Kaden ran through the open office space, passing row upon row of cubicles. He gasped for air as he turned a corner and sprinted for the exit. Before he crashed through the stairwell door, he risked a glance behind him. He didn’t see his pursuer. But he did feel it. There was something just around the corner and it was gaining on him.
He ran up the stairs. Out of breath, he pulled on the door to the next floor up. Stumbling out, he jogged through more rows of empty cubicles.
A loud crash rang out behind him, but he didn’t look back. He bolted through the cubicles, desperately looking for another exit or a place to hide.
Up ahead, he spotted a blue door in the sea of gray cubicles. Desperate, he rushed to it, pulling hard on the lever. It was locked. He banged on the door.
“Open up!” he yelled in frustration. He kept banging on the door. Something was fast approaching from behind, plowing through cubicles and shaking the floor. He was out of time. He kept banging on the door, to no avail.
Kaden woke up. He shook his head. That was a dream? Felt so real, he thought.
The banging continued. Someone was knocking on the door to his meditation chamber. There was also a steady alarm beeping somewhere, insistently annoying.
Groggily, Kaden sat up. He had slumped against the side of the chamber, completely passed out in an awkward position. He could barely straighten his neck. Rubbing sleep out of his eyes, he tried to peer through the glass to see who was knocking.
The door popped open and Kaden stumbled out. A pair of hands got under elbows and pulled him to his feet.
“Hey man, you okay?”
It was Han Mifan, the intern he had run into here last week.
“Uh, thanks, yeah, I’m okay,” Kaden managed to say.
“Did you fall asleep in there?”
Kaden’s thoughts were coming extra slowly. “Uh, I guess so. What time is it?”
“It’s 7am. How long were you in there?”
Kaden didn’t remember exactly when he had arrived last night to put in his extra hours of meditation practice. He remembered cramming for the ward exam with Bill and Jill, and then going to late night gunsword class with Adrian, which had been a good session for Kaden. While he was clearly the least experienced of the group, he had already picked up a handful of new techniques and drills to practice.
“Not sure,” he replied. “Um, thanks. For waking me up.”
“No problem. We interns gotta look out for each other, right?” Han tried to laugh, but he looked worried. “You don’t look so good, man. You know that overexposure can lead to mana poisoning, right? Remember the intro training?”
In truth, Kaden did not know that and did not remember the training. But he didn’t want to admit that in front of Han.
“Yeah, of course. I’ll be alright. What are you up to this morning?” Kaden wanted to change the topic.
“Oh you know, the usual. Since I got my primary alignment up to level two, I’ve been working on getting my secondary aura alignment up to level one. Almost there. How about you?”
Kaden wasn’t sure. He paused for a moment to pull up his stats on his mobile. It was the start of the new week, so all his KPIs should be refreshed.
* Name: Kaden Chen
* Job Title: Intern
* Grade: 1 / 15
* Role: Mailroom Clerk
* Aura Affinity: Amber IV (up from Amber I)
* Ward Rating: E
* Individual Rank Percentile: 33% (up from 47%)
* Team Rank Percentile: 10% (up from 33%)
* Key Objective Completion: 13% (up from 1%)
It was good to see the individual and team ranks continue to rise. It meant he and his team were doing relatively better than the other interns. Even so, it was a little depressing to see the Key Objective rise to only 13%. That left a long way to go. And it implied the other teams were not doing as much as Kaden’s team to complete the objective.
Han just stood there, waiting. Kaden realized he was waiting for a response.
“Oh right. Uh, it looks like I’m up to Amber IV for my aura affinity.”
Han was shocked. “Whoa dude, that can’t be right. Especially for such a short time. This is only the third week of the internship. Are you sure you’re all the way up to level four?”
Kaden didn’t know what to say. He was still really sleepy, and his head was starting to hurt. Like dueling icepicks on each temple.
Han laughed in the awkward silence. “Ha! You got me. You had me going there for a minute. It’s okay, I get it. You don’t have to share your stats with me. Gotta play it close to the vest, right? I can respect that.”
Kaden just nodded.
Han patted Kaden on the shoulder. “Anyway, have a good day, man. I’ll see you around. Also - a few of us interns are getting together later this week – I’ll send you a message with the details later, if you’re interested.”
“Ok thanks, Han.”
As Han turned to go, Kaden rubbed his head and massaged his temples. He was starting to feel nauseous. This headache was no joke.
He checked the time. It was either get coffee and be late, or be late without coffee. He sighed. And then winced as the deep breath triggered a wave of pain up his neck into the base of his skull.
He decided he didn’t want to be later than he already was. So he rushed downstairs to the mailroom, stopping only at the restroom on the first floor. Glancing in the mirror, he paused to straighten his hair and noticed his eyes were completely bloodshot.
A lot had happened in the last twenty-four hours, and he was struggling to keep his thoughts in order. The conversation with David was rumbling around in his mind, threatening to break the surface. He didn’t want to address it, not yet; he also didn’t know how he’d react if he saw Julia this morning.
Steeling himself, he pushed the pain in his body to the back of his mind and willed himself to make the most of today.
One step at a time.
When he arrived at the Mailroom, Peter was already there, getting the morning’s mail sorted and packages ready for delivery. He glanced up at Kaden and clucked his tongue, shaking his head.
“No coffee? That’s no way to start off the week right,” Peter joked. Kaden didn’t respond right away, as he came up to the sorting table and started in on sorting some of the mail. Peter looked at Kaden more closely.
“Dude, how late were you out last night? You look like absolute shit.”
“Uh, yeah, thanks, man,” Kaden mumbled. He yawned, and then winced at the twin picks plunging deep into his temples. The headache kept getting worse and worse.
“Seriously. What kinda rave where you at last night?”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Kaden frowned. “No parties, man. All I do is work. Didn’t even get to go home this weekend.”
Peter raised an eyebrow. “That’s not healthy. Did you get any sleep last night?”
“A little. I accidentally fell asleep in a meditation chamber.”
“Good morning,” Julia called as she walked in, heading towards her office.
“Hey boss,” Peter called. “Do you have a minute? I think you should take a look at Kaden here.”
Julia paused, turning toward them. “What’s going on?”
Kaden looked darkly at Peter before responding. “Nothing’s going on, I just didn’t have a lot of rest this weekend.”
“He fell asleep in a meditation chamber,” Peter said somberly.
Julia strode toward Kaden, looking at this face. “Can I take your pulse?”
“Really, I’m fine,” Kaden said, but held out his arm.
She took his pulse, checking the time on her wristwatch. “120 beats per minute. That’s high for resting heart rate. Bloodshot eyes. Do you feel feverish?”
Kaden shrugged.
“Looks like a butterfly rash appearing on his face,” Peter said.
Julia peered up at Kaden’s face as he tried to turn away.
“Wow, would you look at that,” she said. “Textbook case of mana poisoning.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Kaden started to say.
“Not without medical treatment,” Julia said. “You can give me the story on the way.
“Peter – I’m going to take Kaden down to the medical wing. Can you let my eight o’clock know I’ll be late?”
“Sure thing, boss,” Peter replied. “Hope you feel better soon, Kaden.”
Julia took Kaden by the arm and led him out the door.
“Are you sure this is necessary,” Kaden grumbled.
“Yes, absolutely. Fortunately for you, we’re catching it relatively early. Left unchecked, mana poisoning could lead to a permanent autoimmune disorder. It’s unlikely but still within the realm of possibility.”
“Wait, what? Are you serious?”
“Deadly. This is no joke. What happened?”
Kaden sighed. He had hoped to avoid the embarrassment, but there was no other way around it.
“I fell asleep in a meditation chamber last night.”
“How long?”
“Best guess, around 5 hours max.”
Julia frowned. “Let’s talk more after you see the doctor.”
They made their way down to sublevel one. Instead of queuing at the reception with the rest of the patients, Julia badged her way through the front desk and led Kaden through a labyrinth of hallways until she came to a nondescript door leading to a typical exam room.
“Wait here,” she said. “I’ll have a doctor come see you in a moment.
“And when you’re done here, come see me before heading home. We need to talk.”
She closed the door, leaving Kaden alone in the exam room.
It looked exactly like most other exam rooms he had been in before. Patient chair, doctor workstation, sharps disposal, etc. He did notice some additional equipment attached to the wall that looked like some sort of imaging equipment. The power source appeared to be mana capacitors, so he figured it must have something to do with the special nature of mana use within the Tower.
Kaden did not wait long. A nurse in blue came in to measure his vitals and collect a vial of blood.
A few minutes later, the door opened to reveal a female doctor in a white coat with a stethoscope around her neck. She appeared to be in her fifties with black hair streaked with gray and tan skin. She had a pleasant smile on her face but carried herself with a measure of authority that Kaden had come to expect from Company leadership.
“Hi. I’m Dr. Ahmed. You’re Kaden? An intern?”
“That’s right.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Well, I’ve been better,” Kaden tried to smile. “Headache, nausea, fatigue.”
“OK. We’ll get you fixed up. How long have you been with the Company?”
“This is the start of my third week.”
“Huh. So how does an intern with two weeks at the Company present with symptoms of mana poisoning… let me check a few things and do some tests.”
Dr. Ahmed checked Kaden’s eyes and ears, listened to his heart and lungs, and checked his reflexes. It was starting to seem like a typical annual physical until she pulled the wand-type instrument that Kaden had been studying earlier and scanned his body with it.
A diagnostic image came up on the screen at the workstation. Orangish/amber highlights permeated the screen, spiking particularly high around his joints, his head, and his upper chest.
“Huh. Interesting,” the doctor said, lost in thought as she pulled up Kaden’s file on her mobile.
“It says here that your aura affinity is Amber Level IV? Is that right?”
Kaden shrugged. “That’s what my stat sheet shows.”
“And no exposure to intensive mana meditation before joining the Company, right?”
“That’s correct.
“So Doc, what’s going on? Can you explain?”
“OK,” the doctor said, sighing and sitting down. “Here’s the thing. You’re approaching third degree mana poisoning. It’s a good thing Julia brought you in when she did.
“You should be fine, with treatment. But you’ll need to be very careful about your exposure going forward.
“Normally, it takes a lot higher exposure to reach the level of mana poisoning you’re experiencing. I’ve looked at the logs in your file for meditation sessions and based on what you’ve told me, you just haven’t had a whole lot of time in the mana-rich environment of the meditation chambers.
“Which means that you’re very sensitive to mana absorption. Particularly anything close to amber-type aura.”
Kaden was relieved to hear that he could return to normal with treatment, but he wasn’t sure what to make of the rest of what the doctor said. “What do you mean when you say I’m sensitive to mana?”
“It means that you absorb it faster and more quickly than most. Which is both a blessing and a curse. You’ll attain the benefits more quickly and deeply, but you’ll be at risk of overexposure, which can lead to sickness and even death.”
“Okay… so what do I do now? I’ve got a lot of stuff to do this week.”
“You need to rest for at least a week. No mana meditation for at least two weeks. I have a couple prescriptions you’ll need to take – one for some of the symptoms you’re experiencing, it might make you sleepy, and another specifically to counteract any further poisoning of your body.”
“Thanks, Doctor Ahmed, but I really need to get back to work this week. What would happen if I keep going with my regular activities?”
She sighed, leaning back in her chair and looking at Kaden appraisingly.
“Kaden. I want to make sure we’re on the same page here. Humans are not meant to be exposed to high density mana for long periods of time. Potential consequences include autoimmune disorders, cancer, and a host of other potentially deadly health problems.”
“I understand, but what about the benefits? I mean, I’ve already noticed my body heals really fast now. Won’t the regenerative benefits help protect me from some of the bad effects?”
“Yes and no. As mana integrates into your body’s cells and systems, your body will both benefit from that integration and be damaged by it. And changed.
“But also your body will become addicted to it. People with long-term, overexposure to mana require a minimum amount of mana to keep their body functioning normally. And without it, withdrawal can be extremely painful and even life-threatening.
“We don’t want you to get that point. And you’re not yet. But if you push the envelope and overexpose yourself, particularly when you seem to be so sensitive to its effects, the mana in this Tower will harm you and potentially kill you.
“Am I clear? Are we on the same page, Kaden?”
He cleared his throat. “Yes, Doctor. Same page.”
“Alright then,” she said standing up. “A nurse will be with you shortly to go over your medications and check you out. Please remember our little talk. I do hope you get better soon. And give Julia my best.” She smiled as she exited the room.
Kaden leaned back on the chair, letting out a deep breath. He closed his eyes, dizziness overwhelming his vision.
Monday’s really suck, he thought, before drifting away.