Lady Foxglove had told Zane that ascending to tier four was a big change, but she might have undersold it.

Eric had mentioned something called “the tyranny of rank”. The former general had explained that each new tier was a giant leap forward in overall power. And Zane could definitely feel it.

His body felt stronger, and his reflexes were even sharper than before. He could also sense the levels of others and how strong their cores were. Which he figured would prove useful when judging the strength of potential enemies.

Zane slipped out of the warren and started running back to Hero’s Step. Thanks to his new tier, he made it up the mountain in record time. The guards barely had time to notice him as he teleported past them.

He had expected to see a giant hole in the side of the restaurant, but everything was back to normal. Zane patted the wall affectionately. “Good boy.”

The restaurant gave a rumble of acknowledgement and opened the door to let him inside. There were some perks to working in a building that was probably a mimic, though it did sometimes make him uneasy. At least it hadn't tried to eat anyone, yet.

With no time to waste, the young man started getting the kitchen ready for brunch. They were running low on some ingredients, but he could always send Lily or Pinky to the market later. That was the nice thing about having a few extra bodies around.

Zane zipped around the kitchen, cutting fruit and staging his ingredients. A few minutes later, Pinky walked in. She looked from Zane to the neat bowls of fruit.

“Well, it would have been nice of you to come up and tell me you were alright,” the kitsune said, annoyance coloring her voice, “But at least we know you aren't being mind controlled.”

Pinky turned her head and called up the stairs, “Hey guys, it's safe to come out. Zane is fine, and brunch service starts in an hour.”

The young man ran over to give her a peck on the cheek before getting back to work. It really was shaping up to be a lovely day.

***

Eric woke up later that evening. Everything hurt and he was covered in bandages, but he could feel his regeneration working hard to heal him back to full health..

Lily sat next to his bedside with a sword across her knees. She watched him sit up, prepared to cut his head off if he made any aggressive movements.

“What happened?” he asked.

“You don't want to know,” Lily replied, “Let's just say that we found out the hard way why nobody fixes broken cores.”

Eric tried to remember, but something was blocking his recollection. It felt like his mind was filled with tar. The last thing he could remember was sitting down to start the experiment. “Did I hurt someone?”

“You tried to, but we stopped you.” Lily looked away. “After Daisy consumed part of the creature it tried to possess you. Then you broke out and tried to kill Zane. He managed to put you down, but it wasn't easy. I think he might have fought it some more afterward, but he's fine.”

“Fuck,” Eric swore, looking down at his hands. The idea of something taking him over, of using him to hurt his friends, made him feel like throwing up. “I'm so sorry, for everything.”

“You're sorry?” Lily asked, shaking her head, “This is all my fault. If I hadn't run away from the sect you wouldn't have tried to find me. You wouldn't have gotten hurt. Now you're apologizing?”

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Eric doubled down. “I'm sorry for making you worry.”

Lily let out a little laugh. “At least now I know that it's really you. You always were terrible at talking to women.”

“To be fair, I haven't had much practice,” pointed out Eric, “But I really am sorry. When the elders sent me a message that you were missing I dropped everything to come and find you. I was worried that you were either dead, or on the run.”

Lily put a hand on his shoulder. “Get some rest, Eric. I've… got some thinking to do.”

***

Eric dressed himself and went downstairs to the restaurant. His cultivation had been restored, but he wasn't sure if it was worth the cost.

As usual, Zane was in the kitchen preparing food for the next morning. “Hey,” the rogue cultivator said, “Dinner is almost ready.”

The former general frowned as he looked around the restaurant. It was as if nothing had happened. There was no broken furniture, or other signs of a battle. “I’m sorry for attacking you. You and the others were just trying to help,” he said.

Zane frowned. “Oh, that? No biggie. I just knocked some sense into you and that was that. No harm, no foul.”

“My cultivation is back,” Eric said, wondering how Zane could be so calm after his betrayal. “If you want, I'll collect my things and be on my way.”

The rogue cultivator gave Eric a puzzled look. “Why would I kick you out? Actually, I was looking forward to seeing how well you do in the kitchen now that your powers are back.”

“Oh,” Eric shifted awkwardly, “Alright.”

***

Zane didn't get it. He thought Eric would have been over the moon after having his powers restored. Instead he was acting embarrassed and awkward.

Sure, there had been some hiccups along the way. Summoning that thing had been a surprise, but nobody actually died. Besides, he still needed Eric’s help in the kitchen.

The young man shook his head. People were so weird sometimes.

***

Jeffries listened to Captain Cerdo’s report with growing disbelief. He hadn't expected Zane to be able to restore his friend’s cultivation. At best, he had thought that the restaurant would be a safe place for Eric to lay low. But a full restoration? That was unheard of.

The Mayor pinched the bridge of his nose. “You're telling me that Eric threw Zane through the side of a building, which is now suspiciously free of damage. Then they brawled in the streets, Zane beat Eric half to death, and this morning the restaurant opened up like nothing had happened?”

“Well, yes,” Cerdo replied with a shrug, “I mean, they are cultivators.”

“But you are absolutely sure that Eric has regained his cultivation? And that it was really him?” Jeffries pressed.

“He is somewhat distinctive,” Cerdo replied, “The man is built like a stack of bricks. If my people say they saw him fighting, then I believe them.”

Mayor Jeffries sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. He could already imagine the trouble that this revelation would cause. “You do know what this means, right? If Zane can really restore people's cultivation?”

As a former cultivator, Captain Cerdo was very aware of what would happen if word got out. People would flood in hoping for miracles and when the sects caught wind of it, all seven hells would break loose. The last thing he wanted was a bunch of powerful cultivators poking around when his plan was so close to completion.

Cerdo stroked his chin. “Well, who is to say that Eric’s cultivation was really broken? What if we tell them that the Rock Mountain Mollusk sect made a mistake?”

“That will definitely piss them off,” Jeffries pointed out, “They won't like being made to look incompetent.”

“Then that's two reasons to deny that his cultivation was broken. If it makes them look bad, the other sects will spread the story for us,” Cerdo said, “Unless, of course, you want to deal with the aftermath of high level cultivators swarming the city. It's bad enough during the winter festival.”

“Good point,” the Mayor agreed, “We don't want to end up like Crater City.”

“So, it's decided. Eric was merely injured and Zane nursed him back to health. End of story.”

Jeffries nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. It was really nice to work with someone so competent. He would have to arrange a raise for captain Cerdo, after the festival.