Finally Awake!

Vael's eyes fluttered open to the sound of Moxy's voice calling his name. "Where am I?" he groaned, feeling a sharp pain in his stomach as he attempted to sit up. His surroundings slowly came into focus, revealing the sterile interior of a hospital room.

Just then, Elrik and Lyria burst through the door, their voices filled with relief. "Vael!" they exclaimed in unison. Lyria rushed to his side, enveloping him in a warm hug. "I'm so happy you're okay," she said, tears of relief in her eyes. Elrik stood by, offering Vael a knowing smile and a respectful nod.

Vael's last memory was of Lyria carrying an injured Elrik away from the battlefield. Seeing them both safe and sound brought a sense of relief. "What happened?" Vael inquired, his voice still weak.

Moxy began to recount the events. "After the explosion, I flew back to find you lying in a massive crater. Part of the city was destroyed, but whatever you did, it saved many lives and a large part of the city."

Vael was relieved to hear the positive outcome of his actions. Curious, he lifted his hand, attempting to conjure the acid ability, but nothing happened. "I guess Lord Aizen's powers are gone. Now it's up to me to get stronger. How long have I been asleep?" he asked.

The room fell silent, with everyone exchanging uneasy glances until Lyria finally spoke. "You've been in a coma for one year, Vael."

His eyes widened in disbelief. "One year?" The realization of the time he had lost was staggering.

Elrik chimed in, breaking the tension. "Don't worry, while you were out, Lyria and I have been training hard. We've managed to consume a lot of essence."

Remembering the messages about Lyria and Elrik, Vael decided to check them, curious about their progress during his absence.

Vael accessed the status window for Lyria and Elrik, his eyes scanning the information: "Name: Lyria Edwards - 200/1000 essence consumed, Seedling Trial Ready. Elrik Vaughan - 250/1000 essence consumed, Seedling Trial Ready." A prompt appeared: "Would you like to convert their essence to your own?"

The thought of transferring their essence to himself crossed Vael's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. "That's interesting, but I'll let them keep their essence. It might be useful for future contracts," he pondered internally.

"Good job, guys," Vael said aloud, genuinely impressed. "I can see you've collected a lot of essence," he added with a warm smile.

"We have a surprise for you, Vael," Lyria said, her voice tinged with excitement. She reached into a bag and placed it on Vael's bedside. "Since you were in a coma and couldn't get stronger, we collected essence for you. There are one hundred essences here. It's not a lot, but it's the best we could do," she said, her smile reflecting her effort and care.

Vael was deeply touched by their gesture. In his past life, such acts of kindness were foreign to him, making this moment all the more meaningful. "Thank you," he said, his gratitude evident.

"I'm going to rest a bit more, but later, I have something for you too," Vael added, sparking curiosity in Lyria and Elrik's eyes. They exchanged glances but decided to wait patiently for Vael's surprise.

After they left the room, Vael opened the bag, revealing a collection of shimmering crystals. He gently placed his hand inside the bag and began absorbing the essence.

Having absorbed all the essence from the bag, Vael curiously checked his own status. "103/1000 essence consumed," he noted. "I wonder what happens when I reach 1000," he mused aloud.

"You'll have to undergo the next trial to reach the Harmonizer rank," Moxy chimed in, climbing atop Vael's head.

Vael took in Moxy's information, but exhaustion took over, and he decided to rest. A few hours later, feeling somewhat rejuvenated but still weak, he resolved to leave the hospital. He didn't want to lose any more time.

Contacting Lyria and Elrik, Vael asked them to meet him at his house. Upon entering his home for the first time since his new life began, he found it stark and empty, with just a bed, a fridge, and a sofa. A quick glance inside the fridge he confirmed it was empty, so he settled on the sofa.

Shortly thereafter, a knock on the door announced Lyria and Elrik's arrival. "So, what's this surprise?" they inquired eagerly as they entered.

Sitting together on the sofa, Vael brought up the topic at hand. "There's a ritual you both need to go through to become Seedlings, the initial rank in the greater power system."

"How do we do that?" they asked, their curiosity piqued.

"I can initiate it for you, but be warned, it's a challenging trial. You could potentially be lost forever inside the trial. If you're not ready, you don't have to do it," Vael cautioned them.

After a moment of contemplation, both Lyria and Elrik spoke up with determination. "If it will help you, we're willing to take the risk," they said in unison.

"Great, let's get started," Vael said. He accessed his system and activated the Seedling trial for both of them. As soon as he did, Lyria and Elrik collapsed onto the sofa, the ritual had begun.

At that moment, another knock sounded at the door. Puzzled, Vael opened it to find two Elysian guards. They bowed respectfully before speaking. "The Grand Elders request your presence," they informed him.