~~~Lee~~~

He had two skills to choose from. One that held all kinds of potential

Elemental Mana (Epic)

Hold the elements of creation in the palm of your hand.

Allows the runic to partition their mana pool to more easily hold and use any elemental mana they can collect. Branch out from pure mana and delve into the world of elemental runes.

Skill Level Effects (Novice):

+1% Effective Mind Attributes

+0.1 Available Partitions

And one that hinted at something... more.

Language of the Rune (Unique)

Know the runes. Know yourself.

You are a newcomer to this ancient language, and despite your rudimentary understanding, you have accomplished great things.

Your dedication has earned you this unique opportunity to deepen your understanding.

Skill Level Effects (N/A)

Understanding comes to those who seek it.

Partitioning his mana would let him do... he wasn't even sure what, but he knew it would be good. Using elemental mana to create runes... That would open up a whole new avenue of rune combinations.

Then there was the language of the rune. What did that even mean? It was unique and looked like it didn't even give level bonuses. Or didn't level. He wasn't sure. It didn't really tell him what he would get for taking it, but it hinted at... something?

If he'd done everything so far without full knowledge... Except he already knew the rune language. It was how he crafted and combined runes. What was he missing that it would offer something like this? What understanding?

The question made him anxious, and he wanted to move. To go downstairs for his breakfast. But the kids were out there, and he knew his soul would not only distract them; he was pretty sure it was as unpleasant for them as it was for him. He didn't want to impose that aching feeling in his chest on anyone else.

So he only watched with Mana Mind as Alejandro collected a burrito from Jamaal's and headed back upstairs. It was a breakfast burrito and was even more delicious today... somehow. Maybe Jamaal had leveled up or evolved his class. Or it was because he'd almost died. Again. Lee hoped it was the former. Anything that helped his allies was a good thing.

He asked Alejandro's opinion when the man returned, but he was no help with his useless, "I trust your judgment."

There was an obviously good choice, but he couldn't stop looking at the other one. It might be the key to understanding how he'd created Three... or how to improve the rune seal on his soul...

That seemed more pressing than getting elemental mana, which he could sort of use Mana Mind for now... if with much more difficulty. Plus, he could always grab that skill at the next rank up.

New Class Skill: Language of the Rune (Unique)

Nothing happened. Not that he could tell. No new knowledge. No new understanding. Damn it. Despite that, he still felt good about the choice. Then he had to stop stalling and find out if his wounded soul would fuck up his runes.

Lee started by creating a plate. There was no issue with it, but then he hadn't expected that skill to suffer. Next, he created his weakest rune. A light.

Only this time, he created it without touching the plate, instead keeping his hand hovering above it while the rune appeared. Then he tried it from across the room.

Both attempts worked without issue. So that was good. Though it felt like he was using Mana Mind to transfer the mana to its destination... Was that how he'd done it inside their soul?

Then he tried what he really wanted to test. Turning the light into something else. Namely, a strengthening rune.

It worked! Even though he had to add some mana and soul, it honestly didn't feel any different from the creation process. He'd need to test it with stronger runes... because his hope for the skill was that it would let him improve the soul wound. A wound that was really hurting...

+1 Twin-Soul

Okay... that was odd. It went up? Had that happened before and they never saw it since the system was supposedly analyzing their soul?

+1 Twin-Soul

That seemed too fast. Also... it really hurt!

-1 Twin-Soul

What the hell is going on? Lee clutched at his chest and saw Alejandro flinching as well. "Did you lose any soul points just now?"

"Just a fraction... but this is off schedule." He looked worried, but he must have seen Lee's confusion. "Maria saw your debuff, and so far it has stuck to the forty-eight hour mark for each subsequent tick."

Lee checked it again.

Debuffs: [Deadly Soul Wound(Rune Seal)(Shielded)] -1 Twin-Soul Attribute per 4 days

That was new. "It's actually supposed to be every four days now... Stanley must be doing something! But where did he get a shield?"

"You lost me. Shields? Should I get Maria or Saira!?"

"No," Lee said quickly, trying to calm the suddenly alarmed man. "It's a good thing... I think. Stanley must have found a way to slow down the leak. At least, I'm assuming it's him."

"You're right," Alejandro said. "Mine changed too." He wasn't the only one who noticed the discrepancy. Trak took off sprinting upstairs a moment after Lee lost a soul point, and he was carrying a very mana-dense bottle in his hand.

Lee realized that he not only knew for certain it was Trak coming his way, but he could also pick up the anubi's emotional state even from the other side of the building. Worried. The worry abated slightly when Trak met up with Miller, who was standing guard in front of Lee's apartment door.

Ignoring the pointlessness of sticking a guard on him while he was inside Three, not to mention while Alejandro was in here, Lee was curious about Trak's potion. So he told Three to open the door.

He felt the reaction from both of them the moment the door opened. Three was definitely blocking his soul from bombarding others; Alejandro had already confirmed it, but it didn't work without a wall or door in between.

Trak winced but didn't hesitate to rush inside, squeezing past Miller before the other man could even turn around. "My lord! My lord!"

The anubi nearly fell over as he alternated between aborted attempts to bow while also sprinting closer. Then he reached Lee's side and dropped into a not-quite bow... skirting the very edge of the no bowing rule.

"Thank you, Trak. You can bow if you really want to, but I would prefer you to hold your head high..."

"My lord!" Trak bowed all the way to the floor and then sprang upright, beaming with... pride.

"Please tell me the oath didn't force you to accept the soul link?"

"I was not forced, my lord! It was my highest honor to assist you!" He wasn't lying, either. The little guy's soul was literally bubbling with prideful glee. As if this were the most wonderful thing he'd ever done...

"Then thank you, Trak. You helped save my life. Again. Anything you want, just ask. Also, what is your soul attribute?"

"Six, my lord!" He wasn't calming down. If anything, he was getting more excited...

"So... what's the potion?"

"My greatest creation, my lord! Crafted using the skill evolved with the soul attribute your benevolence has unlocked!" More and more excited. "It... It is a soul bolstering elixir, my lord."

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"That's great!"

Trak's growing excitement finally peaked and started tapering off. "Though I do not know if it will be strong enough for your magnificence... my lord."

Lee waited, but Trak made no move to hand over the potion. "We have some time, Trak. It's fine if it's not ready. I only just found out that my soul is... abnormal."

"Magnificent!" Trak barked in direct opposition to Lee's self-deprecating tone. "You are a bulwark that we lesser beings cannot compare to, my lord! A mighty soul that towers above this world and all its peoples!"

It might take some time to get used to the fact that everyone knew what he was feeling... but Lee still chuckled at the anubi's exuberance. "Thanks, Trak. I enjoy praise as much as the next guy; just don't get carried away or I might start to believe it."

He gestured to the potion. "Want me to try it? No side effects to worry about, right?"

Lee trusted the anubi. Now more than ever, since he could feel their literal souls... but it wasn't only his life on the line here.

Trak nodded solemnly. "It is safe, my lord. We have tested it on ourselves as well as several humans. Your brother was one of the volunteers."

"It gave me a buff," Alejandro said. "Didn't affect the soul drain, though. We figured it might work better if you used it."

"Damn." Lee shook his head. "I was just thinking if we could give it to the kids to protect them..."

"We are working on another version for that, my lord! It is... still in early trials." He held the potion in his hand up toward Lee, his enthusiasm waning.

Lee finally took the potion. It was heavy, with very thick, solid glass around a smaller liquid area within. The entire thing fit in the palm of his hand. It was probably the potion glass they'd talked about before. "Just chug it all?"

Trak nodded while Lee pulled the wooden stopper from the top. He took a sniff, and it smelled... earthy. Before the smell could get to him, Lee dumped the entire bottle down his throat.

Buff Gained: [Soul Elixir](7:59:59)

"Oh! Wow!" Lee gagged slightly. "Any chance you can make the kid's version taste better?" He didn't like the idea of having to force it down their throats... but he would do it if he had to. Maybe he could bribe them with runes to play with?

"These are prototypes, my lord. Once the recipe is ready, we can improve other aspects like flavor... Um, did it work, my lord?"

Oh, right. Lee checked the buff.

[Soul Elixir]

An elixir crafted by Trak Druller to enhance and bolster the soul of whoever imbibes it.

Effects:

-1% All Soul Damage Taken

"Well, it works," Lee said, then continued before Trak's rising excitement could get out of hand, "It reduces soul damage by one percent."

Trak deflated and groveled on the floor. Lee shouldn't have let him bow again... "I have failed you, my lord!"

"I'm going to take away your bowing privileges if you don't stand up right now. Besides, I don't think you failed..." Trak didn't quite stand, but he picked his face up off the floor. "Do you know how high my soul attribute is?"

"No... my lord."

"Ninety-three... or no, it's ninety-four now." Stanley had bumped it up. That was probably Stanley.

Trak didn't move for a long time. He just sat staring up at Lee while his soul bounced through a variety of emotions. Finally, he drew in a breath and inclined his head. "I underestimated your magnificence, my lord. This will be a challenge... but I relish the opportunity to prove myself!"

Lee was glad he hadn't mentioned that his soul used to be over two hundred points when Trak sprinted from the apartment. Before Lee could hand over the empty potion bottle... "Maybe you could check in on him and make sure he's not overworking himself?" Lee could spy on Trak much easier, but he had his own issues with zoning out.

"We're all keeping an eye on him. Maria has been very attentive since they started working on the child version."

"I'm sorry..."

"This isn't your fault, Lee. It was that monster."

"But it wasn't. We did this! We could have just... died?" Could he have actually done that? Would he have? If he knew living would drag down Gabriel or Anita, would he choose to die in their place? The question was an easy yes right now... but what about at the moment of truth?

"You said yourself that dying would destroy Three and all your runes, right? How would that help any of us?"

"You'd be alive." There was a lump in his throat. "If Anita or Gabriel..."

"It won't come to that! We will find a solution. It isn't over until it's over, brother." He squeezed Lee's shoulder. "So let's get to work. I've got a standing order out for any soul related skills to pass through me. Plus, Trak isn't the only one to get a class or skill evolution from unlocking their soul attributes. We got this. Okay?"

Lee nodded. He didn't share the other man's optimism, but Alejandro was right about having time. Assuming nothing got worse—for him or Stanley.

Since he wasn't experimenting with bombs now, and given how disruptive his soul was, Lee stayed in his apartment. He created plates and put runes on them rather than using his soul storage. It still worked, but as it involved his soul, it was better to be safe than sorry. Of course, his runes also involved his soul... but that was all he had to work with. A rune was literally the only thing keeping him alive.

In between those efforts, Lee studied the two runes interlocked within his soul. He looked for any way they might be improved. A hole that he might have missed when creating it. Anything.

Later on, after Martin's class ended, Lee sent Miller to check with the parents currently on childcare duty. With their approval, he turned his excess plates into flying discs for the kids to ride on. He even created some new versions that they could use to glide higher above the ground, at least while they were inside Three's courtyard.

Those kids had risked their lives to help, and most didn't even know him. It was likely they didn't even understand what they'd done or the risks involved. The least he could do was let them have some fun with his magic. So he made enough that every single child had their own plate.

It would have been irresponsibly reckless of him, but F-grade children were far more durable than before. With E-grades watching over them, it should be fine... Especially when one of them was Maria.

The racket they created was something else, though. So much screaming... Lee only smiled and created another plate, this one with a silencing rune that sheltered him from the noise. He actually made a few extra of those, too, then sent Miller to let people know, particularly the crafters in the garage.

A few people claimed those plates, but more people came by just to say hello. Everyone knew he was awake by now, and even Wilson stopped in at one point.

The Vice Commander visibly flinched when the door opened and he got a dose of Lee's new soul wound... "Commander, I heard something happened..."

"Yeah, my soul got fucked up."

"I see... um..."

"It's a lot, isn't it?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that..."

"Maybe we can have your meetings through a window? Or did we ever get radios?"

"I understand that project is something still in the works. Our resident enchanter wasted far too much time on translation items."

Lee thought about it for a second, then summoned two palm-sized plates. He dropped a rune onto one of them... and then changed it... by splitting it into two identical halves of the same rune, one on each plate.

Both plates immediately started screaming.

"Okay," Lee said to the wincing Wilson after he'd pulled the runes off. "I'll keep working on that, but I think I can create something like a radio. Or a walkie talkie. I can... have someone deliver it when it's done."

"I... look forward to it. That will be useful, Commander."

"Lee!" Saira exclaimed, bursting through the door while Wilson was on his way out. "Oh, hello, Mr Chambers."

Her tone was pleasant enough, but her soul wasn't exactly pleased to see the man. Lee waited until Wilson excused himself, the man's non linked soul providing far less feedback but enough to know something was going on between them. "What happened with Wilson? Or... nevermind if it's personal."

"It's no big deal," Saira said. "He made a pass at me a while back, and I turned him down. He'll get over it." Her soul brightened along with her expression. "Forget that! How are you? I'm sorry for not getting up here sooner, but Trak's been relentless..."

Lee chuckled. He'd noticed the anubi making multiple trips back and forth from her garden to the garage. "It's fine, Saira. There's nothing to apologize for. You helped save my life... I saw you trying to heal me. You accepted the soul link when..."

She was abruptly in front of Lee, wrapping her arms around him as his vision blurred. "It's okay."

"I'm sorry," Lee said. "I've been too emotional lately..."

"Hush now! We all felt what happened to you, but only secondhand. I can't imagine what you endured."

Lee was deeply gratified to see that he hadn't linked his soul to her unborn baby, but he had a horrible realization on the heels of that thought. "Your baby! Did she feel the..."

"Heavens no!" Saira exclaimed, her voice laughing but tinged with imagined horror. "My soul sheltered her. It still does. In fact, helping you has made me more powerful. I should thank you! My daughter's future will be safer, thanks to you."

"Seriously?" Only he knew she was sincere. He also realized that he couldn't sense her baby's soul. He could see the baby; it was actually squirming around, but the web of her enclosing blood vines must be shielding the child. That was good. Very good!

"I'm really glad to hear... that..."

Lee didn't realize how bad he was feeling until Saira squeezed him tighter, then he broke down in her arms. "I'm so scared, Saira! I don't... I don't want to hurt anyone else!"

"I know, Lee. You're not wrong to be afraid. I am frightened every day for Mar, for my baby, even for myself." Saira held him close as she talked and as he cried into her shoulder.

She rubbed his back while he sniffled. She held him tighter when the extra violent sobs sent spasms through his body, and she didn't let go until he finally pulled away.

Lee felt... better. Embarrassed, but better. "Thanks... for the hug."

It helped that he could feel her soul and knew her smile was genuine when she said, "Anytime. We're going to make reality conform to our dreams. And we will never stop fighting. Isn't that right?"

Lee had to smile at having his words thrown back at him. "Where did you hear... never mind, you're right. I will never stop fighting!"

"Agreed. Now I should get back to the garden and my apprentice before Trak starts messing with it. You are always welcome beneath my tree, Lee. If you want to talk or just spend some time in nature. Anytime."

"Thanks. If you ever want to get away from... nature?"

Saira laughed merrily as she practically danced out the door. "Don't be a stranger!"

She was still running around barefoot and barely dressed, and after being on the receiving end of that brilliant smile, Lee couldn't blame Wilson one bit for taking a shot. He'd found some really great people here, or they'd found him. Now he just had to make sure they didn't suffer for helping him.