POV - Karter Dureal

Karter checked his already immaculate blazer for blemishes with a scrutinizing eye—a habit from his service he didn't think he'd ever outlive. Content that he could find nothing out of order, he wrapped his knuckles against the wooden office door.

"Ethel, I have news from the spire."

The door opened shortly at his call, and Ethel stood there with a mask that could fool even the sternest business tycoon. Over time, Karter had learned that, like any grandmother, she cared deeply for her grandson—she just showed it by diving headfirst into the hardest work. And right now, she had gone into full problem-solving mode.

Karter didn't want to be the one to make her worry more, but he also refused to keep her in the dark; she had a right to know what was going on.

Unfortunately, the news was not pleasant, but at least there was some.

After they had finished pairing all the unbound with their protectors, all sixty individuals had flashed out of existence. Their specialists' best guess was spatial magic, and Karter was inclined to agree. He'd seen the magic all too often to be caught completely off guard.

Since they knew the 'how', the problem then became, where?

Where had their kids been whisked off to, and how the hell were they going to get them back?

As if that weren't bad enough, not only had their most powerful allies been caught up in this, but the spire had begun acting strangely.

When everyone had left, there was an immediate dulling of the surrounding light coming off it. It hadn't gone out completely, but it had waned enough to be worrying, which only set everyone on edge.

If the light were gone, would the Corrupted return?

That had been the first thing Ethel had asked; after that, the remaining factions had dispersed in an attempt to fortify their locations. Currently, everyone in their territory was on high alert. The loyalists and NAS were doubling their efforts on the wall just in case, but all of this meant nothing if they were still in the dark. Then, not even an hour after they had left, the tower had let out a small pulse, and one of the missing individuals had returned.

The loyalist snapped the soldier up for questioning before anyone could ask him anything. Which is why Karter, along with several other faction leaders, went to "request" an answer.

It had taken them hours to get anything concrete, but eventually they did—thanks to Lisa, who practically had to bust down the inner city walls to make it happen.

Nathan had been among the missing, and by now she was thoroughly frustrated. Unfortunately, the news offered little improvement.

Karter now stared at Ethel's wary expression, but he could see the hint of hope shining in her eyes.

Knowing her, he shouldn't dally.

"First, the good news: they're alright, it was exactly as we expected. They've been transported somewhere else. Sadly, I'm afraid we don't know where, perhaps another world entirely. What I can tell you is that it seems to be some kind of test by the tower. From the sound of it, it won't be quick, nor easy."

Ethel pursed her lips but didn't otherwise say anything.

Karter's own doubts reared their ugly head at the thought of his little girl out there, but he squashed them with practiced ease. No matter what, he needed to remain strong in the face of this disaster; that was his job.

Clearing his throat, Karter continued.

"So we don't know where they are or how to get them back, but if I know anything, those three will survive. They will stay, if only to ensure the mission is a success. The reason this man is back is because his unbound forfeited. We believe he no longer has any right to the test."

Ethel's face was an unreadable mask as she began pacing and biting her thumbnail.

"For now, we have to hope that, as long as they complete the task, they'll come back to us," he said. He wasn't sure whether he was reassuring her or himself.

Ethel's mask dropped just a fraction, her shoulders sagging.

"…Thank God. If they're alive, I know they'll do everything in their power to return."

She accepted the news with quiet strength, and Karter was reminded once more of her incredible mental fortitude.

"They'll pull off whatever they have to and return, I'm sure of it. In what state is another story, but I trust them…"

Karter wished he had her certainty. Sam had always been a curious soul. All he could do now was hope the boys could keep her safe. It was a selfish thought, given the number of people depending on him, but still, he hoped with all his heart she would come home soon.

Ethel seemed steadier after the news, clearing her throat.

"We can't let them outdo us. We should offer aid wherever it's welcome. We haven't tested it yet, but if the Spire is becoming less effective against the Corrupted, we'll need to plan accordingly."

Karter nodded, glad to have a direction.

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"Lisa already sent out a request for aid. We'll answer it. I'll start putting together teams we can spare to send to the wall," he said calmly.

Ethel crossed her arms.

"That's a good start. We'll also need to increase our division of supplies. When the Spire opened, it gave us the 'Crown' and a huge dose of Sp. Now, every individual receives a lump sum from the system. We'll use those resources for now."

Ethel wasn't wrong; she had been the first to recommend opening the Spire ahead of everyone, likely for the edge it provided.

The 'Crown' was currently held by them, so every man, woman, and child received fifty Sp daily, even without effort. For fighters, it wasn't a lot, but for vagrants and those struggling to earn points, it was a godsend—more than enough for meals multiple times over.

Karter was still deep in thought when Ethel spoke again.

"Have you checked the marketplace yet?"

He shook his head. Ethel nodded knowingly.

"You should. The system removed the limit on tonics, and there's a host of new consumables. More bronze items are up for sale than ever before. There's even a rumor about a silver item appearing."

Karter's brows rose. He hadn't had time to check, but it was a huge oversight. Luckily, Ethel had already caught on and set the logistics teams on it.

The system had been selling items for a while, but with each new step, they gained access to more of the market. Soon, everyone would have bronze items, then silver—the real strength lay there.

Karter himself only had a few for self-defense, items Sam had practically forced on him. He couldn't refuse when she gave him that worried look, even if the gear would serve his soldiers better.

"If the system's offering them, we should start acquiring more. It would be better if all our fighters had multiple system-crafted items."

Ethel hummed, surprising him. She had been against buying too many weapons before due to limited Sp, but now she paused thoughtfully.

"We'll do exactly that, but while weapons are important, our focus should be armor and defensive gear."

Karter frowned. Armor was important, sure, but not every fighter had a powerful weapon yet. Why not prioritize that?

Ethel seemed to read his thoughts. She snorted, then adopted a serious expression.

"We need both. But there's a factor in the city we can't yet be sure of. The Corrupted humans have been lying low, but who knows what will happen now that both the Tower and some of our strongest defenders are gone? Right now, we're sitting ducks, and I don't like it."

She paused, breathing steadily, her eyes unwavering.

"Whatever happens, I'll make sure this city is still standing when they get back. Hopefully, with one fewer problem to deal with."

***

POV - Mark

They had been walking for hours now, and when he could, Mark would use small sporadic bursts of [Invigorate] to keep people going, but the tenders had to rest every so often. Luckily, the deserts turned out to be easier the navigate than they first anticipated.

Mark had covered them in a construct, and with Sam helping maintain his ward, they had mostly just passed by any threats. He'd even come up with a delayed release for their energy. Mark would confine all the excess energy into a lesser construct and then use [Bestowal] to send it down into the earth. The surrounding construct would quickly decay from both the internal and external pressure, but it helped avoid attention.

Of course, there were a couple of close calls when a titanic worm creature burst out of the ground just ten minutes from where they had been. The thing was large enough that they could make out the bladed edges coming off its body as though its skin alone could shred someone to pieces.

Luckily, the thing seemed to lose interest after it could not locate the source of the energy.

They had been going a while now, and Sam was still trying to explain her newest technique, but while he could fundamentally understand it, Mark had not been able to accomplish even the slightest of results.

Sam saw this and let out an amused chuckle.

"Alright, take a break, have you had your tonic yet for today?" Sam asked, extending the small ampule to him.

Mark shook his head and accepted the offered vial.

"Go over it once more for me?" he asked hopefully.

Which only made Sam's smile widen.

"As you know, there is Manipulation and Manifestation; however, I noticed when I was in my… 'other' form that there were many more. It's difficult to hold onto all the information I receive in that headspace, but I did learn this: with Mana, even what seems solid or fixed can be bent."

Sam lifted her hand, and flames began to curl around her palm. At first, it looked like fire licking her skin, but soon it became clear this was no ordinary flame. Her fingers shimmered and stretched, the outline of her hand dissolving into translucent, flowing energy. The shape wavered like molten glass, yet she maintained control.

"There," she said with effort, her voice strained. "I'm calling it Embodiment. This is all I can manage right now."

With a huff, the energy coalesced, and her hand solidified again, returning to its normal form—but for a moment, she had rewritten the rules of matter and energy itself, bending her very flesh into something malleable.

It was not an exaggeration to say this particular technique would be highly useful. For defense alone, it was incredible, but there was also a sharp uptick in control over one's magic in this form.

The problem was that the technique was incredibly hard to maintain; it had to be if Sam could only convert her hand right now.

The kicker was that it was not only fire, in Mark's case, he would either choose earth or light to embody, as those were the magic he was most familiar with.

He understood that to use this technique, he needed to convert himself into pure Mana, but his subconscious kept getting in the way. Mark couldn't shake the instincts screaming at him to stop—if he lost control, he was certain he would lose himself to the process. Sam had made him promise several times not to attempt it while she wasn't there, and he had readily agreed.

As he glared at his hand, which stubbornly remained fleshy despite his efforts, he knocked back the tonic, expecting the subtle ding from the system signaling an increase in his attributes.

Mark paused when he didn't hear it.

Frowning, he focused on his core and realized it hadn't grown at all. The tonic he'd just drunk should have increased his Prana stat by fifteen points, but all he felt was a small trickle of energy.

The coin dropped a second later, and he quickly reached into his inventory for another mana-increasing tonic.

When he knocked it back, the system finally responded:

Source: Tonic of Mind x1 (+15 Mana)

"Shit," he muttered.

"Sam, the tonics don't work after you form your core," he said, certainty settling in. Her eyes snapped to his as realization crept across her face. She didn't argue; she simply processed what he'd seen.

"Shit… well, there goes the surprise. After today's, I only had one more tonic before completing my core."

Jonathan chimed in, sending an image of the looming mountain range ahead.

"Guys, I don't mean to alarm you, but we're about to reach the foot of the mountain, and I think I see a man-made road."

Mark inspected the memory closely. There, winding up the gradual incline into the clouds, was a well-traveled path carved into the mountainside.

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