Sword saint

Making his way up the stairs, Adam headed to Annabelle's room, which now also served as Stella's temporary bedroom. The room was still awash with the faint scent of paint, and despite the minimalist design, there was an organized chaos to it. A whiteboard stood in one corner, covered in scribbled notes and drawings, and chairs from the kitchen were haphazardly placed around it.

"Adam," Annabelle greeted him, waving a hand toward an empty chair. "Come, sit."

He did so, glancing curiously at the whiteboard. "What's all this?"

Annabelle leaned back in her chair, her gaze steady. "We're preparing. We need all the information we can gather about the Dreamverse. Especially with what we're planning tonight."

Adam nodded, understanding her rationale. "Makes sense."

Stella chimed in, "I helped mom with the knowledge I got from my time in the Dreamverse last night."

Annabelle looked at Adam, a hint of hesitation in her eyes. "Adam...how did your meeting go with your grandmother?"

His face became serious. "She knows about the Dreamverse."

Fear flickered across Annabelle's face. "Is she joining the cult?"

Adam nodded. "Yes, but it's not all bad. I managed to convince her that for now, we can only accept up to ten people. She's the only one who'll be joining us tonight, but I got some concessions from her."

Annabelle studied Adam's face, her brows furrowing slightly. "There's something... different about you, Adam. I don't know what it is, but..."

Adam tilted his head slightly. "What's wrong?"

Annabelle sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It's just...I find myself trusting your words, even when I don't fully understand what's going on. If you had told me yesterday that Matriarch Emmanuel was joining us, I would've panicked. Not only are you more articulate but you...your reassurances...they calm me down. I can't explain it." She shook her head, her expression troubled yet resigned.

Annabelle continued, "Like earlier, when you explained everything about the Dreamverse...after I calmed down, I felt like you were telling the truth. I don't know why I was so ready to confide in you, share so much information. Your presence has a... a certain something to it."

Adam pondered her words, feeling a strange resonance with them but unable to pinpoint why.

"Yeah, Adam," Stella chimed in. "You've been way more charismatic recently."

He looked at her. "Repeat what you just said."

Stella blinked, confused. "What, that you're more charismatic?"

Adam's eyes widened, a realization dawning on him. "Can you pass me a board pen?" he asked Annabelle.

She tossed him one but her aim was off. It seemed that Adam was going to miss it, and an apology already formed on Annabelle's lips, but then, with a swift movement, Adam managed to snatch the board pen out of the air. The room fell silent.

Annabelle spoke up first, her voice filled with understanding. "Well, that makes sense now."

Adam could hardly believe what he was thinking. Could his attributes from the Dreamverse have followed him back to the real world? Could that be why people were so ready to listen to him, to believe in him? Could that be why he had managed to outmaneuver his scheming grandmother, despite all her wisdom and cunning?

"I...I need to go," he said suddenly, standing up from his seat. "I need to check how many of my attributes I have access to."

Before Annabelle or Stella could react, he dashed out of the room, heading straight to the home gym.

---

Adam was alone in the home gym, panting heavily. He'd been testing his physical attributes, strength, dexterity, and endurance. He had estimated that he had access to about 50% of his attributes from the Dreamverse. While it didn't sound too impressive, the fact that he was stronger and faster than the average male by about 50% was astonishing, especially considering he was only eight years old.

"I can't believe I didn't notice this sooner," he murmured to himself. He shook his head, "There's just so much going on. I need to go back to Stella and Aunt Annabelle. I need to give them this information."

As he returned to Annabelle's room, he pondered the implications of his discovery. "If I have 50% of my attributes, and charisma is my highest stat... no wonder everyone's been listening to me so attentively. And if people start gaining access to their attributes, and eventually their skills, things could get chaotic pretty fast."

Once he entered the room, Annabelle immediately asked, "So, what did you find out?"

Adam relayed his findings and his theories. Annabelle nodded, "You're right. We need to level up quickly."

She gestured to the whiteboard filled with notes and drawings. "Stella helped me with this, but we need more information. You've been in the Dreamverse longer, Adam. Can you help?"

"Of course," he agreed, moving towards the board.

Annabelle checked her watch and said, "We have an hour before the gaming team arrives."

Adam looked at her, confused. "Gaming team?"

Annabelle nodded. "We're dealing with a place that has elements of games, so it made sense to get some professional advice. We've hired a popular gaming team to help those of us who are new to this world understand the concepts better. I've never played a game, so this will give us an advantage."

Adam looked thoughtful. "That's smart, but won't they realize we know more about the Dreamverse than we should?"

Annabelle waved away his concern. "They'll be signing NDAs that will ruin them if they breathe a word about our discussions. Plus, we have an alibi."

"An alibi?" Adam asked, intrigued.

Annabelle smiled. "We'll tell them one of us has survived entering the Dreamverse and managed to level up. From what I've seen online, it's not all hopeless. Some people have actually survived and leveled up."

"Has anyone figured out their location?" Adam asked, curious.

"Some people claim they've ended up in a world called Lenus based on talking to the local inhabitants," she responded.

Adam felt a surge of excitement. "That's where I am!"

"That's perfect," Stella exclaimed. "We can rescue those people once we're powerful enough."

"No, we need to ensure our own safety before anything else," Annabelle cautioned. "Adam, your talent is going to be crucial for that. So, what can you tell us about the Dreamverse and this system that allows people to level up?"

Adam spent the next half hour explaining the concept of the system and attributes as thoroughly as he could. It was a complicated system, but the gaming team would help them navigate it more effectively.

"We also need information about Zara," Stella chimed in. "So we're not completely clueless about the Hive when we arrive."

Annabelle agreed. "Yes, we need to know more about this Zara character."

Adam hesitated for a moment but then proceeded to share what he knew about Zara and the Hive. As he spoke, Annabelle suddenly interrupted him.

"Hold on," Annabelle said, "So, she's fighting all the races in Lenus? And she's doing this by using parasites to turn her enemies into her soldiers?"

Adam nodded. "That's right. I think she started this war to help me level up faster."

Annabelle rubbed her temples, a worried expression on her face. "Oh God, we're the villains, aren't we?"

Adam smiled wryly. "Welcome to the Dreamverse."

---

Adam popped up on the black tier 1 binding stone in the center of the Hive's staging area. His sudden appearance startled a few Hive units nearby, who first saw him as an invader before recognizing him. He found it a bit strange not to appear on the binding stone in the meadow, but he brushed it off, knowing he had a full day ahead of him.

He hopped off the stone and headed towards Zara, who was seated on her throne. Her royal guard, towering and menacing, stood watch by her side. He informed her that he had recruited his family into his cult and they would appear soon.

Zara nodded. "I will send someone to collect them from the Meadows binding stone," she said.

Something about Zara's appearance struck Adam as odd. "What's wrong?" he asked, noting the visible injuries on some of the nearby Hive units and the distinct smell of biomass emanating from her.

"Were you injured?"

"I had a bit of a fight," Zara sighed, "One of the higher-tier powerhouses of Lenus attacked us. We fought. I sustained some injuries and had to use up some of my biomass reserves to heal."

The news concerned Adam, but Zara was quick to reassure him. "Don't worry. The Sword Saint as he calls himself caught us off guard, but he will pay for his arrogance. I've left him with significant injuries and he is currently fleeing my higher tier units," she added with a predatory gleam in her eyes.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Adam asked.

"Yes," Zara replied, "Level up. Quickly. The war is escalating, and I need you and your cult to join in. We've recently captured a city-state and established a new satellite hive there, but they retaliated by sending the Sword Saint here."

Adam nodded and proceeded to give her an update on the Earth events. After hearing about the situation, Zara asked if she should be on the lookout for the Earthlings.

"No," Adam shook his head, "I don't care about them."

"Good," Zara said, a sinister glint in her eyes, "This war has just become personal." Her obsidian arm blades extended outwards from her back, some appearing to be freshly regrown, and moved as if they had minds of their own.

"Try not to scare my family," Adam said, noticing Zara's display of anger. It was a rare occurrence to see such emotions from her, the attack must have been a personal affront.

She reigned in her anger, closing her eyes. "Your family is on the way." she finally said.

A few minutes later, his family - his mother, his father, Stella, Annabelle, and his grandmother all walked into the Hive's staging grounds. They were led by a humanoid Hive unit.

Zara had now composed herself, her earlier anger nowhere to be seen. Adopting her usual demeanor of cold, calculated leadership, she stepped off her throne to stand next to Adam.

As they came over, Adam couldn't help but notice the distance Annabelle maintained from his grandmother.

Melissa, deciding to take the initiative, broke the silence, "So, you're Zara?"

Casting a quick look in her direction, Zara confirmed, "And you must be Melissa."

The air between the two women grew thick, the tension seemingly reaching a high point. Zara, seemed a tad defensive. Yet, Melissa swiftly dissolved the tension, rewarding Zara with a warm, welcoming smile and an embrace. "Thank you," she said sincerely, her voice slightly choked with emotion. "Thank you so much, Zara, for taking care of Adam."

Zara was visibly taken aback by this unexpected response. A moment of surprise was painted across her face, leaving her without a response. Adam, watching the scene unfold, couldn't help but smile at this heartfelt interaction between his birth mother and his adopted mother.

Yusuf, too, showered Zara with gratitude, his voice laden with sincerity. "I can't express how grateful we are for you looking after Adam in our absence."

Zara, still slightly disoriented and uncomfortable, managed a small, uncertain smile in return, "I'm happy that I could take care of Adam. It's been my pleasure, really. Please, think nothing of it."

However, this heartfelt moment was abruptly and ruthlessly interrupted by the crisp voice of Matriarch Emmanuel.

"I didn't take a night's sleep to watch my daughter extend courtesies to someone who usurped her role," she stated, her tone brimming with disdain.