Chapter 44: Dinner can Wait.

Chapter 44: Dinner can Wait.After reaching the main terminal at Elaris, Edwin didn’t linger. He quickly boarded a connecting terminal and made his way home, just like any other evening. Unlike the boarding students who lived within Arcadia’s dormitories, Edwin was a day scholar—he traveled between the academy and his family home every day. By the time he arrived, the sky outside had darkened, and the city lights flickered faintly in the distance. He opened the front door to his quiet, two-story house and stepped inside. He quickly went to his room. When Edwin reaches home – from the dining room, glows softly with warm lantern light. The smell of freshly cooked food drifts through the air. Mother (calling from the kitchen): "Edwin! Dinner’s ready, come eat before it gets cold!" Edwin (from his room, voice slightly distant): "Not now, Mom! I’m... I’m a bit busy!" Father (poking his head into Edwin’s room): "Busy? You’ve been locked in here since you came home. You barely even greeted us." Edwin (sitting at his desk, eyes fixed on the glowing stone): "Sorry, it’s just... something happened today. I found something, or rather—it found me." Mother (arriving at the doorway, concerned): "You’re not hurt, are you?" Edwin (shakes head, distracted): "No. Just... confused." Father (stepping inside, raising an eyebrow): "What’s that on your desk? A rock?" Edwin: "It’s not just a rock. It has mana... markings. It reacts to energy. And I think it’s important—really important. I need to figure out what it is." Mother (soft sigh): "You haven’t eaten all day. Just take a short break, dear. You can study it after dinner." Edwin (glancing at the stone, conflicted): "I’ll eat later. I promise. Just give me a little more time. This... this might be something and I want to return to its original owner." Father (crosses arms): "Hmph. You’ve got your mother’s stubbornness." Mother (smiles gently): "Alright. But don’t skip meals, Edwin. Whatever that thing is, like you said, return to its owner." "It’s bad to steal someone’s belongings" Edwin (nods softly): "Thanks. I will. Just... let me focus a bit more." [ with a serious look]. (Do I look like I stole that thing ). [They leave quietly, and Edwin turns his attention back to the pulsing badge.] He was still holding the strange stone. Edwin held the metal disc tightly in his right hand. It gave off a soft golden glow, gently pulsing like a heartbeat. The disc was small and round, about the size of his palm. It felt warm against his skin—almost like it was alive. Strange symbols were carved into its surface—old markings that glowed faintly in the quiet, dim room. It looked mysterious, magical... and very, very old. He placed the stone gently down on the desk. It let out a soft hum as it touched the surface. Edwin stared at it in silence for a while. The markings... the glow... the strange weight in his palm—it didn’t feel like a regular item. It felt... alive somehow. "What are you?" he whispered, still catching his breath. Curious, he gathered a little mana in his fingertips and channeled it into the stone. For just a second—it reacted. A flicker of energy lit up the rune circle. But it vanished just as quickly. Edwin frowned. He tried again. A second pulse, a faint warmth... then nothing. Again. Again. Each time, the stone warmed slightly, and then went still. It wasn’t broken... but it wasn’t working either. He flipped it over, tapped it, turned it in his hand—but there was no change. The badge sat stubbornly silent, glowing just enough to tease his curiosity. Frustrated, Edwin stood up and began to pace around his room. His mind spins with thoughts. He glanced back at the strange badge. "I’ve never saw like this object before" He walked over, sat down again, and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. He stared at the runes. He didn’t know what the item was. He didn’t know how it worked. But one thing was clear—the guards wouldn’t have chased after that thief unless this object was important. And now... it was in his hands. "This might be something useful," Edwin whispered. He clenched his fingers around the disc. "Otherwise they wouldn’t have risked a scene in the market for it." He exhaled slowly. "But right now... how do I even activate it." He looked at that stone once more. He didn’t know its purpose. He didn’t know its origin. "Maybe I should ask Mr. Orwen about this thing. Since he’s also an expert in mana, he might know something about this stone." He gently set it back down. The house was quiet. His parents were asleep. He went to the kitchen and ate those expensive dishes as usual. "I’ll figure it out." "I’ll find a way." Under the pale moonlight, Kael stood alone in the academy’s gymnastics room which keeps open the whole day and night, his pink shirt given by Cecelia soaked with sweat. His sword sliced through the air in sharp, precise arcs as he practiced Astral Severance, repeating the motion again and again until his arms burned. His breath came heavy, but his eyes remained sharp with focus. "I spent 300 coins today," he thought, wiping the sweat from his brow. "That leaves me with only 1,400." He gritted his teeth, stepping back into stance and swinging again—faster, stronger. "That’s not enough. Not for the map. Not for anything." He remembered the cost of traveling, supplies, guild permits—everything required coins, and lots of them. The Ancient Coin was still out of reach, and time was running very fast. "Tomorrow... I’ll hunt beasts. As many as I can. I’ll take every job. I need money, no matter how small." His blade whistled through the night once more. He didn’t stop until the stars dimmed and his legs could barely hold him up. Because Kael knew—power alone wasn’t enough. He needed coins. And fast. He practiced at night until it was 2:00 AM, and went back to his dorm. He drank energy elixir and collapsed on his bed.