Grim woke up, his body felt heavy, and his head was pounding. The room was dimly lit, Grim coultell if it was early morning or late evening.
"What the fuck happened?" he thought, memories of last night slowly coming back.
[You reached 100% capacity on your mana heart,] the voice replied promptly. [Then you lost consciousness due to exhaustion.]
The events of his last cultivation session rushed back—the final push to 100%, the strange chime, and then...
"Restarting my mana heart? What the hell did you mean by that?" Grim demanded mentally as he struggled to sit up. His limbs felt like they were made of lead.
[Ah, yes. When you reached 100% capacity, it became clear that you possess a unique ability,] the voice explained, sounding almost excited. [You can restart your mana heart at 0%, but with two significant advantages: your cultivation speed will be faster with each restart, and the total capacity your mana heart can hold will increase.]
Grim froze in the act of pushing himself upright. "Reset... to zero? Why the fuck would I want to do that after all the work to reach 100%?"
[Consider it like rebuilding a house on a stronger foundation. The first house took years to build. The second might take months. The third, weeks. Each iteration becomes faster to construct and stronger overall.]
"So I'd lose all my progress temporarily, but then advance even faster and end up with a better result?" Grim clarified, his mind racing with implications.
[Precisely. Most cultivators can only expand capacity by forming additional mana hearts. You can improve the quality of a single heart through repeated cycles of completion and restart.]
A smile slowly spread across Grim's face as he grasped what this meant. "Holy shit. This must be the gift the god mentioned, not the light affinity."
[It seems a reasonable conclusion. The ability to restart and enhance a mana heart is... unprecedented in my knowledge of cultivation techniques.]
Grim chuckled softly. "Those little suckers won't know what hit them. While they're struggling to form their second hearts, I'll have one super-heart that outperforms them all."
He could already imagine the looks on the Luminaris twins' faces when they realized their precious light affinity wasn't enough to match him. And Lianna with her fire—she'd be furious.
The door to his room swung open, interrupting his gleeful thoughts. Rowan entered, followed closely by Sera, who carried a tray with what appeared to be soup and bread.
"You're awake," Rowan said, relief evident in his usually stoic face. "How do you feel?"
"Tired," Grim admitted honestly. "But otherwise fine."
Rowan approached and placed a hand on Grim's forehead, checking for fever. "You gave us quite a scare."
"How long was I out?" Grim asked, suddenly realizing he had no idea what day it was.
Rowan and Sera exchanged a look.
"Two days," Rowan finally answered. "You missed yesterday's and today's training entirely."
"Two days?!" Grim exclaimed, genuine shock breaking through his usual composure. "I was asleep for two fu—" He caught himself just in time, remembering Sera's presence. "—for two full days?"
"Your language is getting stranger by the day, young master," Sera commented with a concerned frown. "These strange words you mutter... they aren't proper for a noble child."
"What happened?" Rowan asked, his expression turning serious. "I found you collapsed on your bed in full cultivation posture. Were you attempting something beyond your current abilities?"
Grim hesitated. Should he tell his father about reaching 100% capacity? About the dual cultivation? About the restart option? Some instinct told him to be careful about how much he revealed.
"I was practicing my cultivation as usual," he said, keeping his answer technically true. "I might have pushed too hard."
Rowan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Grim, cultivating too quickly is dangerous, especially at your age. If you push yourself too hard, you risk damaging your mana circuits or conduits."
"What happens if they're damaged?" Grim asked, genuinely curious.
"Best case? Temporary inability to channel mana," Rowan replied grimly. "Worst case? Permanent damage that would destory any futire you want. Some have even lost their affinity."
A chill ran down Grim's spine. "That... would be bad."
"Indeed," Rowan agreed dryly. "Which is why proper foundation and gradual advancement are so important. No technique or shortcut is worth risking your future potential."
While his father spoke, Grim mentally cursed at the voice in his head. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me I could end up unconscious for days? Or about damaging my circuits?"
The voice remained conspicuously silent.
"You seem distracted," Rowan observed. "Are you sure you're feeling well?"
"Just tired," Grim assured him. Then, deciding to test a theory, he asked, "Father, how common is it for someone to reach 100% capacity with their first mana heart?"
Rowan looked surprised by the question. "Most cultivators never reach full capacity with any of their hearts. They typically achieve 70-80% before forming the next one. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious," Grim replied innocently. "One of the books in the library mentioned it."
Rowan's surprise turned to suspicion. He reached out suddenly, placing his hand directly over Grim's chest. His eyes widened.
"Your mana heart... it's at full capacity," he said, clearly stunned. "How is this possible? Even with your dual affinity, reaching 100% at your age should be..."
"Impossible?" Grim suggested.
"Unprecedented," Rowan corrected, studying his son with new intensity. "You've been dual cultivating, haven't you? Water and light simultaneously."
No point denying it now. "Yes. It seemed more efficient."
Rowan sat back, shaking his head in disbelief. "Efficient is an understatement. Most cultivators with dual affinity can't handle both elements at once until they've formed at least three mana hearts. The strain on the pathways is too great."
"It wasn't that hard," Grim said with a shrug, then seeing his father's expression, added, "for me, at least."
"This explains your collapse," Rowan muttered. "Your body couldn't handle the strain of what your mind achieved." He looked at Grim with a mixture of pride and concern. "We'll need to adjust your training. Your talent clearly exceeds what I had planned."
"Does this mean I can skip the dance lessons?" Grim asked hopefully.
Rowan actually laughed, a rare sound. "Nice try. The princess would be heartbroken." He stood, suddenly serious again. "Rest today. Tomorrow we'll discuss your new training regimen."
After his father and Sera left, Grim turned his attention back to the silent voice in his head.
"You're awfully quiet now," he thought accusingly. "You know, for something that's supposedly just a voice in my head, you sure know a lot about this world's cultivation techniques."
[I know what you know,] the voice finally responded.
"Bullshit," Grim countered. "You knew about dual cultivation before I did. You know about mana circuits and conduits. You even know about this 'restarting' ability that apparently nobody else has heard of."
[Your observations are... not incorrect.]
"So what are you really? Some kind of implanted guide from the god? A fragment of someone else's consciousness?"
[Those are interesting theories,] the voice replied noncommittally.
Grim sighed in frustration. "Fine, keep your secrets. But at least tell me more about this restarting business. What exactly happens if I decide to do it?"
[Your mana heart will be emptied, returning to 0% capacity. You will need to cultivate again from the beginning, but with increased efficiency. Additionally, your maximum potential capacity will increase by approximately 30% with each restart.]
"30%?" Grim whispered aloud. "So after one restart, my heart could reach 130% of normal capacity?"
[Correct. After two restarts, 169%. The growth is compounding.]
Grim fell back against his pillows, mind reeling with possibilities. If he could restart and recultivate even a few times before others his age formed their second hearts, he'd have an enormous advantage. A single heart at 200% or more capacity would outperform multiple hearts at 80%.
But there were risks too. If pushing to 100% had knocked him unconscious for two days, what would happen during a restart? Would he be vulnerable for extended periods? And how would he hide this from others?
"I need to think about this," Grim decided. "And eat something. I'm starving."
As he reached for the soup Sera had brought, one thing was clear: whether he chose to restart his mana heart immediately or not, he now possessed an ability that could change everything. The gift the god had mentioned wasn't his light affinity or any ordinary power...
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. The princess peeked in hesitantly, her eyes widening when she saw he was awake.
"Grim! You're better!" She rushed in, a small basket in her hands. "I brought you sweet buns from the kitchen. The cook made them just for you."
Behind her, Lianna sauntered in more casually, though her eyes scanned him with what might have been concern if Grim didn't know better.
"So the water boy lives," she remarked. "We thought you might have drowned in your own element."
Great. Just what he needed right now—visitors. And not just any visitors, but the two girls who seemed determined to complicate his life in this world.
"We missed our dance lessons over the past 2 days," the princess said, placing the basket beside his bed. "Madam Verity said we'll need to practice twice as long once you're well."
Grim suppressed a groan. More wasted hours when he could be exploring this new ability.
"Don't look so excited," Lianna snickered, catching his expression. "Some of us have actual training to do rather than prancing around a ballroom."
"No one's keeping you here," Grim pointed out.
The princess shot Lianna an annoyed look before turning back to Grim. "Mother says you need to rest, but I wanted to make sure you were alright."
As the girls bickered over whether he should be resting or preparing for more lessons, Grim's mind returned to the revelation about his mana heart. With this ability, he could far surpass anyone his age—even these noble children with their vaunted bloodlines and affinities.
But first, he needed more information. And as soon as these two left, he was going to get some straight answers from the voice in his head, one way or another.