Awakening

I open my eyes. A wooden ceiling, stone walls and wooden floor. This whole house is made of wood and stone. But it is sturdy, that is the impression I get.

Where am I? Let's try to remember. Mmm…. I was at Fay's house when I came down with a fever. It had been a while since I undid my enhancements so it kinda hit me hard.

But anyway, I still feel groggy. Am I still sick?

(You still have a light fever. It might cause headaches and runny nose and sore throat. But your body temperature has gone down significantly.)

Thanks for the update, System. Anyway, I should take some rest. It doesn't feel bad to be idle once in a while.

(I would also recommend it. You still haven't recovered your mana.)

My mana? When did I spend my mana? I feel like it's running pretty low.

(Your temperature wasn't going down at all. So I had to empty out your mana and let your body heal itself. Your mana was interfering with your healing. You should heal normally now.)

So many things happened. By the way, how long was I asleep?

(Only a day. You woke up fairly early. I judged that you would take at least 3 days to wake up.)

Three days is a long time. I can't sleep for that long. But where are the others? It feels that no one is home.

(Hazel is out with Fay. They are shopping for you. Eden, Aura and Fiona are out to buy ingredients for dinner.)

I am totally alone. Been a while since I was truly alone.

(No. You have someone with you. She is taking a bath currently but once she is out, she will come and check on you.)

Who is it? Is it Doris or Aera or Aegis?

(None of them actually. It's the planet spirit you took in. She materialized yesterday before you collapsed. She is house sitting.)

Ahh…I have yet to name her, haven't I? I should think of a good name.

(Hold your horses. Do that when your mana is restored. Because, you are running low on .)

How much do I have left?

(Less than 10000. It's even lesser than you first got it. I guess it's your punishment for using it willy-nilly.)

Hahhh….this sure is tiring. I fall back on the bed.

It has only been a few days since I arrived here. And I am already in a bad shape. What'll happen to me if I am attacked all of a sudden? I did make myself a walking target.

(You do have a few insurances. However, I would suggest against it. Your body needs to restore itself. The is a strenuous thing to have. You do have excellent synergy with it but you are still a human. Your body will require some time to get used to it.)

How much time are we talking about? Because I did get this power a year ago. I trained to use this power properly. Both my mind and body have been trained to the point where I would say, I am the strongest human alive.

(I am not denying that you are the strongest human but you are not the strongest living being. And your training only helped you to bring out the . Your body was fine because you were constantly using body enhancements. Now look at the condition you are in. Take some rest and refrain from using . In a month or so, you should be able to use it again.)

A month? That's too long. Can't I just do something? Hey! Hey!! Tch…she left. But a whole month and that's the bare minimum. So I can't totally say it won't take longer than that.

I am stumped. I have been in this situation a lot. From my experience, I should really take it easy. When I had just met Hazel, life was more easygoing. I used to sit with Hazel on my lap and pat her for hours.

That did continue till Fay joined us and I became busy. Now the question is, what is Hazel to me?

A partner, a friend, someone I can trust and leave my back to, something along those lines. I don't think much about romance. I don't understand what is romantic feelings. So I can't say if I see her romantically but I would say, she is important to me.

Same goes for Aura and Eden. If anything happens to any one of them, I can't imagine what I might do.

Being sick has its perks. I am thinking of things I normally don't think of. I sure have made a big party.

Just a year ago, I was a lone wolf. But then everyone died and I became alone. Hazel came to my rescue. Since then, I have encountered new people. I met everyone after I became totally alone.

Along the way, they have become indispensable. I heavily rely on them. Maybe it's thanks to them that I haven't gone insane.

However most enigmatic of them all is Her. System is what she calls herself. She did say that she will give me her name in due time but when is that, I do not know.

Aera and Aegis have been with me since the beginning as well. I do have a lot of companions. But they aren't my weakness.

Some people believe that companions and friends make you weak. I think otherwise. Capable friends and companions are assets. You can always rely on them to have your back.

I leave my back to them but that's my perspective. We should hold a family meeting. Because I once blurted out that I am the father, Aura is the mother, Eden is the youngest daughter and everyone else are her big sisters.

I think of them as family. That's what I want to believe. But they won't bear my sins. When I am through this, I will attain what I seek the most.

She probably knows what I want. Let's be patient and see. The story has only begun.