Chapter 37 | A Crack

The mana was thick. So thick it pressed in from all sides, like a second atmosphere layered over the world.

Leon sat still in the center, legs crossed, hands resting on his knees, his breathing calm and even. His eyes were closed, but he didn’t need to see to feel it. The mana wasn’t visible, no glowing streams or flashes of light, but he could sense it clearly. It clung to him like moisture, thick and heavy, as if the air had turned solid around him.

Each inhale drew in more than just breath. The mana was there too, saturating his lungs, weaving into his bloodstream through the nanites. He didn't try to control it. Not yet. He let it press against him, surround him, and fill him. 

His body had long since stopped resisting. Muscles relaxed and his heart slowed.

The walls of the saturation chamber thrummed with a low, mechanical resonance. Invisible conduits embedded in the alloyed walls siphoned ambient energy from the environment and funneled it into the confined space. Steadily increasing the concentration.

The chamber itself was small—just five feet wide and six feet deep—barely more than a reinforced capsule. But that was all it needed to be. The space was tight, but to him, it felt intentionally designed to strip away distractions and built with a single purpose.

He breathed slowly. Each inhale was long, held for a moment at the peak. Then he exhaled just as slowly, pausing again at the bottom of the breath. A steady rhythm—four counts in, hold, four counts out, hold—syncing his body to the flow of mana saturating the room.

Within him, the nanites were already active. Millions coursed through his bloodstream, each one following its programming. As the ambient mana thickened, they absorbed it, processed it, and began rerouting it through his nervous system and cellular structure. 

His body wasn't just receiving mana, it was being rewritten by it. It fortified and refined his cells. Every breath brought him closer to the edge of what he had been and nudged him deeper into what he was becoming.

Each session over the past three weeks had strengthened the power within him. His body grew more robust, adapting to the mana with muscles thickening and endurance rising in steady increments. 

Strength built gradually, not in leaps, but in noticeable gains; a fraction stronger and faster with every breath. The aches and bruises from grueling training faded, pain dulling as torn tissue knit itself back together and inflammation receded. It was as if his entire body cycled through repair, reinforcement, and evolution.

He opened his eyes to glance at the time displayed on his visual cortex:

2247

"Hhhaa– one week left," muttered Leon after he exhaled.

After the first day of the obstacle course, Leon had become painfully aware he was the slowest and weakest one in his training group. The others had years of training, eating real food, and being exposed to mana. 

Even Nyra had the advantage over him even though she was Ordari before. Just the nutrition of real food instead of the minimal protein synthetic cubes he normally ate in the Lower Levels was a big advantage.

His body was still healing itself from the neglect and abuse that was brought on from living in the Lower Levels. Years of malnutrition and environmental toxins had taken their toll, creating weaknesses that even advanced nano-technology couldn't immediately overcome.

To try to catch up just a bit, he started to do additional saturation chamber sessions after dinner, although that was just one part of it. He was getting addicted to the feeling of the power in his body. The mana coursing through him, strengthening him, and making him more than what he had been. 

He was able to complete the obstacle course two days ago, and it was just in time for the assessment of Phase One. In one week, the training group would run the course at the same time to race to the finish line.

Leon saw a dimmed notification at the corner of his vision the CRI had muted to not disturb his session. 

He opened the prompt:

Detected increase in proficiency of natural absorption.
Adjusting user profile.
D-rank absorption > C-rank absorption.

Leon blinked, not knowing what to think of the notification. He checked himself to see if there was anything different after the notification, but he couldn't find anything immediately apparent.

Must be the way I have been trying to absorb, Leon pondered.

He had been trying to match his breathing with mana intake and exhaustion. The more he kept at it, the easier it became. The past couple of days he didn't notice he was doing it at times, although it was a very small amount of mana being absorbed that way, he was happy his body was getting used to it.

He pulled up his profile to see if his saturation rank had changed as well:

Leon Ezra
Condition: Normal CRI: Normal Nanites: Normal
Minor Deviation: None
Absorption Sys: Normal
Mana Reservoir Lvl: Normal
Absorption Rank: C
Saturation Rank: E

Still E-rank.

He wasn't too disappointed at it since he felt his body getting stronger. Even if the metrics didn't show it yet, he could feel the difference in his muscles and how quickly he recovered from training. He got up and prepared to leave the chamber, ready to call it a day and prepare for tomorrow.

He exited the saturation chamber and proceeded down the corridor, his footsteps echoing softly against the metal floors. The facility was quiet at this hour, most recruits having already returned to their quarters.

Hiss.

A saturation chamber slid open, and a recruit stepped out in front of him.

Haven't seen him in a while.

Jake stepped out of the chamber. Leon watched him, instinctively tensing. He could already feel it, the weight of that stare, the prelude to something petty. Jake paused, then turned.

There it is.

Their eyes met. No greetings. Just that familiar, quiet tension that always came before Jake pulled some bullshit. He walked toward Leon, each step landing with a heavy echo on the metal floor.

Leon didn't move. He knew better than to flinch.

Then—thmp. Jake's shoulder slammed into his, hard. Not enough to drop him, but more than enough to spark the fire already simmering in Leon's chest. It wasn't just a bump. It was a warning. 

You arrogant bastard.

Jake didn't stop. He just kept walking like nothing happened, like Leon didn't matter. That smirk curled across his face as he turned the corner with a smug.

Leon's fists clenched at his sides, the nanites in his system responding to his emotional state, mana cycling faster through his body as his heart rate increased. His muscles tensed, ready for a confrontation that wouldn't come. Not yet, anyway.

Keep smiling. One of these days, you're going to slip. And when you do, I'll be there to watch you hit the floor.

He took a deep breath, letting the anger subside. He couldn't afford to start a fight, not when he was finally making progress. The Elite Track was challenging enough without adding disciplinary issues to his record.

When he got to his room, he saw Nyra waiting for him at his door. She was leaning against the wall, one foot propped up behind her. 

"Later than usual," Nyra commented, her eyes scanning him as if checking for signs of fatigue or injury.

"Yeah, had a breakthrough and felt great," Leon announced, unable to keep a note of pride from his voice. "CRI acknowledged I am C-Rank in absorption now."

"Congrats!" Nyra's genuine smile lit up her face.

Leon felt proud of being complimented for a second and enjoyed the warm glow of accomplishment.

"Maybe you can now catch up enough to still see my back," grinned Nyra, the teasing comment returning their relationship to its familiar rhythm.

"One day you won't be able to say that anymore," Leon shook his head, chuckling.

"Oh, I ran into your friend," he added as he placed his palm to the scanner.

"My friend?" Nyra confused by the statement.

"Jake was also in the saturation chamber," Leon said as he stepped into his room with Nyra right behind him. "He seemed to be in a good mood."

"I can imagine," Nyra grumbled, her expression darkening. "He's been at the top of the course times for three straight days. Even the instructors have been praising him."

Leon nodded not surprised. Despite his personal dislike of Jake, he couldn't deny the other recruit's natural aptitude. 

Jake had been raised for this. Trained since childhood, properly nourished, and surrounded by the best the Fulgari world had to offer. It wasn't just arrogance that fueled his attitude; it was a lifetime of advantages.

"Well, I want to hit the bed. I am exhausted. Did you want something?" Leon said as he stood in front of his closet, noticing Nyra had stepped inside and was lingering.

"Ummmm..." Nyra looked nervous and started fiddling with her fingers.

Leon focused on her. In all the time he had been with her, she rarely fiddled with her fingers, and only when she was truly nervous. It was such an uncharacteristic gesture from someone who usually maintained such careful control over her expressions and body language.

"Did you see it?" Nyra asked, her voice soft.

"See what?"

"The picture... in my drawer," Nyra said quietly. "I know you saw it. It wasn't in the same position I keep it in."

"Oh, uh, sorry. I didn't mean to look at it," Leon scratched his head, guilt creeping in even though the invasion of privacy hadn’t been intentional.

Nyra shook her head, dismissing his apology.

"No, it wasn't your fault. I thought you would ask about it, but you never did."

"There's no need to, Nyra. It's not my business, but you are the only friend I've had. So if you want to talk about it, I am here."

The words came easily, without calculation or hesitation. Leon realized as he spoke them that they were completely true. Despite everything else happening around them—the training, the competition, and the constant pressure—Nyra had somehow become important to him in a way no one else ever had.

"Mhm," Nyra nodded her head, looking down, still fiddling with her thumbs, and looks to be get slightly red. She exhaled loudly, turned around, and walked towards the corridor. She paused at the door, turning back.

"Thank you," she said softly with a smile he saw for the first time. One that reached her eyes and softened her entire face.

The door slid closed with Leon staring at it, wondering about the moment that had just passed between them.

Wasn't it just a picture? Leon scratched his head, frowning to himself. 

He still didn't quite understand Nyra. 

Or more accurately, he didn't understand the way he felt around her. Maybe that was part of it. He had never really interacted with a girl his age before other than Vanessa. 

And it wasn't like he was lying when he called her his only friend. That part was true.

Growing up, he hadn't been popular. Not even close. Most kids had groups, cliques, and distractions. He had responsibilities to survive.

In the Lower Levels, there hadn't been time for friends, just tasks, training, and staying out of trouble.

Nyra was... different. Unexpected. And maybe that's why she threw him off so much.

He sat on the edge of his bed, suddenly aware of how different his life was now from just a month ago. He had gone from struggling alone to survive in the Lower Levels to training alongside the elites, his body transformed by technology beyond what he could have imagined. 

He had a friend who waited for him outside his door, who challenged him to be better, and who smiled genuinely when he succeeded.

Leon lay back on his bed, exhaustion finally claiming him. As he drifted toward sleep, his thoughts circled back to Nyra's photo. The burned edges, the careful way it had been preserved, and the family she never mentioned except in that brief, vulnerable moment.

Everyone here had a story, he realized. Even those born to privilege had burdens they carried. The difference was in how they wore them. Some like armor, others like wounds still healing.