The city honed into clarity around him, each element defined distinctly. Neon lights blinked while hovercars glided by their beams, bouncing off glass surfaces and metal facades. Merchants shouted, brandishing goods, their tones blending into a harmony of everyday life. Still beneath the surface, the drone, in Eiden's heart, had endured—a pulse weaving through his mind, consistent and serene. His fingers stirred faintly, remembering the mayhem of the void, the oscillating shards, the exact ballet of splinters. After that intensity of reality seemed… unbearably dull.
Kairo blinked, flicking away a fleck from his shoulder. "Eiden… are you alright? You were standing there—almost motionless. Did you… catch the tutorial?" His voice mixed confusion with wonder, carrying a hint of skepticism. Around individuals gradually started to come back. Some blinked quickly, shaking their heads as though shaking off fog. Others moved with wobbling steps, legs as though gravity had only recently acknowledged them.
Eiden breathed out quietly, allowing his body to ease for the time since the void. "Yeah… I believe so," he remarked nonchalantly, letting the phrase mask an ease. "Seems… normal more." His gaze swept the street, watching people still wavering between the seconds of their tutorial and steady movement—slight pauses, clumsy steps, tiny twitches, in their muscles.
Kairo's forehead furrowed. "Seems normal… huh? I'm not sure about you. My mind is still spinning. Hold on—what's shown on your status window? Class, abilities… all of it?"
Eiden emitted a laugh, twirling a tiny, unseen shard in his hand to conceal the flicker of his digits. "Oh, mine? Uh… Typical Scout. Quite ordinary. Reflex and perception enhancements. Nothing spectacular." His voice was easy, almost playful. Every phrase was deliberately selected. The reality—his classless nature and rare capability to hold and interchange skills—stayed secret. Only he perceived the figures, the full range of stats beneath the buzzing, in his mind.
Kairos' gaze tightened a bit. "For real? That's all? What about your ability slots?"
"Simple things," Eiden answered calmly, letting the words flow easily. "Like… telekinesis. It won't endure for long." It wasn't false, in a way, yet it left out the flexibility, the quantity of abilities he could sustain, the tactical edge his system provided him. Kairo didn't have to be informed.
Kairo let out a breath. "Alright… got it. Mine's Technomancer. Level one Rank: Initiate. Powers: Holo Manipulation, drone control, enhanced perception. Skill slots: 2/5. Fairly typical. Expected it to be tougher, to be honest." He waved his hand vaguely, tracing the outline of his skills in the air, although Eiden understood they were invisible to him.
Eiden gave a nod. Technomancer wasn't a class focused on fighting. Enhanced perception might make it tricky if Kairo attempted to discern people's motives. "Sounds good. I'm guessing the combat segment wasn't easy for you?"
Kairo shrugged. "Yeah… it felt strange. I managed to get through it, but—watching the fragments move the shadows… that section didn't make any sense at first. What about you?"
"Survived," Eiden stated plainly, allowing the word to linger between them. It hele. It was partial. He bent his fingers, sensing the heat of cuts—traces from the initial battle surge. "Watching carefully and getting ready… made a difference." He refrained from revealing that he had foresaw every danger prior to action, that his system recorded every irregularity, and ran through hundreds of scenarios all at once. That insight stayed completely private.
The street started to buzz as more participants came back. A young man swayed a bit, holding his head, then blinked fast to regain balance. A woman whispered, drawing shapes in the air before shaking her hands like she was clearing away a vision. Children weaved through the crowd, their laughter tinged with nervousness, their vitals flaring briefly. The process of reintegration was chaotic, disjointed—but Eiden observed quietly, noting every irregularity, every movement, every surge, in response or awareness.
Kairo tracked his sight. "See everyone… they're still returning. Makes the street seem… strange."
Eiden gave a nod. The system's quiet buzz enabled him to perceive the flows beneath the facade: who had completely steadied, whose vital signs were still erratic, who was syncing back to the world's tempo. A merchant stooped to retrieve a crate; his reflex rate surged suddenly. A youngster slipped beneath a pedestrian, causing a rise in agility metrics. The majority were shifts, yet Eiden recorded every one, allowing the information to rest quietly in his thoughts.
"Hey," Kairo murmured, his tone softer now, uncertain, "do you believe… we've seen it all?. Is there still more out there for us?"
Eiden's eyes scanned the city, observing sparks, signs of life, and motions. "There's more," he murmured. Then with a grin: "But for the moment… we pause and observe."
The steady hum beat rhythmically weaving through his mind. He noticed signs of reintegration nearby: a man dispelling dizziness as though shaking off gravity's hold, a girl finding her balance again, two young people chuckling uneasily as they reoriented their senses. Every detail imprinted itself on Eiden's consciousness—the rhythms, anomalies, and unseen possibilities concealed within human movement.
Kairo poked him. "Honestly, if you're a Standard Scout, why do you appear… as if a tornado just hit you? Are you alright?"
Eiden chuckled, allowing the noise to linger, masking reality with a facade of lightheartedness. "I suppose I'm serious about things. I notice first. Then I adjust. That's how I am." His thoughts scanned the attributes he perceived: reaction speed, cognitive ability, flexibility, insight—all beyond what Kairo might estimate. The system enabled him to accumulate and recall abilities, change strategies during battle, and predict results before they occurred. However, that insight stayed concealed, an advantage masked by his relaxed exterior.
Kairo breathed out, looking around while the final participants finished reintegrating. A few faltered, some blinked quickly. Gradually, the city settled back into its flow. "Everyone's returning gradually… really puts into perspective how overwhelming that was."
Eiden's gaze tracked a girl who had recently set foot on the ground, her vital signs still fluctuating, her reflexes a bit delayed. A young man rubbed his arms, staring blankly ahead, still recovering from the void. Every minor human movement is registered within the hum system, discreetly noting skills and hidden qualities solely for Eiden. "It's all part of the adaptation," he whispered, speaking more to himself than to Kairo.
Kairo looked at him, confused. "You're… so calm. I don't understand. I'm still—" He motioned vaguely toward his head the persistent turmoil, in his thoughts. "—Rattling."
Eiden gave a smile. "Each person heals in their time.. Occasionally… You simply have to concentrate on the undercurrents, beneath it all."
A street vendor dropped a crate abruptly, causing it to wobble. A child quickly moved aside at the second, triggering a reflexive spike across the street that Eiden caught right away. "Notice?" he remarked, allowing the cube to float gently above his palm, a demonstration of control. "Always now even here… patterns persist."
Kairo scowled, tracking his gaze. "Yeah… I get that. I can't figure out how you can absorb all that and remain composed."
Eiden cocked his head, concealing a smile. "Training," he replied. "Watch closely initially. Then move. It's a cadence."
Individuals gradually returned to awareness, each serving as a data fragment within the system's quiet cadence. A few chuckled uneasily, some stretched their limbs, murmuring. The remnants of the tutorial persisted in their stance, the fine-tuning of muscles reacquiring equilibrium. Eiden noted them silently, his gaze keen, beneath the mask of watching.
Kairo gently poked him more this time, more quietly. "Scout… do you think we're finished here?"
Eiden's eyes scanned the city, noticing lights, shadows, and the pulse beneath the facade. "For the moment," he murmured. "The flow is relentless. Watching adjusting… it truly never ceases."
Kairo breathed out at last, letting his stance loosen. "Okay… I suppose we just… observe. For the time being."
Eiden kept the cube suspended without movement, silently showcasing his mastery. The vibration pulsed in sync with his pulse, shifting from an alert to a prompt. The tutorial had ended indeed. The system persisted, silently tracking, evaluating, watching.
Eiden… he exclusively possessed the secret to all concealed figures, every latent ability, every strand of opportunity woven beneath the surface. He had endured, adjusted, absorbed—and for the moment he could observe, remain patient and ready himself, for whatever lay.
The city swirled about them in a rush of hues and noise. Hovercars zipped by, merchants. Crowds navigated the sidewalks, disoriented yet blending in. Beneath everything, the quiet buzz of the system endured, perceptible solely to him. Eiden smiled softly.
He had endured. He had adapted. And the world… well, the world was just beginning.