I awoke in darkness. The few holes dug for air didn’t let in much light if any. King was the only source of illumination and as he slept, he only pulsed from the inside with pure light every so often like a machine on sleep mode.

My campfire stones were gone but I didn’t recast them. I wanted actual sunlight before I got today's work done. With only today left before Maria was back at school, we didn’t have much time to clear the last of the Zone and see the results.

I yawned and made a Purity Stone for my hygiene needs. These things were a lifesaver. They removed bad breath, body odour and... well other bodily functions done in a corner. I could buy a winter's worth of food and seal myself in with little danger except absolute boredom and human loneliness. King was good but his discussion on my powers or what to do in my life was far to advance for a mortal like myself to understand.

It had even levelled once from all this use along with my camping stones.

Purity Stone has reached level 4! Now have limited shapes if so desired!

Campfire stone has reached level 4! Heat is now more comfortable for all in range by matching the desired level individually instead of sharing ambient heat level.

Quality of life changes was awesome.

I pushed King’s fake wall down into a pile to reach outside. I gave another yawn as I reached the edge of the tunnel and nearly fell on my rear at the sight of the trainyard. Green pushed up from the previously barren grounds. Train wheels had growing leafy plants that snaked up the side of the ugly rust buckets. Wildflowers bloomed in sunny spots while what sounded like a gurgling drain nearby flowed with clear water from the rain that had passed over the night before.

There was an almost peaceful forest vibe to the air as birds chirped and rested in newly built nests. It was like the place had fast-forwarded 10 years and no one had stopped to nature from taking hold...

It is only so green in the centre. It’s a ripple effect. The further from the original Malice Zone location, the slower they’ll grow. No one would notice unless they actively come into the area already.

My System said before I could panic.

“It’s beautiful but how did it happen? Just because I chose a reward?” I blinked.

Malice drives off good spirits. Not merely human. Spirits exist in all things in this world. Spirits of nature, the rocks, birds... they would have been repelled by the ambient Malice in the area. If the Malice Zone isn’t completed then it will push them away again.

“Malice makes areas feel negative and gives people the creeps... but good spirits can make areas like this a mystery or a secret or even a hidden place for people,” I mused, sort of seeing how it was working now.

Reality is what you make of it. If a reality where good can flourish is your desire? Then the world will bloom but it will take much work.

I nodded.

“Speaking of work. How can I help you get good marks with me? I wanna help you in return for helping me,” I said casually and the System went quiet,

Keep being yourself. Be aware of power and your effect on those not equal... and as paradoxical as it seems? Don’t treat this world as a game... grow and System will flourish like these flowers. Telling you exact points and consequences is... not allowed to prevent forgery of System’s efforts.

I waved that off.

“No worries. Leave it to me then!” I grinned. System flicked with a happy beep and I was left with a history of my notifications from last night. I had managed quite a bit before I passed out.

I had been mostly toying with my ice to get it up to a decent level. I was glad to say I had it right where I wanted it.

Frostbrand has reached level 5! Skill is ready to evolve!

Ice Affinity has reached level 3! Increased control over the element.

I let it evolve and waited for my path choices. I wanted to let my brain rest before I did this. I was sure they’d be almost identical to Flamebrand. One strong item or many weaker ones.

Frostbrand is evolving! Please choose path for skill to develop on.

Aura of chill: Change the skill into becoming a non-physical aura that chills those in close range. Cannot be applied directly to items.

Frostbite: Allow two items to be applied with ice and contact with the ice causes it to spread to attacking foes and causing frostbite if contact is long enough.

The aura was kind of awesome, being able to just harm someone by being in range was always cool.

“Do you know if Aura affects allies?” I asked and the System answered quickly.

It will have a reduced effect but prolonged exposure might cause issues. Unlike Pyro Infusion, an aura is an effect on the environment while Pyro is creating the flame and is more controlled. While you lower the temperature, you cannot control the cold as firmly.

I frowned, the whole skill was good and maybe levelling it would give me firm control, the last thing I wanted was to be like one of the Reaper Captains.

All those Bankais and not being able to use it because friendly fire just isn’t a feature.

I chose Frostbite and the skill changed.

Frostbrand has evolved into Cryo-Infusion!

Cryo-Infusion. Rank F. Active. Magical. Lv.1: Coat two objects in biting ice that can leave ice on impact that will afflict the enemy. Smaller items will retain ice longer after leaving contact with body. Cost 7 Energy for activation. 5 Energy 15 seconds for sustain.

Combo skill unlocked!

By mixing the natural enemies of fire and ice under firm control, you have created the skill ‘FrostFlame’!

FrostFlame. Rank F. Active. Magical. Combo. Lv 1: Create ice with heated energy trapped inside that will burn a target on contact or coat your weapons or hands in cold fire that will leech heat on impact, freezing a foe to death. Cost 15 Energy. Last 30 seconds.

Combo skills were weird.

This one let me apply fire damage in ice form or cold damage in a fire method. Handy for the fact it was gonna trick opponents up but it wasn’t a fusion greater than the sum of its parts really.

Sure it was only level one but...

I asked the System to explain a little bit more about combo skills while I had some apples for breakfast. I really needed to go food shopping soon...

Combo skills are the marriage of two skills by intertwining paths. For example, pyro and cryo infusion would both individually develop their elements in different ways and forms. The combo skill allows you to focus on a skill that remains solely on the basic of each skill but at the same time will become much easier to manage simply because it gets the benefits of more passives from each tree. It is considered both fire and ice in terms of the System. Combo skills are your general workers that can cover many bases and work well with support. The skills making it up are specialised and take longer to train due to their more isolated field.

Combo skills aren’t better than their parts but simply offer more options you didn't have before.

Right... so a lawyer and a doctor had a kid which became a lawyer to patients where a doctor wasn’t able to advise and a lawyer wouldn’t know the jargon or a doctor that was able to handle criminals or political patients due to his connections and knowledge of the tricky government.

Or something like that.

I coated my hand in Frostfire, letting cobalt blue fire dance. It was almost like an intense fire of blue but it didn’t exactly behave normally... Instead of flickering, it swayed. I let it vanish and looked at my handy System clock.

Barely 8 am. Maria wouldn’t be over until after Sunday mass and such. She said about 3 pm at the latest. I hoped she had fun. I was never a mass person but it seemed like a good community thing if you were into it.

---

Maria groaned as she curled up on her bed. Her father put down some water and painkillers.

“Might be a stomach bug,” he announced grimly. Maria was sweating from the pain slightly. She damn well knew it wasn’t a bug. She had eaten her full of cheese and changed back but for some reason... the full feeling of a mouse directly became a much more full feeling in her human stomach.

Maria had no idea how physics would allow such a thing but she blamed the Devil. Damn him and his sinful cheese! She knew this would pass.

Maria began to pray and her own body became a glowing form. Her stomach eased on the pressure. Maria sighed in relief until she noticed that the pressure had simply moved on and was following biology.

“Better out than in... that’s what I was always told about hell,” Maria mumbled.

---

Maria was having fun, I was sure of it. I just hoped she experimented with her new powers slowly. I was pretty sure there were some kinks about Violet gems we hadn’t worked out yet. I would need to level my frog skin to find out but I was ready to stretch my legs in a morning stroll.

Going for a walk was never a bad idea!

---

I whistled as I exited the store with bags filled snack food, fruit, water, and a few nick nacks like flashlights, matches, and even a cheap pair of good shoes.

Shopping was the best!

Two girls walked past and I didn’t really pay them attention until I heard one admonished another and something hit the ground without either of them noticing. A purse. I bent down, picked it up and without even needing to think, jogged after them.

“Excuse me, you dropped this!” I called and both turned. I think I nearly shrieked as a pair of warm brown eyes and an alert brown eyes.

Both of them stared at the purple purse with a cute little smiling onion on it. Orihime Inoue gasped as she reached for it. I was too stunned to move.

“Oh! I must have dropped it when I went to show you my page about Mr Sumo king the wrestler of the east magazine!” she told Tatsuki Arisawa, her best friend and resident ass-kicker of normal people.

“It’s all that weird junk you eat that makes you clumsy... thanks,” Tatsuki said to me with a long look.

“You’re from out of town!” Orihime said with excitement suddenly. She leaned in and I leaned back in reaction.

Brain, think. Do something!

“You from in the town!” I said cheerfully as I could.

“I am!” Orihime said in amazement. Her vibrant orange hair was really different from Tatsuki’s blacker shade

“European? British?” Tatsuki guessed. I made a ‘so-so’ gesture.

“What gave it away? The pale complexion or the accent?” I grinned as I let Orihime take her purse back.

“Something like that,” she smirked and then frowned.

“Do you want a reward for the purse or-” she began but I took a step back.

“No, I just wanted to return it. It sucks to lose your money and a favourite purse or wallet,” I said. Why did I want to run so badly?

I asked this and in my own head a little voice went ‘plot plot plot death Aizen death!’. Psh, I was scared of the plot when I was nothing to no one? Tatsuki shrugged and turned to leave but Orihime took a confident step forward.

“I can’t be so rude! I hope you can accept my dearest thanks and well wishes. We shop at this mart a lot so please don’t be a stranger! I’d love to hear about the Yeti you have in your country or the Lock Niece Monster!” she gasped in awe at something only she saw.

Something I was sure I was better off not seeing.

Ah crap, my nature to please people and be friendly was overriding the screeching in the head. Tatsuki looked pained but guided the girl back to her side.

“We’ll treat you to a soda sometimes if we meet again...” she looked at me expectantly.

“Russ... I mean, Russel,” I offered. She nodded as if this sealed the deal.

“I’m Tatsuki Arisawa. This is Orihime. Please don’t mind her…” Tatsuki just vaguely gestured to Orihime in her entirely. The girl was still seeing Yetis and monster nieces in her imagination.

“Her... don’t mind her,” Tatsuki grinned and they walked off.

I just talked to a main character. Shit, I just talked to Ichigo’s future wife, Orihime! Fuck! I just talked to the reality rejector and Hogyoku mutated Fullbringer! And Tatsuki... the girl whose biggest role came from a joke arc involving Urahara joke power costumes.

What an unbalanced friendship. Tatsuki to be forgotten when she was just as strong-willed as Orihime... All because Tatsuki’s mother wasn’t attacked by a Hollow before she was born.

I pondered that for a while as I walked back to the Tunnel. The number of times that girl nearly died due to being dragged into the plot was... scary.

Sora, Hollow squid bitch, Hollow bait invasion in general, Yammy soul-sucking, random female Arrancar, Aizen full-on Hogyoku mode who made normal people melt by being near him.

It was...

Treat you to a soda if we meet again!

It made me feel sick inside my chest.

“Reality is what I make of it?” I said to the empty street. I started to walk again.

I wanted a reality where people drawn into danger because Ichigo ‘trying to protect them’ by keeping them in the dark were able to at least run. It wasn’t even just Ichigo.

Orihime, Sado, Uryu...

It was hard to believe they wouldn’t do something but I couldn’t throw stones, not the good ones anyway. Wasn’t I trying to avoid the plot because it was stupid to get involved? If I helped them in any way?

I was throwing my hat into the ring. I stood outside the Tunnel and dropped my shopping into the inventory. I decided then and there... to leave the angsting to Ichigo. I was just no good at it.

If Ichigo got Orihime?

I was going to nab Tatsuki because I was a bleeding heart with the power to make people strong if I was willing to share my gains.

And if there was something I was taught well... it was to share my toys with nice boys and girls. If Tatsuki ended up being to bitch slap Ichigo out his funks or break an Arrancar’s jaw? That was just a bonus!

Butterflies?

Nah, I just let loose the dragon of chaos and I felt...

Good about myself.

---