22 How does this work?

After the incident with the ghosts freezing, Mors had encounters with many people. Usually, they would be adventurers cheering on the old man.

But there was no bumping into people anymore and having a full conversation with them.

After literal hours, Mors finally decided to go back to Alice's house and rest. Maybe the ghosts had recovered… but Mors doubted that.

With a light jog back, Mors got to the house feeling completely exhausted. He had tried for the feeling, but like Spir said, it is challenging to find.

With a sigh, Mors traveled up the stairs, or more accurately crawled, and knocked on the front door.

Opening it, Alice found Mors just lying on the ground. Panting like a dog during summer, with a full fur coat.

After a few minutes, Mors finally came back to life as he stared up at Alice's ceiling. He found his breathing was quick, and he felt like he was choking on air.

After a few more minutes and a few tries, he finally calmed his breathing down to an acceptable rate. Trying to move, he found all of his muscles screaming out to stop, freezing Mors to his place.

Feeling all the damage reports from his body, Mors was surprised to get up the stairs, much less move now. With himself dead on the ground, Mors heard a voice saying, "I am glad your awake; you are too heavy!"

Mors tried to laugh, it was Alice that pulled him into the apartment, and she had to deal with all of his dead-weightedness. Turning his head, Mors found Alice in a nearby chair.

With a sigh, Mors once again tried to get up and move himself over to a more comfortable position. But the cold wooden ground felt really, really good.

Finally prying himself up into a sitting position, Mors kindly asked, "can you pass me the Lavinia berry?"

"Sure, I put the groceries away from earlier. Also, I was in the process of making some dinner since I was feeling better. After you recover enough, take a quick shower, you smell!" Alice explained before walking into the bedroom area.

After a few moments, Alice came back with a spiky blue berry with great care. With his slouch, he grabbed the berry with the last remaining strength he had. With a moment of hesitation, as he hadn't tried this, he quickly chomped down.

Even with the spikes, it was soft as he bit down on the Lavinia berry. Sweet juices, with a slight salty aftertaste as it traveled down his parched throat.

Traveling down to his stomach, Mors felt a warmth boil inside of him. At first, it seemed like a mild heat turned into a raging fire that burned through his body.

With a heat, Mors started to feel his legs again as they progressively began to scream at him. Holding it in, Mors waited for what seemed like minutes for the heat to die down.

After a minute, the pain left him. Checking his legs, he found himself about to move again as he stood up. He felt slightly stronger, which he attributed to his body recovering.

With him able to move again, he quickly went towards the small shower. Entering the small room, Mors realized that he didn't bring clothes, so he decided to shower with his clothes on.

Hoping in, he quickly turned the valve and took a cool shower.

...

Taking the sweat off, Mors felt more refreshed as the fluids ran off him. Stepping out, Mors realized there was nothing to dry himself with.

With a shout, Mors asked, "Hey Alice, How do you dry off?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot you might not have experienced this. Do you see that red circle in the middle of the ground?" Shouted Alice back.

Looking around, Mors found it in a corner. It wasn't large and in the middle of the room.

Finding it, Mors shouted out, "Found it, now what?"

"Stand in it, and say, 'Dry'" shouted Alice.

"Ok," muttered Mors as he stood in the middle of the small circle and whispered, "Dry."

The moment he said that the circle changed shapes as symbols appeared from the circle. In a moment, the circle expanded with 20 marks as it glowed.

With that, a warm breeze drifted up around his body, drying off both his body and clothes.

Walking out again, Mors smelled something good. Walking into the small kitchen area, and found Alice looking over a steaming pot.

Seeming to hear him walking out, Alice turned around and said, "You look better than normal. Food will be ready in a bit."

"Nice, what are you cooking?" Asked Mors as the smell of it was making his stomach growl.

"Oh, it's just a regular stew. Don't worry about it, and get some more rest," said Alice before returning her attention to her stew.

Hearing that, Mors decided to sit and look at the crystal design again. But the thought of it reminded Mors to ask something important.

"What was that circle?" inquired Mors.

With his eyes staring down at her with a curious light, Alice quickly responded with a sigh, "want the long story or short story?"

"Every detail." Mors sat down with his ears open.

Sighing, Alice started, "On a quest, Genn saved a low-level enchanter. Saying that, a low-level enchanter is still a great job."

After another sigh, Alice continued, "He was still a novice, but he later came out as a genius. But at that moment, he decided to replay with all the magic he knew. The drying circle."

With a kind smile, Alice added, "Apparently, we helped him somehow. He muttered something about elemental essence and something parallel. Whatever it was, we helped."

"So that was an enchantment?" Mors asked with realization. It looked something similar to the Crystal.

Just simpler.

"Yup. We are quite likely to have that. Now sit down, and stew will be in a bit." Replied Alice with a laugh.

With a bit of waiting, Alice finished the stew. The two ate quickly as they didn't discuss anything else, leaving an awkward silence.

After dinner, Mors quickly said, "I haven't heard from the ghosts in a while." before moving to the room.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Alice exclaimed before saying, "Tell me what happened."

"Well, I was talking about the Crystal, and they just stop moving. They didn't move at all or even respond to movement. I had to move them into my body. Just thought I should mention it." Responded Mors.

"Wait, so you were just talking about it before they froze? Weird. I wouldn't try talking about it anymore... It might act again." Alice said with a bit of dread.

"Ok, that actually might be it. It was acting wei--" Started Mors, before Alice interjected, "Did I say not to talk about it?"

"Ops. Well, I am pretty tired, so I will just go to sleep." Stopped Mors, going to the spare bed. This time he was actually going to sleep through the night.

Collapsing onto the bed, a dreamless night passed. Leaving the conversation of the Crystal for later, the night passed.

....

Waking up, Mors found Alice still asleep.

Walking out to the main room, Mors ate another Avania. He either needed the ghosts to come out or Alice to wake up.

So in the silence, Mors decided to try calling out to the ghosts.

So in a darkened corner, Mors asked out, "Anyone awake?"

Nothing happened.

So after that minute of nothing, Mors decided to look at the circle from last night. Quietly walked into the shower room again and found the circle.

Staring at it, Mors couldn't find anything besides that circle. Nothing like the symbols he saw.

He thought maybe the symbols were smaller and hiding, but it was nothing like that.

'Maybe it's hidden underneath the circle,' Mors thought before quietly saying, "Dry."

And with a closer look, Mors figured out the steps. First, the circle gets bigger, then the ink materializes from the ground. Then the ink moved into symbols and reorganized itself.

After that, dry air pours out of it for a few seconds before turning it off.

Then it shrinks, and the symbols run away.

"Fascinating," Mors muttered, thinking about the other symbols he saw.

'Some seem to hide, and some seem imprinted onto the structure. They might be different types.' Mors deduced.

That was only considering the adventures association building and the drying circle. But after a moment of thought, he realized there was another type.