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A faint fragrance eased the tension from Luke's nerves. Somewhere nearby, a voice was humming, clear and soft, weaving a melody that felt like sunlight filtered through water.
Over the past few days, Luke had discovered that Mana's talents extended beyond cooking. She'd picked up singing with terrifying speed, and after only a handful of days of practice, her voice had already reached a level that would make professional singers reconsider their career choices. There was a natural purity to her tone that no amount of vocal training could replicate, something inherent to what she was. It was the one advantage no human singer could compete with.
If Mana ever decided to pivot into the entertainment industry, half the music charts would need to be rewritten.
Listening to that sweet, clear humming, Luke's thoughts gradually emptied out. His eyes closed.
When she felt his breathing even out, Mana stopped humming. She looked down at Luke's sleeping face on her lap, glanced around the room to make absolutely sure nobody was watching, and then quickly leaned down.
A few seconds later, she straightened up. Her cheeks were burning. Her eyes were wide with the particular brand of guilt that came from doing something you definitely weren't caught doing. A silly, helpless grin spread across her face, and she sat there blushing in the quiet room like a girl who'd just stolen her first kiss.
Which she had.
The next morning, Luke woke with his spiritual reserves fully topped off and threw himself back into the Digimon evolution problem. The core mechanic of Net Evolution was still eluding him. He could feel it hovering just out of reach, that missing piece of inspiration that would make everything click. But no amount of grinding was going to force the breakthrough. Some problems needed time to cook.
He shelved it. The Eye of Timaeus background was complete. With the Dragon Eye material arriving any day now, the smarter move was to redirect Simulated Crafting toward the Timaeus simulation and get the final polish done.
He'd barely started when Mana's voice called up from downstairs. "Master! President Cole is here!"
"President Cole?" Luke paused, then connected the dots. The Dragon Eyes. They were finally here.
What he hadn't expected was that Harrison Cole, branch president of the Ashenvale Card Master Association and a Sovereign Realm Card Master, would deliver them in person. Luke had assumed he'd send an aide or a courier. Having a Sovereign show up at your door carrying a package was like having the CEO of a company hand-deliver your office supplies.
He tidied his workspace, straightened himself up, and headed downstairs.
Harrison was already seated in the living room. Mana had prepared tea and set out cups with the practiced ease of someone who'd turned hospitality into an art form. Having a Card Spirit who handled every domestic detail without being asked was, Luke reflected, one of life's underappreciated blessings.
"Hope you don't mind an early visit." Harrison's smile was warm.
"Not at all, President Cole." Luke settled across from him.
"Let's get to the point." Harrison raised his hand, and a pair of objects materialized in the air.
Dragon Eyes.
They glowed with deep azure-teal luminescence, ancient and heavy with compressed power. The moment they appeared, Luke and Mana both felt it: pressure that pushed against their senses like standing beneath something immeasurably large. Stronger than the Immortal Inferno Dragon's Reverse Scale. Whatever creature these had belonged to was more powerful than the dragon that produced Black Star's core material.
"Every part of a dragon-type beast is valuable," Harrison said. "But the three most critical components are the Dragon Heart, the Reverse Scale, and the Dragon Eyes. The Heart is the source of a dragon's power. The Scale is its vital weak point. And the Eyes are how dragons enforce dominance over other races."
He sealed the ambient pressure with his own mana.
"Dragon Eyes contain concentrated Dragon Pressure. Anything a dragon looks at is automatically subjected to its suppressive aura. That's why fighting a dragon always feels like fighting uphill. The pressure doesn't require effort. It's simply what happens when those eyes are open."
"These were harvested years ago when the Association mounted an expedition into a high-tier Dimensional Plane. The beast was a Seven-Star Epic Azure Dragon. These eyes were the last material recovered from its remains." Harrison guided the Dragon Eyes toward Luke with a careful push of mana, and they settled gently into his palm. "Use them well."
"I will." The Dragon Eyes were warm to the touch. Not hot, not cold. A steady, living warmth, as if the Azure Dragon's fire still lingered inside them even years after death. Beneath the warmth, the sealed pressure hummed against Luke's skin like a low electrical current, always present, always reminding you what these had once been attached to.
The Association clearly had specialized preservation methods for high-tier materials. The Immortal Inferno Dragon's Reverse Scale had arrived in the same condition: fresh, potent, as if the beast had died yesterday instead of years ago. These Dragon Eyes were no different.
The final material for the Eye of Timaeus was in hand. All that remained was completing the simulation polish and building the card. Luke's combat power was about to take another significant step forward.
"One more thing." Harrison flicked his finger, and a Storage Card landed in Luke's other hand. "Personal gift. Call it an investment."
"In Magic Card Civilization, promising young Card Masters attract investment from established figures," Harrison explained. "The greater the investment a Card Master receives, the more it reflects their perceived potential and ability. It's a signal to the world that someone with experience has looked at you and decided you're worth backing."
He let that settle before continuing.
"And it goes both ways. The higher that Card Master eventually rises, the greater the returns for the investor. A relationship built today, when you're at Commander Realm, becomes exponentially more valuable when you reach Sovereign. Or higher." Harrison's tone was matter-of-fact, but the implication was clear. He was betting on Luke's future. "Victor and Vice Principal Graves both increased your exam rewards beyond the standard allotment. That was investment too, just wrapped in a different package."
"Then I won't refuse." Luke accepted the Storage Card without false modesty. He hadn't checked its contents, but a personal gift from a Sovereign Realm Card Master wasn't going to be anything small. And Harrison had made his reasoning clear enough that refusing would be an insult to the gesture.
"Good." Harrison's expression shifted. "One last matter. In a few days, the Card Master Association is holding its Youth Training Competition. I'd like you to represent Ashenvale."