The golden light in Chloe's eyes vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving behind only the familiar, sleepy confusion of a teenager woken from a deep sleep. But I had seen it. The system alert still blared in my mind, a frantic, silent scream about a Saber duplicate and a shard trace.
"Alan?" Chloe mumbled, her voice thick with sleep. Her expression shifted from confusion to terror as the memory of the night's events rushed back. She saw me, the strange woman still asleep in my bed, and her face crumpled. "I had a nightmare," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes.
Before I could say a word, she launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around my waist and burying her face in my chest. She clung to me, her small frame trembling. "I dreamt that woman was a monster and she... she took you away."
I held her tight, the adrenaline from the system alert momentarily forgotten, replaced by a fierce, grounding protectiveness. The scent of her shampoo, the familiar weight of her in my arms—this was real. More real than any system panel or dimensional traveler.
"It's okay," I murmured, stroking her hair. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
We stayed like that for a long time, the tension slowly leaving her body. Her tears subsided, replaced by the lighthearted banter that was the bedrock of our relationship.
"You smell weird," she mumbled into my shirt. "Like… ozone and old rocks."
"That's the smell of hard work," I replied, managing a small smile. "Now, are you hungry? I'm thinking of making breakfast."
In the kitchen, I moved with an unfamiliar grace. The three years in the Sanctuary hadn't just been about combat training. To survive, the trainees had to learn everything—mending clothes, basic first aid, and cooking with meager rations. I cracked eggs into a bowl with one hand, a feat that would have been impossible for the old Alan. As I whisked them, I felt the residual energy in my body—my Cosmo—thrumming in response. It was a subtle ripple, my Mountain & Rivers Soul resonating with the simple, creative act of making food. It was a form of cultivation all its own.
When I placed a plate of perfectly fluffy scrambled eggs in front of Chloe, her eyes went wide. "Whoa. Since when can you cook like this?"
"Learned it abroad," I said with a wink.
A system panel popped up, as if to congratulate me on my domestic achievement.
🌟 SYSTEM UPDATE 🌟
➤ Achievement Unlocked: Culinary Mastery (Basic Survival Cuisine)
➤ New Skill Acquired: Nutrient Infusion (Level 1)
➤ Effect: Can imbue food with trace amounts of Cosmo for enhanced restorative properties.
➤ Host Body Integration Progress: 53% → 60%
Even making breakfast was a form of progression now. My system, ever the diligent taskmaster, issued a new active objective.
[New Sub-Quest Added: Strengthen Real-World Cosmo Flow]
➤ Requirement: Meditate for 15 minutes daily.
➤ Reward: Pure Realm Energy Infusion x1 (Weekly)
After breakfast, Chloe seemed to have recovered her spirits. She curled up on the couch, leaning against me and listening to my heartbeat, her earlier fear forgotten. In that quiet moment of domestic peace, I felt the anchor of my real-world cultivation solidify. This was my core, the reason for the power I was accumulating. As she rested, a soft pulse of energy, carrying the faint scent of pine and cool mist, curled through the apartment walls from my room. My realm was expanding its foothold, turning my home into my sacred ground.
My thoughts drifted back to the other occupants of my home. Before checking on Saber, I did a quick status check on my primary contract.
🔔 CONTRACT STATUS 🔔
➤ Witch-Entity: C.C. (Rank: Epic)
➤ Contract Bond: 47% → 49%
➤ Current Objective: Intercept multiversal trace linked to [Saber Class - Duplicate].
The duplicate. The shard trace. The answers were likely lying in my bed.
I crept back to my room and stood in the doorway, observing the sleeping knight. Stripped of her regal armor and unconscious, she looked younger, more vulnerable. A complex mix of predatory curiosity and protective instinct warred within me. She was a key, a weapon, a potential ally, and a damsel in distress all at once. My system saw her as a threat to be neutralized or an asset to be secured. My heart just saw a girl who was lost and hurt.
As if sensing my presence, she stirred. A wracking cough shook her body, a harsh, painful sound. She pushed herself up slowly, her movements stiff. Her emerald eyes, hazy with confusion, swept the room before locking onto mine.
There was no recognition, no memory of our brief, violent encounter on the street. Only a guarded, wary assessment. The King of Knights was awake, and my apartment had just become a diplomatic minefield.
Then, as her gaze sharpened, the system's primary alert returned, flashing with renewed urgency.
🔔 ALERT 🔔
➤ Target Acquired: [Saber Class - Prime]
➤ Dimensional Signature Analysis: Contains 0.12% resonance from a Longinus Shard.
➤ Mission Protocol Updated: Secure subject's allegiance or neutralize threat to acquire shard trace.
Her struggle to sit up, her hand instinctively going to the hilt of her invisible sword, was no longer just a question of trust. It was the opening move in a conflict that would determine the next step of my journey. Would she be my ally, or my first real enemy?