“Be warned. Unpracticed muscle augmentations can cause crippling injuries. It is highly recommended you reach a minimum level of proficiency in the technique, lest you accidentally do so spontaneously as a Tier-Three while struggling at the privy.”

~Unknown

For what I hope were obvious reasons, the inquiries I made into my new life seldom strayed to contraceptives. That line of questioning was and would be off limits to me for years. I wasn’t disillusioned regarding the intimate activities my parent’s shared. I just went to great lengths to avoid the details.

That is to say, I knew academically that a sibling was a possibility. I just tried not to think about it. The announcement of Tina’s pregnancy shattered my willful ignorance. There were no issues, no complications, no refunds nor restitutions and nine months later my baby brother was born.

Marco.

For the time being, the crib had been set up in my parent’s room. In hindsight, mine was probably in there as well, at first. I lacked the clear recollection of that time period necessary to accurately discern what room I was in while in my infancy. I barely remembered being anything at all beyond tired and uncomfortable.

As I walked to investigate the latest bout of crying, Fudge trailed after me. He was fascinated by the new child, though much like when I was a baby, Vigil had claimed the role of being the newborn's guardian. It meant Fudge didn’t get much time with Marco unless I acted as escort.

“Hey, is everything okay?” I poked my head into the room laced with a vague ‘baby smell’. Tina was holding Marco such that his tiny head rested against her shoulder. I smiled softly at the sight. The comfort I felt when Tina held me the same way was one of the few memories I had that pierced the fugue of infancy.

When Fudge snaked his head in from over my shoulder, Vigil huffed. He was resting on the ground and taking up most of the floor space, as usual.

“Your baby brother had an upset stomach,” Tina whispered, careful not to jostle the baby. Already his cries had started to die down. I just nodded and left the two of them alone. Seldom did Tina actually need or ask for my help, but I still felt obligated to offer it.

It is still wild to think I have a baby brother in this world, I- I paused mid-step and poked my head back into the room.

“Oh, mom, by the way… Taming has hit the bottleneck.” I allowed myself a slight pause for dramatic effect. Part of the reason I’d come out was to tell Tina about the milestone.

“That is fantastic news, Will,” she whispered back. I could see the excitement play in her eyes. “When do you want to-”

“There is no rush,” I lied, but I couldn’t exactly ask her to drop baby Marco, like a bowl that had spent too long in the microwave, and prioritize helping me. I did my best to keep my expression even, but Tina must have spotted something I couldn’t quite conceal.

“I can help you and Fudge tomorrow,” she promised, still talking softly. She paced around the room on gentle steps while my brother slept in her arms. “Have you decided how you want him to Advance?”

“I have some ideas,” I said, purposefully skirting the truth. Tina and Tulos were still ignorant regarding my ‘quantum dog’ experiments with Fudge. I hadn’t quite figured out how I was going to explain the situation if my efforts paid off, but it was a risk I was willing to take.

With a wave and a quiet excuse, I left Tina to the baby Marco while I went outside with Fudge. One of the ridiculous games I’d devised involved me laying my arm alongside Fudge’s outstretched front leg. I then closed my eyes and lightly swatted a point in which the blow would hit both of us… or not. My logic was that I wouldn’t know if Fudge moved their leg out of the way until I perceived the impact or lack thereof, and if I did, it was a shared experience - a quantum entanglement.

… System, I really hope mana can bridge the gap for me on this one. It’s going to be one hell of a gap. I took a deep breath, focusing on the feeling of the cool air making its way into my body.

“Intent is important,” I muttered. There was little sense in second guessing myself - it would work. It had to.

***

The rest of that day passed while the knot of unease in my stomach fed on the flashes of doubt that slipped through my defenses. There was a weight to it, and the wait was no help. I busied myself, I periodically pulsed Perseverance, and I repeated my mantra.

Intent is important.

The time seemed to pass instantly despite dragging on forever, which ironically soothed my worries. If I was a bastion of relativity, then perhaps I would be better positioned to guide Fudge to success. Finally, I found myself sitting on the floor of my room. Fudge was resting beside me. Tina was seated opposite us. No Marco. No Tulos. Not even Vigil.

“This technique will allow Fudge to cross the bottleneck of his Core Skill. It is not because Fudge is an exceptional example of his species on his own.” Tina let that statement hang, which must have been intentional.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“I disagree,” I snapped back almost immediately, which prompted a slight smile from my exhausted mother. Even with the benefit of her Tier, I could tell the sleepless nights with Marco were starting to wear on her and Tulos.

I have been so absorbed in my Advancement that I have barely helped, I realized. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t helped with chores and the various other additional workloads that come with a baby in the house, but I knew I could have been doing more.

I was being selfish. Even so…

I need to be selfish right now. Tulos and Tina had raised one baby, they could handle this. I flared Perseverance before I let myself doubt the resolve. I had a Skill to push through the bottleneck, two if you included Fudge’s.

“Normally, that would be the correct answer, my Will. Today, it is not. Today, we are going to prove that what makes Fudge exceptional is his Bond to you.” Her tone was gentle as it was firm.

Another oddity, I remarked to myself. Let me become the absurdity that is quantum anything, and let that be reflected in Fudge. I would take any help I could get. As much as Tina’s words wrinkled me the wrong way, I knew they had a purpose.

“Intent is important,” I whispered aloud, to which Tina nodded approvingly. She had overheard my mantra before and approved of it.

“Exactly. Your Skill will be the guiding hand that lays the foundation for Fudge’s Advancement.” Before continuing, Tina cleared her throat and then spoke in a poor imitation of my voice. “The Bond is also important,” she chirped before sticking her tongue out at me.

The knot of unease loosened as a giggle overcame me.

System, that was dumb, I thought affectionately. Tina’s smile turned triumphant and I allowed myself to laugh even harder. It had become her mission to catch me off guard with childish moments. Evidently that even extended to discussions that should have been serious.

“You look proud of yourself,” I teased.

“Why, whatever could you be talking about, my Will?” She made no effort to hide the mischief in her expression.

This is somewhat of a break for her as well, I guess. An obvious realization, in hindsight. When discussing Taming, Tina was in her element.

“Okay, I think I understand what I need to do,” I said, pulling the discussion back on topic.

“You think you understand, or you do?” Tina’s rebuttal came quick and sharp. I admittedly goaded the response with my feigned uncertainty, but it had been enough to make her serious again.

“I understand,” I confirmed, which earned me another approving nod.

Throughout our entire conversation, Fudge rested patiently by my side. He stirred briefly at my giggling, but he’d otherwise come to learn that while Tina and I were talking he would be expected to avoid distracting me unless otherwise commanded. Doggy discipline had been one of the fundamentals of our lessons with Tina.

“In that case, we can begin. Put your hands on fudge to better feel the connection and-”

“Actually, mom, I want to try and do it from across the room.” I chimed in before Tina could finish. She quirked an eyebrow at me.

“That will make it harder, Will,” she counseled. “Touch will better help you visualize the connection.”

“I know. I still want to try. Doing things that are hard is what my Core Skill is for,” I argued. I gently reached down to give Fudge a pat anyway, drawing confidence from the contact.

Tina looked like she was about to argue but she hesitated instead.

“That… is a good point, Will. Okay.” I had been expecting more pushback but evidently Tina was doing her best to respect our agreement on both fronts. Hopefully Marco would give her a more traditional parenting experience.

Not relevant right now. I pulsed Perseverance and moved away from Fudge who stayed put after hearing his command to do so.

My connection to Fudge transcends space. We are Bonded. We are quantumly entangled because of Fudge. As his Tamer, I will leverage that power to pull Fudge through his Skill bottleneck. I began trying to psyche myself up by solidifying my intent.

“Okay, now what?” I closed my eyes, focusing only on Tina’s words.

“To put it as simply as possible, you will reach down through your Bond with Taming and propel both it and Fudge’s Dog Skill through the bottleneck. The act of succeeding with one will catapult the other.” It was the kind of esoteric explanation I’d come to associate with matters of mana and the System. Instead of Advancing Taming with a more mundane application of the Skill, I was to grasp the ephemeral.

I could likely ask for more advice if I needed it, but I wanted to try and tackle the problem myself as much as possible. These were the training wheels. At higher levels, I would have to figure things out on my own. I would accept help, but I couldn’t be reliant on it.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Intent is important.

I visualized my Core Space, drawing on memories of my Advancement and the feeling of the Bond.

Intent is important.

I could have followed the Bond to Fudge, but I knew I didn’t need to. We were connected. Always. Distance was meaningless.

Intent is important.

I reached out, and pulled.