It was peaceful inside his [Rune Storage], as Lee looked over the intricate and complex RuneScape he'd designed. It would still need to be tested, of course, his [Rune Storage] didn't tell him if it was viable or not. "Tested at a distance," Lee thought as he took in the rather large and power-intensive RuneScape.

Something poked him and Lee jumped as he realized that another person was crouched next to him. "Maybe I do need a bodyguard…" He recognized who it was before opening his eyes… "Alejandro! I'm glad you're okay!"

"Brother." Alejandro smiled. "Good to see you awake. Ready for dinner?"

Lee finally noticed that it was dark outside the garage. "Ah… yes!" Alejandro had started insisting that Lee eat dinner with his family every night, and though he had missed the last two, Lee enjoyed the dinners, it was a nice touch of normalcy in their crazy new world. "But first, I want to test something."

Alejandro pulled him to his feet and Lee had them all move back away from him. He pulled up another of the smaller RuneScapes that he'd designed from his storage and with a thought, sent it to the floor around him. A ring of glowing symbols sprang to light and a shimmer in the air sprang from it to meet above his head in a dome of power. "Try hitting it," Lee said and Alejandro gestured for Miller to go ahead.

"Um, Sir, I'd rather not." The sergeant hesitated. "I don't want the building to think I'm attacking you…" He glanced around nervously.

Alejandro laughed. "That's good thinking, Sergeant."

Lee couldn't fault that, so he pulled back the Runes and stepped next to the others before replacing the circle. "There, now try hitting it." Only then did Lee realize that it hadn't hurt to use Mana. A quick check of his Status had him smiling as Miller slammed a fist into the bubble. His smile dimmed when the shield flickered under the punch. The circle of Runes also dimmed noticeably before Lee felt [Three] pump more Mana into them. "Damn… I was hoping that would work better. Try a sword?" The shield that he'd put over the courtyard had been strong enough to walk on and held up against Jake's exploding arrow, as well as the lake of acid from the fly Swarm… "Is it because he is D Rank?" If that was the case, then Lee needed to find a way to improve it before they sheltered all the children there again.

Miller glanced at Alejandro and received a nod before drawing his blade. His slash sent cracks spreading on the shimmering dome, then went right through and the RuneScape went dark on the floor as the small bit of Soul flowed back into him. Lee sighed, "I guess that would have been too easy. Okay Alejandro, let's eat."

"Sergeant, good job." Alejandro saluted to Miller, who returned the salute. "You're dismissed until dawn." Alejandro handed over a handful of Cores. "This will make up for missing the hunting, at least somewhat."

"I don't mind Sir! You've helped me with…"

"I insist." Alejandro grabbed Miller's hand and forced him to take the Cores. "I won't have you falling behind."

"Yes, Sir." Miller saluted again before turning to Lee and repeating the salute. "Sir."

"Don't start that saluting shit with me," Lee said. "It's bad enough that you call me sir all the time."

"Yes, uh… Sir."

Alejandro laughed. "Don't worry about our grouchy Vice-commander, Sergeant, he is probably just hungry."

Lee sighed and then frowned when he saw that he did indeed have a [Hungry] Debuff. Alejandro noticed and smiled widely as he turned to the Anubi still lurking with them. "Tirk, I'll watch over him for awhile, go eat." Alejandro saluted the Anubi who returned his own similar, but not quite the same, gesture.

Lee followed Alejandro upstairs while he wondered how he hadn't noticed Trak leaving. "I really need to pay more attention…" He just tended to get too caught up in his RuneScapes, it was like putting together a complex puzzle, a magic puzzle… it was just fun.

"Lávense las manos," Maria said as soon as they walked in the door. Lee knew what that meant and after a look from her also sent the kids running to the sink, Lee followed them. Anita was growing fast but still couldn't reach the faucet, so Lee summoned a plate and slapped his hovering Runes onto it, after making sure Maria couldn't see him. Gabriel watched with intense interest and Anita climbed on gleefully. Lee had to trap her at the sink before she started trying to take a joyride.

"No Magic at dinner!" Maria yelled from the other room.

Lee flinched and Gabriel grinned at him. "How did she know?" Lee whispered.

Gabriel shook his head with his mouth closed and tapped his ear. "You're right, Gabe," Lee said in a loud whisper. "I should make another one!" The boy's eyes widened in alarm and betrayal as Maria called for them to hurry up. Together they managed to get Anita's hands washed while only getting the clothes of all three of them slightly wet.

"Mama!" Anita exclaimed when they reentered the dining room. "Uncle make fly!"

Maria glared at him and Alejandro chuckled. Lee just smiled, he knew that she wasn't that upset. Maria had softened in her attitude towards him over time. Not that he really understood why she'd been so hostile before, or why she was less so now, but he did enjoy not worrying about getting stabbed.

Lee was placed at the table between the children as usual, to keep them from getting distracted by each other and the almost guaranteed occurrence of thrown food. They all joined hands while Maria said grace and Lee couldn't help peeking while they had their eyes closed. He looked at this family, his new family, all sitting around the table for dinner, and he smiled. It was just so… normal, and good, it was very good.

Their plates were piled high with mystery meat, but with only small servings of beans and rice. "Is there a shortage of beans?" Lee asked as they all started digging in. "Wait! Is Saira okay?"

"She's fine," Alejandro said. "More than fine. She's gotten stronger, it's just that… a lot of her crop was lost in the last attack."

"Oh." Lee swallowed a bite, suddenly reminded of why he'd missed the last two dinners. "I'm getting good at forgetting about my problems…" He wasn't sure if that was bad. "I'm sorry that I knocked myself out and missed the battle. How bad was it?"

"It was not good, but we won in the end," Alejandro said somberly. "and yes, you need to work on that falling asleep thing. Not that I didn't like your attack." He smiled widely. "Went right through the wall and everything!" His smile dimmed. "Maybe use a bit less magic next time?"

"Yea…" Lee frowned. "I'm working on it." He had pulled off some impressive attacks since this all started, but he couldn't think of any times where he remained conscious afterwards.

"On that front, I have something for you later," Alejandro said. "Cores, enough for D Rank."

"No Magic talk." Maria interrupted and Alejandro smiled at her while they all dug in. The couple talked softly back and forth but in Spanish, so Lee didn't follow much of the conversation. What he did pick up consisted mostly of catching each other up on their day.

Lee was almost finished eating when a piece of meat flew behind his back towards Anita. It slowed and stopped before reaching the girl and Lee grinned at Gabriel as it dropped to the floor behind him. The boy's eyes were wide as he scanned over Lee, likely looking for the tell-tale glow of Runes. There was nothing visible, but Gabriel was not deterred and more bits of meat periodically fell to the floor behind Lee.

It stopped when Maria cleared her throat and Lee looked up to find her glaring at Gabriel. The boy shrank down in his seat and was suddenly very interested in eating his food as the glare shifted to Lee. "I didn't do anything." Lee shrugged innocently and her eyes narrowed. "But why does it feel like this is my fault?" Lee only smiled at her, he was glad that one of his ideas had worked. Whether it would work as well in combat, versus children throwing food, well that was another question.

The meal wound down and the dreaded bedtime came for the children. There were plenty of desperate pleas that all fell on deaf ears and of course, they couldn't go without saying goodnight. Gabriel gave Lee a hug. "Goodnight, Uncle Lee. Hurry and Rank up so I can do magic!" Maria made a sound in her throat and Gabriel quickly added. "Uh, Please hurry?"

Lee chuckled along with Alejandro while Maria muttered something under her breath. "I'm very close," Lee told the boy, holding his fingers up close together. "Keep practicing because it might be sooner than you think."

"I will!" Gabriel practically leapt away in his haste as he grabbed his drawing tool and one of Lee's blank discs, before disappearing into his room.

"Now he'll never go to sleep," Alejandro said as Anita trundled up to Lee.

She wrapped her arms around him in a clumsy hug. "Night, Uncle."

Lee was smiling as Maria scooped up the little girl and followed Gabriel. "He'll sleep," Lee said. "I remember being his age, it's all wide-eyed excitement." He snapped his fingers. "Then bam, you wake up in the morning." He watched as she hustled both of them into the bathroom and got them cleaned up, though no more plastic meant no more tooth brushes. Lee pushed aside thoughts of magical gum disease and glanced back to Alejandro. "I'm more worried about if he'll actually enjoy the Class once he tries it. Assuming that you two are still willing to let him."

"At the very least, you'll see his Affinity before the Apprenticeship begins," Alejandro said distractedly as he listened to the children protest against anything and everything. "This could take awhile." He stood. "Come on, I'll get you set up."

"That's right," Lee remembered. "you made Miller your Apprentice. What was his Affinity?"

"It was seventy percent," Alejandro said. "surprisingly high, part of why I chose him."

"That is high?" Lee asked. "What is the standard?"

"Most of those I checked were below fifty. Gabriel was barely ten percent."

"That must have sucked," Lee said.

Alejandro laughed. "I was disappointed! Then I remembered that it is my job to stand between the monsters and everyone else. I much prefer that he learn your Class and stay here where it is safer!"

"I didn't think of that…"

"Come. I need to sleep too. Tomorrow will be busy again."

Alejandro walked Lee next door and they met another armored and armed man waiting outside his door. "This is Private Jackson," Alejandro said as he returned the man's salute. "He will stand guard overnight." Lee wanted to protest but the look on Alejandro's face and the fact that his door still didn't open itself, kept him quiet. "I picked him…" Alejandro continued. "Because Private Jackson here has night vision and is very hard to kill." He faced the younger man squarely. "What is your purpose here tonight, Private?"

The Private saluted clumsily. "If anything tries to get through this door I will make a 'god-awful racket while refusing to die', uh… Sir!"

"That's right!" Alejandro slammed him on the back cheerfully and then preceded Lee inside the apartment.

Lee paused before going in, looking at the young man who was barely more than a boy, certainly he was younger than Lee was, or had been. "Thanks…" Lee said and he meant it, even if the whole situation felt awkward.

"Ah… of course… Sir."

"I may be Vice-Commander," Lee said. "But I'm not a General, please don't call me sir. It makes me feel old…" He trailed off at the look on the other man's face. "Well, goodnight. Sleep well… er, stay awake well?"

That got a small chuckle. "Don't worry, S… I've been on night shift for awhile now so I'm used to it. Just another boring night, hopefully."

Lee left it at that and went inside, where he found Alejandro dumping Cores on his mattress. "Have you decided which attributes to Fortify first?" the man asked.

"Um…" Lee hadn't actually.

Alejandro took a few minutes to explain what had been learned about Fortifying, how people claimed to get better options, and even the testing they'd done between those who had fortified Strength and those who hadn't. It wasn't a doubling by any stretch, but it did appear to make a difference. Alejandro had focused on Vitality first, which was a bit harder to test but he said it had been mentioned on his chosen Evolution.

Lee knew he wanted Intelligence at least and Alejandro had already set aside ten D Rank Intelligence Cores for him in anticipation of that. In the end Lee decided to take Alejandro's suggestion of Vitality, nothing else really called to him and being harder to kill couldn't hurt. After that he would bump Willpower, maybe it would help him not pass out so much… Then, he would have to see how the rest went.

Before Alejandro left, another of the Anubi was knocking at the door. Lee let him in and Alejandro opened the sliding glass door, or whatever passed for glass inside [Three], and let him onto the porch. "This is Ictor. He will keep watch outside." Alejandro slid the door closed while not looking at Lee. "Everytime they attack here," he said quietly out the window. "They always come to this building and we know there are invisible monsters out…"

"It's fine," Lee said. "I get it." He could see it in the other man's eyes all the time. The glances towards his own apartment, towards his family. Alejandro was afraid for them, afraid that Lee would die and his children would be as vulnerable as everyone else. At any time, a new giant monster they hadn't seen before could come crashing through the walls and destroy everything. "Damn! Where did all of that come from?" Lee shook his head, he was probably reading too much into things. "I'll Rank up, and… thanks Alejandro, for all of this."

Alejandro smiled and wrapped an arm around Lee's shoulders in a side hug. "Of course, brother. Good luck, I hope you get a good option." He headed for the door. "Good night." Alejandro also cared about Lee, not just the protection that he had created, but he worried for Lee, worried that he would die…

Lee shook his head as he watched Alejandro close the door behind him. "Where am I getting these weird impressions from?" Alejandro had a few words with the Private, who took up a post directly in front of the door while the older man went next door. Lee stopped watching and focused on the Cores when Alejandro wrapped his wife up in a hug and kissed her. "Okay, okay. Focus on the Cores, he said it will hurt but doesn't actually damage you… I can do this." He'd also said to focus on one Attribute at a time in case he couldn't get all of them. Lee followed the advice and carefully selected individual Cores as he bumped every Stat to one hundred.

You have Reached E Rank Threshold. Evolution Available. Begin? Y/N

"Here we go." Lee picked up nine Intelligence Cores and went through them one by one. It did hurt, but it wasn't too bad. Then he added plus ten to Vitality and the pain started building. Lee carefully and gingerly lay himself back on his bed, each hand on a pile of Cores, Vitality and Willpower respectively. "I can do this. I need to be stronger." At this rate though, he didn't think he would need another pile.

+10 Vitality

+10 Vitality

+10 Vitality

+10 Vitality

+10 Vitality

Now it really hurt. Lee wanted to scream but didn't think he could draw breath or even open his mouth to do it. "I Can Do This! It's not actually hurting me."

+10 Vitality

+10 Vitality

+10 Vitality

Lee thought of the family next door as everything inside him burned, seeing that small bit of peace amid the chaos. "That is worth fighting for!"

+10 Vitality

Those small arms giving him a hug and that innocent voice 'Night Uncle'. "She should keep that innocence!"

+10 Vitality

That was worth some pain. To keep that smile alive.

+10 Willpower

The looks of love he saw in Maria and Alejandro's eyes when they looked at their babies.

+10 Willpower

What was a little pain to preserve that. Pain that paled in comparison to having his Soul ripped apart.

+10 Willpower

"This isn't pain!" He thought of [Three], a tower of strength that protected him.

+10 Willpower

"I will survive!" [Three] loomed large behind him, seeming to prop him up against the pain.

+10 Willpower

"I will be waiting here Stanley!" [Three] was all around him.

+10 Willpower

"I will!" Bright White Runes blazed from every direction in a blinding tapestry.

+10 Willpower

"I Can!" The light grew.

+10 Willpower

"I…" The Bright Light swallowed him.

+10 Willpower

Lee couldn't form a thought through the pain. It was too bright. All he knew was that he had to keep going. He didn't even know what he…

+10 Willpower

Evolution to D Rank has Begun.

It took a moment for Lee to realize that the pain had stopped and even longer for him to focus on what was before him. "I hope I did enough… did Three help me?" It was hard to remember what had been the pain and what had been… anything else.

Evolution Options are Available.

D Rank is Your First True Step into the Multiverse. Your decision here may drastically alter the options Available in Future Evolutions.

Ranking up is a period of personal Evolution and growth. As a [Human] you are [Adaptable] and you now have the chance to alter your destiny. The Traits that define you may still be changed…

Choose Your Destiny.

Lee looked at the first option.

[My Way]

Sacrifice nothing. Change nothing. Gain nothing.

Continue on the path you are on. If Satisfied with your choices so far, then carry on.

Traits: [Adaptable] [Source-Touched] [Mana Blooded] [This Is The Way] [Minor Lord] [Ruthless Unbreaking Soul]

"I didn't go through all that for nothing."

[A Constructed Body]

You have Created a Legendary Soul Bound Runic Structure.

You have created a Structure and RuneScape capable of holding your Soul.

Forsake your Human Vessel and Embrace the Timeless. Become a True Living Fortress.

"I'm not turning into a damn building! No offense Three." Though theoretically, it would get rid of the weakness of him dying and taking the building with him… "No! I'm not going to be a building!" He looked at the next one.

[Born to Mana]

Mana Calls to You. Embrace the Mana.

You have used More Mana than any other Human. The power is Mine.

You do not fear the Burn of Mana. It keeps me Warm.

You have the Trait [Mana Blooded]. I Am Mana.

You have the Skill [Mana Mind]. Mana is Always on my Mind.

You have Fortified your Intelligence to the Threshold. I Want to Know.

You have Fortified your Vitality to the Threshold. I Want to Live.

You have the Trait [Adaptable]. Adapt and go Deeper.

Walk the Path of One Born to Mana and Empower your every Breath with Its Power. Become a Being of Mana and Reduce your Dependence on the Flesh.

Traits: [Adaptable] [Source-Touched] [Mana Born] [This Is The Way] [Minor Lord] [Ruthless Unbreaking Soul]

That one sounded… interesting? The part about the flesh though… Lee looked at the image of himself within the orb. "No visions this time?" It still looked like a human, at least in shape, but his Mana Channels were… gone. He looked closer and realized that everything other than the Core in his chest was a Mana Channel. One big Channel… "How much Mana could I use with that… would my Beam be just a basic attack? At least with the Well… Would I be able to leave the Mana Well at all, or would I be even more trapped?" Would it matter if he was? Lee didn't plan to move and if something made it easier to survive but locked him down, that might be worth the price. "I'll consider it."

[Beast of the Rune]

Let go of Logic and Embrace the Animal Within.

You are Soul-Bonded to the Beast Lord.

"I'm not going to become a beast either…" The image was interesting though. It looked like his body was covered with an ever shifting RuneScape, flowing and changing as his body's shape shifted between various beastial forms. "Can I put Runes on myself? Maybe my bones?" He moved on but made a mental note to remember that idea.

[Soul of a Rune]

Embrace the Power of the Runes and Forge Yourself Anew.

You have spent your Time tirelessly Creating Runes. I Create.

You have Reached Beyond your Limits to Create Legendary RuneScapes. I Create Ever More.

You have Reached Beyond your Limits to Create a Legendary, Nascent Living Structure RuneScape. I Create Life.

You have Bound your Own Soul with Runes. I Create Perseverance.

You have Placed Runes on hundreds of items to Create Weapons. I Create Death.

You have the Skill [Soul Awareness]. I Create Understanding.

You have the Trait [Ruthless Unbreakable Soul]. I Create Power.

You have Fortified your Intelligence to the Threshold. I Create Knowledge.

You have Fortified your Vitality to the Threshold. I Create Endurance.

You have Fortified your Willpower to the Threshold. I Create Purpose.

Walk the Path of the Soul and Rune. Put All you have into Creation and Rise Above those Who Came Before. Every Rune and RuneScape will be Empowered by Your Rune Soul. All you Create will Last so Long as You Do, Never Fading, Never Ending.

Traits: [Adaptable] [Source-Touched] [Rune Soul] [This Is The Way] [Minor Lord] [Ruthless Unbreaking Soul]

This image shared similarities to the previous, in that his body was covered in Runes, his Soul was covered in Runes, they surrounded him in a cloak of power and protection. "I like it, I think?" He wasn't sure exactly what would be changing but at the very least, it looked like his Runes would be much stronger. "I feel like this does confirm that I can put Runes on myself… or on other people…" That was a very interesting idea. The other thing he noticed was that he'd managed to fully Fortify all three Attributes. "I hope that was enough…" Lee went ahead to check the rest while he debated on his, now, two favorites.

[Two Becomes Three]

You have Created a Legendary Nascent Living Structure, but it is still Young, Malleable and Without a Mind. Begin the Process of Helping it Develop One. Give up your Absolute Control and instead Begin a Partnership.

You have Created an Nascent Living Structure. It's Nearly Alive.

You have Poured your Soul into the Creation of the Nascent Living Structure. It is a Part of Me.

You have Lived Within the Nascent Living Structure since Its Creation. It Shelters Me.

You have Protected the Nascent Living Structure from Harm and Destruction. I Care for It.

You have Fortified your Intelligence to the Threshold. It Will Think.

You have Fortified your Vitality to the Threshold. It Will Endure.

You have Fortified your Willpower to the Threshold. It Will.

Walk the Path of Two Becoming Three and Dabble in the most Ultimate of Magics, Creating Life. Share your Vitality and be Protected. Share your Intelligence and be Known. Share your Willpower and Give Purpose. Share your Soul and Build a New One. Share your Power and be Empowered.

Creating Life is Not Straightforward. The Life you Create may Choose Against You. Creating Life with your Own Soul increases the likelihood of Aligned Purpose.

Traits:[Adaptable] [Source-Touched] [Mana Blooded] [This Is The Way] [Minor Lord] [Ruthless Unbreaking Soul] [We Are Three]

"I guess this settles it, Three is not actually alive… but it could be." That was very interesting and… he didn't know. It sounded good, but… it was vague on details of what exactly would happen, other than 'sharing power', whatever that meant. The image of himself looked a lot like the way he saw himself already… and the other issue… "Three could turn on me? That would be… bad. The only reason it can't now is that… It's just a machine. It's Dead." That thought left him feeling vaguely disappointed and despite the potential risks of the other side, Lee was liking the idea of this one, a lot. "Creating life…" But he did have reservations… It was a hard choice, so he turned away and continued down the line, half hoping something else would be too good to pass up and he wouldn't have to struggle with a choice.

[Of One Mind]

You are Twin-Soul.

Your other half has Bound a portion of his Mind within your Twin-Soul. Follow his lead and merge your minds. Become Twin-Mind.

"No." Lee shuddered. He was sure that Stan hadn't done… whatever that was, as a way to merge their minds. Twin-Soul was one thing but Twin-Mind… Yea they had the same thoughts sometimes, lots of times in fact, but that was amusing and fun, if instead… no, no this was not the way. Would he even still have a brother if he took this? Or would they become one person, in thought at least. He shuddered again. This was not an option, especially when he would be the one making the choice for both of them. Nope! Next. He turned to the last choice.

[Source of Power]

Burn Bright. Obliterate All who Stand in your way. Burn All to Nothing.

You have Bound to a Source.

Take up the Power trapped inside you and Become a God as you Burn. Do as you Wish. Unstoppable to the End.

Traits: [Source] [Ruthless Unbreakable Soul]

"Wow…" But also not an option. Stan hadn't taken this option and had likely been offered it. Also it sounded a bit… ominous. Especially that bit about 'the End.' "If only one of us picked this, would it just kill the other?" He turned away from the non option and looked back at what he'd seen already, trying to decide on which would be best. "Mana or Runes…"

Lee paced between the two obviously best options, as much as one could pace in this place, while the pressure to make a choice grew in a slow but ever growing push. The problem was that his gaze kept sweeping back over to another option. "Two Becomes Three… Why do I want that so much?" It didn't seem like the logical choice. There was no clear indication of how it would help him survive, and some indication that it might actively hurt his chances. "Three has protected me all this time. Or am I just anthropomorphizing it? If it was never really alive, did it ever do anything that I didn't want or subconsciously Will it to do? What about when I was unconscious? The Soul Tether… Is all of that just programming or is there a spark of something real in there? A 'Nascent' spark?" He did feel like [Three] had done something to help him absorb Cores just before but… once again, that could have just been his own will influencing things.

It absolutely felt like the right choice but he couldn't understand why. Every time he looked at the other choices he felt a gnawing anxiety that was only growing worse. "Why… What is it? Is this a left over hunch from that first time we touched the Source? There is no way we could have predicted this… That would mean the universe was completely predetermined… or maybe it was just a possibility, one that I would be an idiot to pass by?" Lee stopped his train of thought when he realized that he was stopped in front of the orb and his 'hand' was outstretched towards it. He backed off, even as the pressure grew. "I don't like this… Why should I trust this instinct? But then why shouldn't I?" He thought of one more thing. "Three could live beyond me if I take this, it could keep protecting people…" Though it did only say 'Begin the Process', as for how long said process would take…

But in the end, it didn't matter, Lee knew what his choice was. Assuming he had one… He really wanted this. Craved it like a man dying of thirst looking at a cup of clear, ice cold water. "So strange." But he felt relieved as he made his choice, the right choice.

You Do Not Hold Full Dominion over your Twin-Soul. All Involved Parties must Agree.

Then he felt a moment of extreme anxiety that Stanley would disagree…

All Parties Agreed. Evolution to D Rank [Two Becomes Three] Commencing.

-1 Twin-Soul Attribute

Lee smiled as pain raged through his body and Soul. He smiled because in that moment, he felt something vast, deep, and yet so still, so… dead. And then he felt it suddenly acquire a tiny little flickering spark. That spark blinked awake and seemed to look around in confusion. Then It saw him, looked at him… and It knew him, recognized him, It was happy to see him. "I made the right choice." He smiled back at the spark of life as everything changed.

…

Lee woke up smiling. "Good morning, Three!" There was no response but Lee thought he felt the faintest bit of attention looking his way. It could have just been his imagination but he chose to believe regardless. In his [Mana Mind], Lee could 'see' the man in front of his door as well as the Anubi still on the porch. He opened his eyes and realized that it was still dark out. "Odd…" He didn't feel tired. Maybe it was the Rank up? Either way he didn't think he would sleep anymore.

Lee did take his time to try and notice any changes. He did feel better, stronger. The Mana around him seemed clearer or crisper… more well defined. He could 'see' the family next door, all calm and sleeping. At least two men were on the roof above… no, four men, standing still and facing out into the night. "Lookouts." Other people were sleeping below, off to the sides, and across the courtyard… "What is that feeling?" he thought in confusion, something… His [Mana Mind] reached throughout the building and he knew where everyone in the building was… but there was something else. "Three, is that you?" No response came. Lee pulled his [Mana Mind] in, wrapped it close around himself and finally understood. "I can still feel them!"

Lee stayed where he was as he took in this new sensation. He could feel everyone but couldn't 'see' them, couldn't tell who they were, but… "That is Bradley." He could clearly feel the Runes on the man's stone staff. There was also something else, trailing from him, touching the building and… "Oh right, the Tether. I wonder if Three is actively aware of who is Tethered… does it give them special privileges?" He did remember that it had granted 'Permanent Residence' to everyone who helped him. "Does it protect them more than the others? Or will it be more likely to do so now?" He hoped so.

His contemplation was interrupted when he felt one of the people inside the building moving around. "I know who that is too." Not only from the Runes near him, but also because of where the man was located. Lee pushed his [Mana Mind] range back out and could see the Mana moving as the Runes down there activated. "Time to get up!" Another look out the window and he could see that dawn wasn't far off from the light creeping into the dark sky.

Lee got up and sent a thought to the building, asking it to open the sliding door to the porch, but the door didn't move. "Still tired?" Lee thought. "No worries. Rest up." He opened the door himself. "Come on… Ictor? I'm not going to sleep anymore, and we have important things to be about." Not that he expected the Anubi to understand him and it didn't, just staring at him for a moment before bowing low and stepping hesitantly inside.

The Anubi skirted warily around the bed while Lee locked the sliding door himself. "Did I scare him? Was there a light show or something?" He finally noticed that all the extra Cores were gone from the bed. "Did Alejandro come check on me?" Lee was positive that he hadn't used them all. He went to the front door and saw the Private turn at the sound of the bolt sliding.

"Private… Jackson." Lee said in greeting. "What's your first name? Or should I just call you Jackson?"

"It's Timothy… but I actually prefer to go by Jackson, or Jack… Sir… I mean Lee? Cascade?"

"How do you know my last name?" Lee asked curiously.

"Um… It was kinda broadcast that first day?"

"Oh. Right. Lee is fine by the way." Lee closed his door but didn't ask the building to lock it, wanting to let it rest as much as possible, and realized that he had no idea where his actual key was. He left it unlocked, there was nothing to steal in there anyway. Lee started towards the stairs, waving Jackson along. "Jackson, how do you feel about breakfast burritos?"

"I… guess they're fine?" He looked at Lee's door and then towards Alejandro's apartment. "I was picked more for my ability to block a door rather than fighting Skill… so, maybe I should wake…"

"Jackson." Lee sighed dramatically. "Oh Jackson, I thought we might be kindred souls, might become fast friends, but…" The man looked confused and a bit worried as Lee continued. "But today I have learned a terrible fact about you…" He paused, shaking his head slowly. "You… you think that God's greatest gift to mankind, the beacon of light and hope in this dark world, the one absolute truth in life, the Breakfast Burrito! Is just… fine."

"I…" Jackson looked absolutely confused in the dim light. "What?"

Lee laughed quietly. "I'm just messing with you. You hungry? Let's eat." He headed for the stairs. "Oh right! Did Alejandro or someone else come by after I was asleep?"

"Um… He did." The man looked nervous and didn't look at Lee in the eyes but did follow after him.

"What?" Lee asked after seeing his reaction. "Did I make noise?" Lee asked. "Was there a light show?"

"Well… there was… some… screaming." Jackson cleared his throat and looked away from Lee.

"Sorry." Lee said, his cheeks heating up. "I had some… trouble while trying to Fortify my Attributes."

"No worries, S… Lee. Did you get what you wanted at least?"

"I got the best option." Lee smiled and then sighed. "I only got three Attributes fortified though. Guess I'm not good with pain."

There was a choking sound and Lee looked up to see Jackson opening and closing his mouth. "I did one and a half… Only the real crazy bastards manage two! How…"

"Seriously?" Lee thought about what Alejandro had said to him. "That sneaky bastard…" He'd never come right out and said what to shoot for, just to focus on one at a time. Lee laughed quietly again and Jackson started looking worriedly at him. "Alejandro tricked me." Lee explained. "He implied that I could get all of them…"

"Ah, It sounded… unpleasant."

"It was."

"Was it worth it?" Jackson asked in a whisper.

"Absolutely." Lee smiled. "Absolutely worth it." He reached for the door and Jackson moved quickly to get in front of him.

"Let me take the lead at least." Jackson looked at Ictor and the Anubi seemed to understand because he moved in close behind Lee.

"I can see that there is no one…" Lee trailed off at the nervousness he felt from the other man, more of those strange sensations… "Fine. Go ahead." Maybe he was just worried about Alejandro's orders to guard the door and how he now was getting forced into bodyguard duty. Lee let him take the lead and they made it to the first floor. He stopped outside another door and knocked.

"Come in! Come in!"

Lee pushed inside, or tried to before Jackson once again got ahead of him. Lee suppressed his annoyance and followed. "Jamaal! Am I too early?"

"Of course not!" Jamaal smiled wide. "It is never too early for my favorite customer!" He already had his stovetop sizzling with cooking food and Lee watched him crack a massive egg into a bowl. "Sit, sit, and let me guess what you would like to eat…"

Lee laughed and sat down at one of the two small tables that had been squeezed into the room. "How are you doing on the ingredients? I know we just got a lot more mouths to feed."

"Not to worry." Jamaal said. "Eggs and meat are in abundance, and while the beans are limited, I'm sure I can find some around here somewhere." He dove into the large metal cabinet and fog billowed out of the cold interior. "Ah ha!" Jamaal emerged with another glass container and scooped out a dollop of the brown paste of refried beans inside. "Do you wish to play with fire today?"

Lee groaned. "I've been sick, didn't you hear?" Then he remembered his Rank up. Maybe his increased Vitality would help. "Okay Jamaal, but no more fire than last time…" He swore the man was trying to create chemical weapons with those chilies.

Jamaal laughed and Lee thought it sounded sinister but he distracted himself by getting the other two to sit down. Jackson didn't fight him and from the way the man kept glancing towards the food, was feeling a bit peckish himself. The Anubi took a bit more persuading, mostly through gestures and pantomime, but he too climbed into a chair. Though he crouched on it more than sat. Only then did Lee realize that he didn't know what the Anubi ate.

That thought had him seeking out the rest of the Anubi in the garage. "I should make sure they are comfortable or get them into an apartment already…" He smiled when he 'saw' them, well within his [Mana Mind] range. They were all in a literal… dog pile, curled up on, under and around each other. And in the middle of the pack, half buried, was the human chemist. "They are very dog-like." The sight brought memories of Caffeine curling up between his legs and Lee's smile slipped. "I'll be waiting for you Caff, with all the cuddles you can handle."

While they waited for the food, and to distract himself from his latest melancholy, Lee made some modifications to his shield circle and dropped it around the table. Both of the others jumped in surprise and Lee apologized. "Sorry. Just wanted to test something. Can you try hitting the dome? I want to see if it breaks." He gestured at the faint glow around them.

"What is it? And what is that?" Jackson asked as he gestured at the glowing circle around them.

Lee stared at him for a moment. "Haven't you seen the Runes before?"

"Is that what they're called?"

"Damn." Lee shook his head. "I should probably get out more…"

"To be fair, Lee, I don't really know what is going on around here," Jackson said. "I just get told 'go there', 'fight that', 'stand there'."

"Oh…" Lee hadn't talked to very many of the people here and actually had no idea what they did all day. "So… You're hard to kill… what does that mean? If you don't mind telling me."

Jackson laughed, a hint of bitterness in the sound. "My Class is [Undying Child]." Lee must have shown something in his expression, because he expounded on the name. "I think it's because I almost died a lot as a kid. Between injury and illness… I have only one Class Skill and it is passive. When I hit zero health, instead of dying, I am instead fully healed."

"That is amazing!" Lee exclaimed. "Every time? Though I bet it hurts…"

"Yea, amazing…" Jackson shivered. "I picked it because, well not dying sounds great! But… dying over and over… it sucks. Sucks so bad."

"I can see how it would…" Lee could see the man hunching in on himself, fear radiating from him. "Did your Rank up give you anything to help?"

"I think so… I haven't actually tested it since then… Oh and it's not every time, I am up to eight charges every twenty-four hours or so." Lee whistled softly. That was still nothing to scoff at.

"I hoped I would get new Skills as a leveled up but all it did was add charges to the first Skill. I only got the night vision by winning a roll when it dropped from a monster."

"You roll actual dice for loot?" Lee asked.

Jackson smiled slightly. "Not exactly. If it is something very Class specific, it goes to the one who can use it, but for random Skills like that it is just a rotation." He stared at the table and hands. "I haven't gone out in a while either… I couldn't handle it. The pain…"

"I've had some pain of my own…" Lee said softly, thinking of his Soul and shivering. "I'm not saying that it was like yours!" he added quickly. "Just… that I'm sorry. Shit is fucked, isn't it?"

"It is fucked." Jackson agreed. "Alejandro did also say that you have a high likelihood of taking yourself out," he added with a small smile.

"Yea, yea," Lee grumbled. "I'm working on that."

"He also said that you were reliable and would put everything on the line when it matters…" Jackson said without looking at him and Lee thought he felt guilty.

"There is that feeling again… Am I better at reading faces now? Or… is it Soul Awareness?" He hadn't ever really tried to use the Skill, leaving it to Stanley since he was so bad at sensing their Soul. It was definitely something to explore in more detail, but not at the moment, someday... Lee pulled his focus back to Jackson. "You stood guard at my door all night. Would you have just run away if something attacked?"

"No!" Jackson exclaimed. "But I was scared all night that I might…"

"You did show up." Lee said. "That's more than a lot of people."

Jackson sighed. "I shouldn't complain, it's the only reason I survived the Hidden Invasion… surprisingly the least painful of all the times I've almost died. But the way those things got in my head… Alejandro saved me, with only one charge left…"

Lee had heard after the fact about how fucked up they were. "I have to be saved all the time," Lee said with a grin, trying to console the younger man and then frowning when he realized it was true. They sat and talked of their experiences in the new world, while Lee dabbled with his shield, getting Jackson to whack it over and over until the food was ready.

Lee groaned in pleasure as he dug in and Jackson got his own burrito. "It's…" He glanced at Lee's expectant face. "Ambrosia of the gods…" he said dryly. Lee smiled with his mouth full and Jackson took another bite. "It is very good though." Jackson said after swallowing. "Much better than what we've been eating!" Lee only nodded enthusiastically, his mouth stuffed.

Ictor got a plate with all of the ingredients split into individual piles. "I'm afraid I haven't heard what they eat…" Jamaal said with only a little trepidation at being face to face with an alien creature. To his surprise and shock, which turned rapidly into delight, the Anubi wolfed down everything on the plate, then pointed at the burritos in their hands and gestured to himself. "One more burrito coming right up!" He even brought some of his fiery sauce with the burrito, though off to the side on the plate. The Anubi sniffed at it, licked very lightly at it, sneezed, and left the rest of it alone while he devoured the burrito.

Lee's mouth was only slightly on fire when Alejandro walked through the door and laughed cheerfully. "Where else would you go?"

"Ah, Alejandro. Where else indeed." Lee leaned back in his chair, almost feeling ready for a nap.

Jackson leapt to his feet and saluted. "Sorry, Sir. I tried to…"

"It's fine." Alejandro waved him down. "You stayed with him, that is good."

"Alejandro, I'm just about ready to enchant the wall," Lee cut in. "But I'll need to go out and get a good look at it. Also… I'll probably need Bradley's help."

Alejandro rubbed his chin in thought. "That's good…"

"Or do you need him for the hunting?" Lee asked.

"I think we can give him a day off," Alejandro said. "He has been working hard and honestly I would like it if he was with you, if you insist on wandering outside." He smiled. "You didn't see him after the Lair but Bradley is one of our strongest now. I think that Skill he got is very synergistic with his Class."

"Good. He earned that." Lee focused on that part of his mind that knew where everyone was and saw that Bradley was up and moving.

Alejandro nodded. "I can take Miller out instead, get him some more training. But do try to stay out of trouble, Bradley does deserve a rest. We all do… I should probably set up a rotation for days off…" Alejandro trailed off, muttering to himself.

Lee turned to Jackson. "Do you need to get to bed? You must be tired."

"Not really… but I will be after Martin's class." Jackson sighed and stood up. "It should be starting soon." He paused before leaving and saluted Alejandro. "General, uh… Sir."

"Thanks for watching over me," Lee said, as Alejandro returned the salute and then gave the man a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Report back tonight," Alejandro told him. "If you're okay with the job. I can always find you a different job if you aren't ready yet."

"I…" Jackson paused and glanced back at Lee. "I'll be there tonight, Sir."

Alejandro waved him off and went to the makeshift counter. Jamaal must have been expecting him to show up because he handed over a large amount of prepared food into the backpack that Alejandro produced. "I'll go find Bradley and tell him…"

"No need," Lee told him. "He is…" Bradley was well within his [Mana Mind] range and Lee could see the person close to him, very, very close. She had a very familiar shell of Mana around her. "I guess they did figure it out. Good for them!" Then he realized that he was basically spying on the couple with their lips locked and pulled his attention away, at least as much as he could. "He is coming this way. I'll tell him."

"Good! Be careful out there and I'll see you tonight." Alejandro turned to leave and Lee called after him.

"Alejandro, wait." He didn't stop him just because Mar and Bradley were in the courtyard. "I should put Runes on your new gear."

"May's new creations are very good. I don't think we actually need the Runes, for now." He frowned and Lee understood. Everything was constantly getting stronger out there, a never-ending arms race.

"At least let me enchant yours," Lee said. "you're the General and should have the best gear, also, just in case…"

Alejandro smiled and came back over. "Okay, but quickly?" He handed over his shield.

Lee took it and started drawing a Rune. He immediately had to pull the Mana back out when he felt the unusually strong surge of Mana and wasn't able to keep up with it. "That Mana Blooded Trait…" He quickly dove into his [Rune Storage] and started crafting, then ran out of space in the storage… Lee tossed the shield Rune from his storage and got back to work. "That wall RuneScape is too big, I need to get it out already so I can keep more emergency stuff in here."

Alejandro was casting glances at the door when Lee was ready and a RuneScape appeared on the shield. He held his breath and then let out a relieved sigh when the shield held. He might have been a tad greedy… "Here, even better than the last one. Now give me the sword." Alejandro sighed but passed it over and Lee kept it simple, the same as before, strong and sharp. He had some ideas for elemental damage or life-stealing, maybe stamina leaching… but he still needed to figure those out and whether they would even work. His eyes landed on the breastplate and various other small pieces that Alejandro was wearing.

"I'm late!" Alejandro turned for the door but Lee jumped up before he could leave and tapped rapidly on every piece of metal the man was wearing, leaving a simple strengthening Rune on each.

"Be careful out there," Lee said, echoing Alejandro's words as he let him escape.

Bradley was right outside and had to step aside to avoid Alejandro. "You're with Lee today!" Alejandro called as he vanished around a corner.

Bradley stepped into Jamaal's and stopped. "Lee." Mar froze and pulled her hand from Bradley's.

"Hi guys." Mar was obviously still shy about whatever was going on, so Lee tried to act nonchalant. "Mar you're getting better, no flickering, that's great!"

Bradley sighed and walked past Lee to the counter, his cheeks only slightly pink. Poor kid was shy too. "So what's going on today?" he said after greeting Jamaal and sitting down across from Lee.

"I'm going to do something to the wall and might need some help from you."

"Please don't blow it up or put another hole in it…" Mar sat down next to Bradley as he spoke but didn't drop her invisibility.

Lee chuckled weakly. "That's why I need your help. I'm thinking you make another, smaller wall outside somewhere for a test run, just in case." Bradley opened his mouth but closed it without saying anything and only nodded. "I also need to check the entire wall and make sure there are no spots that might bring the whole thing down… no offense. We'll also need to pull out all the Rune discs that were supposed to deter intruders but obviously didn't work."

"No…" Bradley rubbed his face. "That's a good idea, plus I should be able to make the whole thing stronger, Rank up and all. I would've got to it sooner but…"

"Yea, I heard you've been busy… Alejandro said this could be your day off, sorry I found more work for you." Lee could see the fatigue on his face.

"It actually will be… easier," Bradley said. "Less stressful too." He narrowed his eyes at Lee. "Assuming nothing goes horribly wrong…"

"What about you Mar?" Lee ignored the insinuation. "You hanging with us?"

Mar appeared and sighed. "No. Wilson has a ton of things popping up out there that he wants checked out and I'm the best scout." She smiled and Lee could feel pride from her.

"Not alone, right?" Lee thought that sounded a bit risky.

"Nah, there's a few other stealthy types that go with me."

"Good, good."

They got their food and Lee left them alone to eat. He was followed by the Anubi, Ictor, who was sticking to him like glue. He spent the time waiting on them to recharge all the discs in his robe, upgrading what he could and maintaining the rest. During the process he discovered that his Mana Pool was substantially larger, more than doubled, in fact Lee guessed that it was around ten times larger. "D Rank is five times more Attributes than E… that plus the Fortification could explain some of it. But it's as if all those Attributes barely did anything before the actual Rank up." He also wasn't sure how the [Mana Blooded] Trait acted on his Mana Pool after the Rank up, but suspected that was part of it.

The other thing Lee learned wasn't as positive. A spree of creating discs drained his Mana down and it didn't instantly pop back to full like it used to. He could feel Mana rushing in from the Well and it didn't feel weaker than he'd remembered, but it now took time to fill his Mana Pool. Granted it was time measured in a few seconds but it worried him nonetheless. "Will the Mana Well become less useful as time goes on?" What had felt never-ending before, now felt finite. "I did gain a lot more Mana though…"

When the couple joined him, Lee saw that Bradley's feet looked like they were made of stone. "Is that your new Skill?"

Bradley glanced down and shook his head. "I went a bit overboard during the Invasion… but it is going away, slowly." He explained what had happened while they walked downstairs towards the garage.

All the talk of Earth Aspect Mana had Lee thinking about his own ideas for using it in Runes. "I think I can make your staff better."

Bradley handed it over and Lee pulled the Runes off. His [Mana Mind] went plenty deep into the ground and Lee started pulling up the Earth Mana below, gathering it in his Core. He stopped when he noticed that the gathered Mana wasn't the same as what he could 'see' inside Bradley. "Hm…" He had an idea. "Bradley, can you push your Mana into the air without actually doing anything with it?"

It took a few false starts, but Bradley did manage to send Mana from his Core to his hand and out into the air. Lee was waiting and gathered it all up, pushing out the other Earth Mana to make room in his own Core. The act of grabbing the Mana gave him another idea. "Could I pull Mana directly out of people?" His [Mana Mind] did say he was linked to all the Mana around him. The question was whether that included the Mana inside others…

Bradley started sweating as his Pool emptied out and the influx from [Three] couldn't keep up. "It looks like it takes time for him to turn the neutral Mana into his own Earth Aspect…" Lee looked at the absorbed Mana in his own Core, where rather than turning into a new Aspect, it was condensing down into Liquid Mana. A very small amount of Liquid Mana… "This is gonna take awhile…" He looked at the unenchanted staff. "Maybe I should have waited… eh, no rush, we've got all day." He told Bradley the bad news and told him to get ready to do it again once his pool filled up. "It'll be worth it. Trust me."

Bradley sighed, but nodded and smiled at Lee as he opened the door into the garage. "I do trust you, and based on how useful the first one was, I can't wait to see what you have in mind."