By the time they'd made it back to the estate, night had truly fallen, the last rays of sunlight having long since disappeared beyond the horizon. It was safe to say they were late for Lukas' one-on-one aura training session with Kora, which was a shame, as that meant he wouldn't be getting back to his residence until even later than expected. He still had a lot he wanted to do by the end of the day, and he was feeling more tired than usual, so whether or not he'd get everything done was uncertain.

When Lukas and Akira entered the part of the lodge reserved for main branch members, they found Kora enjoying after-dinner tea in a lounge. She sat in an armchair next to an unlit fireplace, reading a book. Upon noticing their arrival, Kora looked up from the pages, setting aside her teacup.

"You're late," she said primly, closing her book and setting it next to her teacup on a side table. "You missed dinner."

"Some things popped up," Akira explained. "Mainly Elias."

Kora nodded, as if that were a perfectly acceptable reason. "Persistent as ever, it seems. It reminds me of your father," she smiled, gesturing for the two to sit.

Akira's nose scrunched up in distaste as she and Lukas sat on an exquisite and ornate couch across from Kora. "Except Elias doesn't have any charm. He just says and does everything you'd expect. It's like he read a book on how to be charming and does everything verbatim. Besides, he's exhausting."

"Is he still presenting you with flowers?" Kora asked, grabbing her teacup and taking a sip.

"Yes," Akira groaned. "Almost every time I see him. He must have a bag of holding full of the things."

"Did you throw away the one he gave you already? You've only just gotten back."

"I got rid of it as quickly as I could," Akira answered hurriedly.

"Of course you did," Kora smiled wryly. "Now, tell me about the rest of your day. Did you accomplish your goals?"

Akira proceeded to go over the day's events, detailing all the fights they'd had and the route they'd taken. Mercifully, she didn't rip into Lukas over his performance but said he'd done rather well, though there was still a lot of room to grow. Finally came her battle with the dusk weaver, which she enthusiastically broke down blow by blow.

"So that's why you feel so much stronger than you did this morning," she nodded. "It's good. We can only grow by pushing ourselves to our limits and then past them. And what of you, Lukas, how did you find the day?"

"Enlightening, to say the least," he said, his mind going over everything that had happened. "I learned a lot, and watching someone else do the fighting, someone who knew what they were doing, showed me just how far there is to go."

"The road ahead of you is long and perilous, and someone in your position almost has too much to learn. Don't feel like you need to overwork yourself in order to catch up. You can't reach the peak in a week or even a year, so don't work yourself to the bone. You're not under any pressure."

"Not yet," Lukas countered. "And I plan to be as ready as possible when the time comes."

"Which allows me to smoothly transition into the last thing I wanted to discuss before moving on to aura training."

"What is it?"

Kora took a moment to straighten out a few imaginary wrinkles in her shirt before looking at Lukas seriously. "In a week's time, there will be a little family soirée, and you will be the guest of honor."

"What," Lukas said, dread beginning to sink in as his heart dropped.

Kora gestured to her daughter. "As Akira can attest, there have been no small amount of inquiries about you, and not just from those outside the estate walls but from those inside as well. Many in the family feel as though they've been left out of the loop and that they're entitled to know what's going on. They, like everyone else, are curious to know who's spending so much time with my daughter."

"Are—are you going to tell them I'm an outworlder?" he asked, gripping the couch's armrest hard enough for it to creak.

"If that is what you wish, but judging by the sounds coming from that very expensive couch, I'd say that's not what you want."

Lukas let out a heavy sigh as a mountain of stress disappeared from his shoulders. "Then what are we going to tell people?"

"I will leave that to you, though I have a few ideas. The reason I bring this up now is because I wanted to discuss the possibility of adopting you into the family."

"Adopt him!?" Akira blurted, staring at her mother with wide eyes.

"Yes, Akira," she nodded, "adopt him."

"So would that mean Akira and I would be siblings?" Lukas asked, not sure how to feel about the offer considering his family was not only alive but on good terms.

"No," Kora said, shaking her head. "The adoption would be a legal fiction. You'd still have your own last name and wouldn't have any real authority over Anuk family holdings. What this would do is tie you closer to our family, providing greater protection."

"I thought that was part of our original agreement?"

Kora nodded and once more sipped her tea. "It was and still is, but as things stand right now, you're no different than an external member—someone who provides a service for pay, like alchemy, for example. This is a loose tie that others will see and attempt to break. Others will think we'll back down with enough pressure—that we're only giving face when we say you're under our banner."

"But you wouldn't back down, would you?"

"Of course not," she assured, waving away his words. "But that doesn't mean attempts won't be made and pressure not applied. It's all about appearances. It's important to note, though, that there are pros and cons to each option. Should you agree with my proposal, you will be firmly in our camp and have greater protection from outside forces, but as a result, you will have more responsibilities. This means that your actions will have a greater effect on the family reputation. If you get into a feud with some aristocrat or noble, we will be dragged into it, and bad behavior will reflect poorly on us, with others thinking we condone your actions.

"If you decline, things will be as they have been. You'll have more independence, and your reputation won't be as tightly bound to ours. You'll have the same protection, but outsiders will still approach and pester you much more."

Lukas asked a few questions, and they talked for close to half an hour. Despite that, Lukas was still uncertain and didn't know how to feel about the proposal.

Lukas frowned beneath his mask and was silent for a minute, fiddling with his fingers. "I…"

"You don't have to decide now," Kora said, holding out a hand to forestall him. "The reason I bring this up now is so you can think it over. I'll want an answer before our little get-together, though, and if you decline right now but change your mind in the future, that's fine as well."

Lukas nodded, mulling over the options in his mind. "O-Okay."

"Good." She stood. "It's time for your training."

"Great!" Akira said, springing up from her spot next to Lukas and heading for the door. "I'm going to get something to eat, I'm starving. See you later, Lu—"

"You're not going anywhere," Kora said, stopping her daughter in her tracks. "You'll be joining us. Lukas will need someone to practice on, and besides, it never hurts to go over the basics."

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Akira threw her head back and let out a sigh. "Fine."

Five minutes later, the three were sitting in the center of an elaborate yet simple octagonal meditation chamber. Like the rest of the lodge, it was decorated in rustic hues and incorporated nature wherever possible. Thick beams of rejuvenating pine were wrapped in blossoming vines and held up the vaulted ceiling. Windows in the ceiling allowed for natural light to flood the room during the day; at night, they gave an impressive view of the night sky. Mosaic murals covered each open wall, depicting peaceful scenes of nature—from the wild forest just outside the walls to the plains from which the Anuk ancestor originated. Hidden among the murals, disguised as constellations or winding rivers, were arrays that gathered and funneled mana toward the center of the room.

In the middle of the chamber were a handful of cushions that surrounded a large blue crystal embedded in the ground. Just looking at the crystal put Lukas' thoughts at ease and seemed to refresh his tired mind. Then there was the energy—extremely dense and of much higher quality than what was available in the meditation chamber in his residence. Lukas doubted it was enough for someone as highly ranked as Kora, but for him and Akira, it was amazing.

Taking a seat with her back to the central crystal, Kora had Lukas and Akira sit before her, the two side by side.

"Before we get started, I want the two of you to meditate for half an hour in order to settle your mental states after such an eventful day. Once that's done, we'll begin."

With a nod, Lukas shut his eyes and slipped into meditation. At first, he was annoyed—meditating for thirty minutes before the actual training just meant that he'd get back to his guest house even later than he thought. Then he realized he would've meditated later anyway, so it wasn't too bad. He just hoped half an hour was enough time to consolidate a level in both his classes.

He was already extremely close to leveling both thanks to the day's activities; all he needed was time. Thankfully, consolidation could be helped along by channeling mana. Lukas hadn't noticed this at first, just trying to channel his mana without it immediately dispersing. Things were still a little rocky in that area, but some experimenting showed him that certain mana flows through the channels made what he called motes of experience centralize faster. He also noticed that doing both at the same time helped compress his already consolidated gains further—like squeezing a snowball until it was as small as it could get.

With all that being said, Lukas wasn't entirely sure what was being formed in his mind's eye. When he'd first started meditating and consolidating, it was all just a mental image that helped him simplify the concepts behind what he was doing. Now, those motes of experience almost seemed real, and Lukas could just about make out faint lines throughout his body. He assumed those were his channels and that they'd become clearer the more he meditated properly. Then there was the glowing orb of experience that floated around his solar plexus—everything he'd consolidated so far, the accumulation of everything that had happened since taking on the Stone of Rebirth.

The thing was, Lukas didn't really know what purpose it served. Was it just a product of his imagination, or did it actually do something? Unfortunately, it was something he'd have to put on the shelf for now—he already had too much to learn and do. It would just have to get added to the ever-growing "to-do" list.

Around twenty-five minutes into meditation, notifications popped into Lukas's view, and his experience crystallized into the levels he'd been aiming for.

Level gained: [Rogue of the Night] has reached level 28 — Stat points allocated.

Level gained: [Human (Outworlder)] has reached level 29 — Stat points allocated.

Level gained: [Combat Alchemist] has reached level 31 — Stat points allocated.

With a deep, satisfied breath, Lukas reveled in the influx of stats as they settled into his body. It wasn't much, considering the amount he already possessed. It was due to this that he barely felt anything at all, but he knew all too well how a few stat points could mean life or death.

Opening his eyes, Lukas pulled up his status to see what the day had earned him.

Lukas Hellstrand

Race: Human (Outworlder [unique]) - Level 29 Class 1 - Combat Alchemist - Level 31 Class 2 - Rogue of Night - Level 28 Health Points: 1190/1190 Stamina: 1085/1090 Mana: 1190/1190

Stats Vitality: 119 Endurance: 109 Intelligence: 105 Wisdom: 119 Agility: 166 Perception: 109 Toughness: 143 Strength: 137 Willpower: 76

Free Points: 16

Titles: Prodigious Dimensional Traveler, Unkillable, True Heart of a Warrior, Indomitable Worm, Hierophant of the Risen Goddess, Unceasing.

Abilities: Combat Alchemist Abilities: (Amber Eye of the Alchemist [lvl - 1]), (Domain of the Combat Alchemist [lvl - 0]).

Rogue of Night Abilities: (Lurker of the Shadows [lvl - 1]), (Star Forged Armory [lvl - 0]).

Race Abilities: (Dimensional Traveler), (Tribute of the Fallen), (Steel Gut), (Tongue of the Multiverse), (Stranger in a Strange Land).

It had been a few days since Lukas had last checked his status—the same day he'd gotten his new armor and puzzle box, in fact. To say his progress in such a short time was meteoric would be an overstatement, but it was still impressive considering all the things taking up his time. He was certain that if he weren't held back by contracts and training that consumed most of his day, he could achieve a monstrous leveling speed.

While that would be nice and make him feel a lot stronger and more secure, it wouldn't do him any good in the long run. Despite how much Lukas just wanted to go out into the wild and let loose, doing his own thing, he knew that all the time he spent training and learning now would pay dividends in the future. He just needed to stick with it and take things slow and steady for the time being.

For the next few minutes, Lukas familiarized himself with his updated status screen, making sure everything was in order. Once the thirtieth minute passed, both Akira and Kora opened their eyes.

"Now that we're all in a calm state of mind, it's about time we get started," Kora said, fully unleashing her aura and pressing it down on Lukas.

What followed were hours of intensive aura training that pushed Lukas' soul and aura control harder than ever before. Kora's opening move of quashing Lukas' aura like a bug was a demonstration of what could be accomplished with proper and concise control. Naturally, Lukas hadn't been affected by the suppression for whatever reason, and neither woman was surprised—they'd already experienced his strangeness in this area.

After a few more demonstrations of different techniques and applications, Kora moved into lecture mode. It was a lot of the same material he'd heard before from both Akira and Sera—mostly reiterating the connection the soul had to the physical body, its relation to the metaphysical body, and how one's aura was an expression of the soul.

All in all, it was a bunch of stuff that Lukas would expect to hear in any new-age crystal shop back home—the kind of place that would have him rolling his eyes so much they'd fall out. Here in this world, though, Lukas ate up every word, committing it all to memory.

From there, they moved on to what Lukas could only call exercises for the soul and aura—though they were more like stretches. Kora had both Lukas and Akira manipulate their auras in certain, often confusing, ways. It was all an attempt to focus the aura in a particular direction and infuse it with intent, making it do what they wanted it to.

This was where Lukas struggled with his soul strength. Before, it hadn't been much of a problem—the only things he was doing were simple retractions and expansions. There wasn't a whole lot of fine control required there. It was far different now.

It was like he was a clumsy toddler with superhuman strength. The movements and exercises weren't too bad, but he'd overshoot every time, not knowing his own strength. Things improved as the night wore on, but it was difficult to restrain himself with something still so new.

The previous training he'd done helped a lot with the broader movements, and some of the techniques he'd already practiced started to bleed into his finer control. It quickly became clear that once Lukas learned to tone down the power behind his control, he'd make progress in leaps and bounds. It was just like with anything else he did with his soul and aura.

A few hours later, once Kora was happy with Lukas' control, she had him attempt to suppress Akira's aura. Akira, for her part, was not at all enthused about the prospect of having someone with such clumsy control but absurd strength suppress her. Lukas could only agree—the last thing he wanted to do was give one of his only friends a brain hemorrhage.

However, Kora assured them that she would be guiding Lukas' hand, so to speak, making sure he didn't do any damage while also ensuring he understood what he needed to do.

In the end, Lukas manipulated his aura and filled it with his intent, leveling it at Akira. Judging by the look on her face at that moment, she could definitely tell what was looming over her. As Lukas went to apply spiritual pressure on her, he found what could best be described as a mold for him to use to help guide him.

It was made of Kora's gold-ranked aura and soul—something that Lukas wasn't going to be able to break with his copper-ranked soul, even if he had a soul as strong as a silver ranker's.

For the next hour or so, Lukas continuously suppressed Akira's aura. Each time he did, she grew pale and looked increasingly ill. During each attempt, he found himself aware of strange impressions and sensations, and he wondered what they were and why they were so confusing. Asking after a few more tries, Kora explained that he was getting a look at Akira's soul. That explanation left him a little uneasy and made him feel like a peeping Tom—looking in on another person's literal soul.

When it was all said and done, it was nearly three in the morning, and Lukas' soul felt like a sore, tender muscle. It had definitely gotten a good workout, and it made the walk to his residence feel like an eternity. What's more, he felt ten times as tired as he had a few hours ago. It didn't help that he hadn't slept in three days. Suffice it to say, he wasn't going to be getting anything else done that night.

Stepping into his residence, he wanted nothing more than to fall to the floor and just pass out, but he stopped himself.

Blinking hard to keep himself awake, he suddenly found his patron goddess there with him.

"Soul strain like that tires out the mind quickly," she explained. "Too much can be harmful, so it's best that you get on up to bed."

Nodding wordlessly, Lukas allowed Sera to drag him up to his room in a blur. In what felt like both a second and a lifetime, he was lying in his bed, already fast asleep.

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