Lucian stood beneath the glow of a flickering streetlight while the city slowly returned to its usual rhythm.
Cars rolled past along the road.
Distant sirens echoed somewhere far away between towering buildings.
And the young woman he had just helped still stood a few feet away, clearly trying to process what had just happened.
Lucian rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well," he said casually, "that was eventful."
The woman blinked, as if snapping back to reality.
"Eventful?" she repeated.
Lucian shrugged.
"I try not to use the word disaster unless things explode."
She stared at him for a moment before letting out a small, nervous laugh.
Despite the tension lingering in the air, Lucian noticed the fear slowly fading from her expression.
"Are you alright?" he asked more gently.
She nodded, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"I think so… thanks to you."
Lucian waved his hand dismissively.
"It wasn't a big deal."
But even as he said that, the system screen quietly appeared again.
Narrative Value Earned: +40
Current Total: 70
Lucian glanced at it and nodded thoughtfully.
"Okay," he murmured under his breath, "maybe it was a little big."
The woman tilted her head.
"Did you say something?"
Lucian quickly shook his head.
"Nope. Just talking to myself."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Is that normal for you?"
Lucian grinned.
"You'd be surprised."
For a moment, the two simply stood there beneath the streetlight while the night breeze drifted through the narrow street.
Then the woman spoke again.
"My name is Maya," she said.
Lucian nodded politely.
"Nice to meet you, Maya. I'm Lucian."
She studied him carefully.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
Lucian almost laughed.
"That is the most accurate statement anyone has said to me today."
Maya crossed her arms slightly.
"You handled those guys pretty easily."
Lucian shrugged.
"Lucky timing."
But he remembered the strange sensation from earlier.
The subtle pulse from the earth beneath his feet.
The quiet shift in the pavement that had caused the attacker to stumble.
It had not been an accident.
The system screen flickered again.
Son of Gaia — Passive Affinity
Minor Environmental Influence Detected
Lucian stared at the text.
"Interesting…"
Maya looked puzzled.
"Interesting what?"
Lucian waved it off.
"Just thinking."
He glanced down the street where the attackers had fled.
They were long gone now.
The alley had returned to silence.
Lucian exhaled slowly.
"Alright," he said, stretching slightly, "crisis resolved."
Maya hesitated.
"Do you… live nearby?"
Lucian opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Technically speaking, his house was currently a convenience store floating between universes.
"Sort of," he answered vaguely.
She frowned.
"That doesn't sound convincing."
Lucian laughed.
"That's because it isn't."
Maya studied him again.
There was something unusual about the way he carried himself.
Not arrogant.
Not nervous.
Just… oddly composed.
"You're strange," she said.
Lucian smiled.
"I'm starting to hear that a lot today."
A soft chime echoed in Lucian's mind.
The system screen expanded again.
Merchant Instinct Triggered
Nearby Item Detected
Lucian blinked.
"Oh?"
The screen displayed a small glowing indicator.
The arrow pointed toward the construction site across the street.
Lucian followed its direction.
Behind a tall metal fence sat a half-finished building surrounded by cranes, scaffolding, and stacks of construction materials.
Maya noticed his attention shift.
"What are you looking at?"
Lucian scratched his chin.
"That building."
She glanced over.
"Yeah, they've been working on it for months."
Lucian tilted his head.
The system arrow pulsed again.
Potential Tradeable Resource Located
Lucian raised an eyebrow.
"A tradeable resource?"
He was still learning how this merchant system worked, but one thing seemed clear.
If the system highlighted something…
…it was probably valuable.
Lucian looked back at Maya.
"Hey," he said, "random question."
She folded her arms again.
"That sounds suspicious already."
Lucian pointed toward the construction site.
"Do you know what they're building there?"
Maya glanced at it.
"Office complex, I think."
Lucian nodded slowly.
"Good to know."
The system arrow pulsed again.
Lucian could almost feel the merchant instinct nudging him forward.
Curiosity tugged at his mind.
"Well," he muttered, "might as well investigate."
Maya blinked.
"Investigate what?"
Lucian gestured toward the construction site.
"Something over there caught my attention."
She looked confused.
"At a construction site?"
Lucian grinned.
"Adventure happens in weird places."
Before she could protest, Lucian walked toward the metal fence.
Maya hesitated.
Then, reluctantly, followed.
"Wait," she called.
"You're just going to walk into a restricted area?"
Lucian examined the fence.
"It's nighttime."
"That's not a reason."
Lucian pointed at a slightly open gap near the corner.
"It kind of is."
Maya sighed.
"You're unbelievable."
Lucian slipped through the opening and stepped inside.
The construction site was quiet.
Heavy machines stood motionless beneath the dim glow of security lights.
Stacks of concrete blocks and steel beams surrounded the skeletal structure of the unfinished building.
Lucian walked forward slowly.
The system arrow guided him toward a pile of rubble near the foundation.
"Alright," he murmured.
"What exactly am I looking for?"
The arrow stopped.
Lucian knelt down beside a partially buried object.
It looked like a rough piece of stone.
But the moment he touched it—
A faint vibration traveled through his fingers.
Lucian's eyes widened.
"Whoa."
Maya leaned over his shoulder.
"What is it?"
Lucian brushed away dirt and dust.
The stone beneath the debris revealed faint glowing lines running through its surface.
Like veins of light inside rock.
The system chimed loudly.
Item Discovered
Gaia Fragment — Dormant
Lucian froze.
"…Wait."
He looked at the stone again.
The glow pulsed gently, almost like a heartbeat.
The system displayed more information.
Fragment Origin: Primordial Earth Energy
Compatibility: Son of Gaia
Lucian's expression slowly shifted from curiosity…
…to astonishment.
"You have got to be kidding me."
Maya frowned.
"Is it valuable?"
Lucian stared at the fragment.
Something deep within him stirred.
The same ancient warmth he had felt earlier.
"Yes," he said quietly.
"I think it is."
When he picked up the stone, the glow intensified slightly.
For a brief moment—
Lucian felt connected to the earth beneath the entire city.
Concrete.
Steel.
Soil.
Stone.
Everything.
The sensation vanished almost instantly.
But the memory of it lingered.
Lucian exhaled slowly.
"Okay…"
He turned the fragment in his hand.
"So this is what the system wanted me to find."
Maya looked impressed.
"It looks important."
Lucian nodded.
"It probably is."
The system chimed again.
New Ability Potential Detected
Fragment Integration Available
Lucian stared at the screen.
"Integration?"
Maya crossed her arms.
"Why do I feel like you're about to do something dangerous?"
Lucian smiled.
"Because I probably am."
The glow from the stone pulsed once more.
Lucian could feel it resonating with something inside him.
Something ancient.
Something inherited.
The blood of Gaia.
Lucian looked down at the fragment thoughtfully.
"Well," he said quietly.
"Looks like my first trip to another world just got a lot more interesting."
Above them, the city skyline shimmered beneath the night sky.
And deep beneath the ground—
The earth itself seemed to recognize its lost fragment returning to the hands of Gaia's son.