Later that night, after returning from Emasdale, Delvin sat cross-legged on the floor of his room.
The cool surface pressed against his shins. He placed his hands on his lap, palms facing upward in a gesture of receiving, and closed his eyes.
The routine meditation began.
Breathe in. Hold. Release.
For five minutes, he focused solely on the rhythm—air filling his lungs, the slight pause at the top, the slow exhale that emptied him. His heartbeat slowed. The tension in his shoulders melted away.
Then he turned his awareness inward, blessing his first energy center. Warmth bloomed in his root, spreading upward like sunrise through his body.
He moved systematically through each center—sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, crown. At the eighth center, high above his physical form, he focused his consciousness.
The space expanded, vast and luminous. Volume and dimension stretched in ways his physical senses couldn't process.
He pushed further, extending his awareness beyond himself, into the surrounding space, then beyond that—into the cosmos itself.
Two minutes became eternity.
His consciousness expanded until boundaries dissolved. He floated in vast darkness, simultaneously infinite and intimate, feeling the pulse of eternal energy thrumming through everything. Through him. As him.
In that instant, Acrymonta synchronized with Delvin's consciousness.
'Hello, Delvin.'
The voice emerged from everywhere and nowhere.
'Hello, Acrymonta.'
Delvin's thought-form rippled outward.
'It's good to meet you after a while.'
Though their consciousnesses merged, they remained distinct—two instruments playing in harmony.
Delvin perceived they were encircled by a sphere of white light, brilliant and pure. Across from him, the voice originated from a form so radiant he couldn't discern its features.
No body. No face. Just light.
Delvin squinted, trying to peer through the luminescence, but the rays were too intense—blinding, even to consciousness.
'Did you accept my gift?'
A half-second of silence stretched between them.
' Yes. Thank you. It's... interesting.'
'I will give you your first mission.'
Acrymonta's presence pulsed with purpose.
'The female you are attracted to possesses a synthetic energy power base. She is the right choice for you. You must win her over.'
Delvin's consciousness flickered with uncertainty. Processing.
'No, it can't be. Jasmine? How does he know? How did he know about me?'
Questions flooded in his consciousness.
'You mean Jasmine?'
Acrymonta floated closer. The light intensified.
'I can read your energy signature. You've encountered her recently. Don't waste time—do whatever it takes to win her.'
The command carried weight, inevitability.
'You have fifteen days. Remember, every second counts. If you fail this mission, there will be consequences.'
A pause, pregnant with meaning.
'But if you succeed, you will receive a reward.'
Delvin's enthusiasm surged through their connection.
'I hear you. Loud and clear.'
'I must go. Contact me when you succeed.'
'When I succeed?'
Delvin's thoughts formed quickly.
'What if I fail?'
He wanted to ask, needed to ask—
But Acrymonta vanished.
Only darkness remained. Vast void space stretching endlessly. Empty.
After two heartbeats—or two eternities—Delvin snapped back into his body.
The impact was jarring. Physical sensation flooded him: the hardness of the floor beneath him, the weight of his limbs, the heaviness in his chest.
Exhaustion dragged at him. His muscles ached as if he'd run for miles.
'Lots of energy consumed in that space,' he thought, opening his eyes slowly.
The room spun slightly.
'I'll need good food to regain my strength.'
His mind latched onto the mission.
'I must succeed. I'm curious about the reward, but more than that—failing isn't an option. I want her. I desire her so much.'
The thought carried its own heat.
'That's good motivation, right? All things are possible. I just need to believe in myself.'
He sat for a moment longer, reasoning through possibilities.
"Skylark!"
The air shimmered. A holographic display materialized before him, cool blue light casting shadows across his face.
'Yes, Delvin?'
"Do you have any romantic ideas?"
He spoke aloud this time—no one was home to overhear.
'No, Delvin. I only understand system operations related to your body and mind integration. I'm sorry I cannot assist with that.'
The mechanical politeness almost made him laugh.
"Skylark, go to sleep mode."
The hologram winked out.
'Hey, Delvin.'
A different voice echoed in his mind—familiar, sardonic, unwelcome.
'Are you that desperate? Seeking romance advice from a system?'
Zauzo. The other consciousness that lived inside him, distinct and separate, with its own personality and insufferable attitude.
'Stop sneaking into my conversations,' Delvin snapped internally.
Heat flared in his chest—anger he'd buried since their last encounter.
'You abandoned me when I faced those talking gorillas. Left me to deal with that crisis alone.'
'I was training you.'
Zauzo's tone was infuriatingly calm.
'And you survived, didn't you?'
'I hate you. I don't want to talk to you.'
The resentment burned fresh. Zauzo had watched from inside him as those creatures surrounded him, and done nothing. Offered nothing. Just observed.
Zauzo fell silent, though Delvin could feel his presence still there, lurking in the corners of his consciousness.
Not retreating into the eternal space where he usually resided. Just... waiting.
Delvin pushed him to the background and focused on the problem at hand.
'I need to ask Jasmine out. But I don't have a car. Where can I even take her?'
His thoughts spiraled.
'I forgot to ask what she likes. How am I supposed to—'
He paused. 'Wait. That social network. The one everyone uses. What's it called? I'll have to ask George. Maybe he knows.'
Then another thought:
'George made it clear last time he's not interested in helping with my romantic adventures. I'll have to figure this out myself.'
His mind shifted to another possibility.
'Brenda. She's always been kind to me, from the first time we met. And she's a woman—she must know what women look for in a man.'
Strategy crystallized.
'I'll take advantage of that dinner this Saturday. Ask her then.'
Decision made, he pushed himself to his feet. His legs wobbled slightly.
Time to escape into the game.
"Skylark, activate."
The hologram reappeared.
"Enter quest game."
The world dissolved.
'You have 0.0 data units,' informed Lexon, the officiating AI. The voice was crisp, professional.
Delvin purchased 300.0 data units with a thought, watching the number populate on his display. He navigated to match selection and pressed his choice.
100.0 data units subtracted instantly.
'Level one, stage one in progress,' stated Lexon.
The digital, construct rebuilt around him. Delvin's avatar—Alvin the Trickster—materialized high above a massive arena.
Thunder cracked across a dark sky. Black clouds roiled overhead, heavy and ominous. As Alvin descended, white-blue smoke trailed from his body like wings.
He landed in a crouch, one fist pressed to the ground.
The arena was packed—thousands of spectators in tiered seating that rose toward the stormy sky. The roar of the crowd was deafening.
Above Alvin's head, a life bar appeared, glowing green: 100%.
A referee strode to the center of the arena floor—a tall figure in black and white stripes.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, young and old!" His voice boomed through invisible speakers. "My name is Delooker Dangstar, your officiating officer. Please help me welcome... the new challenger!"
He flung his arm toward Alvin dramatically.
"Alvin... the Trickster!"
Silence crashed over the arena like a physical force. The crowd froze. Even the thunder seemed to pause.
Then, from somewhere in the stands: "Boo!"
Another voice joined: "Boo!"
Then the entire arena erupted: "BOOOOOO!"
The sound was overwhelming—a tidal wave of derision.
"Ah! Not this one again?" someone shouted. "He cost me fifty thousand coins!"
Laughter rippled through sections of the crowd.
Delvin felt his avatar's stance shift—cocky, unbothered. Good. That was the character.
"Quiet! QUIET!"
Delooker Dangstar raised both hands, commanding silence. The crowd slowly obeyed, the noise dying to a murmur.
"And now..." The referee's voice dropped low, building anticipation.
"I, Delooker Dangstar, welcome... our... none other than... the UNDISPUTED CHAMPION—"
He threw both arms wide.
"MADANGA!"
The crowd exploded. Cheers shook the arena. The ground beneath Alvin's feet seemed to vibrate with the force of their adoration.
Delvin's fingers tightened on the invisible controls. His heart rate picked up—both in his physical body and in his avatar's digital form.
'Let's do this.'