28 Integration (1/2)

Aaron was just as puzzled as the former Chief. He had followed the man's instructions to the T, but the moment he had concentrated on the feeling of the Cores pressing into his skin, he had felt something in his mind connecting to them in an instant.

That was when he felt that rough feeling between his knuckles disappear, as the Cores had gone into his skin followed by a momentary feeling of pain.

A little bit of blood was visible on the velvet pouch, as small holes had had to appear when his body had pulled in the Cores.

After that, he could feel them, hiding underneath his skin, and he knew, for sure, that he could control them just as easily as he controlled his fingers to move.

Also, just as the former Chief had said, two glowing balls had appeared in his mind, which seemed…empty.

Yet, now, even as he saw the former Chief scream that and take deep breaths to gather his bearings, he was focusing on the images of those globes in his mind.

They were slowly…filling up with some sort of substance that looked like a gas, and, just like the globes, the substance was also glowing, giving off light in the empty cavern that was his mind and allowing him to gaze on them in his inner vision.

He couldn't see where that gas was coming from, but watching it billow around the globe was mesmerizing.

As for the process of letting out the Cores, again, it had felt like an activity that was as simple as breathing. All he had had to do was…push them, outward, and they had appeared between his knuckles, pressing against his skin on the sides and causing a slightly uncomfortable sensation to reach his mind.

It looked like the former Chief had finally calmed down, as Aaron had just heard him say something.

Even though his eyes had been open, Aaron had been completely focusing on the balls, so he had to look at Ernst with a puzzled expression and wait for the man to repeat what he had just said.

Gesturing with his hands wildly, the Chief repeated himself with a loud tone.

”The A.A? What does it say?!”

”Er… Nothing,” Aaron replied honestly, as the female voice really had said nothing in his mind since that moment when he had asked it to tell him what it could do.

”Ask it your status, dammit!”, the former Chief screamed again, as if this were something so simple and obvious that Aaron should have known it.

Still not understanding why the Chief was so agitated, Aaron chose to play along, as this man really had helped him a lot till now.

”A.A, show me my status.”

”Name: Aaron

Age: 18 Years, One Month

Body Potential: C+

Location of Registration: Skystead Hamlet

Credit Balance: 50”

”it says… That my body potential is C+.”

As soon as Aaron said this, he didn't know what he had expected, but he could really never have imagined that the former Chief would have this sort of reaction.

After a pause during which delight instantly spread across Ernst's face, he clapped his hands and threw them in the air before dancing a little, merry jig around the small room.