The rhythm of the tannery shack became Alex's new lifeblood. Days blurred into weeks of relentless labor, but the consistent, full rations were working. Elian's body began to settle; the crippling exhaustion retreated, and the skeletal frame gained a small, necessary layer of resilience. Ledger One (Life) was slowly, painstakingly moving from bankruptcy to stability.
Theron, pleased by the defect-free quality of the finishing work, remained predictably occupied and hostile, viewing Alex only as a profitable, if unnerving, utility.
With the threat of immediate physical collapse—and thus, the suicidal risk of unintentional aging—lowered, Alex could finally focus on Ledger Two (Stillness). He could not escape or defend himself without a fully charged Stillness tank.
His objective was simple: map the village's ambient Death Energy field and identify a safe, high-concentration source for a full recharge.
Mapping the Cold
Under the guise of hauling waste and delivering finished goods, Alex began to explore Oakhaven. His body, now perpetually saturated with a low hum of stored Stillness, acted like a divining rod. He used the subtle sensation of the cold pressure to chart the town's energy landscape.
The Tannery: Diffuse, low-level Stillness. The stench of decay and treated animal hides created a slow, ambient field, but the energy was weak and scattered. Too inefficient.
The Sick Quarters: Located near the edge of the creek, this area housed the frail and the ill. The Stillness here was intense and cloying, concentrated by acute suffering and imminent death. Too volatile and likely guarded or avoided by villagers.
The Commons: The marketplace and common house were "warm"—bustling with life, noise, and vitality. The Stillness here was almost entirely absent.
Alex was drawn inexorably toward the one location guaranteed to contain centuries of unmoving, profound Stillness: the Village Graveyard.
It was a poorly maintained, uneven plot behind the small, decaying stone church. The air around it was always stiller, colder, and heavier than anywhere else. It was the geographic nexus of mortality in Oakhaven.
The Acquisition
On a grey, misty afternoon when Theron was away trading, Alex secured the back door of the shack and headed directly for the graveyard.
He knelt behind a thick, ancient yew tree, its roots winding over a cluster of eroded, unmarked stones. The cold pressure here was immense—not painful, but overwhelmingly dense and quiet. It felt like standing at the bottom of a frozen, silent ocean.
Alex did not cast a spell or command a draw. He simply focused his mind on the internal Stillness tank and opened his perception to the external field. He envisioned the internal void within his body and commanded the body to passively accept the ambient energy.
The sensation was profound. The external cold didn't just flow into him; it rushed. It felt like a freezing current pouring into a reservoir. For a horrifying minute, the cold was so intense it threatened to drown his consciousness, but he held the focus, allowing the Stillness to saturate his core.
Then, just as suddenly, the influx stopped. The internal pressure equalized with the external field.
Alex withdrew his focus, trembling with the sheer weight of the acquired energy. He felt an intense, quiet density at his core. He was still hungry, still exhausted, but his Stillness tank was full—recharged entirely by the inert decay of the graveyard.
He immediately checked his reflection in a small piece of polished silver he carried. No new lines. The Stillness had been replenished passively and safely, avoiding the lethal draw on his Biological Time.
Alex had successfully quantified his resource, located his supply line, and executed his first strategic acquisition. He was now fully prepared to use his magic when it mattered most: his escape from Oakhaven.
Alex now has a full Stillness tank and a stable body. The time for passive preparation is over.