Respite

Striding toward the dining table, Magnus snatched one of Mrs. Wang's steamed buns and tore a bite out of it. He glanced to the side where TJ was drinking a cup of hot cocoa. In his pajamas. While still wearing his leather gloves.

Magnus had to use his utmost willpower to hold back his laugh.

TJ wasn't an idiot, though. One look at his brown-and-blue eyes and he could tell how much his friend was trying not to crack a smile. "My mom made me wear this," the black-haired boy said defensively.

Magnus shrugged innocently. "Good to know."

"I'll go change when it's time to start training."

"Aight cool."

Magnus was glad his friend had pulled himself together, though. Somewhat. After he'd woken up, TJ was seen staring blankly at the floor, clearly deep in thought. Magnus could tell the guy was arranging his thoughts and desperately searching for a way to get through his emotional turbulence. Gradually, he could see his friend's eyes starting to glow with a resolute air that grew firmer over time. Eventually, Magnus saw him raising his head with a newfound will written all over his face.

Magnus could've approached the guy to console him or provide some comfort. Or tell him a few encouraging words that could help him cope with his first near-death experience and his trauma for ending a person's life. It would've probably also sounded credible coming from him who had clearly experienced more of the similar thing.

But Magnus didn't do any of that. He just offered his friend a glass of water and patted his back a couple of times before taking a seat nearby. He knew TJ would want to sort out his inner world by himself. He needed that quiet moment. In fact, outside help wasn't welcome. He needed to deal with it on his own terms, with Magnus' and his parents' presence nearby as a constant reminder that he wasn't actually alone.

TJ was being a bit emotional, yes. But he wasn't Magnus. And as much as Magnus was able to feel what he felt, he knew they both had different coping mechanisms.

So here he was now, in his pajamas drinking cocoa, his emotional state almost back to normal. "By the way," he said after wiping a trace of the chocolate from his lips with a tissue, "I saw something new on my Status Window. It's like a phone icon and when I selected it, I saw your and Summer's names."

"Oh, you nohish hat? (Oh, you noticed that?)" replied Magnus while chewing the steamed bun. He raised a finger as a signal for TJ to wait until he finished chewing. After a moment, he swallowed and spoke, "It's a new feature I created. It allows me to communicate with you and Summer. Check this out." He then pulled up TJ's POV before willing his mind to 'tap' on the phone icon.

'Test, test. Is this thing working?'

TJ's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa! Telepathy!"

'Just speak in your mind, dude.'

"Ah, you're right," TJ said before showing a concentrating face. 'Hello?'

'Nice! The thing's working perfectly!' said Magnus 2.0 in a satisfied tone.

'It is. This is convenient,' replied TJ.

'I know, right?' said Magnus.

A moment passed before Magnus dropped his jaw as he finally realized something. Well, both Magnuses realized it at the same time.

'Uuh, TJ?' asked Magnus 2.0.

'What?' TJ answered.

'You can hear me?'

TJ stared at his friend in puzzlement. 'Duh?'

'Dude, I guess we're sharing one channel,' said Magnus 2.0.

'It seems so,' Magnus agreed.

'Well, that means you'll have to shut up when I'm talking.'

'And you have to shut up when it's my turn to talk. Wouldn't wanna confuse those on the other line.'

'True.'

TJ looked at Magnus as if his friend had gone cuckoo. But then he remembered the name of his Author. 'Magnus 2.0?'

'Oh, he's got it!' exclaimed Magnus 2.0. 'TJ my man! I would fist bump you right now if I could!'

Ignoring Magnus 2.0's inaudible fist bump, TJ's eyes were trying to drill a hole in his friend's face. His expression looked as if he demanded an answer. Now.

However, Magnus could only avert his gaze.

'How the fuck,' TJ finally spoke, 'did your mind split in two?'

'I told you it's a long story,' Magnus immediately answered.

After a long few minutes of awkward silence, TJ finally gave up. 'Fine. So I guess it's Magnus and Magnus 2.0.'

'Mhm,' Magnus replied.

'You can think of us as the same person. It's no big deal, honestly,' added Magnus 2.0.

The three then continued to have a telepathic conversation for a bit more before they ended the test call. Magnus then stood up after he finished his steamed bun. He called everyone to gather in the living room while activating [Unbreakable] along with the anti-god coating.

"There are still a little more than six hours before Chapter 2 begins. Don't worry, it's not going to be as 'explosive' as the Prolog or as world-changing as Chapter 1," Magnus announced. "Initially I wanted you guys to measure your element affinities. But after everything that happened today, I feel like everyone deserves a moment of respite. Please use the next few hours to sleep or have a meal. There are some long-lasting foods in the basement, but I suggest you to consume whatever you can find in the kitchen first. Make sure you get enough energy before Chapter 2 begins. Once it does, we'll gather in the backyard where I will finally get to use the Element Orb."

It was then that Garrett asked. "Do you think the gods will send Protagonists after you again?"

Magnus had told everyone about his battle against Scoville, much to their horror. It was a god Descending onto the mortal world, after all! But his story ended up having an additional effect on everyone; they were now more confident about Magnus' powers and that he could help them survive.

"I don't think so. I'm about ninety-five percent sure that even though they've failed and are certainly gritting their teeth right now, they realized there was nothing they could do to defeat me or TJ at the current moment. But at the same time, they've also gotten some information on our combat prowess. Which doesn't sit well with me, but there's nothing I can do about that."

He was also secretly wondering if the fact that he was an Author had entered their minds yet. 'They must've noticed they weren't able to select me or TJ as a Protagonist. Or any of the people here, for that matter.'

"So," Magnus continued, "I hope what happened today will serve as the final nail in the coffin for all of us, that the world truly had changed. We need to get stronger to survive, because the next enemies we encounter will not be as weak as those guys who came to visit this house. We have a bit of time on our hands for now, and we better use it to train as hard as we can."

After he was finished with his short speech, some of the others headed to the available bedrooms to rest, while some others went to check out the supplies in the basement. Fiona, Victoria, and Mrs. Wang worked together to rearrange everything according to categories and expiry dates—Magnus and TJ hadn't bothered to put them in a proper order.

TJ had slept enough that day, so he changed his clothes and headed to the backyard to train. Magnus decided to cancel the dome that surrounded the entire house and put it around the backyard to accommodate his friend. Now without the protection of the dome, Magnus had to make sure to stay alert in case there was anything suspicious getting near the house. Which was why he chose to remain in the living room, relaxing on the sofa with Summer by his side, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Magnus was able to stay awake for days, thanks to his high-levelled body. He could still sleep just fine, just like how he had slept every night for the past year in order not to rouse any suspicion from his parents. However, he didn't actually need to sleep that often. Therefore, it was no problem for him to stay on guard duty for a long period of time.

"Is this bracelet just like Tyler's gloves?" Summer suddenly asked, staring at the leather bracelet around her wrist. It was the gift Magnus had given her on the night he'd confessed his love.

"It is. I'm guessing you've checked it out in the Inventory?"

"Mhm. Why light and earth affinities, though? Does that mean you've known my affi…" her voice trailed off for a bit before she spoke clearly again, "…right, 'cause you're from the future. So that means…" She sat upright as her mind arrived at a conclusion that awoke a memory from last year. At that time, when they were eating pizza together, Magnus jokingly said that they were both husband and wife in the future. Upon this realization, Summer blushed as furiously as she had when she first heard that sentence.

Because, was that really a joke?

She couldn't help but steal a sideway glance at her boyfriend, who raised an eyebrow, half-amused at her blushing and half-expecting her to tell him what was on her mind.

"Are you wondering if I knew you from the future?" he finally asked.

Summer hesitantly nodded.

"I did, in a way," he said, looking a bit wistful while playing with her curly hair. "But our story, it's a little complicated. And I don't think I am yet emotionally ready to tell you everything. In time, you'll know about it." He then tilted his head as an idea came up in his mind. "In fact, maybe it will be better to show you. One day, when we reach that place, even though the house probably won't be there anymore, I wish to show you where our story began in the future."

Hearing such cryptic answer, Summer could only sigh and shake her head. She was already used to this side of him. At the same time, as much as she wished he would confide in her more, she understood it may be difficult for him to reveal everything. After all, who knew what kinds of things he'd had to face before he'd gone back to the past?

"It's okay. I'll be patient as long as you promise to tell me all your stories one day, Magnus," she said, leaning on his shoulder again.

"I promise."

"Then I'll hold you to that promise. But for now," she said, looking at her bracelet, "I need you to help me learn skills and everything. I want to get stronger."

Magnus smiled in delight at her statement. "Your wish is my command, my lady," he said as Magnus 2.0 got the same idea. Without any reservation, Magnus 2.0 got to work and narrated some stat boosts for Summer.

The girl suddenly felt some sort of energy converging around her body before it was rapidly sucked into her torso. "What…" she muttered while blinking in surprise.

"Check you Status," said Magnus with a proud grin.

She glanced at him suspiciously before opening her Status Window and saw the sixty-point increase in her Mana. Her eyes widened and she quickly figured out Magnus had just used his Author's power to boost her stat. "Thank you," she told him while giving him a loving smile.

"No problem," he replied. "It's just a start. However, it wasn't for free."

Summer furrowed her eyebrows, confused. "Then how should I—"

Without giving her a chance to finish her sentence, Magnus leaned in and kissed her lips. Summer was a bit stunned at first, but then the couple quickly melted into each other.