In the end, we returned to the Axis without completing our mission. Many of us had sustained injuries... and some had even suffered serious ones.
But no one had died, and that’s what truly mattered.
Anyway, the injured were taken for treatment, while the others were questioned to hear what had happened from their own mouths... Eventually, they would find out that Elliot had helped get everyone out of the dream and resolved the situation, which meant one thing...
My reward would be smaller.
Damn him... he has his family providing him with resources, so why bother clashing with a poor man like me?
Well, maybe he hadn’t thought about rewards or anything at all; he had simply done it without expecting anything in return... not like some people.
I sighed...
I hadn’t been summoned because I had spoken with Alicia earlier, and it seemed she had taken that into account and exempted me from trouble.
Well, I had planned from the start to make her do that somehow.
So I went straight back to my room without wasting any time.
And here I was now, lying on a bed after taking a quick bath and changing my clothes.
It felt like I had left the Axis days ago, but in reality, only hours had passed.
My body sank into the softness of the bed, sunlight streaming through the open window, while my thoughts were elsewhere.
Of course, on what I had experienced in the dream.
Those blurred faces hadn’t left my mind for a single moment since returning... everything had felt wrong in some way.
How had I not noticed that I didn’t remember my family’s faces or names, or even my own name?
I ran my hand over my face, massaging my temples as I let out a frustrated sigh.
"More questions..." I said in frustration
I pulled my hand away from my face and held it in front of my eyes, checking something.
Specifically, the tattoo on my wrist.
A set of interlocking squares, forming a beautiful pattern.
A mark placed on me by the Key of Dimensions... a Rank 7 Relic. No one knew how it worked or what it was for.
And now this thing had suddenly created a bond with me... well, I had to admit, things were getting stranger.
I looked away from the tattoo and glanced at the Storage Ring on my finger.
"Let’s not think about these things now," because in the end, my goal wouldn’t change no matter what happened.
I smiled; it was time to receive the reward for all my hard work.
Essence flowed through my body as I activated my ability.
Since no one was nearby, I pulled a small glass orb from my ring.
In fact, ever since the day I had found Alicia in my room unexpectedly, I had developed the habit of checking if anyone was nearby whenever I did something important.
I looked at the glass orb in my hand, feeling its smooth, comfortable texture.
The process of merging Relics of this kind was easy.
All you had to do was pump your essence into it until they naturally disassembled and fused with your body.
But it didn’t always work.
Sometimes Relics refused to merge with a certain person, as if telling them they were unworthy or something like that.
Well, hopefully that wouldn’t happen to me, or the day might come sooner than expected when I’d lose my mind.
I pushed myself into a sitting position on the bed while holding the Anchor of Mind in my hand.
Essence surged through my body and reached my extremities, finally flowing from my hands into the glass orb.
A faint light formed in its center, growing with every drop of essence I poured in.
I had replenished my essence with Essence Stones before starting the merge, so I wasn’t afraid that my essence wouldn’t be enough.
I kept pumping essence without stopping until the light was strong enough to illuminate the whole room, but I didn’t stop.
I kept adding more and more.
For a full half hour, I poured my essence into the glass orb until it was nearly finished.
Doubt began to creep into my heart... this orb wouldn’t reject me now, would it?
It had become so bright that looking directly at it was difficult, and I felt it warming in my hands.
Then at a certain moment, when my doubts peaked... something happened.
With a soft blooming sound, the glass orb shattered in my hands, transforming into a glowing white liquid.
Like the one that had come out of Lucas’s body.
The glowing drops rose slowly and approached my body.
They passed through my clothes without obstruction, reaching my flesh and sinking inside me.
I felt a cold sensation in my chest, which then moved throughout my body before settling in my head and gradually fading.
I waited several minutes in that state, while the strange feeling slowly faded, as if the drops were merging with me and becoming part of me.
A few more minutes passed before the feeling completely disappeared, replaced by another sensation, as if the world around me had become clearer.
Even my thoughts became steadier and more confident.
The difference was obvious to me.
That sense of mental stability, and that confidence in my thoughts.
Maybe that’s what made Lucas act so confidently and without doubt in his plans.
A thought crossed my mind, and the system screen appeared before me.
Name: Caius Astroweild
Age: 17
Rank: 2
Sub-rank: Advanced
Abilities: [Soul Eyes]: When activated, you can see and sense the essence and spirits of living beings.
[Sea of Soul]
And below, a new slot appeared.
Traits: [Mind Anchor]: Your mind is steady and never lost.
That was the description of the Mind Anchor, short, simple, and slightly mysterious.
But it didn’t matter; I already knew how it worked, so it didn’t bother me.
And now all that remained was to receive my second reward.