“Rise and shine sleepy head!” Lunaris shouted outside James’s door.

When he stepped out, he was met with the sight of both Helios and Lunaris standing there, energized and refreshed, ready to get to work.

“How are you guys so chipper already?” James asked while yawning, still tired and groggy.

“I told you brother, you need to train your body! Just like training your magic has many hidden benefits, so does training your body. And since physically you’re basically a potato, of course it takes you longer to recover.” Helios said while doing some jumping jacks, bursting at the seams with energy.

“I’d like to sleep some more as well, but we have work to do!” Lunaris said enthusiastically. She then took James’s hand and dragged him out of the room.

“Let’s start the awakening process right away! We’ve waited long enough!” She said with a smile. Helios was excited as well, they couldn’t wait to see the results of James’s awakening.

“What about the agent though? Even though he failed, he still damn nearly killed us by doing whatever the hell he did to the Soul Grinder.” James asked. As excited as he was to go through his awakening, this issue was just too urgent.

“Well, I’ve got bad news on that front.” Helios answered. “As we’ve all probably expected, he was long gone. I contacted my father as soon as I could, and of course he immediately launched an investigation. They could confirm that it was the very same archmage that lead us to the Soul Grinder, but no agent wouldn’t be stupid enough to be caught like that. It was way too late already, he must’ve sensed when we defeated the dark entity and so he made his escape then and there. The silver lining is that at least he’s gone now. I’m sure he would’ve loved to keep his identity hidden so he could continue to sabotage and monitor things at Hedonia. Hopefully there aren’t any other bastards that infiltrated our ranks.”

“So that’s it? Just like that, he gets off scot-free?” James sighed. He was glad they were all alive and well, but it still felt a bit disappointing.

“Not exactly.” Lunaris intervened. “Just because they couldn’t catch him, doesn’t mean he didn’t leave any clues. This is a man that spent a lot of time at Hedonia, even though he was only acting like one of us. His essence is all over the place. I’m sure the diviners will find something!”

“Yep, the investigation is still not over. My dad will fill us in once they’re done. But for now, all the three of us can do is just wait. So let’s go, we’ve got something else to do, don’t we?” Helios grinned.

Helios led them to his attic. When James stepped inside, he noticed that the room looked like it had already been prepared with everything he’d need.

“Aye, we’ve already taken care of everything. This room is perfect for your awakening.”

James looked around in awe. The word perfect was the only thing that his mind could articulate. It was the coziest place he had ever seen. A tiny, mellow space that was designed for comfort and coziness.

As tiny as it seemed, it also could fit an inordinate amount of stuff. As if there was a lot more space than it looked at first glance.

A zen garden, a tiny pool, illusory birds which seemed to be made out of mana flying around. Soothing, gentle notes were being played, a sound that made the body want to melt on the nearest soft surface and just sleep forever. And there wasn’t a lack of those either. Soft pillows, futons, beds, carpets, hammocks – anything one’s body could possibly fancy - were neatly placed around the room. It looked like a museum dedicated to comfort. It really made no sense to James as to how so many things could fit into this small space, there really must’ve been a spatial distortion of some sort.

Small candles lit up the room, an almost intoxicating smell of incense emanating from them. As soon as James smelled the incense, a wave of calm washed over him, even though the rest of the room had already made him calmer and more relaxed than he thought was possible.

One thing that caught James’s eye was a skylight which allowed them to see the sun and sky, as well as another window from which one could see vast grasslands, mountains, forests and rivers.

“Wait, that’s not what the outside of your house looks like.” James said, confused about what he was seeing.

Helios smiled and answered. “Yep, those aren’t simple windows. They’re portals! If we open the window, it’s possible to actually step through them, and we’d be immediately transported to those lands. But that’s not what they’re here for, they’re just for ambiance. The portals are extremely stable, so it’s very nice to be able to look at such serene sights whenever you want. Which is very useful in meditation, they’re able to greatly boost your mood.”

“Also, look at this.” Lunaris pulled a small lever, and the color of the window’s glass changed. “In case you’re in the mood for a dimmer ambiance, just shift it till it suits your preferences.”

James was impressed, this world never ceased to surprise him with the nifty, useful little things that were available. “This is actually pretty useful, I do prefer a little less light.” James then pulled the lever to its dimmest setting.

The room was truly perfect for James. He couldn’t have created a more relaxing space if he tried. What made him even more comfortable and warm was the thought that his friends prepared all this for him. They probably even woke up early to get it all ready, even though they were just as exhausted as him.

He couldn’t even articulate the love that he had for these friends of his, the feelings were just too overwhelming. But he definitely didn’t want to fall behind, he had to do something nice for them as well. He was on the receiving end of their love and care way more than the other way around. And even though he wanted to be just as nice to them, he didn’t really know how.

“All right, usually you might have needed a bit more preparations for your awakening, but in your case, you’ve been ready for quite a while. We can feel it, you’re definitely ready to awaken. Now all you need to do is to relax and focus deeply, meditate continuously for as long as it takes.” Lunaris told him.

“I’m not really a meditating type of guy though. I do meditate in my own way, but I do it by … daydreaming, spacing out and such. I don’t know if my mind will be able to sit still and focus for too long.”

“So you do everything in your own weird little way, eh?” Lunaris chuckled. His quirkiness was adorable to her. “Don’t worry, it’s easy. Especially now that you’re about to go through your awakening, your thoughts will basically guide themselves.”

While they were talking, Helios was going around the room and tinkering with the ambiance. Before, there were only two or three birds around. But now there were dozens. Flying slowly, chirping softly. The pool of water was swirling lazily, the waves making a gentle, pleasant sound. The smell of the incense got even stronger, seemingly alternating between different smells, each nicer than the last. The colors of the candles’ flames were slowly shifting, smoothly transitioning from one color to another.

James thought the room couldn’t get any cozier, but Helios proved him wrong. Somehow, he made it even more enchanting.

James lied down and took in the sights and sounds for a while, so relaxed that his thoughts were almost blank. Lunaris was right, the thoughts did seem to guide themselves. His eyelids seemed heavy, he slowly closed his eyes without even realizing it.

He was so calm and relaxed that he didn’t even want to think at all. He just wanted to stay like that and exist in that state of bliss and relaxation forever.

But slowly, he started thinking about his life. The first thing he thought of were his parents and his cat, his family from Earth. He missed them dearly, but he was countless billions of universes away from them, countless years in the past or future, if it even made any sense to compare time between entirely different universes. He felt like he didn’t know a damn thing about anything at all. Even after all this time, he didn’t really know when and where he was. On his second life, and yet he was still just a clueless little boy.

But that was a life long gone. As much as he loved his parents, a love that wouldn’t ever die, he had to stop thinking about that life. While that life was over, he now had a new life.

His thoughts then drifted towards this new life of his. The first thing that came to mind were his friends. Helios and Lunaris meant everything to him. Not power, not progress, not wealth. As amazing as this world was, truly everything he had ever wanted, better than he could have even imagined, it meant nothing compared to his two friends. They were more important to him than anything else.

His greatest goal in life wasn’t to increase his level. Becoming more powerful seemed like a trivial and childish thing compared to what really mattered.

What truly mattered, what was truly valuable to him, was the safety and happiness of his friends.

And yet, that still led back to power. Power was the only thing that could keep them safe. If he became sufficiently powerful, not only could he defeat anything that threatened his friends, he could even save this amazing world he was now in. A world that meant a lot to him, but even more to his friends.

He wanted to make his friends happy, and while power could do a lot of things to bring others happiness, the most amazing thing he could do for them was to help defeat this Darkness once and for all.

He could feel the Darkness, even at this very moment. Even as he was meditating in this supremely serene space, with his eyes closed, he could feel the Darkness seep into his mind, seemingly wanting to latch onto him.

James tried to shoo it away, but he couldn’t move. Not that he really wanted to, it felt so good to be lost in his own thoughts, he felt like drifting away and let the thoughts carry him along.

The Darkness seemed to be enveloping his mind, making him even more sleepy and relaxed.

What James was going through couldn’t be called merely meditation, it was a trance. It felt like a deep slumber from which he would never wake. He could feel Helios and Lunaris moving around him, waving at him. He could feel them put their hands on his shoulders, trying to wake him up, but with each passing moment he felt them less and less, as if he was drifting off into a slumber.

He thought about power again. He needed power, it was imperative. To create the peace and happiness he wanted for his friends, he’d need a lot of power.

But power was so hard to gain. He had already been though so many struggles. Just thinking of all those new spells was so hard, even though it was a blessing that almost felt like a cheat that he was even able to come up with his own spells. But as strong as they were, they just took so much out of him.

There was an easy way out though. The Darkness. He had already felt its power. They made his spells so much stronger. And he fought the agents and the monsters that were imbued with Darkness, their power was much stronger than that of ordinary foes. If he had that power, if he could handle it like the agent did, then he would be unstoppable.

Still with his eyes closed, he saw the Darkness all around him. Even with the curse still affecting him, he felt as if he could use the Darkness again, much much more than he could use before. All he had to do was accept it in his heart and mind.

He didn’t know what exactly was happening, but he knew he had an important decision to make. The decision made it feel like the weight of the world was on him, as if that decision would affect not just the course of his life.

He thought of his friends, of how he’d like to keep them safe and happy, how he’d do anything for them. And the power he needed for that was so close. All he had to do was open his heart to it and accept it.

But even as intoxicated and seduced as he felt by that power, James had a feeling it was wrong. Something in the back of his head gnawed at him, telling him it was a trap.

James had lived an uneventful life on Earth. A simple and boring life. But because his own life was so simple and boring, he had actually vicariously lived thousands of lives. Just how many times did he imagine himself in all kinds of scenarios? How many times did he self-insert into the countless books he had read?

He knew this scenario all too well. The corruption. The easy power. If it was easy, it was always a trap.

It wasn’t only fiction that had taught him that. He knew how hard life was, it was all a struggle. It was a daily battle just getting up in the morning, not just for him but for everybody. Nobody ever gave you something in exchange for nothing. Life is a competition, a battle. If it seems to good to be true, it’s likely a trap.

Even in video games, nothing was free. Nobody would stand around, offering to double your money or trim your armor out of the goodness of their own heart. If you wanted to get things the easy way, you’d get scammed and burned every time. That lesson was ingrained into James on more than one occasion.

You have to earn things, to struggle, to put in the effort. James knew that even back on Earth, even though he never actually lived by it. He was lazy and impatient by nature. Even in this world, that basic fact of life was just as true as on Earth. Even more so, there were even numbers to show the fruits of your efforts. Helios was always preaching to him about how important putting in the effort was. It was the basis of the whole power and leveling system of this world.

He wasn’t necessarily the most intelligent person around, but he had the wisdom of what felt like many lives on his side. And his weird and unique way of seeing and interacting with the world was another unusual ace up his sleeve.

If it had been anybody else, they might’ve been seduced by the allure of power that the Darkness was offering.

But not James. He wouldn’t be so easily corrupted. What nerd who read thousands of books would fall for this cliché?

Suddenly, his thoughts felt free again. Without him fully realizing it, he had already made an important decision.

James would be his own man. He still needed to get rid of the curse because of its negative effects, but he didn’t even really need the powers that he could recover. From then on, his powers would forever be his own. Although he still planned on giving the agents a taste of their own medicine when he did recover his powers.

He had been through much since he lost his Darkness powers, and he got far. Even with a glass cannon build, dumbly focused exclusively on magic, he had persevered.

He needed to get a lot more powerful, and that would take a lot of effort. As much as he always hated effort, his friends were worth it. For their sake, he would put in all the effort that was required.

James opened his eyes suddenly, so sudden that it made Lunaris and Helios jump away from him.

What seemed like minutes to James, had actually been an entire 24 hours for his two friends.

“Hey, are you all right?” Lunaris asked, and both of them looked very carefully at James, concerned.

But James then smiled and nodded. “Yes. Thank you guys.” James then paused, trying to express something that was hard to get out. “This will sound corny and embarrassing, but I really wanted to tell you guys that you’re the most important thing in my life.”

[Awakening unlocked: Psychotic Saint]