I wake up surprisingly well-rested the next morning.

The potion diluted into the water had worked through the entire night, regenerating my body little by little while I slept. For the first time since the fight against Cassio, my ribs don’t feel like cracked glass every time I breathe deeply.

OXI is still relatively stable thanks to the abundance of food and drink from the previous night, so I decide to skip breakfast.

After washing my face, I stay a few seconds staring at my own reflection in the shared bathroom mirror.

The strangeness comes back.

All the souls I consumed using [Rescue]. All those memories that weren’t mine. All the feelings, pains, and lived experiences I now carry inside my head... none of it fits cleanly with the face reflected in front of me.

My brain knows perfectly well who I am.

But something deeper has started to disagree.

It’s as if small pieces of other people are still alive inside me, watching that reflection and silently thinking: ’that’s not me.’

The feeling is new.

And honestly... repulsive.

"I need to use Rescue more carefully..." I murmur while drying my face on the towel.

I go back to the room and sit on the bed.

The small golden message still sits folded on the desk. I look at it between my fingers for a few seconds, weighing whether to ignore it for one more day.

But I know this kind of situation too well.

"You don’t ignore a tiger roaring in a forest that belongs to him."

I slowly open the paper.

"Meet me on the top floor of the library today at 14:00."

No signature.

No identification.

No writing style flashy enough to trace.

Well... if it’s at the library, it’s probably someone from inside the academy.

I tuck the paper back into the inventory immediately. You never know when a simple piece of evidence might save your life later on.

After every small preparation, I check my OXI before leaving.

[OXI: 1,604 / 2,500]

I grimace.

Duvilin really does drain energy like a walking black hole.

I’d need to spend thirty-six Scales to recover the rest.

I leave the room without contacting my team. On the first floor of the dorms, there’s an OXI refill machine—far more practical than chewing through Scales like a desperate rodent.

It looks a lot like those public drinking fountains on Earth you used to find in malls. The difference is the translucent light-blue arch above the metal frame, pulsing softly with runic energy. On the side, there’s a small slot to insert Scales, or, if you prefer, you can charge it directly through the system.

I slide my hand into the arch up to the wrist and use the HUD.

[Payment: 36 Scales]

[Scales: 50,982 → 50,946]

The machine pulses twice.

Right after, a notification appears on my HUD.

[Hold still for 10 seconds.]

A cold current runs the length of my arm.

[OXI: 2,500 / 2,500]

[OXI restored successfully. Thank you.]

I pull the hand out slowly while watching the device.

Thinking about the LDP Potion plan, I can’t avoid following a dangerous line of reasoning.

What if there were a better method for OXI distribution? Like more efficient machines, faster and more accessible.

’If someone monopolized that...’

The entire world would change.

But even thirty Thirstfall years into the future, nobody managed to revolutionize OXI engineering in that direction. Humanity advanced in runes, weapons, alchemy, and teleports, but storage and energy distribution stayed incredibly limited by the system.

Maybe precisely because nobody was looking at the problem from the right angle.

I leave the dormitories and head for the academy library.

The building is absurdly silent. Almost reverent. Massive dark-blue pillars support the circular ceiling, while suspended water currents drift slowly between luminous runes spread across the walls. Gigantic shelves rise across several floors, forming tight corridors crowded with ancient books, scrolls, and academic records. The lighting comes from small floating orbs anchored to the ceiling by gravitational magic, creating an atmosphere too calm for a place frequented by future war monsters.

And even so, the instant I walk in, dozens of pairs of eyes turn toward me.

Some curious.

Others wary.

Others simply fascinated.

The fight against Freya had already made me known inside the academy. The fight against Cassio apparently made everything worse.

Two girls whisper something as I pass.

A young man closes his book immediately and feigns absolute concentration on his own desk when our eyes meet.

Another simply changes his course in the corridor between the shelves.

It’s strange how violence changes the way people look at you.

I grab a writing pad, a quill, and a small inkpot the library provides free of charge for study. Then I pick a table further off, positioned strategically facing the main entrance without leaving my silhouette fully exposed.

I sit.

10:20.

Hours to go before the meeting.

I activate the comm and open the group channel.

"I’m at the library. Meet me here at 14:00. Wait on the second-to-last floor. Safety precaution—I’m meeting a stranger on the top floor."

"Copy that," Oliver responds immediately.

Right after, I hear only a deep sigh from Veric’s end.

"Veric. Please. Contact your father about the loan. We need this as fast as possible."

"Good morning to you too, Sands," he answers in a drawn-out voice, clearly irritated. "Are you incapable of starting a conversation like a normal human being?"

I ignore him.

"Oliver. Make a shortlist of drowneds you know or trust. Ask for résumés. We’re going to start filtering personnel."

"Cer... tain... ly, bo... ss..."

I furrow my brow slightly.

"Are you eating?"

"Maybe..."

I cut the group channel before he starts going into too much detail.

Then I open a private channel.

"Rhayne. Can you come to the library now? I need your help."

The answer takes a few seconds.

"I’m... on... my way..."

Her voice comes out soft and a little hesitant.

Probably still shy.

I rest my elbow on the table while slowly spinning the quill between my fingers.

Now it’s just waiting.

And finding out which predator wants to talk with me this time.