Re-awakening: I Ascended with an Unranked Ability

Damien stared at him, processing that statement with visible difficulty. "For three days? You fought constantly for three days?"

"Not constantly," Alex corrected, his pale eyes distant as memory surfaced despite his attempts to contain it. "Sometimes I rested. Sometimes I ran. But when running wasn't an option" He met Damien's gaze directly. "Then I fought. Because the alternative was dying, and I've already done that once. Didn't much care for it."

The casual reference to death delivered with flat honesty that suggested it wasn't metaphorical made both visitors tense.

Gareth spoke for the first time, his analytical voice carrying unusual hesitation. "Professor Harold's medical report indicated combat against multiple S-Class entities. He said your injury patterns suggested repeated high-intensity engagements with threats that..." He paused, choosing words carefully. "...that killed one hundred forty-eight other students."

"Yeah." Alex's voice remained flat, emotionless in the way that suggested he was working very hard to keep it that way. "I noticed the body count."

Silence descended again, heavier this time.

Damien's hands clenched at his sides. "We thought you were dead. When the first rescue groups came through and you weren't with them when the second wave extracted and you still weren't there..." His voice roughened. "I thought we'd lost you. That you were just another name on the list of casualties."

"Nearly was," Alex admitted. "Got close enough to count. But apparently I'm too stubborn to stay dead properly."

Gareth moved slightly closer, his analytical mind clearly wrestling with data that didn't fit comfortable parameters. "The realm was three kilometers from the extraction point. You crossed that distance while critically injured, through collapsing terrain, pursued by predators fleeing the dimensional collapse."

His tone remained measured, but underneath was something like awe. "Captain Aldric said you reached the portal threshold with minutes to spare before the extraction window closed. That you made it through on your own power despite injuries that should have been incapacitating."

"Didn't have much choice," Alex replied. "It was reach the portal or die in a collapsing dimension. Survival instinct makes you capable of things you didn't know were possible."

"That's not just survival instinct," Gareth countered quietly. "That's... something else. Enhanced capability. Refined technique developed under extreme pressure. Or..." He hesitated, his analytical gaze searching Alex's face for tells. "...or exposure to something in that realm that changed you in ways we can't yet measure."

Alex felt cold settle in his stomach. Gareth was too perceptive, too analytical. The kind of mind that would notice inconsistencies and pursue them with scientific rigor until he uncovered truths that were dangerous to know.

'He's already suspicious,' Alex realized. 'He's seen too much, processed too many data points. I need to give him something enough truth to satisfy immediate curiosity without revealing what I can't share.'

"The realm had areas that weren't natural," Alex said carefully, watching both visitors' reactions. "Carved stone. Deliberate construction. Signs that dimensional rifts aren't just empty chaos some of them are claimed territory."

Both Damien and Gareth tensed immediately.

"You encountered intelligent entities?" Gareth's analytical voice sharpened with intensity. "What kind of"

"I didn't say i encountered them," Alex interrupted, keeping his tone flat and honest. "I saw evidence of their presence, but I was too busy trying not to die to conduct detailed reconnaissance. What I can tell you is that dimensional rifts are more dangerous than we thought. Not just because of beasts, but because there are things in dimensional space that build, that plan, that operate with intelligence and purpose."

"Did you fight them?" Damien asked. "These intelligent entities?"

"I fought whatever found me," Alex replied, which was technically true. "Beast, corruption, entities I couldn't identify didn't matter. If it tried to kill me, I killed it first. If I couldn't kill it, I ran. And if I couldn't run..." He met Damien's eyes directly. "Then I got creative."

The statement landed with weight that made both visitors recognize this wasn't someone recounting an adventure story. This was someone who'd survived through whatever means necessary, who'd crossed lines and made choices that probably still haunted him.

Gareth opened his mouth to ask another question probably something analytical about combat techniques or entity classifications but Damien caught his arm subtly.

"Later," Damien said quietly. "He just woke up. Give him time to process being home before you interrogate him about every detail."

Relief flickered through Alex's chest. Damien's social intelligence had recognized what Gareth's analytical mind had missed pushing too hard, too fast, would either trigger defensive responses or reveal truths that would complicate everything.

"Thanks for visiting," Alex said, and meant it genuinely despite the careful performance he was maintaining. "It's good to see familiar faces. To know I actually made it back."

"Where else would we be?" Damien's characteristic charm reasserted itself, though the underlying concern remained visible. "You're our classmate. My bestfriend. Of course I'll would be here when you woke up."

Gareth nodded, his analytical gaze softening fractionally. "We're glad you survived, Kael. Whatever you had to do to make it through... we're glad you're back."

The words carried more weight than simple platitudes. Recognition that survival in that realm had required compromises, that the boy who'd returned probably wasn't identical to the one who'd been consumed by the rift.

But they were willing to accept that. To give him space to process and recover without judgment or excessive questions.

'Good friends,' Alex thought, genuine warmth cutting through his tactical calculations. 'Better than I probably deserve right now.'

"Rest," Damien said, moving toward the door. "We'll come back tomorrow, check on your recovery. And if you need anything anything at all just ask. We're here."

They left, the door closing softly behind them.

Alex waited exactly thirty seconds to ensure they were truly gone, that no one was lingering outside to eavesdrop.

Then he pulled up his system interface and began the careful process of deciding who he needed to become next.

Thirty stat points waited for allocation.

One empty ability slot demanded consideration.

And somewhere beyond dimensional boundaries, the Masters observed through their marker with clinical interest, cataloging every choice their interdimensional anomaly would make.