The answer to my question wasn't exactly simple, but I made my choice for the two reasons I just couldn't shake.
I'd selected Sparks and Matchflames for two reasons. In order to get the book I actually wanted, I'd need to select all my rewards. Secondly, I lacked any form of offense besides blasting raw mana and hoping for the best.
It was honestly embarrassing to even be calling myself a mage when my only attack was the equivalent of throwing dirt. It wasn't just embarrassing, it was an active weak point in my arsenal.
Either way it was time to take a look at what I'd gained. I wasn't sure when Omniman would become an active threat, I just hoped this would be enough to prepare for him.
[Stoneheart: Adamantium Vessel]
This Magic Tome contains complex earth transmutation formulas designed to be applied to living things. This book is the forty third in the Stoneheart series by Towers-Over-Valleys, a powerful archmage.
This was the first thing I'd need to take a look at once I got through everything else. Omniman, despite his absurd strength, was also extremely fast. I'd need a defense, or my head could get caved in before I even knew what happened.
[Sparks and Matchflames]
This Magic Tome contains fire transmutation formulas, focused on chain reactions and manipulating preexisting material to prime it for combustion.
The description of this tome wasn't very clear on what it would do, but chain reactions with fire magic definitely sounded dangerous enough to cause a lot of damage.
[Lumen Heart]
The heart of a spirit that attained a corporeal form. A powerful alchemical ingredient that can also be used by exorcists, spirit callers, and enchanters for a wide variety of uses related to binding spirits.
Last was this thing. A material used for binding spirits. Why would Gaia need to be bound to anything? She was already bound to the entire planet, at least to my knowledge.
Though as a spirit herself, she definitely knows more than I do.
As the Lumen Heart became the center of my attention, Gaia's interest peaked once again, a gentle feeling began to tug me into the distance, and I carefully walked after it.
Gaia. Can this wait?
Rejection was the feeling that flooded my body, she wanted this done as soon as possible.
The gentle mana pooling in my form was her way of thanking me as I donned my disguise, and flew into the distance.
I wasn't sure where we were going, but it wasn't in Chicago of all places.
Taking to the skies again was liberating after being cooped up in that stuffy library. Nothing against a cozy little place to read a quiet book, but I didn't want to have to fight the literature.
For a moment I was tempted to pull out my newest book and start studying, but reading and driving sounded like a mid air crash waiting to happen.
Who knows who could be flying up here?
Then my phone rang, causing me to weakly sigh. It was a work call. Stuffing the little earpiece from the device in, I accepted the call.
"Where are you going?"
"Gaia wants me to check something out, it's apparently important."
"You spat up blood in the grass and now you want to tackle something else? Look kid, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but we need you in prime condition."
He made a good point, I wasn't fully healed up despite Gaia's best efforts, and her accidently blasting me didn't help.
I stopped my flight, and suddenly I felt Gaia's gaze turn downward. My eyes followed it as the yellow and blue blur approached me.
"I'm cancelling what I was doing, but someone's coming. I'll call you back."
Hanging up the phone and pocketing both the device and audio piece, I turned to Invicible, who flew up to me with some concern.
"Are you alright?"
I tilted my head back slightly in confusion, what was he talking about?
"Yeah. I'm doing fine." That wasn't at all true, but despite being a friendly acquaintance of his, there was only so much he needed to know.
"Look, I know we don't really talk much, but you can't just skip school and not expect me to worry at least a little bit."
I blinked from inside my helmet, before desperately fishing my phone out and nearly dropping the thing.
"Oh my god." I'd completely missed school. I was in that Dungeon for something like sixteen hours!?
He flew a little bit closer now, a grimace forming on his face.
"Seriously, Emile, where are you going? This isn't the first time you've disappeared. I don't know if we're close enough to be considered friends but. . ." He backed up a little bit, genuine concern on his face as he did so. "You saved my life. When you saw me lose consciousness, you saved me from either crashing into the planet, or getting sucked into space. If it was that second one, I don't know if I would still be here." He tensed up slightly as he continued.
"So please. Let me help you."
I didn't even know what to say to that. I barely knew Mark. Like at all. Yeah I saved his life once, and we've fought together before, but I don't think we've even had a full lunch together.
Fuck, when was the last time I even had a full lunch without it getting interrupted by something?
Gaia, before I do whatever you need me to do with the Lumen Heart, can I take a break?
She frowned, but the emotions she sent me weren't what I'd initially expected. A mix of minor annoyance, but mostly guilt directed at herself. She didn't want to work me to the bone.
I wasn't her slave despite the overwhelming power she gave me. She was just worried, stressed, and overwhelmed.
Her strongest defenders were dead, their killer was on the loose, and with all that in mind, I wanted to take a break.
Despite that she felt guilty towards herself?
But why- oh.
The feeling hit me like a tidal wave. The sorrow. The loss. The feeling of something we used to have being set aside in the place of something new.
The original friendship we sparked that slowly devolved into a business relationship as the tensions increased in our lives.
Despite her affections, her power, and her preferential treatment of me, she hadn't been considering my own feelings on the matter of doing all of this, just like when she accidently blasted me with mana in her own excitement.
I didn't exactly feel the same way, I knew why she was worried, and I knew it had to be handled as soon as possible. This wasn't an easy situation, and it truly did speak to how compassionate of a person she was that she even considered my feelings at all during a time like this.
I couldn't help but break our internal tension by saying something stupid to her.
Gaia, can I use some paid time off?
Her giggle was gentle, laughing less at the joke and more at the absurdity of it as her feelings filtered into me.
Maybe I was taking my job at the GDA too seriously? No. Absolutely not. But I doubt anyone there literally was working themselves to death. They didn't spend every waking moment trying to get stronger, or maybe they did as a faction, but I was just one guy.
I couldn't burn myself out. Not with so much, and so many counting on me. I can't even remember the last time I've been able to relax without thinking about grabbing a book to study magic instead of just enjoying the moment.
"Hey Mark."
He perked up, not just enjoying our staring contest while I conversed with Gaia.
"Do you want to go get something to eat?"
He froze for a moment, and I wasn't sure if he was surprised or confused until he spoke up after a five second pause.
"Yeah. Yeah that sounds good."
Leaning towards him I couldn't help but lightly snort.
"What was with the pause?"
"I- uh- didn't expect you to offer that. No offense." He threw that last bit in as fast as he could. I guess the previous shell in my place I had never really accepted any invitations.
"So do you know any good places to eat? I, uh, don't really get out much as you know."
"I know somewhere that's cheap, and isn't awful."
"That works for me."
Descending into the city, we grabbed some food from a place called 'Burger Mart' and even Gaia cringed at the quality of the food I was about to put in my body.
"Invicible." I lightly tapped on my helmet as he tried to take a seat at one of the booths by a window . "Nearby building?" I offered.
"Nearby building works." He pulled himself out of the seat awkwardly, before giving me a small smile.
Flying off after paying with my GDA supplied card, we landed on the top of a skyscraper and unpacked our burgers and fries. The greasy bag nearly tore in the flight, but Mark managed to catch my near miss and gave me a cheeky smile as he did so.
Despite his name being pretty arrogant, I had to admit he had good reflexes. Honestly, I wondered what his powers were from? I hadn't sensed anyone with any form of magic, so I had to assume something else was going on with him.
But enough about powers. Enough about getting stronger. I just need to relax.
Taking off my helmet and sitting down gently next to me, I shook my short platinum blond hair out before grabbing a burger and taking a bite.
Tastes like a five dollar burger. That is to say, it tastes like salt.
"Not bad for fast food, right?" He threw me a light smile as he shoved down a fry. I didn't have the heart to tell him.
"It's not bad, I haven't had a burger in ages." The last time I went out to eat was with GDA money, but I just got a burrito and got back to work. I stared at the little bit of lettuce hanging out of the burger, before turning back to Mark who'd gone ahead and taken off his mask at this point.
He was awfully quiet as well. Which honestly was pretty out of character for him, I thought I was supposed to be the weird quiet one?
"Are you alright man?"
"O-oh yeah." Those were not the words of someone who was alright. It takes one to know one after all.
I slowly looked over the line of buildings, leaning back slightly on the roof we trespassed upon.
"I'll go first then. I'm a mage, as you know. Got the whole magic shtick, but apparently its not just a rare gift, but one effectively unheard of." I flicked my wrist, manifesting my Idiot's Guide to Magic, a truly amazing book. "Being the first mage who can do the things I do, in well, a while, comes with a lot of responsibility." I flopped backwards, staring at my schoolmate/ally and gave a wry smile.
"It's a lot of responsibility, to the point where I barely even have time for myself anymore."
"I get that. I just, I just want to be like my dad, but he's been different recently." Immediately Gaia set off alarm bells in my head. From our previous connections I knew he had a connection to Omniman, and I think I might have just found it. Of course thanks to the amazing Ms. Gaia.
"Well. If your dad is your hero, why don't you focus on the things he's done rather than how he's doing right now."
"I guess. He just got out of the hospital, and our whole family has been stressed out. I also want to be there for him, you know?"
"I'm an orphan, but I get the idea." He winced lightly at that. "Villian attack apparently. Just goes to show how important being a hero is. Lots of people need help, whether that be a good conversation, or pulling them out of a fire."
He curled up a little bit, not meeting my gaze, but nodding at my answer nonetheless.
"You could always try talking to your dad. I don't know the guy, but if you look up to him, he can't be all bad." I added a bit of a light jest to my tone at the end, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for Mark.
His dad killed the Guardians of the Globe, Omniman, was without a doubt: Not a good guy. But I couldn't just say that to him. This wasn't going to be easy for anyone involved, especially not Mark.
"Yeah. My dad is awesome. I'm sure he's just having a rough patch." Fuck I hope so.
"Enough with the dread, what do you do for fun Mark? I need to pick up a hobby myself."
"Oh! I actually read a lot of comics, there's this one called Seance Dog, the main character uses magic just like you. You'd probably love it! He uses all sorts of dark magic to fight for goodness and righteousness." He leaned in as he continued to explain the deep nuance of Seance Dog's character and about the internal conflict between an understanding of a power's dubious origins but still choosing to use it for good.
Seance Dog probably applied to him without knowing it, but he also made me wonder something I'd only thought about briefly before.
Where did my powers even come from?
___
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