Ray had devised a plan to ask everyone to contribute their energy to the stone. He watched as the doctor who had treated him poured an immense amount of magical energy into the stone. However, even with all that energy being absorbed, the stone remained invisible in Ray's hands, almost like a super-dried sponge soaking up everything in its path.

As the doctor continued to pour his energy into the stone, Ray couldn't help but notice the look of confusion that crossed his face. The doctor's hand, which was glowing with a brilliant white light, slowly began to dim as he poured more and more energy into Ray's hand.

Puzzled, the doctor wondered,

[What is happening? Is Ray absorbing all of the energy? That shouldn't be possible. He doesn't have any ethereal circuits. I'm actually confused as to what is happening.]

Despite his exhaustion from pouring so much energy into the stone, the doctor was astonished and curious about what had just occurred. He gasped for air between heavy breaths before finally asking Ray,

"You're like an endless well. Just what happened? What did you do?"

The doctor's expression was one of intense curiosity, his mind racing with the possibilities of what he had just witnessed. If he could understand how Ray was able to do this, it could potentially help him with some of his own treatments.

Ray, however, was cautious about revealing too much information. He knew that too many details could come back to harm him later on. Still, he believed that the doctor could keep a secret since he was keeping his, so he decided to tell a mix of truth and lies. He held the stone in his hand, turning it over and over as he spoke.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure," Ray began, "but I came across this stone that has the ability to absorb a vast amount of magical energy. I don't know the full extent of its power, but it seems to be a lot. I acquired it from a dark rift walker who dropped it. The stone is invisible and doesn't seem to do anything else aside from absorbing energy."

The doctor's eyes widened in surprise when he heard the words "dark rift walker." He was all too familiar with what that meant, having studied beyond the rift himself. He instinctively took a step back as Ray approached him with the stone, unsure of what to expect.

"It doesn't do anything harmful," Ray reassured the doctor. "Just please keep it a secret between us, sir. My family hates anything related to these things."

With that, Ray placed the invisible stone in the doctor's hand. The doctor was astonished at the weight he felt on his hand, despite not being able to see the object.

"Fascinating," he murmured.

"This is like those artifacts I've seen on wanderers."

As the doctor was examining the invisible stone, he suddenly felt a sharp pain, as if he had been bitten. He let out a cry of pain and fell to the floor, dropping the stone in fear.

Ray rushed to the doctor's side, concerned. "What happened, doctor?" he asked.

The doctor was pale and trembling, clearly shaken. "I'm not sure," he said shakily. "As soon as I touched the stone, I felt a sudden surge of energy, but then I felt like my own energy was being absorbed. It was like a danger signal went off in my head, and I had to let go."

Ray picked up the stone, examining it closely. "That's strange," he muttered. "I've never experienced it doing that before."

The doctor nodded weakly, still shaken from the experience. "Whatever it is," he said, "I don't want you to hold that stone for much longer."

The doctor shouted.

“Ray. Drop it NOW” he said irrationally with fear in his eyes.

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Ray was confused seeing him like that. He asked

"What happened? You were fine just a while ago. Why are you acting like this, doctor?" he asked.

"Ray, don't you feel weak and in pain holding it?" the doctor asked, confusion etched on his face. He stood up and checked on Ray, searching for any signs of distress.

Ray looked down at his hand, still holding the invisible stone. "No, I feel fine. Actually, I feel even better when I hold the stone," he said, somewhat surprised by his own realization. he never paid much attention but now after focusing he could feel somewhat of a difference.

As the doctor continued to observe Ray with his mana-infused eyes, he saw a strange synergy between the two. He was shocked by this interesting discovery.

"That's incredible," he murmured.

"There seems to be a strange compatibility between you and this stone. It's almost as if you were made for each other."

Ray was intrigued by the doctor's words. "What do you mean?" he asked, trying to understand what the doctor was getting at.

"Well, from what I can see, your energy and the energy of the stone seem to be in perfect sync,"

the doctor explained.

"It's as if the stone is somehow augmenting your own energy, making you stronger and more focused."

Ray looked down at the invisible stone in his hand, feeling a sense of wonder and curiosity. It was clear that there was much more to this stone than he had initially realized.

“This is very interesting. I have never seen an artifact like this. There have been many strange and mysterious things discovered by people all across the kingdom when the rifts opened centuries ago,” said the doctor with a look of intrigue.

Ray was immediately captivated by the idea of artifacts and the discovery of new and unknown things that might be useful.

“Rifts opened? Are you referring to the dark rift walkers? And what about these relics you mentioned?” Ray asked with a disguised sense of curiosity.

“Wait, you mean to tell me that you have never studied about the rifts and the relics? Are you not enrolled in school?” asked the doctor, surprised. He knew that Ray was twelve years old and expected that he would have learned about them by now.

Ray understood what the doctor was thinking. It wasn't that he couldn't get into schools, but the restrictions placed on high human society had prevented him from attending any school. Finally, after the council meeting, he and his family were allowed to go to any school they wished.

However, Rumira was the only exception, as it did not discriminate based on race and allowed anyone to enroll. Even before the restrictions were lifted, nobody could challenge the school's authority on their admission policies due to a royal decree issued by the king of the Unix kingdom. Through his extensive reading, Ray had discovered these details.

[Maybe I should play the pity game. Might score me something out of it.]

"Because of the restrictions on our people, we couldn't attend just any school. My only option was Rumira, and I tried twice to get in. But because I lacked the aptitude for magic, I didn't pass the test. Still, I'm planning on applying for the combat arts this time, in the Knight Order division," Ray said with a sad smile, tilting his head slightly.

The doctor was visibly shaken by the information. He had no idea that high humans in Aquanus City faced such dire circumstances. He felt guilty for asking such an insensitive question to a child. He reached into a metal box and put on thick gloves, then searched his bag for something. He pulled out a branch from a tree that was pure white in color and wrapped in cloth. It seemed to emit a majestic glow, with every fiber glowing with energy.

"Cheer up, Ray. Take this," the doctor said, handing him the branch.

The doctor tossed the tree branch towards him. Ray caught it, studying the intricate patterns etched into the bark.

“This is something I acquired from a wanderer for saving his life,"

the doctor explained.

"He gave it to me as a gift. It’s a mystical thing. I'm still not entirely sure what it can do, but it has the same properties as that invisible thing you have. It's not on the same level, but its effects are noticeable. It slowly absorbs all kinds of energy. It doesn't do anything else, though. Honestly, I can't handle it. It gives me terrible headaches."

“Take it," the doctor said, extending his hand. "It might be useful. Only you can interact with something like this. I've observed that you can handle it with ease, despite my struggles with it." Patting Ray's head, he smiled. The doctor had a heart-to-heart moment with him.

“You don’t need to prove anything, Ray. You’re different from others. You’re special in that regard. You can do well for yourself and others by pursuing a career in something other than magic or combat. There are so many opportunities in different fields. It will be hard, but it won't be as dangerous."

“I know," Ray said with a warm smile. "But I've made up my mind. Thank you for this gift, though, Doctor." The doctor smiled back, wishing him luck for the future.

“Don't get hurt too badly again, Ray," the doctor cautioned.

"You're not invincible, even if you can heal. Now, I'll go check on your sister.” With that, the doctor left the ward, met with Ivan, and was escorted to Lilly's room.

Meanwhile, Ray was grabbing the white glowing tree branch in one hand and the invisible stone in another, putting them both in his pockets before heading to his scheduled classes after his treatment.

Later that night, after dinner, he sat on his bed and took out both of his possessions. The stone and the tree branch. He rubbed the invisible stone to get a reaction from it. It started changing colors, morphing into a swirling mixture of green and black. Ray was captivated by the stone's transformation, watching it intently as he wondered about the true extent of its powers.

Next, he took out the tree branch, studying the intricacies of its design. As he did so, he could feel a strange energy emanating from it, a power that he had never experienced before. Ray couldn't help but wonder what kind of potential the branch held, what it could do to aid him.

Ray looked at the stone in his hand and spoke to it,

"Can you hear me? oye"

The stone shone brightly in response, and he felt a sharp pain in his head, followed by a series of voices that gradually became clearer.

"Yes, I can hear you, Aiden," the voice reverberated in his head.

Ray was taken aback.

"How do you know my original name? Are you the one that transported my consciousness here?" His voice was demanding, and he was infuriated at the stone that might be the cause of his problems.

"I know a lot of things," replied the voice in his head. "My name is Orion, and don't worry, I'll answer all your questions. You must be confused by all of this. But still, you've managed to survive this long, which is an achievement. I'll start explaining."

Orion's voice was stern. Ray listened intently, trying to make sense of all that was happening. He was suspicious that he could communicate with a stone and that it seemed to know much about him.