The shadows in the room finally stilled as the System's voice crackled one last time, sounding like a man who had just narrowly avoided a firing squad.
[...Logic Gate Updated. Trust levels: Critical but functional. Okay, Boss. You want the pathway to get stronger? I'll give you the pathway. But we have to move now.]
Aiden stood up, his small frame casting a long, jagged shadow against the moonlit floor. "Talk."
[The Veynar Manor isn't just a house; it's a cork,] the System explained, its white-line face flickering back onto the screen. [It was built directly over a 'Leak' in the world's primary mana sources,] the System explained, its white-line face flickering with a slight distortion. [It was built directly over a leak that's been pressurized for a thousand years.]
Aiden paused, his hand gripping the edge of the window frame. "A thousand years? That would mean this manor sits on one of the Primal Fonts. There are only six of those left in existence that can fuel the whole world ecosystem."
[Six exactly,] the System confirmed, its voice echoing in his head with a newfound clarity.
[As you know these 'Leak' are the only thing that provides everyone on the earth with mana. And I sensed it the second our consciousnesses merged. It's like standing next to a sun and trying to pretend it's a candle. If we can tap directly into that source, we aren't just talking about a 'step' in power. We're talking about a leap that would shatter your current limitations.]
"The Duke is arrogant, but he isn't a fool," Aiden muttered, his gaze shifting from the window to the door. "If there was a Font under this house, the High Inquisition or the Mage's tower would have turned this place into a fortress centuries ago. Why is it still just a 'manor'?"
[Because it's hidden behind a 'Void Lock',] the System replied, the white lines of its mouth curving into a smirk. [The manor has a basement—not the one where they keep the wine, but a real basement. An ancient foundation that pre-dates the Veynar line. And I think I know how to get there.]
"The attic," Aiden said, the realization settling into his gut.
[Bingo, Boss. That dusty, forgotten hole where you were meditating? It isn't just a storage room. The mana-density there was irregular. It's the highest point of a vertical shaft that leads straight down to the roots of the world. It's a pathway.]
Aiden looked at his small, pale hands, noticing they were trembling—not from fear, but from the raw anticipation of the power he had once commanded. "So the attic isn't the end of the line. It's the entrance."
[Precisely. But reaching it means crossing the hallway again, and maybe that Alaric, the 7th-class mage is still downstairs playing the 'perfect son.' We do need to be fast, but we need to be silent too.]
Aiden straightened his tunic, "Then we don't have time for your sarcasm. If the Leak is there, I will take it. Every drop."
[Love the enthusiasm! But remember, Boss, if we're going to pull this off, you need to keep that 'I'm just a sad, talentless kid' face on. Otherwise, I will have more work to do than I ever signed up for, and believe me, I am at my limit,] the System finished, its voice dropping low. [One wrong move and Alaric and the Duke will sense the sudden change in you.]
Aiden stepped toward the door, his movements becoming precise, his breathing shallow. The adrenaline of his ten-year-old body was a nuisance, a frantic drumming in his chest that he pushed down with cold, ancient discipline.
However, before he could open the door, the system voice chimed in his head. [Wait!] It made Aiden stop in his movements. "What?"
[If you go out like this at night it will seem suspicious.]
"Then, what do you imply?" Aiden's hand hovered inches from the brass handle, his posture tensed like a coiled spring.
[I imply that a ten-year-old wandering the halls at 9:00 PM looks like a kid looking for a snack. But a ten-year-old wandering toward the restricted attic looks like a spy in the making,] the System countered, the white-line face on the screen blinking rapidly. [If a guard catches you, your acting might buy you an excuse, but it won't buy you access to the Leak. We need a ghost, not a performer.]
"Then make me one," Aiden commanded. "I know you have that much power."
[Way ahead of you, Boss. Accessing the 'Emergency Stealth' archives... Generating a temporary bypass for your non-existent mana circuits... Done.]
A soft, grey notification pinged at the edge of Aiden's vision, flickering like a dying candle.
[Skill Acquired: Static Veil (Rank F)]
Type: Passive/Active Hybrid.
Description: Distorts the light and sound in a 2-foot radius around the host.
Effect: You won't be invisible, but you become 'background noise.' Humans will instinctively look away, their brains failing to register your presence as an anomaly.
Constraint: Only works in shadows. Sudden noises or rapid movements will break the 'glitch.'