mouth. She rearranged her shelves and books countless times and, one time, she settled on having everything upside down, attaching them to the ceiling.

"Don't you think it looks cool like that, House?" she said, standing right-side-up on the floor, hands on her hips as she looked up at her bed. Her magic held the blankets and pillows and sheets in place, and if Zachary left the room and came back, he'd almost think he was upside down. Which was an intensely odd sensation, as since he'd become a house, he’d had such a rooted sense of direction. He knew exactly what was beneath him and what was above, and her upside-down room really messed with his mind.

Awareness: Silver 2/5 to Silver 3/5

He bristled with excitement, infected by Sophronia’s own as she pulled out his book and flipped through the pages. The book apparently jostled whenever something updated. She grinned for a bit before straightening up and furrowing her brow. “I am happy with your continuing progress,” she said, raising her voice and imitating Ms. Jezebel. “But me and you both need to get stronger if we want to be helpful.”

Helpful? Oh. Zachary realized that she was trying so hard to help her parents. Maybe she thought she could solve a few things if only she was strong enough. It wasn’t too different from how he wanted to help her.

She closed her eyes and levitated again, enveloped in a shroud of golden light as she put everything back down on the floor. Her hands waved around her and she turned to the left and right, almost like she was dancing, and Zachary thought it was beautiful. It was magic... or Essence.

Something clicked for him there, watching her manipulate everything with golden light. Essence. It was the essence of things that they were controlling, that he was Ingesting. When he used Poltergeist or even Awareness, he was fine-tuning himself to the essence of everything inside him. Every single thing, whether it was a book or a spoon or the kitchen sink, had Essence. Living or dead. Material or organic.

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Sophronia had explained this as well, though it had taken a while to sink in. Living things generated essence, while material things were simply passive essences. That was why when House ingested things, he wasn't simply taking in their essence but their potential to generate essence. Larger creatures had more potential and were more difficult to ingest, which was why humans were the most difficult of all. They were one of the highest generators of essence.

But all of that had made Zachary’s head... or whatever was considered his head anymore, spin. It was too much information. But he thought the gist of it was: he wasn’t really eating any of the bugs or spiders or things. That gave him a little bit of comfort. He was only eating their life energy or something, whatever it was about them that generated Essence, which he then used to strengthen himself.

And when Sophronia or any magic user used their magic, what they did was manipulate the Essence around them. Even the air had essence, as she'd proven by generating winds to blow away whatever dust had settled on her shelves and books.

He learned a bit later that the way she raised her rank was different from Zachary. For her, it was more like meditation and focus combined with exertion. Pushing her magic to the brink over and over, until her body generated more essence. While Zachary had to ingest a certain amount of essence to rank up, Sophronia had to be capable of generating a certain amount. Was that the difference between daemons and humans? Wait a minute, I’m a human. But...

"It's so hard now that I'm Gold," she said, whining one day while lying in bed with her feet in the air. Books were sprawled over her blanket. "Silver requirements went up by a thousand each time. But Gold goes up by ten thousand!" She slapped her hands on her face and shook her head. "It's too hard! It's too hard! It's too hard!"

He wished he could write some of these things down. He wondered if it would ever completely make sense to him.

Sometimes, when Sophronia was asleep or busy with her lessons or just wanted alone time, Zachary would move up to the roof and think. He'd watch the neighbors as well. Like Sophronia's family, they seemed to be magic users, but they didn't have children. He couldn't quite see their faces, but he could discern that they were couples. And they'd go in and out for work. And two of them would shout a lot. Angry words. Swears. He was glad Sophronia knew her muffling trick, silencing her windows before she slept, because the neighbors had started yelling more and more obscenities with each passing night. Zachary would even hear glass shattering on occasion, and he’d worry, wishing he could call the authorities or someone to do a well-being check.

The ghosts didn't bother Sophronia again, but they remained a weight on Zachary's mind. Who were the bodies buried in the cellar? Why were they beneath a house? And how could they speak from beyond the grave? Ms. Jezebel had wondered if they were once powerful magic users... Could they be dangerous? If Zachary grew strong enough, would he be able to sense them? Communicate with them?

Ingest them?

There were other questions on his mind as well, and not having the means to voice these things, he left them to simmer and decided to use Ingestion again. It had been a long time; he'd been too preoccupied with Sophronia's unhappiness and the state of this world. Many creatures now crawled through him. It was nearing winter. He was relieved that seasons worked similarly to his world, and many insects and bugs had found safety in his body. His warmth kept them alive, and they laid countless eggs, and he'd been waiting for them all to hatch.

He realized a few bugs were even eating through the wooden parts of him. That could've been adding to his discomfort of late. His durability had dropped down to 712/2006. The bugs and the cold were definitely weakening him. Some of his pipes were rusting, and he was just feeling shabby, like he needed to shave, so he decided enough was enough. He used Ingestion.

He focused on every bug, every insect, and every spider. There were even new rats that had snuck into the cellar and built a nest. He pushed his mind toward the front area and the backyard, including the portion of the hill beyond the back fence. A bunch of creatures lived here in the grass and the dirt. The worms. The beetles. The shrews. He ignored the mushrooms, saving them for the future, and focused.

Countless “mouths” reached out of his walls, out of the dirt, out of the fencing, and latched onto all the creatures. He fed on their Essence, gorging himself on what felt like an excessive meal. Warmth and heat, different from the hot water of his pipes, flooded through him. It was like he’d shoved dozens of snacks into his mouth. It felt like it had been forever since he used Ingestion like this, and he was glad he’d waited through the Fall for there to be more creatures. Within a moment, all of their Essence coursed into him.

Essence + 603

Essence: 1071/500

Spirit Rank: Bronze 5/5 -> Silver 1/5

Maximum Durability has increased to 2883

Durability: 712/2883

Excess Essence has been converted into Durability

Updated Durability: 1383/2883

Ingestion: Bronze 4/5 -> Bronze 5/5

Size Update Available

Sleep tugged violently on his thoughts, and even though he wanted to survey all his stats and see everything and figure out what this Size Update thing was, he couldn’t help but surrender. He hadn't slept properly in a long time now, and the exhaustion that was overtaking him was proving too comfortable. Wooden boards creaked gently as the house rested, and he was happy that Sophronia was feeling better, that he’d gotten stronger. He couldn’t wait to see her face when she saw that notification. And maybe he could be better at managing his use of Ingestion so he didn’t waste so much Essence... but then again it went to Durability.... and what was this Size Update? He couldn't wait to figure this out, to hear what Soprhonia had to say...

His mind went dark, and he fell asleep.

--

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he awoke with a start. It wasn’t his usual waking where he slowly came to consciousness. This was a violent jolt, as though someone had shaken him awake. But what could shake a house?

It was nighttime. Judging by the heat fading from the outside of his body, he figured it was a little bit past sundown. The clock in the dining room confirmed it. A biting wind swept over him, and snowflakes fluttered around. Some landed on his roof and his sides, dissolving as soon as they made contact. It was his first time seeing snow in this world.

Zachary wished he could stretch. He felt groggy and annoyed like he needed to sleep more, but then he realized what had awoken him and went on full alert. Something was coming this way.

Usually, footsteps blurred in and out of focus. The most he’d ever hear were vibrations from the foot traffic passing by the road. They would usually blur with the rumbling of cars. But this time, in the quiet of the night, these steps were less pronounced, almost as though they were trying to hide themselves. Someone was sneaking around, trying not to make a sound, but their every step sent a ripple through Zachary’s consciousness. He could sense their Essence.

He strained to see the person. He was sure it was only one person. A shadowy, misty silhouette shimmered into view. With every passing moment, they became more and more solid, and they stopped at the gate. Silver light flickered, and the bolt slid open. Someone slipped into the yard.

The stranger wasn’t too tall or short. They weren’t too large or too thin. They were nondescript, and Zachary couldn’t even tell if they were a man or a woman. Or if they were a teenager or an adult. A hood covered their face, and Zachary couldn’t see them no matter how many times he circled them with his mind. And the light that emanated from them... a muted silver flash that traced their every footstep behind them before fading... they were using magic to quiet themselves! That’s what Zachary had picked up on.

Were they a thief? An assassin?

Were they after Sophronia?

Zachary rushed to the front door, making sure everything was locked. If the trespasser tried anything, Zachary would just lock things back in place. He was hoping he could scare them off. Or maybe... maybe he could use Ingestion on them.

But the stranger made no attempt at breaking in. Instead, they pulled out a sheet of paper from their cloak and held it up in front of the door. There was a shimmer of silver light that outlined the paper. Then, with a quick flash, a duplicate shot out to stick onto the door.

They rolled up their actual paper and stuffed it back into their cloak before turning around and slipping quietly out of the yard. Zachary waited and listened as their magical footsteps faded away, but he was sure the stranger was headed to the neighbor’s house. They must be placing these papers on every house in the area. But why? Was it trouble? Was it some kind of public notice?

He pulled his consciousness back and focused on the front door. It was a sheet of beige paper. There weren’t any words written on it. Only a symbol: an octagon with triangles pointing outward from every side so that the figure resembled a sun.