The Extra's Rebellion
Chapter 81: Alive Characteristics

Chapter 81: Alive Characteristics

Zephyr sat across from Merin in a small, lit room, the scent of cooked meat and hearty dishes filling the air. His eyes were locked onto the food in front of him— a steaming pile of various meats, breads, and side dishes that looked so fresh and inviting that his stomach growled loudly. It felt like the first real meal he’d had in ages, and his mind was already envisioning the satisfying taste of each bite.

But then, his gaze flicked up to Merin, and a deep scowl spread across his face. She was grinning, clearly amused at the conflict playing out in his mind.

"You should eat," she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "It’s not every day I invite someone to a proper meal."

Zephyr’s lips twitched in frustration. "Yeah, I know the drill. You’re not gonna pull the same trick you did last time." His voice was low and suspicious.

Merin’s smile widened, and she leaned back in her chair, her hands folded neatly in front of her. "I have no idea what you’re talking about."

Zephyr’s eyes narrowed. He’d been here before—last time she’d invited him to a meal, he thought it was a genuine offer, until the bill came. Instead of offering to pay, Merin had playfully accused him of being ’unmanly’ for letting a woman pay. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, she hadn’t explicitly said she would cover the cost, and Zephyr had been forced to work extra hours in the field to pay it off.

He’d been furious for days.

"This time, I’m not making that mistake," Zephyr muttered, eyeing the food as if it might be some kind of trap. "I’ll eat, but only after I know for sure who’s paying."

Merin gave a soft, teasing chuckle before tapping her fingers on the table. "Alright, fine. You don’t trust me. But I’m not leaving you high and dry, Zephyr. I’ll pay for the meal, if that’s what you’re worried about."

Zephyr raised an eyebrow, but he wasn’t convinced. He wasn’t about to let his guard down, especially not after the last time.

Merin’s eyes twitched before she muttered. "Elden cover the cost from my credit card".

There was a brief pause, and then Elden’s calm voice filled the air. "Payment has been confirmed. The amount of 32,890 credits has been charged to your card. Enjoy your meal."

Before Elden voice fell he had already tore a piece of meat, chewing as if it would disappear the next second. But he almost choke when he heard the price.

’Thank goodness am not paying for this’. The idea of Merin paying immediately made his feel better as he begun to eat furiously.

He hardly took the time to chew, his taste overwhelming every other thought. The tender meat practically melted in his mouth, the juices mixing with the flavors of spices and herbs that he hadn’t realized he’d missed. He tore into the bread and vegetables next, devouring everything in front of him with a ferocity that surprised even himself.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have money, he had a lot of money— like a lot. After he woke up he discovered that his crippling debt had been wiped out as a compensation for stepping down for Lunethra.

Not only that he also discovered that a whopping fifteen million credits had been sent to his account. Even if he paid for the meal, it wouldn’t even leave a dent in his wallet, but she had set him up once so it only natural if she had a taste of her own medicine.

Merin watched, her lips twitching again as she observed him. "I take it you’re hungry, huh?" she teased.

Zephyr didn’t respond at first, too focused on the food. But after another large mouthful, he glanced up at her, a slight grin spreading across his face. "It’s not that I am hungry, my body needs lots of nutrients and I am just doing the needful".

"Fair enough," she replied with a smirk, leaning back in her chair. "Just don’t choke on that meat."

Zephyr ignored her, diving back into the food. He couldn’t afford to care about anything but his next bite.

*******

Zephyr set his utensils down slowly, the last bite of food still resting in his mouth, though it hardly mattered to him at that point. He chewed mechanically as Merin leaned forward, her fingers tapping the table with an almost unnerving calm. The food had filled his body, but it didn’t quiet the strange tension growing in his chest even since Merin doesn’t seem to want to take her eye off him.

"What?". He couldn’t bear the silence anymore and decided to confront her

Merin’s eyes glinted with something that wasn’t quite amusement anymore, something sharper, more calculating. "How’s your eye?" she asked, her voice filled with genuine curiosity.

Zephyr wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, casting her a sideways glance. "It’s fine," he muttered, not sure why she was asking. "Isn’t it just a weird hollow Art, nothing special."

Merin tilted her head, an eyebrow arching as if she had some knowledge he didn’t. "A hollow Art, huh?" she repeated, her voice almost too casual. "Well, about that... you know, when you were knocked out, I did a little research." She leaned forward now, her elbows resting lightly on the table. "Took a sample of the Aether from the eye while you were unconscious."

Zephyr froze, his gaze sharp as he finally looked directly at her. "Wait, you did what?" His voice was low, his chest tightening at the thought of Merin messing with his—his body?

"Don’t worry," she said, brushing a strand of her black hair behind her ear as if it were no big deal. "I’ve been studying it. And here’s the thing. It’s not just a hollow Art, Zephyr. It’s alive."

Zephyr blinked, trying to process her words. "Alive?" he repeated, confusion flooding his senses. "What do you mean, alive? It’s just annoying most of the time but it is—"

"No," she interrupted, cutting him off. "It’s not just some Aether trick, there’s something more to it. I analyzed the sample I took and found a distinct characteristic, the Aether within it? It’s not passive, it’s reactive. It’s self-sustaining. It doesn’t need your Aether to keep working." She paused, letting that sink in before continuing, "You didn’t create a hollow Art, Zephyr. You created a genuine Art, the first man made Art to be recognized by the world."

Zephyr’s mind raced, his heart skipping a beat. He had only used the eye twice since awakening, first when he just awoke and had no idea his eyes had changed, second when he was fighting Earl.

And yes, he had noticed that it was out of the ordinary— for one, it seemed to work, even when his Aether was exhausted. And now, the truth hit him like a cold slap in the face.

And now the fact that he had made the first man-made art that was recognized by the world was anything but good. If information goes out, he would be hunted by the entire world for his eyes and the information, but the good fact of it was that it was a fluke and even if he was put under a mind control Art, it would be futile cause he didn’t know how to make it.

He clenched his fists under the table, feeling the frustration boil up. "I— I didn’t even mean to do that," he muttered, trying to wrap his head around the revelation. "I just wanted to heal my eyes. How is it even alive?"

Merin’s gaze softened for just a moment, an edge of sympathy threading through her voice. "I don’t know. But I do know that whatever this is—it’s a big deal. That eye isn’t just some fluke. It’s... it’s your Art, Zephyr. And it doesn’t rely on your Aether. The Aether inside it seems to come from somewhere else entirely. It has its own reserve."

Zephyr’s thoughts splintered, a wave of disbelief crashing over him. He had been so focused on recovering— the fact that it was even considered an hollow Art was shocking to him, he just wanted to heal it. And now, the last thing he had expected was for this to happen. For an attempt to heal— to evolve into something autonomous, alive, and independent of him. This was straight out of a fairy tale.

"But how?" he muttered, more to himself than to her. "How could I even create something like that? It’s theorically and practically impossible?"

Merin shrugged. "Maybe you’re not fully aware of what you’re capable of yet. You’re still learning, after all". There were three stages of Aether weaving. Novice, master and grandmaster. He had barely scratched the surface of master, to be able to advance to master rank, he needed to be able to creat their own independent Art that was not modified.

He should have been a master by now but, Merin insisted he continued modifying until it was second nature to him, that breezing through rank was frowned upon.

"But from what I can tell, you’ve got something rare, something that’s not bound by your own limits. That could bring the Change you always wanted."

Zephyr didn’t like how that sounded, but the truth in her words was undeniable. The eye—his eye—had power, and it wasn’t even fully tapped into. He felt a strange knot in his stomach, not knowing whether to be grateful for this new weapon or terrified of what it might do to him. He still vividly remembered his Madden state.

Merin continued, her eyes scanning his face as if reading his thoughts. "And let’s not forget—you were completely out of Aether. Yet, the eye still works. Meaning it has its own source, its own wellspring of power and even if there is the slightest chance of you being able to tap into that power—." She didn’t continue, Zephyr already got the message.

’damn it! This new development would only bring endless trouble’. His irritation started to surface again as he imagined all trouble that would be coming for him.

’i have got to get a girlfriend. I aren’t certain I will live long’. Zephyr face immediately crunched up. ’it’s all Dr. Voss fault I have started to fantasize about a girlfriend. Damn vixen’.