The city was in chaos. Troopers argued between themselves about the meaning of the change and the message. Most insisted that it came from a god.

Keynes had no idea what to think. Somehow, the message felt personal but he refused to accept the possibility that the System distinguished him.

Having the attention of the World Government was already hard to handle and now this? No. It wasn’t the case. It must be a coincidence.

As he passed through the middle of the city he wondered if he should escape. It was a perfect opportunity. The High Lord was away, everyone was distracted and he even managed to put the katana into his spacial pouch without raising suspicion.

The evening was cold, windy and with heavy clouds cast overhead. It was Scotland after all. Keynes had a trainee uniform—navy blue—on top of the wetsuit he wore when he was out of his cabin so he didn’t feel the cold.

So Vitality is a thing now. Although he didn’t feel any different.

He returned to the cabin. He wasn’t hungry as he ate at the academy after the training. The director actually cancelled the next week’s rift excursions for them. He wondered if this was because of the messages or Keynes’s request. The High Lord ignored him completely so it was hard to say.

The lock clicked and Keynes exhaled. It was difficult training. Not because Kaito Ren made it so, no, on this front the training didn’t change. And yet, Keynes struggled today. Daiyu Fen beat his score twice. Samuel King was third but he lacked the same mad motivation the Asian girl had.

Keynes took off the uniform and threw it on a chair. Exhaustion was slowly grinding his body down, now that the adrenaline and excitement were leaving him.

“I agree.”

Keynes started, almost crying out. Luckily, he caught himself before he made such a cardinal mistake.

He whirled, his katana appeared in his hand, coming out of the spatial pouch.

Daiyu Fen stood in the trainee uniform in the middle of the cabin.

“What the fuck?!” How did she get in? Oh… a terrifying thought struck Keynes. Did she have a similar power to him?

Her violet eyes glittered with childish defiance.

“I came to make a trade,” she replied as if unaware that she stood in Keynes’s cabin without his permission. Even as she replied to him, he didn’t lower the katana. Her drive was unhealthy and Keynes didn’t wish to take chances. He was stronger now that he trained his attributes but Daiyu Fen wasn’t far behind in terms of pure combat skill. He’d easily outlast her as he could tap into his willpower, which she didn’t do but endurance wasn’t everything in a fight.

“How did you get in?” he asked sharply, keeping the blade’s endpoint aimed at her.

“It’s a secret,” she replied. It didn’t sound playful. She didn’t seem to understand that she overstepped her boundaries here.

“You’re standing in my cabin, I think you owe me an explanation, don’t you think?”

She glanced around but didn’t look surprised, which meant she exactly knew what she was doing. This put Keynes even further on edge.

“I didn’t want to be seen,” she said whatever it meant.

He shook his head. She wasn’t answering his questions.

“How did you get in? I locked the door. The windows are fixed and there is no other door in the cabin.”

“Does it matter?” she asked, growing angry. What the hell was wrong with her? She trespassed on his cabin and was pissed that Keynes questioned her? It was exasperating, like talking to a child who was throwing a tantrum. They wouldn’t make any progress this way. I guess I have to step up or we will never get out of the stalemate. Keynes bit a retort and said.

“Listen, I can— I will make a trade but you must answer me how did you get in?” It bothered him. He’d have a problem sleeping knowing that she could barge in without restrictions.

Her lips twisted as she debated inside her head. In the bright light, her resemblance to Sakura was less prominent, which made Keynes glad. He still thought about the nurse sometimes, not as often as about Vivena who he expected to never see again. And that was for the best. He didn’t need women in his life, they messed with his head. He had enough on his plate. The emotional instability or whatever it was truly called tugged at him from many directions. It was changing. He sensed the ailment undergoing a change. He couldn’t describe how he knew or give any details but he was certain the instability started shifting after Vitality was reinstated. And while it sounded good on paper, Keynes didn’t think he liked where the changes were going…

“Fi—no, I can’t tell you.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s my Talent I used and we were explicitly told to not reveal our Talents to other trainees.”

Her words struck Keynes harder than he anticipated. So she had a similar Talent to his. Hm. He needed to know.

“So, you can unlock doors with your Talent?” he asked, balancing dangerously close to insinuating his Talent.

“What? No. No, my Talent’s different.”

Keynes didn’t press her. A weight was lifted from his chest. It was selfish to think that way but he kind of liked being the only person in the world with an ability to open rifts.

“Okay, but do not ever do this again.”

“Are you sure?”

He frowned, baffled by her question. Why would he want her to enter his cabin without his permission?

“Yes, I am sure.”

“Alright, let’s make the trade then.”

He nodded and finally lowered the katana. His nerves were frayed, his body tense like a spring. He made the katana vanish into his pouch and quickly regretted it as Daiyu Fen got a better look this time and her eyes widened. But he cut off her question.

“This is not a part of our trade, so don’t ask me about this. You first, tell me why do you try to get stronger than me so badly?”

The way she averted her eyes told him that she was uncomfortable with the topic but she answered anyway.

“My family lost its honour in a duel when my older brother, Daiyu Akiko, was defeated by our family’s rival. Our tradition compels us to either challenge them back or live in disgrace. Akiko cannot challenge them as he already lost. I am the only one who can do it and I must do it.”

It sounded like the same stuff happened to Kaito Ren but inverted. Could this be?

“Who was the rival?”

“Chizu Arata,” she spat the name.

So not Kaito Ren then. She’d have said something in the training, Keynes concluded.

“Are you, too, part of the Oriental League?”

She stiffened for a moment.

“No. My family would never stoop so low.”

“Why?” Keynes asked, intrigued.

“Your turn.” Daiyu Fen crossed her arms.

Fair enough.

“My secret is very simple. I train all my attributes.”

“You—what… why?” She looked confused.

Keynes sighed, being not in the mood to haggle with her.

“I don’t fully understand this as no one explained it in detail. But since I began training my willpower, I can push my body further than others.”

She got it. Her sharp, stiff expression melted into a puddle.

“You have to be kidding me. That is all? You just trained your Will?”

“Not only Will but Perception and Mind as well although these two attributes are a pain in an ass.”

Daiyu Fen relaxed for the first time in Keynes’s presence. He didn’t even see her tension until she released it. It was a stark difference to see her like this. She glanced at the door then back at Keynes.

“How do you train your Will?”

“Tell me about the Oriental League. What is wrong with the League?”

“They are dealing with the World Government. They sold their heritage.” Oh, so, she is at odds with the World Government as well. Good to know.

Keynes explained how to train willpower the best as he could. In short, it was: ‘run out of stamina and do not stop doing whatever you do.’ But she wasn’t naïve to believe this was all.

Dexterity was the best example. It wasn’t only dodging and evading or stretching. Dexterity was also coordination, grace, pure speed. Kaito Ren had explained many things about Strength and Dexterity but he hadn’t said anything about Will, Mind and Perception. The Oriental League was mostly interested in Strength and to a lesser degree in Dexterity.

The captain had given them a general idea of how to train Mind, Will, Perception and Spirit. It had been helpful but not enough to bring Keynes closer to maxing out his attributes.

Daiyu Fen thanked him and left before midnight. She didn’t seem to care about the late hour. Thankfully she didn’t mention again his disappearing katana. He’d have to lie that it was related to his Talent.

Despite being unsettled by her visit, Keynes realized that a bit of his tension was gone from his chest. Was this because he’d shared with her the truth? These things should be common knowledge.

Before he went to his bed, he decided to take a walk. It was a windy but refreshing night.

“I am actually happy that I told her,” he whispered as he locked the door behind. He didn’t have a key. The administration had given him a passcode. He looked at Kaito Ren’s cabin twenty metres away. It seemed abandoned. Since they’d parted ways with the captain here, he didn’t see the head trainer enter or leave the cabin.

The rain had stopped earlier but the ground was soggy and he had to jump over puddles. The area around the academy had already bricked pavements and they’d extend it here eventually. It would lose a bit of its annoying appeal though.

Most of the zones were off-limit to him. No surprise there. The World Government liked their ranks and permissions. Walking around aimlessly the park in the leisure area, He spied a pub at its edge. A lot of troopers gathered there and while he didn’t like crowds, he could use something to drink. Nothing as strong as the bourbon Frank Foxglove had given him at the day of his Talent deal though. He could do with something tasty and light.

He remembered how spectacularly the deal failed. Once Keynes’s Talent turned out to be not mind-related, Foxgloves backed off from the deal. He still saw in his mind the last look Vivena had given him. Her sad eyes. It tugged at his heart sometimes when he had too much time on his hands and his mind wandered.

He shook the image off and looked up, the stars weren’t there. You’re in Scotland, half a year it rains here.

Keynes moved toward the pub. Everyone wore their uniforms. One of the rules was to always have it on outside the cabin and rifts. Keynes noticed a few officers among the crowd of troopers and support staff. There were some heated discussions, mostly about the message and Vitality. Keynes paid them no mind as he moved inside the large building. It was built out of brick with plenty of space inside. It looked like the World Government understood the needs of its employees better than Keynes would’ve guessed.

Inside were over fifty large tables with many chairs. Half of them were occupied. It was a… pleasant sight to see normal life even in the middle of a heavily-militarized city.

The noise inside was cacophonous, how did the higher levels manage to— oh, shit. This could be it. Perception—

“Keynes Kid?”

Keynes recognized Samuel King’s voice and turned.

“Samuel King,” he replied, mimicking formality.

“That is me. What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same.”

Samuel looked around the large place as if looking for an answer among the people. Then his attention returned to Keynes.

“We’ve been coming here every day since they transferred us to this wet hole.”

“We?”

“Yeah, well, except you and the Asian chick. She’s insane, pretty, but insane. Do you fancy a drink?”

The question caught Keynes off guard. A drink? Wasn’t that the reason he decided to enter the pub in the first place? It was but he didn’t have the money and he didn’t think he would actually buy a drink. It was more about occupying his mind.

Despite being only sixteen, he was—technically—an adult. A Level 1 body remained structurally the same even though it aged. Legally, Keynes could drink alcohol since his Unlocking Ceremony.

With each level, the strength of alcohol diminished. It was common knowledge although he didn’t know the rate…

Samuel King stared at him expectantly. Oh, right, he asked me a question. I got carried away a bit.

“Sure,” Keynes replied before his consciousness could stop the words. What on earth?!

His fellow trainee showed him to his table where the rest of the trainees waited, minus Daiyu Fen.

Oxford Sioux was the first to notice them. He jumped to his feet and rubbed his eyes.

“Can’t be, did you actually go to the gym and grab him?”

“Nope, I found him near the entrance. Can you take care of him? I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

He turned and snaked around the tables and standing people. The trainees’ table was next to a wall. It was oval with ten chairs. It wasn’t very well separated from other tables but still, it seemed like a good spot with much less traffic and noise than the middle of the pub.

“So what brought you here?” Lazark asked. Of course he did.

“Just needed to clear my mind.”

“You’re in the right place then. Sit down, Keynes,” Butchereyev said. “You aren’t leaving, are you?”

There was a second of hesitation but it dwindled quickly and Keynes took a seat. Apart from training and rifts, he shared nothing with those people.

At the other side of the table sat Tulli, the mousy girl, with short black hair and very little to say. Even during the training, she had never complained, which wasn’t easy when their head trainer was a bit of a sadist.

“So how’s going?” Butchereyev decided to break the silence. The question was as awkward as the silence that preceded it.

Keynes shrugged, finding it hard to come up with something that wouldn’t make an idiot out of him. Others seemed reluctant to start a conversation and so they waited until Samuel King returned.

He brought a metal bucket full of bottles.

“I told you they got it.”

“So that trooper didn’t lie.” Oxford Sioux reached for a bottle. “I’m surprised.”

The arrival of Samuel King livened up the atmosphere at their table. Everyone grabbed a bottle and they stared at Keynes, waiting.

“Take one, mate,” Samuel King said, still standing. “It isn’t like we have to pay for this.” Did they give free alcohol? What?

I should be training Perception. Once again going against himself, Keynes grabbed a bottle, it was cold and wet with condensation. It didn’t have a label.

“What is this?” he asked as he seemed the only one out of the loop.

Samuel King gave him a sideways glance, while Oxford Sioux openly grinned. Butchereyev and Lazark had more conservative expressions while Tulli seemed uninterested in their conversation, already drinking from the bottle.

“This alcohol is made with the herbs from the rift. It is Level 1.”

He looked at the bottle and there it was. It didn’t possess a flavour text though, beside a single word 'crafted'.

Lesser Alcoholic Beverage (Common)

Crafted

[Alcohol]

Level 1

“But don’t tell anyone,” Oxford Sioux added quickly. “We got it through a friend.”

“A friend?”

“Yeah.” Oxford Sioux nodded. “Everyone wants to be friends with prodigy kids.”

“This is how they call us,” Butchereyev explained.

“Why?” Keynes couldn’t spin his head around this. What was going on here? He was missing something.

They took a draft before Samuel King replied.

“We’re the ones who will run this world in the future.”

The way Samuel King said it made Keynes almost believe him. But this was Level 1’s talk big, nothing else. Keynes didn’t claim to know it all but since the Unlocking Ceremony, he’d seen his share of power abuse and secrets. They weren’t even close to maxing out their two most basic attributes—Strength and Dexterity—and they already thought they’d stand at the top of the world. It looked like their egos got better of them. They didn’t understand what the true power was. Did Keynes though? He’d wondered sometimes if he got it all right.

He sipped the Level 1 alcohol not knowing what to expect but what he found was both, pleasant and disgusting. A dichotomous taste was jarring. Others came to similar conclusions as they spoke up.

“I don’t know if I want to throw this bottle into the crowd and forget it or order another one,” Oxford Sioux said.

“Did you ask about the ingredients?” Lazark asked. “I would have.”

“What do you think, Keynes?” Samuel King asked, ignoring Lazark.

“About the alcohol?”

Samuel King nodded.

“It’s horrible and delicious. It’s weird but intriguing.”

Before they knew it, they all finished their bottles. The strength of the Level 1 alcohol was kicking in already.

Keynes reached for the second one and as he emptied it, he felt his body relax, losing pent up tension, hidden within. It was a strange sensation and he instinctively tried to fight it.

While he listened to the crap the others were saying, his mind tottered on a thin line between embracing this or pushing harder and finding a way to turn it into training.

Samuel King returned with another bucket full of alcohol and Keynes had to ask.

“What’s the occasion?”

“Haven’t you heard?” Butchereyev replied. “Director Wolf gave us a week off from rifts.”

Yes, Keynes knew about it. Did he? His mind was sluggish and he felt thousands of little emotional hooks gently pulling at him in different directions.

“I know… but training?”

“Screw training!” Oxford Sioux replied. “We are so close to the next level that we don’t give a shit.”

Made sense— No, it doesn’t! Keynes pushed the notion out of his head. He was drunk he realized. Not wasted yet but enough that his head spun.

He closed his eyes, he was tired. He needed a few minutes of rest and he would return to drinking. The alcohol… well, you could get used to it.

The noise from other tables vanished and the voices of other trainees sounded muffled as if coming through a sheet of thick glass. Warmth spread all over Keynes’s body and then he dreamed about Vivena.