Chapter 38 – Aric
The night was quiet, broken only by the low hum of crickets. Aric sat cross-legged in the clearing outside the safehouse, eyes closed, palms resting against his knees. A faint glow of mana circled around him—thin strands of light, unstable and uneven, flickering like dying embers.
His father had gone again. Daren always left for weeks at a time, chasing truths Aric could only imagine. That left him alone with his thoughts… and his experiments.
"Focus," he whispered to himself, steadying his breathing.
He drew mana inward, concentrating it into his chest. The threads trembled, then began to weave together. A pulse ran through his veins, sharp and hot, like lightning trapped under skin. The sensation was intoxicating—power, raw and untamed—but it was unstable.
The system resisted.
Aric felt it clearly now. Whenever he gathered mana, a faint pressure pressed back. Like invisible chains tightening, siphoning the energy before it could fully settle.
He grit his teeth. "No… not this time."
With effort, he pushed harder. The mana thickened, coalescing into a rough sphere of light between his palms. Sweat dripped down his brow as the glow intensified, the threads straining under his control.
Then—
Crack.
The sphere shattered, sparks scattering into the air before fading into nothing. The pressure released, leaving him drained and gasping. His arms dropped to his sides, trembling.
Aric slammed a fist against the dirt. "Damn it…"
It always ended the same. Every time he neared something greater, the system intervened. He could feel its invisible lattice binding him, trimming his growth before it could bloom.
And yet, he also felt something else.
Each attempt, each failure, left a faint residue within him. Like scratches on glass, accumulating. The cracks in the system's grip grew wider with each push. He wasn't free, but he was… closer.
Aric sat back, staring at the night sky. The stars shimmered faintly, endless and unreachable. He wondered if the gods who watched them had once felt this same restraint—or if the system served them, too.
His thoughts drifted to the old texts Daren had left behind. Words etched in languages Aric barely understood, speaking of Taboo. Mortals who dared step beyond the limits. Men and women who defied the chains, tearing through them to seize power otherwise forbidden.
Most of them died. The few who lived became legends—and then vanished, their stories erased.
"Taboo…" Aric whispered the word, letting it linger in his mouth. It didn't feel like curse. It felt like truth.
He extended his hand again, this time slower, calmer. Mana seeped into his palm, softer now, like water flowing into a cup. Instead of forcing it, he let it gather naturally. The glow was dimmer, but steadier.
And then—something shifted.
The pressure from the system pressed down, but this time, instead of pushing back, Aric let it flow through him. The mana bent, twisted, but did not vanish. He was no longer fighting the chain—he was learning its rhythm.
The glow flickered, then stabilized. A faint sphere formed once more, no larger than a candle flame, but it held.
Aric's eyes widened. His heartbeat quickened, but he remained still, holding his breath as the light shimmered in his palm. For the first time, the system hadn't crushed it.
The flame danced for several seconds before dissolving gently into the night air. Not a failure. A release.
Aric let out a shaky laugh, his chest light. "So that's it… Taboo isn't brute force. It's finding the cracks."
He looked down at his hands, his fingers still glowing faintly. For the first time, he felt the faintest taste of freedom. Not full power—not yet—but the path was real.
A rustle stirred at the edge of the clearing. Aric tensed, spinning toward the sound, mana already gathering instinctively in his palm.
A fox emerged from the brush, its eyes glinting in the moonlight. It paused, watching him, unafraid. Then, as if recognizing something in him, it dipped its head and trotted away.
Aric exhaled slowly, the tension leaving his shoulders. He smiled faintly, staring at the spot where the small flame had been.
"I'll break through," he whispered to the stars. "One way or another. The system won't hold me forever."
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