The bed was comfortable. A warm light filtered through the window into the small room bathing the scene in a peaceful glow. The nostalgic sounds of people starting their day drifted hazily into the room as a gentle breeze briefly lifted the sheer curtains, sending them fluttering lightly. For the first time in a long time, Alan felt safe.

He didn't trust it.

He had woken up what must have been an hour ago and had been on edge ever since. A confusing mass of emotions boiled within him as he tried to let himself enjoy the simple pleasure of lying in a bed. But it was hard to relax. One feeling surfaced above the rest: Fear.

Here he was, a lone boy found stumbling around the Expanse. Suspicious didn't even begin to describe it.

He had needed to get back to civilization. There was nowhere else for him to go, but that didn't mean he could trust any of it. He had no idea if his captors had forgotten about him after all of this time, or if they were still searching for him. He had to assume the worst and that they would be waiting. He knew he would die before being taken prisoner again. He had promised himself that he would never go back down into that hole.

If his fear was sharp and bright inside of him, then the hope he felt was a jumbled mixture of excitement and relief.

He had made it back. That alone was more than he could have hoped for, and the harsh cruelty of his time with the lizards in the dark was already fading away like a bad dream. A horrible nightmare.

He got lost for a moment watching the curtain move in the breeze, and he compared what he was seeing to what [Sense] told him was happening. It was a bit disorienting, but also enjoyable. Everything was filled with so much color and light.

Alan liked the simple room he found himself within. He liked the polished smoothness of the wooden floors, which gave off a warm and comforting feeling. He liked the bed itself, the only piece of furniture in the room, which was simple yet functional. And he was terrified of whoever might come in through the closed door across from him, interrupting the tranquil stillness.

Naturally, he had tried to run away when he had first woken up, but of course, the door had been locked. The window was too small for him to fit through, which left him no obvious way out. Then again, realistically, where would he go? The short move from the bed to the door had been surprisingly exhausting for him. His body lacked strength, his muscles ached, and he felt weak. So, sore and hurting, he had stumbled back into the bed to wait. And wait.

Wherever it was that he had ended up, he was being treated nicely. He had been given new clothes to wear made of rough but clean wool. His arm was tightly wrapped in a sling, and various other scrapes and injuries had been bandaged. It did not seem like the actions someone would take if they were planning on locking him up in a dungeon. But there were just too many unknowns.

So he did what he could to prepare.

First, he had checked his Status and considered his new Skill [Mana Manipulation]. His eyes tightened slightly as he recalled the delirium he had been experiencing when he acquired the Skill, as mana had flooded his mind.

Human Male, Age 16 MP (mana) 70/95 (*regen 1.166/second) SP (stamina) 0/885 Stats (Un-Allocated: 0) Strength: 1 Vitality: 59 Dexterity: 44 Intelligence: 4 Wisdom: 0 Luck: 61 Skills

Hide (passive) Level 7: *89/100 till next level

You become harder to locate and track. Those with low perception will easily overlook you even if you are directly in front of them. You are immune to low-level tracking and sensing skills. Mid-level skills directed at perceiving you are debuffed.

Hidden Items: *none*

Sustain (passive/active): Level 6. Multiplier: Vitality. *12/100 till next level.

You have gained a unique class of SP (stamina points). You have immunity to hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and damage through SP. You can instantly convert SP directly into MP at a rate of 10SP to 1MP.

Low-level poisons and negative status effects resulting from consumption do not affect you.

Sense (passive/active): Level 8. *13/100 till next level

You can mentally visualize the world around you through all of your senses. By extending your Mana beyond yourself you have gained the ability to recognize ambient Mana and Mana within yourself.

Low-level hiding abilities are ineffective against Sense. You are immune to low-level illusions and resistant to mid-level illusions.

Vital Strike (active): Level 5. Multiplier: Dexterity. Cooldown: 5 seconds. *93/100 till next level

Deal critical damage when attacking vital areas. Drastically increased speed and accuracy when attacking a vital area. A good chance to instantly execute one or two secondary critical attacks after the first one.

Requirement: must be performed with a sharp object.

Mana Manipulation (active): Level 1. Multiplier: Intelligence. *17/100 till next level

You can move nearby ambient mana. Cost 20MP/second/cubic-meter of mana. Distance and density of Mana increase this cost.

*none*

The good news was that [Sustain] had leveled up. Thinking about it reminded him to try to eat as much as possible to build up his SP again. It was at zero, meaning he was in too bad of shape for it to rise on its own. Not surprising.

The bad news was that [Mana Manipulation] looked like a horrible choice of a Skill for him. He had been focusing on allocating to Vitality and Dexterity and Luck, and even that was a stretch. Most common logic recommended only distributing your Points into two primary Stats. Sometimes if you had the right Skills, it would make sense to allocate between three Stats, but any more and everyone agreed that the Points became too thinly spread to be effective.

Which meant that [Mana Manipulation] would be pretty much useless to him since he wasn't about to start allocating into Intelligence now.

He stifled a sigh as he stared out of the window. His allocations just kept becoming more of a mess. Still, it was not as bad as it seemed. Everyone knew about [Mana Manipulation], and having it could work in his favor.

So Alan waited. Frustration mingled with hope, and fear, and joy, and exhaustion.

He flashed [Sense] outwards at intervals. The door to the room was not overly thick, so it didn't block his perception much. He occasionally was able to [Sense] someone walking down the hallway or moving around, but so far no one he recognized. The rooms on either side of him mimicked his own but remained empty. All told it seemed like a nondescript, normal building, still mostly empty in the early morning.

A knock on the door.

Alan's heart hammered. He had [Sensed] the person approaching so was not surprised by the sudden noise, but he couldn't help his body's reaction. He was unsure if he was excited or fearful at this point, but he tried to calm himself down either way.

"Come in," he said in a hoarse voice, clearing his throat.

The sturdy wooden door began to open slowly, creaking its hinges and rubbing against the floor. A thin man with a simple face and several medical looking instruments strung around his neck stepped through and turned towards Alan with a relaxed smile.

"Hello there, I see you're awake. How are you feeling?" The man stepped further into the room looking Alan up and down.

"I'm feeling fine I guess, Um... Who are you?" Alan asked. He just realized that this was his first conversation since his imprisonment. It shouldn't matter, but he suddenly found himself nervous.

"You can call me Dr. Belman" the man answered. "And that's good to hear. I must say we were quite shocked when they brought you in yesterday. Very happy to hear you are doing well. Very happy. But let's make sure of it, shall we? Do you mind if we go through a few exercises?"

Alan was having flashbacks to his time at the guardhouse in Stonewall. "Of course" he responded carefully.

The doctor smiled and after setting himself up began gently poking and prodding Alan with the variety of tools he had brought with him. He made Alan focus on objects with his eyes, do some light physical activities, and perform various breathing exercises. He poked at the fingers of Alan's ruined hand with a thin needle, and Alan was disappointed to realize that he could not feel anything.

He had been thinking over what he would say earlier, but it turned out to be unnecessary as Belman seemed happy to blather on as he worked without any need for encouragement.

"Obviously we have a lot of questions for you," Belman began. "And now that you're awake I'll be calling the Mana Guild members over since they were very clear that you were theirs. Ah, but how rude of me, first I'm sure you're curious about where you are. Luckily for you, I think I'm at least allowed to tell you that." Belman stopped prodding and began rotating Alan's arm in a circular motion. "You are at Sage's Hospital, and I am a doctor here. As you know Saga is proud of providing the Territory with quality health services, so rest assured we will take good care of you. You came in here with some nasty cuts, a shattered arm, several broken ribs, and a rather nasty case of mana poisoning. Luckily it looks like none of those things proved to be too life-threatening." The doctor paused and made Alan take a deep breath.

Alan's mind raced. There was a lot to unpack there, and he was barely able to digest what the man had said before Belman continued talking.

"You are young, and aside from the arm, I have no doubts that you will recover. Still, we aren't out of the woods just yet. I imagine your body is quite sore and you have a general feeling of weakness yes?" Alan opened his mouth to agree, but the doctor continued before he could answer. "I thought so. So before I go any further, I want to get a list of your Skills. This will let us best know how to treat you. Some people try to leave things out or hide their Skills, and of course, I can't just force you to say what you don't want to say, but know that I am under oath to keep what you tell me confidential. It is an oath I take very seriously, and know that leaving anything out about your Skills, even things that you think are minor, could end up putting your life in danger as we treat you."

Indeed, Alan had been ready to tell a very abbreviated version on his Skills, but oddly he found himself trusting the talkative doctor. It was tempting just to confess everything and be done with it. But he wasn't an idiot, the urge passed quickly.

"Ok, that makes sense." Alan thought for a second, "I have a Skill that lets me eat to recover stamina. And now I have [Mana Manipulation] of course, though my Intelligence Stat is low so I'm a bit upset about that one. That's about it as far as Skills go." He wasn't about to give away anything more than he needed. But if he could get them to give him more food, well that would go a long way in helping him feel better.

"A Skill that recovers stamina through food?" Belman tapped at his leg as he stared hard at Alan. "I assume you have Stamina Points correct? Does your SP have any additional benefits thanks to this Skill? Is your Skill [Over Eat] or [Metabolize] perhaps? It couldn't possibly be [Gluttony] right?" Belman continued to stare at him and folded his arms. "Well whatever it is, it is clear you are holding a lot back here so once again I will recommend highly against it, if you just tell me the exact description of your Skills I can put together a treatment plan that will suit you best." Belman pointed to Alan's arm in the sling, "for example, depending on what Skills you have, your dead arm may not be such a lost cause."

Alan met the doctor's eyes. "I appreciate that you are trying to help me, but that's all I'm willing to say. I will admit that giving me as much food as possible will help me greatly." Alan could at least be direct with the man.

Belman sighed and stood up, wiping his hands on pants in the process. "I understand, I'll send word to the kitchens to cook some extra portions," he smiled gently. "Get some rest and think on what I said. We're here to help so just knock on the door if you need anything. I shouldn't say much more, but the Mana Guild representative will be here soon, and they can answer more of your questions."

With that the doctor finished packing up and left the room, leaving Alan alone once more.

Well now, that was interesting.

Alan thought through the exchange. Clearly, the doctor was under some orders not to reveal too much to him, but then again it didn't look like the man took that order too seriously. More importantly, he was not in Strength!

Alan hoped that he had been able to keep the shock off of his face as the doctor was talking. He was in Saga! This improved his chances drastically. He had assumed that he had ended up in Boulder since it was the last city he had seen before being trapped underground. Instead, it looked as if he had crossed under the Expanse in his journey through the caves. The tunnels must extend further than he thought.

Saga. The Wisdom Territory. It was centrally located amongst the other Territories and known for its merchants and for the council that ran its government. However, that's about all Alan really knew about it, and he suddenly wished that his education had not been so Strength specific.

Either way, it was a good thing. He didn't yet have a mark to prove or disprove his Territory citizenship and whoever had imprisoned and tortured him, whoever had forced him underground and had killed everything and everyone he had ever known. Whoever might still be watching out for him. Whoever they were, it was likely they would not be checking other Territories too carefully. Likely but still not impossible, it wouldn't do to let his guard down just yet. Or ever.

Alan was feeling a bit more confident in his situation. A knot of stress he hadn't even known was there seemed to unwind itself in his neck. He relaxed in the bed and continued flashing [Sense] as the sun rose higher and the day truly began.

Nurses came and went. Unlike Dr. Belman from before, they refused to talk to him. One nurse, a rather thin and pale man, seemed to actively dislike him, glaring at him openly every time Alan asked a simple question. Eventually, food came and Alan began eating. And eating and eating. And then he continued eating.

Belman had been true to his word and sent up large portions of food, but a look of uncertainty spread out among the nurses after he had cleaned his tenth bowl. The food was a simple thick soup, made with vegetables and chicken and served with a hearty bread. It was basic but filling, and Alan ate it almost as fast as it came to him. His SP was still zero, but he was beginning to feel better all told.

They eventually stopped giving him food after making sure he was alright, and he found himself falling asleep against his will as the warm sheets wrapped him tightly and food filled his stomach. His breathing deepened, and his eyes felt heavy. It was so easy just to rest his eyes for a moment...

Alan's eyes shot open. He rolled away from the bed immediately but not elegantly, and ended up hurting his arm in the process and tangling the sheets around himself. He was barely able to maintain his balance as he landed on the floor and crouched down low ready to attack or flee.

Startled, disoriented from the combination of [Sense] and sight, and with his mind still waking up, he found himself staring directly into a pair of dark blue eyes narrowed in amusement.

"Oh?" The owner of the eyes put her hands on her hips and cocked her head at him. She looked down at him.

She was a squat, solid woman with dark hair and dark eyes. She wore a bright red uniform and had her hair tied back tightly. She must have stepped into the range of [Sense], alerting him of her presence. After living in constant danger for so long, Alan had come to rely on the Skill even in sleep.

The moment stretched as Alan continued to stare at her.

"That was a very curious reaction young man. Can't say I was expecting it." She took a step back and leaned against the wall opposite the window. "But we have plenty of time to delve into all of that later. For now, let me introduce myself, my name is Jan and I'm here on behalf of the Mana Guild. How are you feeling?"

Alan forced his body to relax and flashed [Sense] to get a handle on the situation. Coming in through the door behind Jan was the man that Alan remembered from stumbling around in the Expanse. The man with the beard and the scar across his face. The one who had saved him.

A few rooms away, Alan [Sensed] doctor Belman waiting with some men he did not recognize. Everything else was a random assortment of people going about their business. At least it was easy enough to verify that he was definitely in a hospital.

"I'm alright, you just startled me is all." Alan went back to the bed to sit down. The abrupt movement had not been good for him. "Mana Guild you said?" The man with the scar moved to stand behind the woman.

The woman's eyes crinkled up again, and she answered with a smirk.

"Yes, Mana Guild. And I won't let you pretend you don't know what that means. And while we're at it lets not pretend that the way you were found isn't suspicious as hell. I don't think I've ever heard of finding someone wandering alone in the Expanse before, at least not someone without a decent level of [Mana Manipulation] in their Skills, and you know we keep good track of such people. Which brings me to the main reason we're all in this nice little room right now instead of you being questioned by the guards. I hear you obtained the Skill [Mana Manipulation]? Give me your hand. Don't speak. Just obey for now yes?"

She held out her hand expectantly. Alan was wide awake now and thinking through the situation. He reached out for her hand. It was surprisingly soft.

She closed her fingers around his hand. "Now take some ambient mana and try to push it into my fingers. There's a lot less mana to throw around inside the barrier, but I should still be able to feel anything you try to do." She looked at him expectantly.

Alan obeyed quickly, hoping he was right in understanding where this interaction was heading. He hadn't had much experience with [Mana Manipulation] other than when he had been struggling to keep conscious, but if it was like his other Skills is should be pretty intuitive. Focusing on the air around Jan's finger he tried to activate the Skill.

Nothing happened.

"Any time now." Jan's grip tightened around Alan's hand.

Ok then.

Alan tried to [Sense] the Mana first. Maybe if he could [Sense] it, then he could use [Mana Manipulation] to move it more easily. He focused [Sense] and caught the perception of the mana at his core pushing it outwards in an attempt to feel the ambient mana around Jan's hand. It was a simple process for him now. But as soon as his mana moved outside of his body, he felt Jan tense, and before he knew it the man with scar was next to him throwing him to the ground and pinning him to the floor.

"Stop!" Jan yelled loudly into the room at the same moment. The pain hit him a second later and his breath left him. The man with the scar did not seem inclined to let him up.

A moment of stillness. He heard Jan's footsteps circling him after a time. It was hard to breathe with the man's knee in his back and his face pressed against the wooden flooring.

"That was not [Mana Manipulation]. That seemed more like [Sense] or a thin [Shield], but I can't be sure. What did you do?" The circling footsteps stopped.

"[Sense]" Alan choked out, face pressed against the floor. He didn't think it was good to lie right now. "I was just trying to do what you told me to."

Another moment of stillness permeated the room. The pressure kept increasing, and Alan was finding it harder and harder to fill his lungs. For some reason, from the corner of his eye he noticed the curtains once more being pushed around by an easy breeze.

"Let him up."

At Jan's words, the pressure eased and the scarred man backed up against the wall once more. Suddenly free, Alan coughed catching his breath. He took a moment for himself and then patiently stood up. His body felt weak, but he forced himself to stand straight and look directly at Jan across the room.

He coughed once more. "What was that?" He couldn't help but ask. He genuinely wanted to cooperate here. It was an unexpected turn, but the Mana Guild could be very useful to him.

"What that was," Jan said after a time, "was you being an idiot. Or maybe just a good lesson. Don't manipulate mana in unexpected ways when a Guild member has opened themselves to your manipulation." She sighed and shook her head as if clearing it.

"You seem confused, but suffice to say I wasn't expecting that. How old are you? Sixteen? Seventeen? Assuming you're telling the truth, which trust me, we will figure out, how in the seven hells do you have [Sense]? I've seen maybe a handful of people who have managed to acquire that Skill, and none of them are even close to young. Though I do guess that explains how you reacted to my approach earlier... " She trailed off and looked at Alan curiously.

"Whatever," she shrugged. "We'll figure it out back at the base, but I do need to confirm that you have [Mana Manipulation] before we go further. Let's try this again, shall we? And this time try not being so rude."

She smirked as she held out her hand once more.

Not really having much choice in the matter, Alan reached out and took it.