Last time Hector had taken one of Rowan’s special concoctions, he had experienced great growth at the expense of immense pain. If he was honest with himself, he loved the positive gains, but that kind of pain was not exactly something he enjoyed.

  Over the years he had taken part in a number of drills that tested him physically and mentally. Long excursions in the wilderness, drilling different strategies and techniques until his body screamed at him. All of that was to keep himself alive and to save others. Right now, all he was working towards was saving himself, but now with the knowledge that his Overheal could hurt those he healed caused him to pause.

  It made sense; he just had not thought of it, for the past 2 months he had been isolated from any human contact. He spent his days training, killing and growing stronger. The idea that his skill could be harmful to those he tried to help in the future caused him concern.

  Memories flashed of trauma victims who didn’t make it, those whose injuries were severe and life altering, disfigurement that caused one to shriek back but also pause and realize how the event this person survived was going to impact them for the rest of their lives.

  The power to heal fit him perfectly; victims and casualties of the past would not exist in his new reality. He would be able to save someone from the brink of death if he so deemed it. He knew he was no saint, but the possibility that his good will towards someone could harm or kill them struck a chord within his center.

  He stared at the bottle Rowan displayed as more memories of past traumatic experiences crossed his mind. One thing was certain, if he was going to survive and help people, he needed to understand what was going on with him. The system definitely wasn’t going to tell him; in fact, he was pretty sure it would rather kill him then give him answer.

  “Ok, so, the last one you gave me was pretty rough, not sure I am mentally ready for that kind of pain again so soon after what I just went through. What is this one going to be like?”

  “Ah, yes, the last ordeal was refining the power in your spirit and turning it into something tangible we could use, essentially, we were creating. The catch this time is we won’t be creating anything we will merely just be revealing what is already there.”

  “Ok, still not answering my question, how bad is this going to hurt?”

  “Absolutely no pain will be felt in this process. Like I said, we aren’t creating anything new here, we are just getting you an explanation for why you are a deviant. Now that being said, there is no way of knowing what Brand this will reveal, in fact there's always the chance it won’t reveal anything at all. The system guards these secrets with its entire being, maybe it thinks if you remain ignorant the chances of you following one of its pre-determined paths is higher or maybe handing knowledge out for free is bad for your growth and foundations.”

  “Well, is it bad?” He questioned

  “Yes and no, in your case, you already have incorporated Overheal into your everyday life. It is a part of you that you use to stay alive. What this baby right here will do is provide you with a concrete explanation, allowing you to understand your brand and increase your deviant status. Honestly, the potential of just having your brand revealed is significant. “

  He sat there for a second, trying to formulate his response.

  “Ok, let’s do it, I mean you are offering me free booze it would be rude to turn you down.”

  “Ha, that is the kind of spirit that will take you to the peak! Maybe someday you can have a cool title and whiteboard like me, I am really living the life over here. So, for this one we won’t need any preparations like the last, just throw it back when you're ready and we can begin, but there are a few things you should be aware of before we start.”

  “So even the greater universe has fine print, great I thought that would remain in my old life.”

  With a laugh Rowan answered, “Life would be much simpler if that were the case but sadly no. If anything, there will be more tiny print then you know what to do with, but that is what I am for, I will be your friend and your universal lawyer at your service.”

  Rowans expression shifted slightly.

  “Ok, before you drink that, which we both know you can’t resist, there a some very concrete boundaries I am going to need to set with you.”

  Hector groaned, “Of course we do.”

  “This is not system fine print, this is mine.”

  He leaned back against the table, arms folding loosely.

  “This brew does not give you power. It does not add anything. It does not improve you. It does not fix you.”

  Hector frowned. “You are really selling it.”

  Rowan smirked. “Good. That means you are listening.”

  He tapped the bottle once.

  “This reveals what is already there, nothing more, nothing less, and once revealed, it cannot be unseen. You will not be able to ignore it. You will not be able to pretend it is just a quirk of a skill or an odd interaction. Whatever comes up, it becomes part of how you understand yourself.”

  “And if I do not like what I see?” Hector asked.

  Rowan shrugged. “Then you deal with it. Same as everyone else.”

  He leaned forward a little.

  “Second boundary, this does not change how your power behaves. It changes how you perceive it.”

  Hector tilted his head. “Meaning?”

  “Meaning, you do not walk out of here testing it on living things.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Hector opened his mouth.

  Rowan raised his hand. “Including yourself.”

  That gave him pause.

  “This is knowledge, not permission. You do not experiment tonight. You do not push limits. You sit with it. Meditate on it and come to terms with your new self. Experimentation can begin later.”

  Hector exhaled slowly. “You are worried.”

  Rowan did not deny it.

  “Third, intent matters more than ever after this. Once you understand why your power behaves the way it does. There is no hiding behind ignorance. No accidents, no ‘I did not mean to.’”

  “So, if I hurt someone after this, that is on me...”

  Rowan nodded. “Completely.”

  He straightened and let the seriousness ease just a little.

  “The good news is that understanding is the first step to control. Most deviants never get that far.”

  Hector glanced down at the bottle again, then back up.

  “And the worst case?” He asked.

  Rowan smiled thinly.

  “You learn something about yourself that explains far more than you wanted it to.”

  Hector snorted. “Yeah. That tracks.”

  Rowan slid the bottle closer.

  “Remember no pain, just newfound awareness.”

  Hector lifted it, studying the dark glass.

  “Alright,” he said. “I can live with that.”

  Rowan chuckled. “Careful. That confidence is usually punished.”

  Hector smirked and raised the bottle anyway. The liquid slid smoothly down his throat; the slight burn of a mild liquor could be felt, but the flavor was robust and pleasant. It reminded him of some high-end Whiskey.

  Rowan leaned back, a small smile tugging at his mouth.

  “Now we wait, and hopefully get a better understanding of you.”

  Similar to last time, he decided to partake in one of Rowan’s overly helpful alcoholic concoctions. He felt a warmth fill his entire body, flowing through his veins as it spread throughout his entirety before starting to focus towards his center mass.

  There truly was no pain this time; the first one had been blunt and powerful. Feeling as if it scorched everything about his body and soul. This time he felt an uplifting sensation, like the powers on high were within his network. He felt as if the world was making more sense by the minute; his mind was clear and open.

  As the feeling washed over his body, he didn’t realize it, but Stillness Under Strain had activated, hyper-focusing his mind on the task. The world around him slowly disappeared. It felt like all his senses were shut off one by one. Sight, sound, smell until finally he opened his eyes.

  Once he opened, he realized he was no longer seeing Rowan’s house but was once again under the stars from his previous encounter. This time though the stars were already green, as they gave light to this place. Twinkling within this internal solar system though there was one star that glowed a bright and fierce gold.

  “What the hell is that?”

  Focusing on the gold star, he thought he could see lines connecting to the green stars, almost like the sky had become some type of fantasy spreadsheet. There was no time to trace them all but if he had to guess that single point connected to all the stars in the sky, at least the ones he could see.

  Focusing on the unique colored mass, he started to feel himself flooded with power. Slow, but it was steadily increasing. His body began to glow with a vibrant golden, green aura. Holding up both hands he could see the glow spreading, until his entire being radiated with the energy.

  His mind began to throb. Images of past trauma he had experienced flooded his consciousness. Every mistake, every failure, every “I did what I could, but it didn’t work out” mindset, flashed through his mind.

  “I could have gone all day without remembering all that.”

  Pushing those thoughts aside, he focused on the task on hand, but unsure of what to do next. The golden green aura clung to him, dense and steady, pulsing slowly in time with something deeper than his heartbeat. The longer he watched it, the more familiar it felt.

  The gold star above him pulsed once, and Hector understood. Realization struck; the power was not flowing through him. It was originating from him. The green stars trembled as the gold one pulsed again, thin lines of light tightening between them. He felt it echo through his body. Every time he had healed. Every time Overheal had lingered instead of dispersing. Every time the energy refused to fade when it should have.

  It was not the skills or mana. It was the rule underneath them, his brand. His healing had never been asking permission to stop. It had been waiting for him to decide.

  A memory surfaced unbidden. The first time Overheal had hurt him instead of helping. The way the energy had felt calm. How it had stayed even as his body screamed for it to end.

  The gold star pulsed again. This time, the connections sharpened. He could feel it now. The way life-aligned energy anchored instead of dispersing. How it reinforced existence rather than repairing damage and leaving. How it lingered, circulating, accumulating until it was fulfilled or forcibly disrupted.

  “Holy hell,” Hector whispered.

  The sound did not carry. There was no air here, no voice. The glow around his hands thickened slightly, almost glasslike; light moving beneath the surface in slow currents. Finally, a system notification appears.

  [Deviant Detected: Abnormal Ritual]

  [Correction Attempted]

  [Error]

  [Correction Failed]

  [Unauthorized Soul-Level Inquiry Detected]

  [Unable to Overwrite]

  [Warning Multiple Irregularities Detected]

  [Please Stand-By]

  There was a pause before the next notification.

  [Brand Revealed]

  [System Note: This Outcome Was Not Anticipated]

  [Brand: Life]

  Description:

  A radiant sigil etched into the soul, manifesting as a dense golden-green aura that pulses in slow, steady rhythms, like a living heartbeat.

  The Life Brand does not generate power.

  It anchors life-aligned energy and alters how it behaves once invoked.

  Life-aligned mana influenced by this Brand does not dissipate when biological equilibrium is reached. Instead, energy persists within the system until its function is fulfilled or forcibly disrupted.

  Healing effects drawn through the Brand do not merely repair damage. They reinforce existence, strengthening the boundary between living matter and destructive forces.

  Brand Effects:

  ? Life-aligned mana resists decay, suppression, and environmental erosion

  ? Healing effects persist beyond standard resolution thresholds

  ? Sustained protection and layered recovery are possible under controlled intent

  ? Excess vitality may be accumulated and retained temporarily

  Forced Continuation Effect:

  When healing is applied beyond structural tolerance, biological processes are driven past equilibrium.

  Possible outcomes include:

  ? Cellular replication beyond sustainable density

  ? Muscular reinforcement exceeding connective tissue adaptation

  ? Vascular expansion resulting in internal rupture

  ? Organ overfunction leading to collapse

  Damage caused by the Brand is not the result of excess mana.

  Damage is caused by continued life.

  Intent Dependency:

  Life Brand effects apply universally.

  Enemy, ally, and self are equally affected.

  Intent determines outcome.

  Controlled intent results in reinforcement and preservation.

  Uncontrolled or hostile intent results in biological failure.

  System Constraints:

  ? Brands cannot be copied, transferred, or removed

  ? Brand effects scale indirectly through growth, not levels

  ? Brand behavior may diverge under deviation conditions

  System Notice:

  Life Brands are rare.

  Stable Life Brands are rarer.

  Brands that persist under deviation are subject to elevated observation.

  Pantheon Advisory:

  Life-aligned authority predates system mediation.

  Continuation without resolution alters causal stability.

  Outcomes are not guaranteed to align with preservation.

  Understanding flooded his mind, as so many things began to make sense. As soon as the realization appeared, the skies light began to dim as his connection to his internal world slowly cutoff. Opening his eyes, he saw the familiar face of his ancient friend before him.

  “Well, how did it go?” Taking a deep drink from his mug.

  “See for yourself”, He said smiling.

  He willed over the information to Rowan.

  Rowan eyes glazed as he assumed he was reviewing the information. Slowly a wide grin spread across his face as laughter could be heard through the cabin.

  “There ya have it! Now you finally have some answers.”