PftA Book 2 - Chapter 28

Chapter 28 – Bell’s Awakening

I realized pretty quickly that there was no need for me to be hyper-observant of my roommate while we were both logged into the game. Surely, Rhona would message me when she pulled Bell in for a meeting – she’d probably message Bell first with some kind of urgent meeting request. I couldn’t see Rhona just transferring her with no warning. Besides, it wasn’t like awakening was apparent when logged into the simulation.

Therefore, I only needed to be especially observant when she wasn’t logged in. I wasn’t sure if Rhona would know immediately if Bell’s interface activated while she wasn’t logged in. Her Fitmon might monitor something like that. But if that was the case, having me remove it immediately seemed counter-intuitive.

But that was above my pay grade, as my dad liked to say.

Rhona and I had discussed how other natives had naturally awakened and, without exception, they always occurred during the mana sensitivity test. The fact that Bell was at risk of awakening at any moment could only be attributed to her intake of mana-infused foods – foods I had intentionally provided expressly for that purpose.

I didn’t need to be told that it was my responsibility to ensure there were no issues.

My imagination had created several scenarios for how it could happen, including the possibility that her interface might suddenly activate during a meal with Justin and Amie. That would be especially hard to hide since I doubted I could keep her from saying anything in front of them. Knowing the mana in my food was pushing her ever closer to awakening, I could only avoid sharing mana-infused foods with her while Justin was around.

I wasn’t worried about Amie seeing anything. She was young enough that I doubted my system-enforced contract would see an issue as long as I didn’t outright flaunt magic in front of her.

Nobody mentioned the sudden shift in food quality during dinner, but I could tell I wasn’t the only one left unsatisfied. After just two days of lackluster meals, Justin skipped dinner at our apartment for the first time in weeks, claiming he was going to have a daddy-daughter date instead.

I didn’t mind. Instead, I used the opportunity to push as much Tier Two food into Bell as possible. There were still nearly two years before the apocalypse should happen. It was plenty of time for Bell – and eventually Justin – to gain an advantage.

“Oh my god! Where did you get this?” Bell exclaimed as she uncovered the dish I’d placed in front of her. It was one of the authentic Italian meals I’d scanned into my Meal Maker, recreated with Tier Two food products as a base. Getting the Meal Maker to modify the mana composition of the product was harder than I expected but not beyond my capabilities – even if Artificer Vasilla did comment on my excessive use of runes. Since she was unwilling (or perhaps unable) to share a better method, I didn’t let it bother me.

“It was something I ordered from a little Italian place I found,” I said as I uncovered my own meal. I’d gotten both recipes in Italy, though they were totally different meals. Where Bell had pasta, mine was a savory chicken with mixed vegetables. “Food delivery is awesome,” I added misleadingly.

I’d only stepped out of the apartment long enough to go downstairs and return, so it was an easy lie. I tried not to let it bother me.

“Holy shit, this is amazing!” Bell said with a moan as she took a bite. I was tempted to grab a forkful of her pasta, but I resisted. I hadn’t tried either of the recipes with Tier Two ingredients yet, but I could always try them later.

“I’m glad you like it,” I said before taking a bite of my chicken. “Mmmm. Yeah. It’s really good.”

“Really good?” she said with a scandalized expression. “Here, let me try. If it’s anything like mine…”

I grinned as she swapped our plates. The pasta was also excellent, but it wasn’t nearly enough to justify Bell's moaning. Maybe my lack of euphoria came from already being Tier Two?

I tried not to snicker as I watched my roommate eating. Maybe Tier Two foods were a bit much for someone unaccustomed to such things.

“Mmmm. I swear, it’s like my insides are orgasming or something. It feels so warm and tingly,” she groaned before stuffing an overflowing fork into her mouth.

I already had Mana Sight active, so I could see the pulses of mana radiating from her stomach and infusing her body. I quickly sent a message to Rhona informing her that Bell might be awakening and we were alone in our apartment. Rhona and I had discussed several scenarios, so I had a rough idea of what to do depending on how Bell reacted.

I really hoped she didn’t freak out too much. I’d set an Anchor before giving her the food – just in case – but my mana wasn’t unlimited.

“It’s getting pretty hot in here,” Bell commented before taking a drink from her glass. “Do you feel that?”

I remembered the first time my interface activated. I was actually eating lunch with my then-roommate at college. We’d both been overwhelmed by the sense of warmth right before a screen appeared in front of our eyes with a welcome message.

I frowned slightly. I didn’t remember getting the welcome message this time. Maybe it was due to my interface being locked initially?

Shaking away the random thought, I watched as Bell’s eyes unfocused right as her body experienced a burst of mana. She sucked in a quick breath.

“Bell? Are you okay?” I asked calmly, though my heart was pounding. A quick Identify verified she’d awakened, and I could feel the restrictions from my system-enforced contract loosening. “Don’t be afraid. Everything’s fine.”

Lisa was already sending an update to Rhona as Bell’s eyes focused on me. “I saw a screen. Duo… what’s happening?”

“Just take a breath,” I said calmly. “Let me see your wrist.”

Rhona was very clear that I needed to remove the Fitmon before doing anything else. Thankfully, Bell didn’t resist as I covered the Fitmon with my hand and sent a pulse of mana into it, allowing Lisa access to do… whatever she needed to do to remove the device. The crystalline band broke into two pieces, and I quickly pulled them into my spatial ring.

“What happened? Where’d it go?” Bell asked as she pulled her arm to her chest, rubbing the empty space that used to hold the Fitmon.

“I removed it. Rhona wanted me to take it off as soon as your interface activated,” I replied. “I’m not sure why, but I trust her. She wants to explain everything.”

“No.” My curly-haired friend leaned back and shook her head insistently. “You obviously know what’s going on. Tell me… please.”

This was one of the situations Rhona and I had discussed, so I nodded. “Okay.” I took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Basically, the game is supposed to prepare us for what’s coming. All the lore is true. Earth is a colony planet and has been part of a mana study since it was colonized several thousand years ago. I’m pretty sure there were previous inhabitants, but I’m not sure what happened to them. It wasn’t covered in any of my classes.”

Bell held up a hand. “Wait. All those random lore classes you took…”

“Yep, actual history. That’s why I’m attending Atlantis University instead of going to an accredited school. College degrees probably won’t be valued the same way once everyone has access to the system and magic.”

“Atlantis… The screen said something about an Atlantis Alliance… wait,” Bell paused, gasping a little as she stared into the distance. “You said magic. Like, magic is real? Magic is real. No way.”

I tried interjecting, but Bell kept mumbling to herself for the next bit, so I waited.

“If you knew, why didn’t you tell me?” she suddenly asked. “Does Justin know?”

I shook my head. “No, he doesn’t. And no, you can’t tell him.”

“But—” she started.

“No, Bell,” I said, cutting her off. “You can’t tell people who don’t already know. Could you imagine the chaos this knowledge would bring? Think about how people would react. Really think about it.” I stared at my friend, willing her to listen. “Religions feeling threatened, cults springing up, zealots killing anyone who threatened their world-views… that’s just the start. Seriously, people were coming to blows about toilet paper back when we were kids. Could you imagine the panic knowing something like this would cause?”

Bell poked out her lower lip in an angry pout. “You can’t just not tell people!” she said angrily, reaching for her phone.

I sighed and teleported the device directly into my storage ring. It was a trick I’d recently picked up from Stella. “Please, be calm.”

“Be calm?” my roommate nearly screamed. “What did you do to my phone? Give it back! People have a right to know what’s happening!”

“No, they don’t!” I shouted, losing my temper. “People don’t have a right to know. Earthborn are not entitled to nearly as much as we think we are!” I said, venting my frustration at some of the behaviors that had given humans born on Earth such a bad reputation within the Alliance. 

I took a deep breath, ignoring Bell’s protestations. I’d clearly screwed that up. I wasn’t even sure why I’d lost it like that. There had to be a better way to go about it.

Rewind.

“Holy shit, this is amazing!” Bell said with a moan once again, giving me an odd sense of déjà vu.

“I’m glad you like it,” I said mechanically as I uncovered my meal and started nibbling on the flavorful veggies. Due to her focus on the food, Bell didn’t notice my distraction. I sent a quick message to Rhona.

[Bell’s awakening now. I screwed up the first go-round and had to Rewind. Is there any way you can get Stella to bring you here to explain things? I don’t think I’m the best person to do this.]

A few moments later, I received a response.

[Rhona AldQuartz: I think you should try again. She’s your friend and, not to point fingers, but you are the one who facilitated her early awakening. You have enough mana for a few quick Rewinds, right?]

I sighed and sent back a reply before preemptively snatching Bell’s phone and storing it while she wasn’t paying attention.

“This is so good. I can feel my insides dancing in happiness,” my roommate grinned before eying my plate. “Can I try yours?”

I nodded and pushed the plate toward her, dreading the confrontation to come. I needed to keep it from getting combative. I couldn’t act like I didn’t know what was going on. That would come back to bite me way too easily. Maybe I should try starting the conversation right before her interface activates.

“Hey, Bell?” I said uncertainly. “If the government knew the situation in the game was going to happen in a year or two, do you think they’d have the responsibility to tell the public?”

“What do you mean? Like the premise of the game was real?”

I nodded.

“Hmmm,” she said thoughtfully as she slowly chewed her food. “I think the public would have the right to know what was coming. How else would they prepare?” she asked before taking a drink and fanning herself lightly.

Guessing there wasn’t much time before her interface activated, I pressed on. “What about all the violence and death that would be likely to happen? People riot over dumb stuff. I can only imagine what would happen if the government shared something like that.”

Bell shook her head. “I don’t know about that. Most people would think it was a hoax, especially given so much notice. But some people would listen and prepare. You said a year or two in advance?” she asked, and I nodded in response. Bell shrugged, “There’d probably be some violence, but only if they could prove it was true.”

“Let’s say they could.”

Her eyebrows raised, and she took another drink. “If they could prove it, like really prove it…” She paused in consideration. “Yeah, I could see some really bad reactions. People would freak out. After playing Apocalypse Earth, I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same.” She fanned herself a few times. “Man, it’s really hot in here…”

I watched uncomfortably as the mana pulsed and brightened – Bell’s eyes unfocused, making it clear her interface had activated. While she was distracted, I touched her Fitmon, letting Lisa access and deactivate the device before storing it.

“And if you couldn’t tell people, but you could help a few people gain access to the system early?” I asked, causing her eyes to refocus and her head to snap in my direction.

“Holy shit, it’s real,” she gasped. “You knew?” I nodded slowly but said nothing as Bell’s expression quickly shifted through various emotions. “You just said…” She looked at me closer. “How? I don’t understand.”

“I couldn’t say anything until your interface activated. I’m under a system-enforced contract. You’ll have to do the same. Otherwise, they’ll put you under a geas to keep you from talking.”

“What? Why? I don’t…” Bell trailed off.

“Think about what we were just talking about.” I reminded her gently. “Imagine how easy it would be to prove with magic. How would the world react? It would be chaos. Just think how violently some zealots act when their religion is questioned. How do you think they’ll react to the news? Either the system is proving they are ‘God’s Chosen’ or the system is the devil coming to lure them away from the truth. Neither would be good. Criminals and power-hungry people with ill intentions would target anyone suspected of already awakening… it would be horrible – and dangerous.”

I shivered at the thought. “At least waiting until everyone awakens would stop some of that.” I motioned toward the food. “You going to finish, or do you want me to store it for you?” I asked, placing my meal into my ring to demonstrate – and hopefully distract my friend, even if just a little bit.

“I…” Bell looked down at her plate blankly. She scooped another forkful into her mouth blankly before suddenly relaxing, the tension draining. “Fuck, this is so good.” A few bites later, she asked, “It has magic in it, doesn’t it?”

I nodded. “Yep. It’s how I managed to get enough mana into you to activate your interface early.”

“I feel like I should be mad about that. But…” She took another bite and sighed. “It’s hard to be mad about being given food that tastes like this.”

I nodded. “We still need to go see Rhona. Please sign the contract. Maybe you can even get some concessions out of it.” My eyes lit up. “Oh, you could ask to work with me! I make simplified enchantments that will be used to make things easier right after the reintegration happens. I’ve got all sorts of projects in the works. And I can take you to rifts… Elaine needs a new group, anyway. Her group of spies sucks.”

“Elaine already has access to the system?” Bell asked, the last bite of noodles pausing on its path to her mouth.

“Yep,” I said. “There aren’t many, but you’ll probably meet most of them. Be wary of the alphabet agents. I’m sure most of them are doing what they think is right, but I have Sense Intent, and I sense way more greed and hunger for power than genuine concern for the country's wellbeing.”

At Bell’s tentative nod, I let out a breath that I hadn’t realized I was holding and messaged Rhona.

“Alright,” I said, gently pulling my roommate to her feet. “Don’t resist,” I added with a grin before enveloping our bodies in Space mana.