The day after the funeral, AJ was working near the destroyed eastern gate, absorbing twisted metal and broken stone that couldn't be salvaged, when Sam approached with a worn notebook in his hands.
"AJ," Sam called out, stepping carefully over a pile of rubble. "I need a favour."
AJ looked up from where he'd been clearing debris, his form shifting slightly as he paused his work. "What do you need?"
Sam held up the notebook, its pages thick and bulging from months of use. "It's full. Every page, every margin. I need a new one."
"Yea, it's about time," AJ replied with a smile.
AJ accepted the old notebook. "I'll make you a new one when I can," he said, holding the worn book in his body for safekeeping. "Give me some time to finish up here first."
Sam nodded and headed back towards the workshop area, leaving AJ to continue his clean up work. For the next several hours, he cleared debris, absorbed unusable materials, and helped residents sort through the wreckage of their homes.
The repetitive work gave his mind time to wander, thinking about everything they'd been through since the Wish Event.
By afternoon, with the most urgent clean up tasks complete, AJ found a quiet spot away from the main work areas.
He retrieved Sam's notebook and spent an hour or so carefully creating a new one. As he held both books, curiosity got the better of him.
When had Sam started writing? What had he chosen to record? AJ opened the worn notebook to the first page.
'All of humanity offered anything we desired. That's when the 7 of us met. Not sure how long I'll be staying with these people but they'll be ok companions for now.'
AJ paused, remembering that moment in the cosmic void. They had spent who knows how long going over various scenarios and ended up making wishes that had potentially saved the Earth. While his comment on potentially not staying with them stung a little it was understandable.
'Atlas cannot speak. Communication limited to gestures. Growing frustration visible in his movements as he struggles to contribute to the group. The world feels different somehow, it feels like there's something new that I can't figure out.'
He winced at that entry. Those first weeks had been torture, having thoughts and ideas but no way to share them. The others had tried to understand his gestures, but complex concepts were impossible to communicate.
'Three men attempted to steal our supplies while we were asleep. One was killed in the initial confrontation. The other two captured and questioned. They mentioned a "safe zone", not sure how trustworthy their words are.'
'After some experimentation I confirmed the existence of a strange energy in the air. We're calling it mana. Our bodies were either altered or have already begun adapting to this new energy.'
'Group debated whether Atlas should consume some of the human remains. Atlas reluctantly tries absorbing a small portion of the dead man's body. The energy gain is significant but feels morally wrong for him.'
AJ shuddered reading that. The memory of absorbing even that small portion still made him uncomfortable. He'd gained plenty of mana from it, but absorbing a human wasn't something he could do. Some lines shouldn't be crossed, even for survival.
'Found an abandoned house that will provide shelter for the night, perhaps there are some remains of the old world after all. After leaving the house to continue our exploration we turned back to see it had vanished completely.'
'The safe zone turns out to be real, it seems promising. Things seem organised on the surface, will have to take a closer look. Richard presents himself as a visionary leader rebuilding civilisation. His promises feel empty, we'll stay for some time but I have a bad feeling about all this.'
'Richard is ruling through fear and intimidation. He oppresses anyone who questions his authority. Workers are being beaten for minor infractions. The population is being separated into a sort of hierarchy based on their usefulness.'
'We're going to attempt to organise a resistance against Richard's tyranny. First we need a network of supporters, we'll recruit the oppressed workers. Then we need to plan a coordinated uprising.'
'The plan didn't work out, we've been kicked out of the settlement, Maria has been forced to stay behind as Richard threatens her children's safety. The other's are taking it as a form of betrayal, I think she's been forced by the circumstances, she's smart, she'll be ready and waiting for our return.'
AJ felt a surge of old anger reading that. The helplessness of walking away while Maria stayed behind, knowing Richard was using her children as leverage. They'd had no choice, but it had felt like abandoning family. The months of not knowing if they were safe, if Richard might hurt them.
'First successful hunt, a Scaleclaw Ravager was defeated through coordinated effort. We scavenged what we could, letting Atlas absorb the remains, we should be able to create some useful tools. Atlas's form appears more stable after absorbing the mana.'
The Ravager had been their first real victory against the transformed world's dangers. AJ remembered the satisfaction of finally contributing by helping kill the Ravager and later producing materials that they could use.
'We found a wooden cabin during our travels, it will serve as our base of operations for the next couple days. Atlas was able to reproduce a nightshade cap, his abilities are proving more and more useful by the day. We attempted to meditate and feel our surroundings, we could feel the mana around us, progress is relatively smooth at the moment.'
'I decided to meditate some more before sleeping and noticed the mana moving weirdly, and the cabin, I had everyone leave immediately. The cabin disappeared before our eyes, it seems like this entity is following us, appearing when we're desperate for shelter, we'll need to be more weary in the future.'
The memory of the disappearing building still made him uneasy. AJ made a mental note to try to track that thing down when he was stronger.
'A purple-black stone covered in intricate carvings. No reaction at first but after meditating around it the obelisk spoke to us, everyone received a gift from the obelisk in the shape of new knowledge.'
AJ paused at that entry, remembering the strange whispers from the obelisk. Each of them had received something different.
Sam got new information about mana and the world, Ethan was able to better increase his internal mana flow and strength, Victor became able to hide his mana signature, Lily was able to sense mana more clearly, and Walter had been somewhat rejuvenated.
For AJ, it had unlocked his ability to speak for the first time since the transformation.
'After our interaction with the obelisk we appeared beside a tower without warning. We're reluctant to enter but it feels like a necessary step for us.'
The Tower had been their first real test as a team. Sam's notes documented every floor and every enemy. AJ found entries about the rest floors, the increasingly dangerous creatures, the way their coordination had improved with each challenge.
'Floor 10's Mammoth creature defeated. All team members wounded but alive. The group is evolving, this challenge is just the first of many but we're adapting well. I guess I'll be staying with these guys longer than I thought.'
'We're attempting to find our way back to the settlement, it seems like we're really far away. Gathering information from everyone we encounter. Found out about multiple larger factions that have emerged: Obsidian Sect, Iron Vanguard, Cult of the Shattered Veil.'
The pages documenting their travels contained information on the creatures they encountered and the landscapes they travelled through. Atlas found a brief mention of the small settlement where they'd first encountered the River Pact traders.
He wondered how that little settlement was managing, and how that little girl they'd met, Kira, was doing.
'Atlas recreated a shard of astralite ore. He went to sleep without reabsorbing and he had a strange dream about cosmic-scale machinery. He saw a structure built around a star and surrounded by massive pylons, that apparently failed catastrophically. Dozens of orbs were flung into space during the collapse. Atlas theorises one of these orbs may have reached Earth, potentially being the origin of the Wish Event.'
AJ paused for a moment. When thinking about the new things he'd learnt from Sam and their experience in the Spire of Echoes it didn't seem like the orbs would be the cause or origin. That being said they might still be linked or involved somehow.
'Discovery of the Sect's dig site near Titan's Spine mountains. They're excavating an ore with anti-mana properties. Atlas attempted to absorb a sample but the material actively rejected his form, causing severe destabilisation. Raw ore and refined ingots both prove dangerous to him.'
The feeling of his very existence being rejected by that material was still vivid in his mind. At the time it seemed like the sect didn't know the materials capabilities but they would surely figure it out. AJ wasn't looking forward to the day he'd encounter the material again.
'We discovered a misty area where ambient mana concentration is dramatically higher than normal. Training here allows for accelerated progress. I discovered the method to breaking through to what we called the Earth Realm cultivation level. The others have also managed to breakthrough, the enhanced abilities we gained will take some time to adjust to.'
'Found and enjoyed a hot spring, everyone fell asleep with Atlas watching over us. He moved us into the hot springs cave and then further down into the cave system for safety. After waking up we discovered we were now in another dungeon. Note: thoroughly check places we plan to stay around.'
AJ groaned. Of all his poor decisions, dragging his unconscious friends into a dungeon is among the worst. He'd been trying to keep them safe during their rest, by moving them deeper into what he'd thought was just a normal cave system.
'Three types of trials based on symbols: eye, serpent, and two-faced visage. The eye represents trials of the mind. The serpent is a physical/combat trial. The two-faced visage had the most disturbing trials, testing our spirit, trying to get our group to abandon each other or fall for some kind of temptation.'
One of the larger entries drew AJ's attention.
'During a battle with a creature in the Spire of Echoes, we were being overwhelmed. At some point it targeted Lily and was about to kill her. In an act of desperation, AJ pushed his abilities far beyond their limits to save her. His core ignited with golden light, and he temporarily took on a humanoid form, wielding Ethan's axe, he completely destroyed the shadow beast.'
'However, this massive surge of power came at a catastrophic cost. AJ suffered from the backlash, shrinking and had evidently damaged himself badly. The Spire's system warned that he would "expire within 24 hours."'
'Our attempts to save him and feed him to give him mana failed. In a final desperate gambit, we pleaded with the system, we traded in our reward in order to save AJ's life. The Spire accepted the trade, and saved him, though he remained weakened for some time afterward.'
AJ felt uncomfortable remembering the sensation of being so close to death, but he knew if one of his companions were in danger he would do it again, even if it meant really dying.
AJ also picked up on a change, previously he was referred to as Atlas but after this event it was AJ.
'Final rankings: 437th of 2,849 attempts. The revelation that nearly 3000 groups have completed this place's trials raises a lot of questions about this place. I decided to share my encounter with the progenitor with the others, it was about time they knew. There isn't any doubt left in my mind that there is life beyond this planet.'
2,849, AJ had tried not to think too much about that number, but it was staggering. So many other groups had gone through similar trials. He wondered if there were other world's out there, that had gone through similar events that transformed their world.
'After roughly guessing the direction we needed to go we finally made our way back to the settlement where we left Maria months earlier. The reunion was both joyful and tense—Maria had survived Richard's authoritarian rule and had been waiting for our return, but the settlement's situation had only gotten worse.'
The reunion with Maria and her children had been one of the best moments of their entire journey. Seeing Isaac and Noah safe with their mother and watching the settlement transform from fearful compliance to hopeful cooperation, was an all time high for the group.
Sam had then documented the building period, planning the city layout, as well as how they were going to build the new homes and improved infrastructure.
'The settlement's protective barrier disappeared without warning. Hostile creatures have encroached on our territory. 7 casualties in first night of attacks. Beginning rapid construction of defenses.'
'AJ, Ethan, and Victor found an artificial cave system that was spawning creatures from a crystal artifact. Destruction of the artifact stopped the creature spawning. This is likely the way that someone's wish was granted.'
'A large group of River Pact traders arrived at the settlement offering an alliance, they claim to be running from the Obsidian Sect. Negotiations resulted in a mutually beneficial arrangement. The settlement gains information and trading rights whilst the traders gain a secure base of operations.'
'We had the first successful harvest of the wheat-like crop. Lily wanted to celebrate this with a harvest feast, the success of the event makes everyone look forward to next time. It will become a yearly tradition, or perhaps more often given how quickly the wheat grows.'
AJ smiled at that memory. The harvest feast had been one of the few times since the Wish Event when everything felt genuinely positive, there was good food, people laughing, and a sense of accomplishment. Lily's joy while organizing it had been infectious, and for a few hours they were able to forget about their worries.
'Community decided to name the settlement "Valentra." The population has reached approximately 220 residents including newly integrated River Pact members.'
The naming of their settlement had marked their official transition from a collection of survivors to a real community with its own identity. Valentra wasn't just the place they lived in—it was home, something worth protecting and improving.
The next few pages contained details of Sam's research advancements as well as a few notes on Richard's sabotage. Then there was the crisis that had just ended. Marcus's arrival, the confirmation that he and Richard were brothers, Maria's breakthrough to the Earth Realm during the preparation period.
Sam's final entries were reports of the destruction and losses.
AJ closed the notebook and looked around at the ongoing recovery efforts. People were working together to rebuild what had been destroyed and planning for a future they'd have to create themselves.
It had been 9 months since the Wish Event, the team of 7 had undergone various transformations in that time, AJ had become a slime, the others were now cultivators and were well on their way to being seasoned survivors in this new world.
The journey had changed them all. AJ could feel it in himself, the gradual emotional distance that came from making life-and-death decisions repeatedly. The others showed it too—they were harder people now, more practical and less idealistic than they'd been before.
AJ opened the new notebook and wrote a brief summary of all the important events they had experienced. He closed both notebooks and went in search of Sam.
"Here," AJ said, offering the new notebook. "Clean pages for whatever comes next."
Sam accepted the notebook and flipped through the first few pages, pausing when he saw AJ's recap. His expression softening slightly.
"Thanks," He said.