"We're here."
Devin announced, unaware of Marcus's internal dilemma.
"Need help getting inside?"
"No."
Marcus replied, his voice carefully neutral.
"I can manage. Thank you for today."
"Anytime."
Devin said with a smile, and then added:
"Despite the excitement, it was good to get out, right?"
"Yes."
Marcus nodded, directing his wheelchair toward the building entrance.
"It was... educational."
As he entered his apartment and locked the door behind him, Marcus's mind raced with new possibilities and challenges. The encounter with the Vitality Wraith had confirmed his abilities were effective against ethereal entities, but also revealed how much further he needed to develop before attempting a decisive confrontation.
Elara Voss's demonstration had shown him techniques he hadn't imagined possible—techniques he would need to master if he hoped to destroy a Vitality Wraith permanently.
And now the system had revealed yet another aspect of his Lord of Contracts Origin skill, the ability to form supernatural bonds with human allies. The power and responsibility of such a capability were enormous. He still couldn't wrap his head around it.
Marcus wheeled himself to the window, gazing out at the night sky. Three weeks ago, he had been a broken man contemplating suicide, seeing no purpose in his continued existence. Now he stood, or sat, at the threshold of becoming something far more than he had ever imagined possible.
The path ahead was clearer now. He needed to master the techniques Voss had demonstrated, continue accumulating EP to enhance his contracted allies, and prepare for the inevitable confrontation with the Vitality Wraith that had marked him as a threat.
And decide what to do about Devin, the unexpected friend who might become something more if Marcus chose to exercise that aspect of his power.
"One step at a time."
He murmured to himself, echoing Mrs. Abernathy's favorite phrase she recited to him whenever he had felt overwhelmed by life's challenges.
Tomorrow would bring new training, new decisions, and new progress toward his ultimate goal. For tonight, he had confirmed what he most needed to know: the Vitality Wraith could be harmed. And what could be harmed could be killed.
Vengeance was no longer just a distant hope. It was an achievable reality as long as he prepared extensively enough.
…
Morning light filtered through the blinds, casting striped shadows across Marcus's bedroom. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling, replaying yesterday's encounter with the Vitality Wraith. The creature's ember eyes haunted him, not with fear, but with restlessness when he thought of the day he would be strong enough to rip it apart.
He had wounded it, driven it away, but he failed to destroy it.
But that wasn't the result he wanted.
Next time would be different.
"Status."
He murmured, and the system interface expanded in his field of vision.
[USER STATUS: MARCUS THORNE]
[ORIGIN SKILL: LORD OF CONTRACTS (LEVEL 1)]
[CONTRACTED ALLIES: TEMPEST (LEVEL 4, 12%), WILL (LEVEL 2, 30%), AUTONOMOUS WHEELCHAIR (LEVEL 2, 50%)]
[EXISTENCE POINTS: 0]
[TRANSCENDENT RANK: F]
No change since last night. He needed more EP to enhance his skills, particularly Tempest. Elara Voss's etheric resonance field technique would require greater power and control than he currently possessed.
His communication device chimed with an incoming message. Marcus reached for it telekinetically, using his Will skill to float it from the nightstand to his hand.
A message from Devin:
"Morning. Hope you're feeling better after yesterday. Got a call from Transcendent Authority. After talking to them briefly, they said they wanted to interview you further about the incident. Official request. Let me know if you need a ride."
Marcus frowned. Further questioning wasn't part of his plan. The security team had seemed satisfied with his statement yesterday. What more could they want?
Before he could respond, another message arrived—this one from an unfamiliar source, marked with the Transcendent Authority's official seal:
"Mr. Thorne, this is Specialist Elara Voss. Your encounter with the Vitality Wraith yesterday has been brought to my attention. I would like to discuss your experience and unusual sensitivity to spectral entities. Please contact my office at your earliest convenience. Don't worry, this is not a disciplinary matter."
Elara Voss.
She was the C-Rank Wind specialist whose demonstration had so impressed him. Why would she take personal interest in an incident involving an F-Rank novice?
Marcus transferred himself to his wheelchair, mind racing with possibilities. This could be an opportunity to learn from a master of Wind techniques, to gain insights that might accelerate his development. Or it could be a complication—unwanted attention from authorities who might restrict his activities if they knew his true capabilities and intentions.
He replied to Devin first:
"I'm fine. Received request from Specialist Voss directly. Will need transport later today."
Then to Voss:
"Available this afternoon. Where and when?"
Her response came almost immediately:
"14:00 at Transcendent Authority Central Office, Specialist Division. Ask for me at reception."
Marcus had three hours to prepare. He needed to decide how much to reveal about his abilities and experiences. Complete honesty was out of the question.
—His Lord of Contracts Origin skill and EP harvesting methods would raise too many ethical concerns.
But outright deception might be detected by someone of Voss's caliber.
A partial truth, then. He would acknowledge his evolved Tempest skill but attribute it to natural talent and intensive practice rather than his unique system. He would discuss his encounter with the Wraith that killed Mrs. Abernathy, but frame his pursuit as self-defense rather than vengeance.
First, though, he needed to address his EP shortage. The apartment's pest population had been nearly eliminated, and another excursion to the garbage area seemed an unnecessary risk given yesterday's events. He needed a new source, preferably one that wouldn't raise moral questions.
Marcus expanded the system interface again.
"Are there non-living sources of Existence Points?"
He asked, vaguely recalling the system's introduction.
[SEARCHING ORIGIN KNOWLEDGE...]
[NON-LIVING ENTITIES CAN YIELD EP WHEN THEIR EXISTENCE ENDS]
[EXAMPLES: DESTRUCTION OF COMPLEX OBJECTS, DISSOLUTION OF ENERGY CONSTRUCTS, ERASURE OF DATA STRUCTURES]
[EP YIELD CORRELATES WITH COMPLEXITY, SIGNIFICANCE, AND DURATION OF EXISTENCE]
This was promising. If he could harvest EP from objects rather than living creatures, his moral path would be clearer.
"What objects in my apartment would yield the highest EP if destroyed?"
He asked, thinking clearly.
[SCANNING ENVIRONMENT...]
[HIGHEST EP POTENTIAL: PERSONAL COMPUTER (35-45 EP DEPENDING ON DATA SIGNIFICANCE)]
[SECOND HIGHEST: FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS (15-25 EP PER IMAGE DUE TO EMOTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE)]
[THIRD HIGHEST: HEIRLOOM WATCH (20 EP DUE TO AGE AND PERSONAL CONNECTION)]
Marcus grimaced. The system's suggestions involved destroying items of personal value—his memories and connections to his past. The computer contained years of his life. The photographs were irreplaceable links to his parents. The watch had been his father's.
"Are there alternatives that don't involve sentimental items?"
He inquired, a frown of displeasure on his face.
[ALTERNATIVES EXIST BUT YIELD LOWER EP]
[EXAMPLE: CREATING AND DESTROYING TEMPORARY STRUCTURES (1-5 EP DEPENDING ON COMPLEXITY)]
[EXAMPLE: GENERATING AND ERASING COMPLEX DATA (1-3 EP PER UNIQUE DATASET)]
Creating something for the sole purpose of destroying it, there was a certain elegance to the approach, though the EP yield seemed minimal compared to his needs.
Still, it was better than nothing, and with enough repetition, he might accumulate the points he needed.