Henry sat, legs crossed, for what felt like hours under Amanda’s explicit instruction to stay until he was finished processing the elixir’s power. When he finally opened his eyes and went home it was a battle to keep them open. It would have been no problem to fall asleep on the floor or in a desk, but Henry didn’t want the back pain associated with that in the morning.

It was pitch black outside. Either there was no moon or it was obscured by towering walls, but whichever way it was made no difference. There were floating fires in the air to light the way, but placed just far enough from each other to leave gaps of darkness between them. Why someone would design lamps in such a way was beyond him, but it didn’t much matter given he had no fear of being assaulted.

When he opened the door— portal, really— to his dormitory in the sky, he encountered ten women, all kneeling, six asleep. Two were leaning forwards, faces on the ground in a bow, and the four others who were still awake did the same upon Henry’s entrance. Two more were asleep upright, though he had no idea how they didn’t fall over. Closer inspection revealed one, a catgirl dressed in an obnoxiously bright pink dress with a giant bow around her waist and equally bright hair of the same shade, was leaning on another— the brunette maid which had not left with the others during Henry’s last greetings of the harem assembled in his honor. The last two were on their backs. Of them, he only noticed the dog girl sleeping on her back with knees folded underneath her as though she were sitting upright. Though he had no idea how that posture didn’t murder her joints, it wasn’t relevant so he stopped thinking about it.

They also all woke up immediately, even if the dog girl did require a slap delivered by the brunette maid to her right, so it wasn’t like she held the awkward position for long enough to fully take in. In any case, Henry was confused about why they were even there given he arrived at, what, 3am? Later? He had no idea because there wasn’t class the next day.

“Welcome home master!” shouted a disuniform cacophony of half-asleep voices. The maid contemplated making them do it over, but ultimately decided it wouldn’t be worth the effort (and likely wouldn’t lead to a better result).

Henry raised an eyebrow. The maid delivered words on behalf of all the rest.

“We hope you’re not mad at us. We didn’t mean to be so rude.”

He surveyed them,

“Where is…” it was only then Henry realized he didn’t know her name.

“..sundress fire girl?”

His rising tone indicated a mix of uncertainty and mild embarrassment.

The women exchanged worried looks, and the brunette maid once again spoke on behalf of the group.

“She’s not here anymore.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“Master, no, ultra great supreme invincible—”

“Cut the honorifics.” Henry interrupted.

“Ch— Master Chen-Thai said you were displeased so she isn’t here any more.”

“I see.” Henry turned to leave to his room.

“Please don’t be angry with us,” the dog girl replacement for the sun-dressed fire lady pleaded.

Henry said nothing as he left, shut the door to his room, and went to sleep.

In the morning there was once again a full English breakfast on the table, or so Henry could smell, but he didn’t leave his room for some hours after waking up long past noon. When he finally rose from his hammock, narrowly avoiding the fall out of it this time, he decided to practice cultivation.

Whatever power he possessed wasn’t his. Whatever strength he had was borrowed. Whatever self he had leftover from death was fleeting. He needed to acquire strength enough to act for himself without the need to borrow it and forge pretend alliances. He was here for a reason, and it wasn’t to sit by and wait for others to pass him in their wealth and drive. He would find a way to get stronger, no matter the personal cost.

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Pain meant nothing at this point. The more of it there was, the less it bothered him. Perhaps it was a quirk of having his flesh knit back together by godly power, and perhaps he needed to do less of that as a result, but it would be useful in terms of training, at a minimum.

For now he merely needed to acquire and internalize the vestigial energy of the long-departed Yaldabaoth leftover in this soon to be dying world. He visualized waves and himself at their center. He could feel strength welling up from within and could see red mist pool heavily in the air around him. As it drew closer it vanished, leaving a small buffer between him and it, as though it was unable to touch him without disintegrating from the fabric of the world.

As though it wanted to pull him apart and render him something other than himself. It wasn’t quite the same as giving himself over to the new man inside him, but David was a much more similar sensation of being than himself in comparison to the weakness of mind he was long used to. The weakness of rock carved that restricted his every movement. The weakness of restraint and lack of will to power— to break out of the chains that bound him in his current palace of weakness.

But by the time he came fully into himself and the state of mind necessary to contemplate the power necessary to reforge himself outside of the bounds that always held him down, he once again desperately needed to pee, which he supposed was his body’s way of ridding the waste produced by wearing down the things he wanted and needed to.

The brunette maid ambushed him out of the bathroom.

“Good morning master!”

Henry jolted awake, though it was long past noon at this point he was sure.

“You missed breakfast but we made lunch for you!”

“You’re quite enthusiastic.” Henry mused.

“So what do I have to eat?”

She didn’t waste breath in response, merely gesturing him to follow and showing him to the opulent spread of about fifteen different kinds of sandwich, including american cheese toast at the center on an ornate gold platter thicker than five ordinary dinner plates stacked together.

“Interesting combination of food there,” Henry said, hand passing over the lobster rolls to grab three American cheeses.

Anisa’s cheek twitched, but she said nothing.

“So, I don’t think you mentioned yesterday. What happened to… the other girl?”

“She’s gone.”

“Yeah, but gone where? Humor me, I’m curious.”

There was a short pause as Henry’s teeth crunched through the first crust-peeled grilled cheese.

“Home, I guess… or whatever is left of it.”

“Hm?” Henry’s mouth was full.

“We didn’t talk that much, but Sarah’s hometown was destroyed in one of the battles from after the Great Scourge.”

“She really didn’t—” Anisa trailed off before getting herself into trouble.

“Wait, she was expelled?”

“Most of us don’t have the best academic performance, we were only admitted because of you.”

“Wow, that’s crazy. Why couldn’t she just stay in the city here?”

Anisa gave Henry a look like he had just made an insane suggestion.

“Only high-level cultivators are allowed to live behind these walls. We’re lucky to be here.”

Henry considered how many warm bodies there had been on every path he had taken in this place.

“They can’t all be high-level.”

She didn’t say anything in response. It was very clear she didn’t want to speak to him any longer than necessary to avoid slipping up and jeopardizing her position. It was also clear she disagreed with him strongly. Henry didn’t necessarily want to press her any further, but did have one last question.

“Why can’t she just go somewhere safe?”

“Where?” Anisa clearly wanted to say more, but didn’t.

“I don’t know, some verdant green field out in the middle of nowhere; some unoccupied place where violence is a thing of the past.”

“Does a place like that exist?” Anisa was pretty sure it didn’t.

“I don’t know, I’m asking you.” Henry replied in a flat tone.

“I don’t think so,” she first started, then quickly added “but I could be wrong.”

“I see. That’s too bad. If only something like that existed it would be nice.”

Anisa stared off in the distance, fondly imagining a world without war.

But it wasn’t this one.

There was no unoccupied continent. All the lands had flags hanging high above them. All places of value that were capable of sustaining life had been drawn on a map with borders for untold centuries, perhaps eons. It was almost beyond imagination to think about a world of total peace, and impossible all the same. And since the Great Scourge had let even more power into the world to upend all its borders, all the violence solidified as thin and only semi-solid lines on a map finally began to move once more under the liquid propulsion of those who would spill blood in the border’s advance. But there was no third place for her to go. There was the academy, and there was hell outside it. There were the walls and protection of a place that could expel her at any time, and the imminent possibility of death at the hands of those stronger than her.

At least here it was known who would decide her fate.