Chapter 34: Level up

Maxim awoke with a deep, satisfying breath, feeling surprisingly rested. As he stretched and sat up, he immediately tried to assess the results of the experiment from the previous night. He focused inward, expecting to feel some profound change coursing through his body, but… nothing.

Had it worked? Or had it failed completely?

Maxim frowned and closed his eyes, concentrating harder. After a moment, he detected something—a faint pulse of energy. It was subtle, like the quiet hum of a distant machine. The crystals were there, fused into him, but they felt strange. Almost like they were part of him, yet at the same time, as if they weren't. The sensation was disorienting.

His thoughts raced. From everything he knew about energy transfer and mana, the crystals should be filled with potential. But these felt dormant, almost empty. Then it hit him—the process must have drained them completely.

"Of course," Maxim muttered to himself. "They're empty. It makes sense."

From what he had learned so far, charging crystals with mana was a slow process. It would take at least a week, maybe two, to fully recharge them. He couldn't expect an immediate surge of power from something that had just gone through a massive transformation. The fusion had likely exhausted their reserves entirely.

For now, he would have to be patient. Testing could wait until tomorrow when he'd had time to start recharging them. But the potential… if it worked the way he hoped, this would change everything.

Satisfied for the moment, he glanced at his watch and froze. His heart sank.

"Lila," he whispered, eyes widening in panic.

He was late. They had planned to meet hours ago, and she would be waiting. Maxim bolted upright, hastily gathering his things, his mind now racing with excuses. He couldn't believe he had let time slip away like this.

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Meanwhile in the town

Lila sat at the café table, her fingers nervously tracing the rim of her coffee cup. Across from her sat two of her closest friends, Clara and Olivia, who had been eager to meet Maxim ever since Lila had mentioned him. In fact, she had done more than just mention him—she had practically sung his praises. The intelligent, kind, and, admittedly, mysterious Maxim had captivated her thoughts, and she couldn't help but share her admiration with her friends.

But now, as the minutes ticked by and Maxim was nowhere to be seen, doubt began to creep into her mind. Where was he? It wasn't like him to simply not show up. He wasn't the type to forget plans. Something must have happened.

"Are you sure he's coming?" Clara asked, her tone gentle but with a hint of skepticism.

"Of course," Lila replied, though her voice lacked its usual confidence. "He's just… probably running late. He's been really busy lately with his research."

Olivia raised an eyebrow, sipping her iced tea. "Busy? You've told us he's a genius. Don't geniuses have calendars for this kind of thing?"

Lila shot her a look, a mix of annoyance and nervousness. "He's not like that. He's—well, he's complicated. And sometimes his work really pulls him in."

Clara leaned in, her eyes kind. "Lila, we're not doubting you. I mean, after all the things you've told us about him, we're dying to meet him. But… are you sure everything's okay?"

Lila glanced at her phone again. No messages. No missed calls. Her heart raced a little faster. What if something had happened to him? She knew Maxim well enough to know that if he were able, he would have contacted her. But the silence was deafening.

"He's fine," she said, more to convince herself than anyone else. "Maybe he's just lost track of time."

Clara sighed and leaned back in her chair. "If you say so. But now you've got us really curious. You've been talking about him for weeks. What exactly is he working on?"

Lila hesitated. How could she explain Maxim's research without revealing too much? Even she wasn't entirely sure of the full scope of it. "It's… complicated. Some kind of energy storage project. Cutting-edge technology. He's been working with my father's company on it."

Olivia's eyes lit up. "Oh, so he's got the brains and the connections?"

Lila laughed nervously, trying to shake off the growing unease. "I guess you could say that. But honestly, it's his drive that's so impressive. He's always pushing himself to achieve more, to learn more. Sometimes, I think he forgets to stop and take care of himself."

Clara gave her a sympathetic look. "Sounds like someone might need to remind him."

Lila nodded, her thoughts already spinning. Maybe he was working too hard. Maybe he'd overexerted himself, or worse—what if something had gone wrong with his latest experiment? She tried to push the worry aside, but it gnawed at her.

The café was bustling with chatter and the clinking of glasses, but Lila felt disconnected from it all. All she could think about was Maxim. She stared at her phone again, willing it to light up with a message from him.

"Do you think we should order without him?" Olivia asked, glancing at the waiter, who had been circling their table for the past few minutes.

Lila hesitated. "Maybe just another few minutes."

Her heart pounded. What if he wasn't coming at all? What if something...