With Gaia fast asleep, Arthur was unsure about what he should do with the rest of his night. Even if he wanted to, his body simply did not need rest, and forcing things would be an exercise in futility. Becoming powerful did come with its downsides.

  Arthur teleported back to his Territory and put Gaia to bed. He left her a note explaining that she’d fallen asleep in the theme park, on the off-chance that she woke up in the middle of the night and no one was around to explain things. With his brotherly duties taken care of, he set off once more.

  Arthur had Wovan teleport him to his former university, and he spent a few minutes just walking around the familiar streets. He eventually came upon a cafe, the one Elizabeth had been so insistent on showing him on the day the System first arrived. Thinking of his oldest friend made him recall the letter she’d sent him, and he winced.

  Elizabeth had chided him for getting into so much trouble and complained about her school refusing her application for leave. Ascension Academy—the name was a little on the nose—was a Transcendent institution that had a branch in every sector of the universe, and they took pride in their archaic rules, as Elizabeth had described them. No student was allowed to leave academy grounds in the first year, which was why she hadn’t returned to Earth to help him. Judging by the fact that she’d gone on for three paragraphs about it, she must have felt quite guilty.

  Then came the part that had Arthur cringing. She told him to keep an eye on Mathew, since he had no magical affinity to speak of. He’d royally fucked that task up. Arthur wasn’t one to take undue blame, but Mathew's torture had only occurred because of his connection to Arthur. That and Lady Melania had twisted her pet assassin's brains to the point that sadism became the default option. It was the only reason he didn’t go after the pair. Arthur had spent time healing Mysha and Rosano. He knew just how broken they were.

  Arthur sighed, his earlier cheer fading away. He walked into the cafe. Like the theme park, almost all shops operated for 24 hours these days. The world could be ending, but profits still had to be maximised, and capitalism had evolved to fit humanity's new sleep schedule. Arthur made his way to the counter, where he was surprised to see a drow male. Now that Earth’s borders were open for visitation, spotting an alien in day-to-day life was becoming far more common. Nonetheless, this was Arthur’s first time seeing a drow, and he tried not to stare.

  He must have done a poor job of it because the drow smirked at him. “You hide your curiosity better than most humans,” the drow said, "but I was trained to count the hair on a leaf from 300 yards away. The name's Drunel. And I'm guessing you must be the Originator that's got everyone in such a twist.”

  Arthur's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked around to see who had heard the drow.

  “Relax, my friend,” Drunel said. “I used some nifty wind magic to ensure those words reached your ears alone.”

  “How did you know who I was?" Arthur asked.

  By his own admission, Drunel’s perception was off the charts, but Arthur was wearing an epic mask right now. Without the discount he’d purchased it with, the mask would have cost 10 million credits. That wasn’t the kind of gear people could just see through.

  Drunel shrugged. “Whatever magic you're using to disguise yourself is great. It’s airtight and almost impossible to see through. The problem, however, is the watch you're wearing.”

  Arthur looked down at his wrist. He had a G-Shock on, one that had somehow survived all the crazy battles he’d been involved in. He practically never took it off.

  “Every picture of you that circulated online had you wearing that exact same watch, besides one where you were swimming. They were pulled from security cameras,” the drow answered his unasked question. “It’s not the most distinct watch in the world, but to every hunter that came to Earth, it became one of the primary methods of identifying you. When you came in carrying the unique scent of a planet's Avatar and wearing that watch, guessing who you were wasn’t too difficult.”

  Drunel smiled. "It's always the simplest mistakes that blow a disguise. You can change your face all you want, but if you wear distinct clothes or accessories, it's useless."

  Arthur frowned. "I'll keep that in mind for the future. Were you one of those hunters who memorised every detail they could from my pictures?"

  Drunel chuckled. "I most certainly was not, nor did I seek to memorise every detail I could from your pictures. I simply have a perfect memory. I haven't forgotten a thing since I was two years old." The drow smiled, revealing canines that looked more like fangs. "The only thing I hunt are monsters."

  Drunel's hands were moving blisteringly fast, even as they spoke, and he poured magic into every ingredient he was using.

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  "Why did you come to Earth then? You've clearly outgrown everything a tier 1 planet can provide you."

  Drunel sighed, and he looked at Arthur with something approaching pity. "Sometimes I forget how things were in the early stages of integration. Growth is addictive. Power demands constant progression. Is it so hard to believe I came to Earth with no mind for gain, but simply to experience another culture?"

  "Really, now. I've never known a tourist to take up work, or is that necessary to get the full holiday experience?"

  Drunel frowned. "I think your recent experiences have made you a very difficult person to talk to, and I can hardly blame you. Still, it's something you should rectify as soon as possible, else you risk alienating those closest to you."

  "The reason I'm working in a cafe is simple. Making beverages, every type and kind in the vast multiverse, is my passion, though I must say I'm more inclined to the non-alcoholic kind. I love meeting new people, and I have a hard rule. One vacation every three jobs I complete. Earth was the perfect holiday destination, and this cafe provided the perfect job."

  Drunel's hands suddenly sped up, and the multitude of ingredients he'd been juggling became a single plastic cup. He slid it over to Arthur. "Here. It's on the house, as a thank you for the entertainment you provided, both today and over the last few weeks."

  "So you are an asshole," Arthur said, smiling to communicate his levity. "And here I was starting to think you were a decent guy."

  Drunel smirked. "You cannot fault me for your ignorance, though I can hardly blame you for falling for my charm. My customer service always gets glowing reviews." The drow winked at him. Arthur wasn't sure if they were still talking about working in a cafe anymore.

  He picked up the steaming cup of coffee and marvelled at the complex patterns of ether swimming through the liquid. "You don't serve this to your regular customers, do you?"

  Drunel laughed. "Not unless I want to kill them. You need at least a thousand constitution before you can even think of drinking this stuff."

  Arthur didn't doubt it. Homunculus' Eye told him the beverage was bordering on the epic rank. It probably costs hundreds of thousands of credits normally. Arthur turned to leave, but Drunel stopped him with a raised hand.

  "A word of advice before you go, something I wish someone told me when I was your age. Life is not all about chasing the next level up. Power for power's sake corrupts faster than any fallen realm can, and you, my friend, are set on the road to power few can ever dream of. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is take your foot off the pedal and relax."

  "Better yet, pick up a skill as I did, a true skill, not something that just shows up on your status page. Something that can ground you. It can be anything: poetry, music, cooking, baking, dress-making. Any profession in the universe that you do simply because you enjoy it. A time will come when it becomes your greatest strength."

  The drow spread his hands wide. "Take me, for example. I have hunted over a million monsters. I have participated in expeditions that had entire stellar systems hanging in the balance. No one remembers Drunel, the Hunter, but they travel billions of miles to sit and be served at my table."

  Arthur took in the drow's advice, truly took it in and digested it. The advice felt genuine, and what's more, it resonated with Arthur.

  The moment was ruined a little by Drunel's next words. "Or you can pick a profession you're genuinely terrible at."

  Arthur grinned at the drow, the first genuine smile he'd made since stepping into the cafe. "I think I understand why all your customer service reviews are so glowing now."

  Drunel smiled. "I always aim to please, Mr Ward."

  "Thanks for the coffee." Arthur turned and walked towards the door, nursing the warm beverage in his cold hands.

  "Don't be a stranger," Drunel called out behind him. "I'll be working here for the next two months, evenings till morn, Fridays to Mondays. Pop in whenever you're free."

  Arthur turned and raised a toast. "I think I'll take you up on that." Leaving the cafe felt strangely melancholic. He'd only been in there for a few minutes, but its cosy vibes were truly unmatched. Hell, he hadn't even drunk anything yet, and he was feeling refreshed. Lifting the cup to his lips, Arthur took a sip.

  His knees buckled, and he almost fell to the ground. Arthur was glad no one was around to see his reactions, but then he realised Drunel could see him very easily from within the cafe. Not a moment later, he heard the drow's voice, carried to him by wind magic. "As far as reactions go, I'm a little disappointed. I've had people faint from pleasure the first time they drank that."

  Arthur took another sip, this time prepared for the euphoria that came over him. "I'm definitely coming back again," he mumbled, before ordering Wovan to teleport him away, the drow's laughter echoing in his ears. He hadn't ordered his Soul Splinter to take him anywhere specific, which was why he was a little surprised when he recognised exactly where he was—the hospital he'd worked in during the first week of integration. It seemed his subconscious had brought him here.

  Arthur finished off his coffee, which sadly only took a few minutes, before coming to a decision. He was free to do whatever he wanted right now, and it looked like the universe was telling him something by bringing him here. Wovan teleported him into the building, bypassing the wards like they weren't even there. The place was just as busy as he remembered it, and no one batted an eye at him walking through the corridors. Looks like Julia still can't run a tight ship. The hospital was severely overworked, but just being able to waltz in like this painted a very poor image of things.

  Arthur spent the next half hour walking through the building, healing everyone. He saw some familiar faces—Frank was still working here, which was surprising considering how much he'd hated the place, but no one recognised him. He never entered any of the patients' rooms, always choosing to heal them from outside, but it wasn't long before people realised what was happening.

  Julia was informed of the strange miracles twelve minutes in, and he was almost caught a few times, but there was nothing anyone could do to stop him. Arthur counted six people who wouldn't have made it without his intervention.

  Arthur left the hospital feeling like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He was powerful now, capable of destroying entire cities if he put his mind to it. Sometimes, it was nice to remember he made a pretty damn good healer, too.

  Links to the audiobooks.

  Etherious: Originator

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