Back on Earth it was said that sometimes a second was enough to completely change a person. In the world of the awakened, that was especially true. Standing in the trial selection room felt like returning to a class reunion. It wasn’t only the time that had passed in that single instant Dallion had touched the dagger, it was the experiences he’d gone through. In terms of his awakened nature, that was the journey that had transformed him into a man. Awakening wasn’t just a cool ability or superhero power. This wasn’t the carefree fantasy world Dallion initially believed it to be. Everything was much more complicated. There were deep conflicts hidden beneath the shiny surface of which Dallion knew nothing until now.

The mirror pool, the Crippled Star, the wars between nobles… all these were things Dallion had read and heard mentioned many times, but none of them had had any real meaning. The evil wasn’t a metaphor, it was very real walking about in human form with very specific plans for the Icepicker Guild and the whole city itself.

When Dallion had shared his experience in the dagger before the three senior members of the guild, the trial quickly came to an end. Dallion was taken to one of the training rooms in the basement level, while March and the other two captains went to inform the guild master.

You’ve nothing to worry about, Nil said. These things don’t take more than a few minutes.

“It’s been ten minutes already,” Dallion said.

It didn’t help that they had taken his shield and harpsisword as well. According to Vend, it was standard procedure to question the weapon guardians, since they normally had a better understanding of events than their owners. That didn’t stop Dallion from feeling concerned. Thankfully, his link to Harp let him know that everything was alright.

That’s normal. Sometimes people want to have some private conversations in groups. Awakened meetings don’t eliminate all the time wastes. Nil sighed.

“Anything you can share?”

Sadly, I’m not privy to the conversations.

That much was true. During the time Dallion was waiting, he had lost his link to Harp several times. Quite probably limiting artifacts were involved. That made him think of the ring Eury had given him. At present, the item was wrapped in a piece of cloth in his room at the inn. The way things were going, Dallion might have to keep it with him at all times. While it remained uncertain whether it would protect him against the Star’s next attempt to chainling him, at least it was proven to render him invisible to guardians.

Another minute later, Dallion heard approaching steps from above. Eager, he stood up. As expected, Vend appeared shortly after.

“Have you been standing all this time?” The elite shook his head. “You need to learn to relax. Being an Icepicker is stressful enough.”

The man placed a new emblem on the table. It was made entirely of star silver with the guild emblem. Turning it around, Dallion found that his name was etched on the back in perfectly stylized letters.

“Congratulations, you’re an official part of the guild now.” Vend gave him a pat on the back.

Dallion kept staring at the emblem, uncertain what to say.

“I’d have brought your stuff, but Adzorg is being obsessive again, and wants to have a longer conversation with your guardians.”

Yes, I can definitely see that, Nil concurred.

“So what happens now?” Dallion asked.

“You’re a bundle of joy today, aren’t you? Today, you go rest. Normally there would be a feast planned to celebrate the occasion, but due to what happened the guild master decided to keep things on the low. Tomorrow it will be announced that you passed your trial and have your very own mentor—me.”

The last sentence rekindled Dallion’s spark of excitement, although it also brought with it a sensation of guilt. He had hoped that Euryale would return from the wilderness before the trial. That way, he would get to become her apprentice before the selection trial was over. Now he had no choice on the matter.

“And Arthurows?”

“Things get a bit more complicated there. Officially, he remains part of the guild. After a week, we’ll start making it a point that he hasn’t shown up for a while. After that we’ll try to find him—which will fail—and after the celebration he’ll be quietly booted out of the guild. Given that he’s always been a slacker, it’ll come to no one’s surprise. It’s no secret that he’s been poking his nose in a few other guilds, including the top five.”

Poking his nose in a few other guilds, Dallion thought. Whatever the Star’s plan was, apparently it involved more than one guild. Dallion was determined to find out what that was. Before that, though, he had to get stronger.

“So, that’s it? We continue as if nothing never happened,” he sighed. “Any good jobs, at least?”

“A lot of better-paying jobs.” Vend chose his words carefully. “As for the other thing… I know you can handle it. March knows that you can handle it. The people that were in the room during your trial, weren’t just high-ranking snobs. They’ve all been through a similar experience. Just as I have.”

Dallion nodded. Being at the position they were, it was normal for the higher echelons to have gone through similar experiences, possibly worse. And still, he could never tell looking at them. They remained ordinary people with their flaws, inner demons, and eccentricities.

“We all know about the things that lie beneath the surface. The trick is not to let it determine your life. The more you increase your level, the more things you’ll realize. What you do with that knowledge is up to you.”

That was the trick, wasn’t it? To continue to live his life as before despite what he had learned. In a way, Dallion felt as if he were in a bubble, like he was back in his village. The city didn’t resort to echoes, and the bubble was far bigger—so big that Dallion hadn’t reached the limits, yet—but it was there protecting the city from the dangers outside.

“I expect you to be here at eight tomorrow,” Vend suddenly changed the topic.

“Wha?”

“I’ve spoken to Hannah, so I know your schedule. Also, you’ll be going deliveries from now on, so be sure to check the guild ring for orders, then bring them in the morning.”

Great, I’ve become a food courier. “Sure thing.”

“Oh, and this is for you.” Vend took a flimsy-looking stiletto knife from his belt and handed it to Dallion. “Captain Adzorg wanted it to be a sword, but as your mentor, I thought this would be better.”

“Thanks?” Dallion looked at the weapon. “What is it?”

“This is your training weapon. It’s made of tin, so they don’t get any worse.”

Dallion arched a brow as he gave his mentor a confused glance.

“No need to thank me. The last task March gave me before I stopped being her disciple was to find a level zero weapon for the day I have an apprentice of my own. This will help you stack a few skill levels, but that’s not its main goal. This is the means by which you try to push your limit.”

Of course. It sounded so logical now. When it came to awakened training, flimsy items were better. Now Dallion had a lot of leveling up to look forward to. At his current state, he estimated he could get the weapon to level ten without issue. Afterwards, things were going to get a bit more difficult, though not impossible.

“It is said that every item in existence has its maximum level,” Vend went on. “No one knows whether that’s true, but this stiletto does. The more you improve it, the more you prove to yourself and the rest of the world how good you are.”

“Thanks. I—”

“There’s a single rule,” Vent interrupted him. “You can only do a level per day. This isn’t some random limitation, it’s for the sake of the item. Guardians are a bit confused after they are leveled up. You probably already thought you could get this to double digits in a day, and you can, but the item will never live to its potential if you do. The more you confuse the guardian, the more the item will change to the worst.”

A level a day. That wasn’t going to be a problem. Somehow Dallion suspected that his daily schedule was going to get a lot more packed.

“Keep it on you at all times. And don’t break it!”

“Sure.” Carefully, Dallion tucked it away. “Do you kick me out if it breaks?”

“That would be stupid. Just low-quality tin is difficult to come by. There’s so much demand that the blacksmiths can’t keep up. Anyway, take good care of it and…” he paused, then took another dagger from behind his back. This one Dallion recognized—it was the same one he had fought so hard to get. “Here’s the prize for your trial.”

Looking at it, the dagger didn’t seem overly special in any single way, or rather it was nowhere as near as Dallion’s other weapons. The craftsmanship was fine, and the material it was made of caught the eye, but that was all. The weapon was “hollow” and incapable of being improved.

“It’s awakening special is… durability.” Vend placed the dagger in Dallion’s hands. “So, you won’t have to mend it, but that’s all. As I told you, awakening daggers are not worth the effort. It’s more the chase rather than the catch.”

“It’s fine.” Dallion smiled. “Thanks, mentor.”

“Keep that up and I’ll have you mend my room.” Vend crossed his arms. “Still, good job, Dal. You’ve earned your spot.”

“Does that mean I get to stop being a packrat?”

“We’ll see. For the moment, have some fun.”

Vend left soon after. A few more people passed to discreetly congratulate Dal. Soon his gear was returned. Both items were in perfect shape, though refused to share what their conversations with the guild higher-ups were about. Possibly that was for the better.

Dallion thanked each of the guardians in their realms, doing the same to Nox, Lux, and Nil, then left the guildhall.

So, how do you feel? Nil asked as they made their way to the Gremlin’s Timepiece.

“Calm,” Dallion said. “Relieved. Happy. I’m not exactly sure.”

You can always use your music skills on you. I must say that Adzorg tried to get you to be his apprentice, but there were too many rules that needed changing, so he relented. He thinks highly of you.

“I’ve heard.”

And Vend is not as bad as some of the rest. At least it isn’t March. Still, there’s one thing he forgot to mention.

“Such as?”

The new guild emblem comes with one major benefit. Now, this might be difficult for you to grasp, so I’ll explain it very slowly. You. Don’t. Need. To. Talk. For. Me. To. Hear. You.

Wait, what? Dallion thought.

Precisely. Now we can lead a proper conversation without you having to talk to yourself like an idiot. And by we, I mean everyone you’re linked to.

Undoubtedly it was quite an improvement. Dallion also suspected that Vend had omitted that on purpose just to have him make a fool of himself a few days longer.

Upon returning to the inn, Hannah was nowhere to be seen. What Dallion found instead was a large selection of food along with a hastily written note containing one single word: “Congratulations!” It seemed that the innkeeper was a softy after all, at least during one percent of the time.

“Thanks, Hannah!” Dallion said loudly. Thanks to his improved senses, he had heard her hiding in the kitchen, to Aspan’s annoyance. “I’ll be sure to eat up and get some rest before work.”

Before that, there was one last thing he had to do.

ITEM AWAKENING.

Dallion entered the dagger. The realm continued to be lit up, but the sphere item description was no longer there. For that matter, there wasn’t any description present. Apparently, once an item fulfilled its destiny, it stopped being interesting as far as the rectangles were concerned.

Taking a look around the starting spot, Dallion then linked the dagger to his awakening realm. A doorway emerged on the wall.

“Nox!” Dallion shouted.

Barely had he done so than the crackling rushed in. It had returned to its original small, cuddly self. Naturally, the first thing it did was to clump onto Dallion’s shoulder.

You never change, do you? He thought.

The crackling mewed in response.

“Take a good look, Nox. From now on all this belongs to you.” Dallion said. An unbreakable dagger with a crackling inside sounded like the perfect combination. “You’re the guardian of this place now. Welcome to your new home.”