Just then, his ears picked up on a series of familiar footsteps coming from the inside. A smile appeared on his face hearing the consecutive small thuds followed by short cries of pain.

He leaned himself on the railing enjoying the night view waiting for the ditzy fellow to show herself.

The curtains slid aside as her voice recited the words he scribbled in the notes. He shouldn't have left those out in open.

"In this playground of the universe, we are in search of what game we are a part of. Mathematics is the playing of games. Science is finding out which game you're playing..."

"And philosophy is wondering if it's really a game that you are playing" Noah finished Ava's sentence before continuing. "What woke you up this late?"

"What is this?" Ava said turning his notes she held within both her hands towards him.

"A bit of trolling, I guess."

"You don't even know yourself." She caught him there. He wasn't even sure what was the purpose behind writing that. Maybe there wasn't a purpose. Maybe, he just wanted to write something to take his mind off things.

"You look less disturbed today," Ava remarked seeing him in a better mood than past.

A part of him took great offense at that.

"Oh, quite the contrary. You haven't even scratched the surface. I was recently enlightened, No, given a glimpse of the truth. Ignorance is bliss is a very true statement. The horrors of "reality" will leave the majority of minds paralyzed. This...this is just an illusion of calm." If only he could utter that out loud. It sucks not even having the coura-

Noah's eyes widened in panic on seeing a surprised look on Ava's face. It literally jump-scared his heart.

"Did I say that out loud?"

"Quiet a bleak thought process, if I say so myself."

He became silent trying to muster some sort of response.

"When the reality of your flimsy mortality hits you with the force of a truck, I would say that's an appropriate response."

An understanding look graced her face as she replied. "So that's what going on in your mind. Guess I can't fault you for thinking that way." 

Noah didn't like the look she gave him. "You don't realize, we are covered in death from head to toe"

"Of course we are, by the time we have started talking, a million of your cells have died."

"Not the time for Vsauce references. You know I'm talking about something else."

"Aren't you thankful to be alive?" Ava interjected, gazing at him with earnest eyes.

"I accept that I'm alive, but thankful is too strong a word." He said impassively and continued.

"See that" Noah pointed at the celestial body occupying a good chunk of the canvas that was the night sky. The natural satellite was whiter than its counterpart at their home planet. A large crater occupied its center caving in its ginormous rocky surface. That part was mostly veiled in shadow and looked much darker than the rest from the ground.

"illa Tosenka. Translated roughly to God's eye"

"It does evoke that imagery. What about it?"

"It makes me question my sanity every single time I see it. My mind shuts down when I realize I have faced something horrifying of that scale. Not to mention this foreign world. Multiple moons. decked in their own creepy fashions. All that's waiting are two suns to complete the collection."

Noah's hands trembled just recalling that Lovecraftian figure.

"If we had two suns here, there would probably be memes about how your shadow is less lonely than you."

She attempted to lighten the mood but it only came out as awkward. The two went silent as the mood fermented.

"You know, when you were having the seizure, I was terrified." Ava spoke out softly as she looked up at the night sky.

The way she worded that sentence, he had caught onto the tremble in her voice. Never had he ever seen her sound so genuinely terrified of something.

"I didn't tell you two about it but I had a vision of you the night before that day. Of you, laying lifeless within my arms. To see my nightmare realized before my very eyes was nothing short of horrifying." She reached her quivering right arm out and made a grasping motion towards the moon.

"I didn't know...that." Noah was confused about how to reply to that. Not the first time in the day even when this happened.

"Of course not, you would be in for a hell of an interrogation had you known about it." Dropping her raised arm, she turned to face him and gave him a mask of a smile.

"So, don't think you are alone in that feeling." 

"...."

"..."

Awkward...

"Um...The feng shui of this place is terrible."

Ava sighed. She hadn't ever seen a worse attempt to change the topic. She could only help him some more.

"Isn't there anything you would like to show me?"

"What could I, no, in fact, there is one thing." He remembered the thing he had been working with the entire week while trying to keep it a secret from the two.

Noah turned to the corner of the balcony. A pile of items was stacked there. In a lackluster attempt to present it as ordered, they had covered it with a cloth. Uncovering the cloth, there lay a single dismantled lamp among the pile of cables, chargers and adapters.

"What the fuck, Noah." She exclaimed. "Vandalism wasn't what I had in mind when I asked that."

"Shhhh, wait till I tell you more about it." Noah hastily covered her mouth with his hand to stop her from waking up the entire neighborhood. "Your opinion will change for sure."

After Ava quieted down, he removed his hand slowly. Her face looked awfully red. He was worried that he applied too much force.

Picking up the lamp, he removed the cover he had already pried off beforehand. Then, reaching inside, he took out a plate carved with silvery and gold circuitry. In the center of which was a notch where a blue crystal was fitted. The crystal had presumably gone through cutting and thereafter polished to perfection. The most fascinating part was that the crystal and plate looked like they constituted a single thing. This was mostly because the circuits also ran over the surface of the crystal giving it a mystical bearing.

"See this, what does this remind you of?" Noah asked pointing at the plate.

"Circuits. Specifically, ICs." Feeling calmed enough, she traced the dense network of lines intertwining on the plate.

"It's a marvel to observe, isn't it. There's a lot going on in this small piece. Despite tinkering with it in all my free time, I still know next to nothing about this equipment." His eyes shined brightly as he continued explaining with increased pace.

"Yet, if I had to guess about what the process was, I'd say some sort of power generation by continual loops in cycles. This is a self-sustaining loop of energy. Drawing mana not just from the crystal but the crystal itself acts as a conduit for gathering primal mana from the space around it. You know what this means, it is replenishing itself-"

"Slow down nerd. You're going way too fast. You won't get any girls this way."

"Did you know? Isaac Newton died a virgin."

"Is that supposed to be admirable?"

"I...don't...think so." He felt himself cringe repeating those same words inside his mind. What was he thinking? Bad Noah.

"Great. Now, tell me more about this perpetual glowing lamp you claim to have found." Ava cheered inwardly for managing to even out the score.

He cleared his throat and resumed back from when he stopped.

"Similar to electrical circuits, these circuit lines act as a transmission medium for mana to pass through. Somehow, the mana is transformed into light energy. Moreover, it is incredibly efficient by the looks of it. I asked Angie how long does it take before she needs to replace the crystal. You won't believe what she told me."

"Don't keep it to yourself now. What did she say?"

"Never"

"So that's how you came to this conclusion. If that was true, why isn't everything mana-powered?"

"There are a few caveats."

"I knew it. It was sounding too good to be true. Don't tell me they cost an arm and a leg to get."

"That and they also take a long time and effort to be manufactured. Every single one needs to be cut in precise dimensions and then treated through multiple arduous processes before it is ready."

"So this is this world's microchips."

"Pretty much."

"And what you were about to do with it? I reckon you weren't just admiring the design of it."

"I was thinking of experimenting with the mana flow. Trying to fiddle with its resistive properties. See what makes it tick. Maybe I would chance upon something good." Taking out a small filer from his pocket, he used it to nudge out portions of the circuit in different directions.

"There...bada bing bada boom" This way he would know if the output was affected in any significant manner by the changes.

"You did not just bada bing that." She was astonished hearing the words coming out of his mouth.

"Why not? If you have problems with it, it's too late for that." He said and waved over the device in a steady manner to start its operation. It lighted up normally with the usual delay.

"There are multiple problems with your approach. The first being that it wouldn't work. Do you even have the slightest idea how it works?" Ava's annoyance only increased seeing the unconcerned manner he went through with this experiment.

"When you pray for rain, you got to deal with the mud too." Noah's attention was already occupied with the plate. So far, nothing stood out as different to him. Only some slight flicker in the light.

"You're basically saying that it's impossible for you to tell when it will go wrong, if it will go wrong, and how it will go wrong. Something tells me it's going to go wrong."

"I am prepared for either scenario." Just then smoke started coming out of the displaced parts.

"The only thing humans are worse at than not blowing up each other is predicting the future. You are about to speedrun both at once." Ava yelled at Noah seeing the situation worsening exponentially by the second. Sparks were now jumping around the contraption. The whole thing looked like it was going to blow any second now.

Before the sparks could come to any fruition, Noah yanked out the crystal from the center decisively. The sparking died down at once.

"Relax, this is not my first rodeo with this." He said while juggling the crystal in one hand.

"Never, I say never do that in front of me again."

"You have my word." Noah held up his free hand and gave a bogus vow.

"I'm not joking Noah. if that thing won't kill you first, I sure will."

"Jeez, calm down. Nothing bad happened, right."

"Oh, just hear this guy." Ava moved around in circles with visible frustration before coming to a sudden halt. 

"Here goes my sleep. Add this to the tension of going inside the Creep." She grumbled aloud.

"Creep? What Creep? Is it the jungle? Were we going inside today?" Noah replied absentmindedly while noting down his observations in the notes. Displacing the circuit placement created smoke and sparks i.e. heat and electrical energy instead of light. Were the displacements the main cause behind this phenomenon? Needs further tests.

"You don't pay attention, do you?"

"Then, I should get some sleep, shouldn't I? Need all the energy I can get. You can look over my project. Just don't blow anything up." He added in a condescending manner.

Needless to say, Ava didn't like the way he said that.

"Come here, will you." She said bitterly and reached out with both her hands towards his retreating figure.

"What do you mea-Umphhh" Unfortunately, he made the grave mistake of turning his back towards such danger and was consequently dragged back outside by the clutches of the female. He was rendered unable to even utter out his cries of fear as the two hands clamped on his speaking appendage.

 

...

 

With the arrival of the early dawn came the invitation to a promised new day.

Footsteps resounded within the hallway outside their room as the daylight began unwrapping the hues of the world.

Nephra jogged to a stop in front of their doorstep. After waiting around a few minutes, she found no sign of Noah's presence.

"Not again"

She twisted open the lock with a master key. Then rushed inside only to come to a sudden halt a few steps in upon witnessing a strange spectacle.

There were the two, seated across the sofas, trying to fully concentrate on the task at hand despite their current states.

On one side was Noah with his back slouching who looked haggard enough to pass off as an addicted gambler. Though, he was doing fine compared to Ava who was even struggling to keep her eyes open. The dark circles under her eyes were a fine touch.

A handful of cards lay within their grasps. A pile of which was gathered between the two on the table.

"I'm done" She slammed her cards on the table, sick of this hour-long strenuous game.

"Hey, I was just on a streak." Inwardly he was more than happy to drop it. It had already gone on for far too long in his opinion.

"What in the hell...?" Their match-off was interrupted as they noticed the guest.

"Good morning..." Ava yawned. "...Neph".

Noah also put down his deck and acknowledged her presence.

"Oh, morning, could you wait for a moment? I will be ready in just a minute." He headed inside to get himself changed.

Nephra stepped within range of the table out of curiosity.

"What happened last night?"

"We just got a bit carried with this." Ava gave a sheepish smile as she answered. She then stretched herself and slowly stood up.

Neph couldn't help but check out the cards. Reaching out and feeling them, they felt a lot smoother to her hand than the ones she had seen before.

"I am going to catch a few winks in and hopefully wake up in time for training. See ya later." Yawning, she stumbled back into the bedroom.

"Sure" Neph looked completely enamored by the cards.

Noah got himself dressed in record time and hurriedly grabbed his stuff before heading out towards the door.

"Let's go" He picked up his satchel and slung it over his shoulder.

She placed the cards back in their original pile reluctantly.

Stepping in the backyard garden, Nephra went ahead to begin her classes with Miss Florelle whereas he stopped by the streamside fountain for a quick face wash. Quite convenient to say the least. After feeling refreshed and wide awake, he took out the required textbook from his satchel. Then, he sat under the main tree.

Enjoying the sight before him while going through wonderful pieces of literature topped the list of his favorite things to do during the day, a close second was his night meditation.

Rhythmic clangs of wooden swords in the background sounded like a melody to his ears.

He lost himself in the pages of text. For him, learning new stuff always feels like a treat.

"You look to be having quite the fun." He turned his head up to see Miss Florelle standing before him, donned in her usual training garbs.

"These stories are quite interesting." Building on his command over this new language was a priority for him. Therefore, he made sure to borrow books regularly from the town library.

He had learned over the experience of learning multiple languages that folktales and the like can help a lot. For example, when he was studying Japanese, Momotarō, Yuki-Onna were some short stories he had thoroughly read. Evidently, it was quite effective as he still remembers most of them even though he hadn't given a glance at any of them in years.

"They are for sure." Taking a glimpse at the book he was holding, she smiled at him. "Borrowing from the library, you don't even need me to tell you to do it. You're quite hardworking. Unlike a certain someone." Then swiveled her head in a certain direction.

Following her gaze, he found Nephra sprawled on the ground in the corner, covered in sweat and panting fiercely. He almost felt pity for her. keyword almost.

"I heard the Trainees will be heading out into the Creep today."

"Me too." He grumbled under his breath. 

Being able to hear it with her senses, Miss Florelle became confused by his words. 

On the other hand, Noah recalled an important tidbit about her and asked immediately."By the way, do you have any advice for me? As a former adventurer."

Her posture straightened as she answered back.

"Let me see...make sure not to stray far away from your leader. Also, don't go too deep in the Creep. Other than that, be alert and attentive to your surroundings. This much should suffice for your first time in the Creep."

"Sure, but is there anything in particular that needs extra caution?"

She thought for some time before a grave look appeared on her face.

"If you come upon a rotten smell in the jungle, turn around and run away that same instant."

Nodding solemnly, he hammered her words in his mind. He knew not to make light of her serious reminder.

"I'm grateful to you for all the help and advice."

"I'm happy to help. Good luck to you and your friends. I should head back to the inn now. Customers should start streaming in soon." She looked at the risen sun hanging high up in the sky before moving on.

On the way back, she picked up the still Nephra from the ground and carried her back on her shoulders.

Noah shook his head at the sight and began his own morning routine. He went with a warm bath, had a quick breakfast along with a glass of Meryol. Can't miss that obviously. He then headed out with the others to the training field.

Reaching their portion of the field, he spotted Knight Rylee along with the other Trainees. Multiple crates with open covers were put on display before him. Recognizing the leather equipment and weapons from the forge inside them, he nudged the other two and guided their gazes to the crates with his eyes.

The two quickly focused on the crates and began scrutinizing them.

Soon after, Rylee addressed their group stoically.

"Gear up"

They looked at each other and stepped forward in unison to choose their pick of medieval equipment.

Noah decided to go with the practical approach and reached for a shield at first.

He fitted his hand in the enarmes(leather straps) of the wooden shield. It was padded with leather on the inside.

Then, he went for a trusty knife.

The knife seemed to be as simple as they come and was just a small steel blade attached to a wooden handle. Sliding it back in its scabbard, he tied the leather strap around his left thigh.

The quality of all the items was rather good, in his opinion. 

Adjusting his satchel, he tightened the strap around his waist like a belt to make it easier for him to move in.

For the armor, he went with the basic ones for the chest, arms and legs. Along with a pair of sturdy-looking boots, which he put over his sneakers. He strapped them around his body according to memory. Working in a forge had its fair share of benefits.

Next, he had to tighten them to his fit.

He was now fully geared up. 

At first glance, He looked like an actor from a Lord of the Rings movie.

Just then, a few rings went on in his head as multiple notifications greeted his vision.

*New Quest Granted!*

[Quest: First Blood - A creature needs to hunt; not only to sustain itself but also to grow. Present yourself worthy of evolution through a successful hunt.]

Main Objective: Solo kill a higher LVL Monster

Rewards: Bonus Records

                New Skill Records

A small smirk crept upon his face. 

 

Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, Noah clenched his fist around the enarmes. He felt a bit nervous. But more than that, a weird feeling began bubbling up inside of him. A feeling of excitement.