Urge to grow

In the darkness, Adger drifted. Even though he was asleep, he felt extremely weak. It was very different from any exhaustion he had ever experienced before.

It was unlike any physical tiredness, it was much deeper than that. It transcended the concept of mere body and mind, it was a weakness on a spiritual level.

Adger's very spirit was weakened.

It took him a very long time to rejuvenate his spirit and with it, his body and mind.

After unknown hours, Adger slowly opened his eyes.

His sight was greeted by the ceiling of Alice's hut. He instantly got up and looked around.

He was in a bed, in a small room with decorative furniture. The orange lights from the lamps gave a very warm feel to the room.

Air that contained a very fragrant smell of roses, signature smell of Alice, quickly invaded Adger's nostrils.

'What happened? Did the process go smoothly?' Adger had a lot of questions, however the rose smell seemed to have a strange calming nature and it did wonders on Adger's tense nerves.

"Huff~" A long sigh left Adger's mouth. His mind calmed down and he patiently waited in the bed, not daring to get up, unsure if he should.

Not long after, Alice entered the room with a plate full of sliced apples.

"So you are awake." Her melodious voice traveled the air, reaching Adger's ears instantly.

She took a seat on a chair near the bed.

Adger noticing the plate full of apples could not help but muse.

'Did I move a little too fast? So much care for just calling her beautiful. She really is one easy toy to play with.'

"What happened?" Adger asked.

"You passed out after the Infusion process. It is normal, no need to worry. The infusion stones are concentrated sources of life energy. This energy is sent into the body and then forcefully compressed back into the stone. This causes the spirit of the person to finally awaken and become capable of using Life energy.

"To put it simply, the infusion stones turn the spirit into a vessel that can house more life energy." Alice explained like a professor.

"I see." Adger again pondered over some things and he asked.

"Why did that infusion stone turn red? And what would have happened if I failed to send the energy back into the stone?"

As Adger said the words, a frown formed on Alice's beautiful face.

A little hesitant at first, she finally opened her mouth to answer.

"After the infusion process, as the energy is sent back to the stone, this energy is tainted by the person's spirit, giving it signature colours. Each colour represents different aspects..." Alice then stopped for a second and then continued. "In your case... The red colour represents a dark fate, one filled with blood."

Listening to Alice's words, Adger frowned, not because he wanted to but because he wanted Alice to think he was worried about his fate.

Deep in his heart, Adger already knew, that a path to greatness was one carved from the bones of others. It was a voyage in a sea of blood, to set sail meant to be ready to paint the sea a darker shade of crimson.

Seeing the worry on Adger's face, Alice quickly continued.

"It is usually what it means, this is not set in stone. The colour just shows possibilities, and I believe no one can predict the real future. The possibilities are endless."

Acting as if he was convinced by her, Adger relaxed his facial muscles and continued to listen to Alice's words.

"And about if one fails to expell the energy back into the stone, it won't cause too much of a problem. The person would just pass out and it will take them a way longer time to recover from the Infusion process." Alice finished her explanation.

Then she remembered something and quickly handed the plate full of apple slices to Adger.

"Eat them, they will help you recover." She shyly said unable to act like her usual confident self.

Adger took and plate and gave her a warm smile.

"Thankyou so much. You are as nice as you are cute." Adger thanked while throwing in a compliment to progress the relationship.

'My god this is tough. Cheesy ass lines!' Adger complained inwardly to himself, while keeping the smile as genuine as possible on the outside.

Alice quickly got up from her seat, and swiftly walked out of the room clearly flustered.

She said a small "You are welcome" under her breath which no one except herself heard.

As Alice walked out from the room, Adger found himself alone again.

The smile on his face dropped like it never existed. He picked up an apple slice, threw it into his mouth and chewed on it ruthlessly.

The devil's workshop was back in action as things again started to cooked up in Adger's mind.

'The plan with Alice is going accordingly. She is extremely knowledgeable about stuff regarding Infusers. Stephen must have taught her a lot. In due time, when I get my hands on the 'book of secrets', she will come in real handy.

'I have done the infusion process and will probably soon be able to use various abilities. That will provide me a certain amount protection in this world. However, I must learn more from Alice, she is going to be my guide with the Life energy and related things.

'This world is not as harmless as it might seem. The government must have a lot of powerful infusers in their arsenal. I still don't know my potential. If I want to catch up to the powerhouses, my top priority has got to be to learn the technique that can increase my potential.

'Only a higher growth rate can outclass experience others have accumulated and time others have trained for.'

'Only raw power can cover up my short comings, I am new to this world. I have to be careful, I am lucky Alice was so gullible, I don't think anyone else would be as easy to deal with.'

Adger's brown eyes flashed with a glint of coldness as thoughts raced through his mind.