There was something different in the air when Dallion woke up. A few short weeks ago he would dread this day, desperately trying to move beyond level three. Now, Dallion was looking forward to it—the day that everything would finally be settled.

The house was eerily empty, which was odd even if it was an hour after Dallion’s normal waking time. Nonetheless, he went to the kitchen to get some breakfast. Looking among the pots he found one with freshly steamed potatoes, as well as a small bowl of fresh butter. Good thing it hadn’t gone bad. Considering that the village didn’t have any refrigeration technology, this was a miracle in itself.

Taking his time, Dallion peeled the skin off several potatoes and put them on a plate. Halfway through, he added the butter on top, as well as a pinch of salt, before returning to the peeling. A pleasant smell tickled his nostrils. There was nothing better than potatoes. Pity that he didn’t give them as much respect back on Earth.

“Nothing better than food early in the morning, eh?” a voice asked nearby.

“Morning, Veil.” Dallion didn’t stop peeling. He had heard the chief’s grandson approach, although he had to admit the blonde had gotten better at sneaking. Being a level four had its advantages as well. “Want a bite?”

Veil looked at the steaming potatoes, then shook his head.

“Nah, grandpa’s mad as it is. Eating with the enemy will only make things worse.”

“I won’t tell him if you don’t.” Dallion took a bite. Delicious.

“Maybe afterwards… if you’re still in the mood.”

The warning was clear. Just as Dallion had prepared for a fight, so had the village chief. After the hunting party he had little choice—even with all the echoes, people still considered the boy a hero. While none of them remembered the nature of the monster he had faced, the “boar” of their stories became more and more vicious with every story. It was a matter of time before it became as ferocious and dangerous as the chainling itself.

“Can I finish this, at least?” Dallion asked with his mouth half full.

“No.” Veil smiled. “Just make it quick, okay?”

Way to ruin breakfast. Dallion chomped down on several more potatoes, then poured some water from onto his hands from the water bucket.

“Okay, let’s go.”

The entire village had gathered in one spot. Dallion expected that to be the main square, or the chief’s mansion. Instead, Veil took all the way to the other side of the village where nothing but a few abandoned houses remained.

This was slightly confusing. There was nothing of importance there, only fields of wheat and potatoes stretched into the distance. What purpose could the village chief have of calling Dallion there? Was he going to ask him to improve the fields?

As he approached, Dallion saw that the crowd was separated into three groups. There was the Luor family, standing tensely near one of the abandoned houses. Gloria was among them, putting on a brave face, as if she wanted to be present. A short distance away, seated on makeshift wooden chairs, was the village council—Dallion’s grandfather, five more elders, as well as Aspion Luor himself. The last group was composed of the common people, waiting quietly for the announcement to take place.

You definitely pulled out the stops, old man. Dallion frowned. All the better.

“Dallion,” The village chief stood up from his seat. “So good to have you back. My grandchildren have told me a lot about how you helped in the hunt of the… boar.” The old man’s smile widened.

“No prob.” Dallion smiled. Without the echo, the chief’s attempt seemed pathetic. How would anyone fall for something as obvious? “Glad to have helped.”

Aspion’s smile faded.

“As is the duty of any awakened,” the chief continued. “And while you’ve just returned from a glorious occasion, we must get back to your obligations to this village.”

“Let me guess. You want me to repair that building?” Dallion pointed to one of the crumbling structures.

“Two of them. You were away for a week, so you have two obligations.”

“Two weeks, huh?” Dallion rubbed his chin. “Guess there’s no arguing with math. I’d have to say no, though.”

“Huh?” The chief’s expression froze. This was the first time that anyone had refused an order in decades.

“Don’t feel like it.” Dallion shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to help out in some other way. Maybe do something that everyone in the village will appreciate, not just a few families.”

“Oh?” Aspion’s smile had vanished completely. There was no point in keeping up appearances at this point. It was clear that Dallion had got rid of his limiting echo, which he couldn’t have done if he was as strong as before.

“Actually, that was a lie. It’s something that everyone except you will appreciate.” Dallion narrowed his eyes. “I’m taking you down, old man.”

Dallion dashed forward. His speech and actions had caused enough confusion for everyone present to zone out for a moment. Right now, the chief’s echoes were working in overtime trying to suppress the fact that someone had refused a direct order. All that Dallion needed to do was take advantage of those few moments to complete his attack. A single punch would be enough, was all it would take. Regardless of the chief’s level, his skills were capped. At best, he’d be as strong as Veil.

Step, step, twist, twist, slam. Dallion thought. It was just like hitting someone with a buckler on the head after a guard sequence… only without the actual buckler.

Time seemed to freeze. With every step Dallion saw potential attacks. A frontal approach would be the most expected, so he chose to go with something else. Following the defense sequence, he had been repeating dozens of times in the awakened realm, he dashed past the village chief. Upon completing it, the world froze still.

“Got you, old man!” Dallion attacked with his fist.

Area Awakening