Sleep Now, Worry Later

They walked side by side, the quiet night air wrapping around them like a blanket.

Seraphine leaned in slightly, hands behind her back as she peeked up at him. "By the way… You didn't hurt yourself this time, right? You know you can tell me. My healing fingers are at your disposal. Don't be shy." She grinned.

"...You're really calling that spell of yours healing fingers?" Ashen shook his head in exasperation. "And I thought I was bad at naming things."

"Pfft. Whatever. The name fits, so…" She stuck out her tongue, brushing off his comment, but her eyes lingered, clearly unwilling to let go of her earlier question.

He gave her a reassuring smile, patting his chest lightly. "I'm fine, as you can see. Thanks for asking."

"Good." She nodded, relieved.

Ashen glanced at her from the corner of his eye, a small smile tugging at his lips.

She was always fussing over him, always looking out for him.

She was truly a treasure… one he was lucky to have found.

*

The walk back was unusually silent… not the awkward silence, but the peaceful kind. 

The kind of silence that made the world feel still, as if time had momentarily slowed just for them.

As they strolled along the quiet road, Ashen lifted his head. 

The night sky stretched endlessly above, a canvas dotted with countless stars. 

They shimmered like distant beacons as if forming a path through the void. It was breathtaking.

Paired with Seraphine's soft, melodic humming, he found himself wishing he could freeze this moment. Just for a little while. A brief respite for his weary mind.

But the part of him that refused to slow down… the part that kept pushing him forward, shattered the illusion of tranquility. His thoughts drifted toward tomorrow. And the significance it held.

Tomorrow, they would finally be bound to the system.

After several classes that had broken down the fundamentals, it wasn't as much of a mystery anymore.

From what Ashen understood, the system had been humanity's answer to its greatest weakness.

Concepts, the very foundation of the universe, were notoriously difficult to grasp. It took decades, sometimes centuries, for most races to advance to the Glimpse stage, where they could barely perceive a concept's essence.

For humanity, with its pitiful lifespan of less than a century, dedicating decades to a single concept while neglecting everything else wasn't just impractical—it was suicide.

Unlike other races blessed with innate abilities or supernatural traits, humans were blank slates. They had nothing.

Nothing but ambition.

So, in their darkest hour, they created something—a system designed to bypass the natural learning curve of concepts.

Instead of slowly comprehending a concept over a lifetime, the system granted users abilities that mimicked the early stages of conceptual mastery. It was a shortcut, an artificial method to obtain power.

At first glance, this should have made humanity unstoppable. A race of conceptual warriors breaking through limits that took others centuries.

But the reality was never that kind.

The first, and perhaps cruelest, limitation was that the abilities granted were painfully basic. Mere imitations of true conceptual skills. Calling them conceptual abilities at all was almost laughable.

And it wasn't even the system's fault.

The truth was simple: the human brain couldn't handle the raw knowledge of concepts without breaking.

If someone tried to force decades of conceptual understanding into their mind, they would either lose control of their mana entirely and die… or worse, transform into a monstrosity driven solely by the will of that concept.

For example, if someone attempted to absorb the full knowledge of the Concept of Fire without being able to withstand it, they wouldn't become a master of flame.

They would become fire itself.

A mindless, burning creature that consumed everything, including itself.

Knowing this, humanity had devised two workarounds. Two ways to safely increase their control over concepts.

The first was simple: Improve mana control.

The stronger one's control over mana, the less chance it would go out of control when assimilating knowledge. 

The system, recognizing this method, rewarded those with higher control by granting them stronger skills.

To measure this, it established a ranking system with seven steps indicating the potency of one's conceptual abilities.

Seven steps leading to the first.

And at the first step… a person would no longer be limited to the system's imitation skills.

They would be able to wield their chosen concept freely.

Unfortunately, humanity hit another wall sooner than they expected.

No matter how much they refined their mana control, the third step remained elusive. It was as if an invisible barrier held them back, forming an unbreakable limit in their pursuit of power.

That was when they discovered the second solution. The one that shattered the wall.

Embodiment.

It was deceptively simple… imitate the concept. Live it. Breathe it. Integrate it into everyday life and act in accordance with it, pushing the boundaries of one's understanding as far as humanly possible.

This process forged an affinity between the individual and the concept itself. The more they became their concept, the easier it was to assimilate its knowledge and wield its power without breaking.

And, as a natural consequence, true understanding began to take root.

The third step was no longer an unattainable dream. Humanity advanced, and they grasped real power for the first time.

Those who achieved this monumental feat weren't just strong. They were legends. They were called Transcendents. A title that stood the test of time.

Ashen had to admit… 'humans were stubborn bastards.' They had clawed their way from the bottom, defying fate with sheer resilience. 'Really impressive.'

Still, there was something that didn't sit right with him.

Something no one seemed to question.

'How the hell did humanity create a system that grants access to something they never had to begin with?'

That mystery gnawed at the back of his mind. But before he could dwell on it further, another revelation that sent a chill down his spine every time he remembered it wormed its way into his thoughts.

The system had another function.

And unlike the rest of his class, Ashen wasn't pleasantly surprised to hear about it.

It was capable of recording and displaying everything about its users.

It was a convenient tool for most. A dangerous liability for him.

His crippled mana circuit… would it be exposed for all to see?

And what about his eye?

Even in its dormant state, would the system detect future sights' existence? No one—not even he—understood its full capabilities. But if the system did find out...

Would they pluck his eyes out? Label them a threat to humanity or "donate them to the greater good"?

Or worse… would they turn him into an experiment?

Tok

Ashen snapped out of his thoughts as he reached home, the sound of his foot hitting the doorstep grounding him in the present.

Enough of that. He shoved the dark speculations aside.

The professors repeatedly emphasized the importance of keeping their records confidential, so it was likely that his secret would remain safe, as it was doubtful that they would demand their information after all those warnings.

For now, he had a meal to share with Seraphine.

Let tomorrow's him deal with tomorrow's problems.