Chapter 3: A Home for an Anomaly
The tension in the Order's courtyard could have been sliced with one of Kaela's practice daggers. Valerius, recovering a shred of his shattered composure, managed a glare that was more petulant than threatening. "This isn't over, Kaela. Your... guest... will be watched." He spun on his heel, his robes flaring, and stalked away, his bodyguard throwing one last confused, wary glance at Shiya before following.
Elara Silvershade did not follow. She remained, her icy eyes still dissecting Shiya with a gaze that felt more intrusive than any [Analysis] skill.
"Elara," Kaela said, her voice firm. "The matter is concluded."
"Concluded?" Elara's voice was like crystal chimes, clear and emotionless. "It has barely begun. The data is anomalous. Incomplete." She finally blinked, shifting her focus to Kaela. "He is under the Order's… protection?"
"Recognition," Kaela corrected. "Not protection. He requires none."
A flicker of something—amusement?—crossed Elara's perfect features. "Evidently." She returned her attention to Shiya. "You will be residing in the city?"
"For now," Shiya replied, keeping his tone neutral.
"Good. The Royal Academy of Thaumaturgy maintains extensive research on anomalous mana phenomena. I expect you will permit a... non-invasive study session. For the advancement of knowledge." It wasn't a request. It was a statement of inevitable fact.
[Elara Silvershade's Affection has increased by 5. Current: 20 (Obsessed with you as a Research Subject).]
Shiya sighed inwardly. "We'll see."
Elara gave a single, sharp nod, as if that settled it, and finally glided away, her silver hair catching the light like a trailing comet.
Lyra let out a soft breath she'd been holding. "She's... intense."
"The Frostgraves deal in ice and logic. Elara is the pinnacle of both," Kaela muttered, rubbing her temple. "She's also the youngest Archmage candidate in a century. If she's fixated on you, Shiya, it won't be easy to dissuade her."
"I'll manage," Shiya said. His primary concern was the new quest prompt.
[Quest: 'Establish a Base of Operations in Astraea.']
[Objective: Acquire a permanent residence within the city limits. Bonus: Secure a location with unique properties (Leyline convergence, hidden space, etc.)]
"The stipend from the Order should be enough for a modest apartment in the Artisan's Quarter," Kaela said, practical as ever. "I can accompany you to the Registrar's Office."
Lyra brightened. "Oh! But before that, you promised to see the Grand Arboretum! It's on the way, more or less."
Shiya agreed. The political and social complexities were a knot he'd have to untangle later. A place of nature and calm sounded perfect.
The Grand Arboretum was not a mere park. It was a vast, domed ecosystem in the heart of the city, its glass ceiling enchanted to mimic the sky outside. Ancient trees, some softly glowing, rose towards it. Bioluminescent fungi carpeted shaded groves, and streams teemed with jewel-scaled fish. The air hummed with dense, peaceful mana.
Lyra transformed here. Her shyness fell away, replaced by a quiet, radiant authority. She greeted wisps of light—minor nature spirits—that danced around her fingers, and the plants seemed to lean towards her as she passed.
"This is the Warden's Grove," she said, leading them to a quieter section where the trees were silver-barked and their leaves chimed like faint bells. "It's a minor leyline confluence. The mana here is very pure."
Shiya could feel it. A gentle flow of energy through the ground, like underground rivers of light. To his senses, honed by his glitched stats, it was a barely perceptible trickle. But he appreciated the intent, the harmony.
[Passive Skill 'Leyline Perception' activated. Mapping local mana flows.]
A three-dimensional map superimposed on his vision, showing the web of energy under the city. Most were thin, bright threads. But one, in a dilapidated sector marked on his mental map as the "Fallen Spire District," was different. It was a tangled, stagnant knot, pulsing with a dark, bruised purple color against the clean blues and greens. And right at its center, the map showed a strange, empty void—a perfect sphere where the leyline energy simply… stopped.
[Unique Location Detected: 'Leyline Scar – Silent Sanctum'. High anomalous energy signature. Suitable for Bonus Objective.]
"There's… a problem with the city's leylines," Shiya said absently, still studying the map.
Lyra froze. Kaela's hand went to her sword hilt on instinct. "What? How can you know that? Only Master Wardens and the Royal Geomancers can perceive the ley network directly, and even then, only with complex rituals."
Shiya pointed vaguely north-east. "Over there. The flow is knotted, corrupted. There's a… dead zone."
Lyra's face paled. "The Fallen Spire… That's the site of the old Arcane Academy that collapsed two centuries ago in the Mana Calamity. It's been sealed by the Crown. The leylines there are said to be shattered and dangerous." She looked at Shiya with awe. "You can see that from here? Just… see it?"
"It's a… specialty of my homeland," Shiya offered weakly, realizing his slip.
Kaela's look was all business. "That information is classified, Shiya. If true, it represents a potential instability in the city's magical foundations. You must report this to the Geomancer's Guild. Immediately."
Shiya shook his head. "Reporting it will raise more questions than I can answer. But…" An idea formed. The void in the map called to him. A place where energy stopped. A perfect place for an anomaly like him to live, undisturbed. "What if I could fix it?"
Two pairs of eyes, one fiery emerald, one leaf-green, stared at him in disbelief.
"The scar has resisted the kingdom's best mages for two hundred years," Kaela stated.
"You would need to delve into a place steeped in wild magic and residual calamitous energy," Lyra whispered, fear for him overriding her awe.
"I am good with… recalcitrant energy," Shiya said. "And if I could fix it, perhaps the Crown would grant me the land there? As my base of operations."
It was an audacious, nearly insane proposal. But the conviction in his calm voice was undeniable.
Kaela saw the strategic value. Removing a two-century-old blight and securing a powerful, if enigmatic, ally to a specific location the Crown already considered useless. Lyra saw the ecological and spiritual healing of a wounded part of her beloved city.
After a long silence, Kaela nodded slowly. "I cannot grant that. But I can arrange an audience with my father and the Royal Steward. You will have to demonstrate your capability. It will be a test."
[Quest Updated: 'Establish a Base.' New Objective: Demonstrate the ability to cleanse or stabilize the 'Leyline Scar' to the satisfaction of the Veridian Crown.]
Two days later, Shiya found himself standing before a small council in a secure chamber within the royal palace. Present were Grand Commander Ignis, a wizened old man in starry robes introduced as Head Geomancer Orin, and Lady Cordelia, the sharp-eyed Royal Steward.
"You claim you can heal the scar at the Fallen Spire," Lady Cordelia began, her voice dry. "A scar that has defied our efforts since before my great-grandmother's time. What evidence can you offer beyond the word of a Knight-Captain and a Warden?"
"Let him demonstrate on a lesser knot," Geomancer Orin suggested, his voice crackling with age and authority. He gestured to a crystal apparatus on the table. Inside, a miniature, snarled leyline simulation glowed angrily. "This is a stabilized, small-scale replica of a minor corruption. If you can soothe this, we will consider a supervised foray to the Spire's perimeter."
All eyes were on him. Kaela gave him a slight, encouraging nod. Lyra, who had been allowed to attend as an expert witness, clenched her hands nervously.
Shiya approached the crystal. He didn't need gestures or chants. His understanding of mana, at [MAX] level, was intrinsic. The "knot" was a child's scribble to him. He reached out a hand, not to touch the crystal, but to the energy within.
He didn't force it. He didn't overpower it. He simply… reconciled it. Using a fraction of his [Reality Edit] authority (still locked, but its foundational understanding was his), he showed the rebellious mana strands their original, harmonious path. It was like untangling a knot by convincing the string itself to remember being straight.
The angry red glow within the crystal softened, shifted to gold, then dissolved into a gentle, flowing blue light. The process took five seconds.
Geomancer Orin shot to his feet, his chair clattering back. "By the weeping spires! He… he didn't force it! He persuaded it! That's… that's not magic! That's… discourse!"
Lady Cordelia's eyes were wide. Grand Commander Ignis stroked his chin, his earlier wariness now mixed with dawning, strategic appreciation.
"Very well," the Steward said, her tone now markedly different—respectful, cautious. "A supervised expedition. Tomorrow at dawn. A squad of Flame Knights, Geomancer Orin, Warden Lyra, and yourself, Sir Shiya. You will approach the outer seal of the Fallen Spire district and attempt a preliminary cleansing. No further. Is that understood?"
"Understood," Shiya said.
That night, in the modest but clean room the Order had provided him, Shiya gazed out the window at the twin moons. The system screen glowed softly beside him.
[Final Quest: Unravel the Truth of Elysium Prime.]
[Sub-Objective Progress: 0.001%]
He had a purpose now, short-term. Secure a home. But the Final Quest loomed in the back of his mind. The glitched system, his overpowered arrival, the "Truth" of this world… were they connected to scars like the one at the Fallen Spire?
A soft knock came at his door. It was Lyra, holding a small, glowing pouch. "It's a blessing from the Arboretum's oldest tree," she said softly, offering it. "For protection tomorrow. The energy there… it's not just wild. It feels… sad. Angry. Please be careful."
She was standing close, her concern for him a tangible warmth. Before he could thank her properly, another, firmer knock echoed.
Kaela stood there, already in her polished travel armor. "I've reviewed the perimeter maps. The corruption has spawned low-level mana-phantoms. They're not physically strong, but they can disrupt spellcasting. Stay behind me and Orin until we assess the situation." Her orders were crisp, but her eyes held a genuine concern that mirrored Lyra's.
Standing in the doorway, caught between the gentle healer offering spiritual protection and the fierce knight offering physical defense, Shiya felt the strange new reality of his life solidify. He was walking into a zone of ancient magical disaster to claim a home, pursued by an intellectual ice-queen, and protected by two women whose affections were growing as tangibly as his own power.
He took the pouch from Lyra and nodded to Kaela. "I'll follow your lead tomorrow."
As they left, he looked back at his status screen. The harem wasn't a goal; it was a consequence. A consequence of being an undeniable, fascinating, and protective force in their world. And tomorrow, at the Fallen Spire, he would have to decide just how much of that force he was willing to reveal.
[Quest: 'Cleanse the Leyline Scar – Part 1' begins at dawn.]