[STT] Chapter 91: Eye (Patreon)

Ben found himself in a tunnel of colors and lights, and he was moving at an unimaginable speed. Shimmering threads of light whizzed past him, and the walls around him were shifting and changing, like they were made of glowing water of different colors vying for the top.

Everywhere he looked, there was something to see, something to learn.

The tunnel was long, and he couldn't see the end, but he knew he was heading somewhere. Alice was nowhere to be seen, so he assumed she was being slingshot—as Eris put it—separately.

Why separately? Was there more to teleporting than he thought?

What did slingshot imply, anyway.

Despite the warnings, [Mana Sonar] reached out, only to be blinded by mana of such a high density that he had to shut it down before it overloaded his senses.

Damn, this is some strong stuff...

But damn did it look delicious. He had to hold himself back from trying to take a bite out of it. He wasn't sure if it was even possible to do that. 

Still, just feeling and observing it for that moment had made his understanding of mana go up, and he had to breathe deeply to calm himself down.

He was in a place he did not know, so he had to be careful.

Thus, he reached out with [Mana Sonar] again, paired with [Mana Shaping] and [Mana Manipulation] in hopes of learning something. As expected, the mana was wild, untamed, and powerful, but it also had a structure to it.

A kind of a pattern, it seemed, that was underlying the chaos, and it was so complex he could not even begin to understand it, but he could observe.

And that's what he did.

He observed, and as he did, his skills grew.

[Mana Shaping Lvl 3 > Lvl 4]

[Mana Manipulation Lvl 17 > Lvl 18]

[Mana Sonar Lvl 17 > Lvl 18]

His eyes bled, and so did his nose, but he didn't care.

The mana was intoxicating. He felt like he could drown in it, and he wanted to. It was so pure, so potent, so beautiful, he could not look away. He wanted to reach out and touch it, to shape it, to make it his own. But he knew he couldn't.

That didn't mean he didn't try, though.

He sent a tendril of his mana toward the tunnel wall, careful not to disturb the structure, and to his surprise, it answered. It was like a dance, and his mana was a partner, moving with the flow of the tunnel, following the rhythm of the mana. It was a beautiful dance, and he could feel his soul singing along with it.

Then a wave of mana rushed his body, and he had to pull back before he lost himself in the dance.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been in the tunnel, but he was learning so much.

His body was a mess.

[Regeneration] was constantly fighting a losing battle against the mana that was tearing him apart from the inside out, but his mind was elsewhere.

This place was a goldmine.

He was so entranced he did not notice that his antics had drawn attention.

An eye opened, one so vast he felt like an ant compared to it.

And it was looking right at him.

Mix of colors, it shimmered and shifted as it blinked, and the gaze it fixed upon Ben sent shivers down his spine. His instincts screamed at him to run, but he was unable to move. The eye was of a reptile, or so he assumed, slitted and menacing.

There was something ancient about it, and Ben could feel the weight of its gaze.

He'd been caught. He'd been a fool to think he could mess around with the mana here and not have consequences.

This is not ambient mana...

He thought back to what Eris had said.

Slingshot...

Back home, a slingshot in the context of movement like this made him think of space, of the acceleration a spacecraft could achieve by exploiting a planet's gravity.

He was being slingshotted through this place using this creature. 

He couldn't even tell whether the darkness surrounding it was a body, or whether his mind was simply trying to give shape to something that had none.

He had to find an exit, now. He could not stay here.

"Hello, little one."

The voice was deep and resonant, vibrating through his chest, and it seemed to come from everywhere at once. He was afraid, but he tried to remain calm.

"Hello," he replied, and it worked, surprisingly. "I'm sorry for disturbing you."

"Oh, no need to apologize. It is rare for me to meet someone so small. And so fragile. Yet, you dare to step into my domain. What a brave little thing you are."

"I didn't mean to step into your domain. I'm just passing through."

"So you say. But I can see the truth. You are here to learn. To grow. To take what is mine."

"..."

Ben wanted to cry. He didn't mean to take anything, he just wanted to learn, and now he'd upset a giant... something.

He had no idea what to say.

The voice chuckled, the voice growing to a growl.

"Fear not, little one. I am not angry. I am amused. Perhaps... I shall allow you to keep what you have learned. How did you find yourself here, I wonder, you are so small, so weak, and yet here you are."

"Lady Eris, she..."

"Ah, yes, the meddling woman. How dare she, using me as her plaything. I should teach her a lesson. But alas, I cannot. She is protected by the system. How annoying." The voice rumbled, and Ben felt the mana shift. "But perhaps a jest is in order. Yes. That would be fun. It has been a while since I've found her lacking as such."

"I'm sorry, what?"

The voice ignored him. "Little one, do you wish to leave this place?"

"Yes, please. I would very much like to leave."

"Then I shall grant you passage."

The tunnel twisted, and Ben was moving again, faster and faster. He had no idea where he was going, but he hoped it was away from the eye.

"Farewell, little one. Let us meet again. Now, onto the brat. Hm. Ah, there you are, come here."

Ben didn't know who the brat was, but he hoped it wasn't him. He was already in enough trouble as it was.

And then, he was back in the real world.

He collapsed on the ground, coughing and sputtering, his body wracked with pain, but he felt a little elated. Would the creature teleport Eris to that place? If so, nice payback for all her antics.

[Focus Lvl 16 > Lvl 17]

[Mana Sonar Lvl 18 > Lvl 19]

[Regeneration Lvl 18 > Lvl 19]

The scent of flowers filled his nose. The grass was soft under him, and he could hear the sound of a waterfall in the distance. Birds chirped, and he could feel the warmth of the sun on his skin.

With [Focus] reorganizing his thoughts, Ben stood up and realized he was in the middle of a garden. Flowers of all colors were blooming around him, and the scent was overpowering. The little bird chirped and flew out of his hair, stretching its wings and flying up into the sky, before diving down, flying toward a direction.

Shit!

He never thought it would run away!

Chasing after the bird, he followed it through the garden, his eyes scanning the place. There were trees and bushes, fountains and statues, and in the distance, he could see a large mansion.

Where was Alice?

Was he even at the right place?

The bird flew toward the mansion, and he ran after it, not wanting to lose sight of it. He ran around the mansion, and finally caught up with the bird, which had perched on... an old man's head. The man sat on a bench, and had his eyes closed.

Ben hesitated to approach.

The bird was sat on the man's hair, chirping happily.

The man was dressed in simple clothes, a linen shirt and brown pants, and his feet were bare. He had a beard, but it was well kept, and his hair was white with age, cut short. A monocle was on his face, dangling by a thin chain.

"Ah, welcome." The man said, opening his eyes, and Ben froze. "I assume you did not heed my daughter's warning, unless she forgot to give you one, in which case I will have to have a word with her."

"My apologies," Ben said, bowing his head. "I did not mean to disturb you."

"Ah, it's fine. I was just enjoying the sun. Come, sit." He gestured to the bench, and Ben walked over and sat down. "So, you're the young man my daughter and granddaughter have been talking about. Benjamin, is it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Please, call me Gerald. I am not one for formalities."

"Okay, sir."

"Good, good. So, Benjamin, tell me, how is my granddaughter faring?"

"She is well, sir. She is strong and capable."

"I see. And my daughter? How is she holding up?"

"She is... well. I think she's doing okay."

"Good. I worry about them, you know? Eris is a bit... impulsive at times, and Alice... well, she's a bit too headstrong for her own good. Did the dragon give you trouble?"

"Wait what?"

"The dragon. The one that slingshotted you here. You look a little worse for wear. I assume it had a few words for you."

Ben's mind reeled. The eye. It was a dragon.

He was slingshot by a dragon.

A dragon, like the wyvern he'd faced, only far, far stronger. He had no words. He just nodded.

"Yes, I suppose it would. Still, you survived, so that's good. So, what brings you here?" The bird on his head chirped and pecked at the old man's head, making Ben freeze. "Tell me, do you know what it is?"

"No, sir."

"Hmm, you should. I assume Eris gave it to you?"

"Yes, sir."

"She always had a thing for birds. This is a rather interesting one, I must say."

Ben was curious. "What is it?"

"A gift. I suppose it's up to you to figure out the specifics. I will not spoil the fun." He chuckled, and the bird chirped. "Now, let's talk business. You are here to join our House, yes?"

"Yes, sir."

Gerald frowned. "I told you to call me Gerald."

"Sorry, sir."

Gerald sighed. "Very well. So, you wish to join House Vane. Why?"

Ben didn't know what to say. He had his reasons, but they sounded a little weak now that he was face to face with the man.

"I... I want to learn. I want to get stronger. And I think House Vane can provide me with the resources and opportunities to do so."

"I see. And what do you plan to do with this strength?"

"I don't know. I just want to be stronger. I want to protect myself and the people I care about."

"You lie. Tell me the truth."

The man's eyes were sharp, and Ben felt like he was being dissected.

"I want to see how far I can go." He said, after a moment.

"Ah, there it is." Gerald smiled. "Ambition. I like that. It's honest. So, what do you have to offer House Vane in return?"

Ben was taken aback. He didn't expect to be asked that.

He didn't know what to say.

He was weak, and he had nothing to his name.

"Nothing but myself, I suppose."

"And why should we invest in you? You are a commoner, and not a particularly talented one at that. Your growth is... interesting, but it is still limited, and you seem to be dead set on a fool's path."

He knew. Ben should have expected that.

"I don't know," Ben said, his voice low. "I guess you shouldn't. I'm not worth the investment."

The old man stared at him for a moment.

"I see. But my granddaughter and daughter seem to think highly of you, for some reason. And my daughter rarely makes mistakes in her judgment of character. So, I will give you a chance."

He raised his hand, and the air around them shimmered.

A prompt appeared before Ben.

Do you wish to join House Vane?

Wait, what? Ben stared at the prompt.

Houses were system recognized?!

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