Chapter 32: August Returns Home
Year 0008, Month XI-XIII: The Imperium
---
DAY 41-45: The War of Attrition
The field hospital that served the northern border forces was unlike any human medical facility. The beasts of the Lonelywoods had no physicians in the conventional sense, no herbalists grinding medicines or surgeons setting bones. Instead, they relied on something far more elegant: the Pixyflies.
These remarkable creatures floated through the makeshift treatment area like living sapphires, their transparent blue bodies catching and refracting the winter sunlight into miniature rainbows. Each Pixyfly measured roughly two meters in diameter when fully expanded, though they could compress themselves to nearly half that size when navigating tight spaces. Delicate, gossamer wings sprouted from their backs, beating so rapidly they created a gentle humming that filled the hospital with something approaching music.
The Pixyflies were profoundly peaceful beings. They possessed no natural weapons, no defensive capabilities beyond basic evasion, and no aggressive instincts whatsoever. In any other circumstances, they would have been easy prey for the countless predators inhabiting the Great Forests. But no beast would dare harm a Pixyfly, for a very simple reason: Ozythalos the Guardian Beast Arbiter, the ancient water serpent whose power dwarfed even Forest Guardian Beasts, had declared them under his personal protection centuries ago.
The decree was absolute and unambiguous. Any creature that harmed a Pixyfly would be hunted down and utterly destroyed, along with their entire family line. Ozythalos did not issue idle threats, and the few beasts foolish enough to test his resolve had been made into examples that echoed through generations.
So the Pixyflies tended the wounded without fear, their tiny voices producing sounds that resembled wind chimes mixed with birdsong. Their healing magic worked differently from human techniques. Rather than accelerating natural recovery or closing wounds directly, they seemed to remind the body of its proper state, encouraging damaged tissue to remember what it should be and return to that form.
August Finn lay on a makeshift bed constructed from woven branches and moss, unconscious but peacefully so. Several Pixyflies hovered around him, their gentle blue glow washing over his form as they worked. Their initial assessment had surprised them considerably.
"*This one is strange,*" One Pixyfly chirped to another in their musical language. "*His mana is completely depleted, but his body shows no significant damage. Usually, such extreme mana exhaustion causes internal injuries.*"
"*Look at his healing rate,*" another responded, its voice carrying notes of amazement. "*The minor wounds he arrived with are closing on their own. I have never seen human recovery this rapid.*"
"*Perhaps he is not entirely human?*" a third suggested. "*The stories say he is bonded to the Guardian Beast Aetherwing. Perhaps some of that power has changed him.*"
They worked through the night regardless, their healing magic ensuring that August's recovery would be as comfortable as possible. By morning, his breathing had deepened into genuinely restful sleep, his face relaxed rather than tight with pain.
Aetherwing stood watch nearby, his massive form creating a protective barrier between his ward and the rest of the field hospital. The Guardian Beast had not slept, his attention split between monitoring August and replaying the previous day's battle in his mind. That display of power, that brief touch of divinity, troubled him more than he cared to admit.
*My ward grows at a rate that defies normal progression,* Aetherwing thought, his mental voice carrying notes of concern even in his own internal monologue. *Is this the nature of his Personal System? Or something else? And what price will he ultimately pay for power that touches the divine?*
As dawn broke over the battlefield, painting the devastated landscape in shades of pink and gold, Aetherwing made his decision. August had achieved his goals and far exceeded them. The Shadowfen forces had retreated in disarray, their command structure shattered and their morale broken. There was no tactical reason to remain at the border.
It was time to go home.
"Benethar," Aetherwing projected to the Prime Forged Soul, who had spent the night standing motionless near August's bed like a statue. "Help me position August on my back. We return to Maya Village."
Benethar stirred immediately, his four arms moving with coordinated precision as he carefully lifted August's unconscious form. The human was surprisingly light, his lean build deceptive given the tremendous power he could manifest. Benethar cradled him with unexpected gentleness, mindful of potential injuries despite the Pixyflies' assurances.
The flight home took several hours, but the time passed in contemplative silence. Benethar processed everything he had witnessed, his artificial consciousness working to categorize and understand phenomena that defied his creator's theoretical frameworks. Meanwhile, Aetherwing flew with smooth, efficient wingbeats, conserving his strength after days of continuous combat.
Two of Benethar's hands gripped Aetherwing's massive feathers, maintaining stability despite the wind. His other two hands held August securely against his chest, ensuring the unconscious human wouldn't slip or be exposed to the worst of the winter cold.
As they approached Maya Village from the north, Aetherwing felt a surge of satisfaction. The village had grown visible from the air, no longer the tiny, nearly invisible settlement it had been years ago. The walls, the expanded territory, the carefully organized zones were all clearly identifiable even from altitude. It looked like a real community now, something worth protecting and nurturing.
Aetherwing began his descent, spiraling down in lazy circles that announced his approach without creating panic. His enormous presence and distinctive aura were impossible to miss. By the time he landed in the village square, a crowd had already gathered.
---
The Homecoming
Angeline Ross stood at the front of the assembled crowd, her enhanced senses having detected Aetherwing's approach before most others. Her eyes scanned the Guardian Beast's back frantically, searching for August. When she didn't immediately see him, panic began building in her chest.
Then she spotted him, cradled in Benethar's arms, completely motionless.
Angeline's world narrowed to that single image. August's still form, his pale face, the way his head lolled slightly against Benethar's chest. Without conscious thought, she moved. One moment she stood with the crowd; the next she was beside Benethar, her hands reaching for August with desperate urgency.
Her eyes pooled with tears that threatened to spill over. "No, no, no," she whispered, the words barely audible. "Please don't be..."
Benethar, genuinely alarmed by the intensity of her reaction, looked to Aetherwing for guidance. The construct had dealt with many things in his short life, but emotional human females were entirely outside his experience.
Aetherwing, recognizing that the situation required immediate clarification before Angeline's distress infected the entire crowd, projected his mental voice with warm reassurance.
*August is not dead or dying,* he announced, his telepathic communication reaching everyone present. *He merely used all of his mana in a single devastating attack and lost consciousness afterward. His wounds are already healing, his mana reserves are refilling naturally, and he will wake within a few days. He is simply exhausted.*
Angeline's hands, which had been reaching for August with frantic energy, slowed and steadied. She placed them gently on his chest, feeling the strong, steady heartbeat beneath her palms. Her light magic, attuned to healing and life force detection, confirmed what Aetherwing had said. August was whole and recovering normally.
Relief flooded through her so intensely that her knees weakened. She steadied herself against Benethar, who stood patiently while she verified his burden's condition.
Aetherwing continued his explanation, detailing the events at the northern border. The continuous battles, the tactical sophistication of the enemy, and finally the appearance of the Glistening Dread Queen. He described August's divine manifestation without embellishment, letting the facts speak for themselves.
The crowd's reactions varied dramatically. Those who knew August well Team One, the Finn Household, the Elder Council members absorbed the information with a mixture of pride and exasperation. Of course August had done something impossibly dangerous and spectacularly effective. That was practically his defining characteristic.
But the refugees and newer residents, those who had only heard stories about August's capabilities rather than witnessing them firsthand, stood with expressions of shock and disbelief. One young man's face had gone through approximately seven distinct emotions in the span of Aetherwing's explanation, settling finally on something between awe and existential confusion.
Bren, standing with the other Team One members, summed up the general sentiment with admirable conciseness. "Well, that just seems very August-like." He paused, then added with genuine melancholy, "Though it feels sad."
Milo, standing beside him, tilted his head with confusion so evident he might as well have sprouted dog ears. "And why is that, Bren? Shouldn't we be celebrating? He won a major victory and completed his trial."
Bren sighed deeply, a sound that carried the weight of accumulated frustration. "Because we finally managed to barely catch up to our leader, and then he goes and does something crazy that puts him miles ahead again. Look, the gap between us and August was about this much." He held his hands a foot apart. "Now it's about this much." He spread his arms as wide as they would go.
Erik nodded sympathetically. "We're going to have to work our asses off again. Not that it's a bad thing, necessarily. Just... exhausting to contemplate."
Betty, usually optimistic, looked genuinely depressed. "I was so proud of my fire magic progress. I thought I was finally approaching a level where I could stand beside him in combat. Then he creates a Divine-Tier skill and erases a mountain."
Isabel patted Betty's shoulder consolingly. "At least you're in the same element. My wood magic feels increasingly irrelevant when I watch August turn reality into his personal weapon."
Adam, ever pragmatic, tried to inject some optimism. "Look at it this way: when August advances his Personal System level, we all benefit through the party connection. His growth is literally our growth. So technically, we just got massively stronger by proxy."
"That's not the same as earning it ourselves," Bren muttered, though without real heat. They all knew Adam was right, even if it didn't entirely address the emotional component of constantly being outpaced.
The adults in the crowd, those with decades more life experience, found the Team One members' complaints deeply amusing. Red Peerce tried and failed to suppress a smile. Theresa Peerce didn't even bother hiding her laughter, the sound warm and motherly.
"Children," Theresa said affectionately, her tone making it clear the term was meant with love rather than condescension, "you're complaining about having a friend who makes you stronger by existing. Do you realize how many people would trade places with you in an instant?"
Jonathan Ross, standing beside his daughter, chuckled. "When I was your age, we didn't have magical systems that shared power. We got stronger through years of training and surviving battles we probably shouldn't have. You're receiving benefits that shouldn't be possible, and you're sad about it?"
Axel Martin, the Security Department Head, nodded agreement. "Every member of Team One has reached power levels that would normally require decades of dedicated training. You've achieved in years what takes most people lifetimes. And yes, August grows faster than you. He's unique. That's not a flaw in your progress, it's a testament to how extraordinary he is."
Master Ben Flameswrath, who had emerged from his tower upon hearing Aetherwing's return, studied Benethar with evident satisfaction. "Benethar, come. Report what you witnessed and learned."
The Prime Forged Soul nodded respectfully to Aetherwing, then carefully transferred August's unconscious form to Angeline's waiting arms. The young woman cradled her boyfriend with fierce protectiveness, already planning how she would monitor his recovery.
As Benethar departed with Master Ben toward the tower, the crowd began dispersing. The winter cold was biting, and standing around in the village square, however dramatic the revelations, was becoming genuinely uncomfortable. People returned to their homes and workshops, already spreading the story of August's battle to those who hadn't been present for Aetherwing's explanation.
Aetherwing himself launched back into the sky, his hunger finally registering after days of neglect. He had brought back substantial amounts of meat in his dimensional storage, trophies from the defeated beasts. Some would go to his mate and chicks. Some to his adult offspring and their families. Some would be presented to the village as a contribution to the winter stores.
But first, he needed to see his new chicks. The seven newest members of his lineage, barely weeks old, already showing promise of the power they would one day wield.
---
The Waiting Game
The Finn Household, already crowded with twenty-two permanent residents, somehow made room for August's recovery. His bed, located in a dedicated first-floor room which was his own since birth, became a rotating watch station. Someone was always present, monitoring his breathing and ensuring he remained comfortable.
Angeline claimed the majority of shifts, refusing to leave for longer than necessary to handle essential hygiene and meals. The other Team One members rotated through, keeping her company and preventing her from working herself into exhaustion through worry.
On the third day, Betty Snow had the afternoon shift. She sat beside August's bed, methodically peeling one of the village's storage apple variants. The fruit was slightly wrinkled from weeks in the root cellar, but still perfectly edible. Betty worked with the precision she applied to everything, creating a single continuous peel that spiraled elegantly.
She was so focused on her task that she didn't immediately notice when August's eyes opened.
August lay still for several moments, his consciousness returning in stages. He felt the familiar softness of his own bed, smelled the particular combination of wood smoke and herbs that characterized the Finn Household, and heard the distant sounds of village life filtering through the walls. Home. He was home.
His eyes focused gradually, settling on Betty's profile as she continued peeling her apple with absolute concentration. A slight smile crossed August's face. Of all the ways to wake up, this was certainly among the more peaceful.
He watched her for a few more seconds, then cleared his throat gently. "That's a very impressive peel. Is it a record attempt?"
Betty's hands froze. The apple and knife remained suspended in space as her brain processed what she had just heard. Then she turned her head slowly, mechanically, her expression completely blank as if her face had forgotten how to register emotion.
August blinked at her, genuinely concerned now. "Betty? Are you okay?"
Betty's face remained deadpan for three more seconds. Then something inside her brain finally connected, and she screamed.
"GU GU GU GUSSSS IS AWAKE!!!"
The effect was immediate and dramatic. Throughout the Finn Household, people dropped whatever they were doing. On the second floor, Erik was helping Sibus Dino with mechanical calculations. He abandoned the blueprints mid-equation and sprinted for August's room. In the kitchen on the first floor, Theresa was preparing evening meals. She left a pot boiling on the stone stove and rushed toward the stairs. In the basement cellar, Red and Andy were reviewing supply inventories. They heard Betty's shriek through the floorboards and hurried upward.
Within seconds, August's room filled with people. They came from every direction at once, creating a traffic jam at the doorway as everyone tried to enter simultaneously. Angeline, who had been washing in the household's bathing room, arrived still damp with her hair hastily tied back. Adam and Isabel burst through the door together, having been sparring in the yard. Milo, Bren, Hiraya, and Adarna weren't far behind.
Even people from other parts of the second floor arrived breathless and concerned. Jonathan Ross took the stairs three at a time despite his age. Marcus Fernando abandoned his accounting ledgers. Michelle Mitch dropped the embroidery she had been working on. Donna Campbell came running from the village square where she had been counseling a refugee family.
Cornick Sandeval, the reformed former Corvus captain, actually vaulted through a first-floor window rather than waiting for the congested stairway. He landed in a perfect crouch beside August's bed, startling everyone present.
"Dramatic entrance, Uncle Cornick," August observed mildly.
"Seemed appropriate," Cornick replied with complete seriousness.
The room filled with happy faces, warm voices, and relieved laughter. People spoke over each other, everyone trying to tell August how worried they had been, how glad they were he was awake, how much had happened in the three days he had been unconscious.
"Welcome back!"
"Welcome home!"
"We saved some dinner for you, though you'll have to reheat it."
"Master Ben wants to talk to you about the Divine-Tier skill you created."
"The refugees have been asking about you constantly."
"Aetherwing brought back beast cores. So many beast cores."
"Your trial completion rewards are pending, right? You have to tell us what you got."
August felt warmth spread through his chest that had nothing to do with magic or power. This, he thought, was what made everything worthwhile. Not the strength or the skills or the advancement. This sense of belonging, of being surrounded by people who genuinely cared about his wellbeing. People who had dropped everything and came running the moment they heard he was awake.
He had family. Not by blood, necessarily, though Red and Theresa felt like adoptive parents, and Isabel and Adam like siblings. But family by choice, by shared experience, by the bonds forged through survival and growth and the simple act of building something together.
"Thank you," August said quietly, though his voice somehow carried through the excited chatter. "All of you. Thank you for being here."
Theresa pushed her way through the crowd with maternal authority, shooing people aside until she could sit on the edge of August's bed. She placed one hand on his forehead, checking for fever with practiced efficiency, then nodded with satisfaction.
"You're recovering well," she announced. "Though you're also probably starving. When was the last time you ate?"
August considered. "Uh. Four days ago? Maybe five? I don't know how long I was out, plus that."
"Five days," Theresa said flatly. "You haven't eaten in five days, and you used all your mana in a single attack. August, you are going to eat three full meals immediately, and I don't want to hear any protests."
"I wasn't going to protest," August said honestly. "I'm absolutely starving."
"Good." Theresa stood and began issuing commands with the efficiency of a military general. "Isabel, help me in the kitchen. We're preparing everything we have that's quick and high in energy. Angeline, make sure he doesn't try to get out of bed until he's eaten. Erik, go inform Master Ben that August is awake. Betty, stop looking so shocked and finish eating that apple."
Betty, who had remained frozen in place throughout the entire scene with her partially peeled apple still held in both hands, finally blinked and resumed movement. "Right. Apple. I'm eating an apple."
The crowd gradually dispersed as people returned to their interrupted tasks, though many lingered in the hallway outside August's room, unwilling to be far away. Angeline remained, settling into the chair Betty had vacated and taking August's hand in hers.
"You scared me," she said quietly once they had relative privacy. "When I saw you unconscious in Benethar's arms, I thought..."
"I know," August squeezed her hand gently. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. The battle just escalated beyond what I expected."
"Master Aetherwing told us what you did. The whole story." Angeline studied his face, searching for something. "You erased a mountain, Gus. A mountain. That's not normal, even for you."
"It wasn't planned," August admitted. "I just... in that moment, I knew I had to put everything into a single attack. So I did. I combined every skill I had, pushed them beyond their normal limits, and created something new."
"Something divine," Angeline said. "That's what the beasts are calling it. God Manifestation. They're saying you touched divine power."
August shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know about that. It was just magic, pushed to an extreme. I'm sure other people have done similar things."
"Maybe," Angeline said, though her tone suggested she doubted it. "But regardless, you're home now. You're safe. And you completed the first trial, right?"
"Yeah." August felt a smile cross his face. "One down, two to go. Though the next trial is different. The Trial of Wisdom requires me to answer difficult questions from three people I know, where my answers might significantly affect their lives or the village. I can't seek those questions out, they have to come naturally."
"That seems less immediately dangerous than fighting Boss-rank beasts," Angeline observed.
"Maybe. Or maybe it's more dangerous in different ways. It's easier to fight an enemy you can see than to navigate the consequences of giving advice that shapes someone's life."
Before Angeline could respond, Theresa returned carrying a tray laden with enough food for three people. Fresh bread is still warm from the oven, thick stew heavy with meat and vegetables, preserved fruits, cheese, and a pitcher of water.
"Start eating," Theresa commanded. "And don't stop until the tray is empty."
August, who had learned years ago not to argue with Theresa when she used that tone, began eating obediently. The food was delicious, the warmth and substance settling into his stomach with profound satisfaction. He hadn't realized just how depleted he was until he started replenishing his reserves.
As he ate, surrounded by family in the home he had helped build, August felt something settle in his chest. A sense of rightness, of being exactly where he belonged. The trials would continue. Challenges would arise. Shadowfen would eventually return with renewed aggression.
But for now, in this moment, there was peace. There was warmth. There was home.
And that, August reflected, was worth more than any Divine-Tier skill or system advancement could ever provide.
The Trial of Wisdom could wait until tomorrow. For now, he would simply be grateful to be alive, surrounded by people he loved, eating food prepared with care in the village he had helped rebuild from nothing.
Sometimes, the simplest moments were the most profound.
---
Evening Reflections
Later that evening, after August had eaten enough to satisfy even Theresa's exacting standards, the house settled into its normal nighttime routine. The common areas slowly emptied as people retired to their rooms. The hearth fires were banked to coals that would burn through the night. The sounds of the village outside faded to wind and the occasional creak of wood adjusting to temperature changes.
August lay in bed, not quite ready to sleep despite his body's exhaustion. Angeline had finally been convinced to return to her own room, though not without extracting promises that he would call if he needed anything.
The door opened quietly, and Master Ben Flameswrath slipped inside. The ancient wizard moved with surprising stealth for someone his age, settling into the chair beside August's bed without ceremony.
"Benethar gave me a full report," Ben said without preamble. "He was quite impressed by your performance. Actually used the word 'beautiful' to describe your final attack, which surprised me. I didn't program aesthetic appreciation into his core personality matrix."
"Maybe he's developing it naturally," August suggested. "He's learning quickly."
"Indeed." Ben studied August with eyes that had witnessed centuries. "You created a Divine-Tier skill. Do you understand how rare that is? Most mages spend lifetimes trying to create even a single High-Tier technique. Divine-Tier skills are the province of legends, of beings who have transcended normal mortality."
"I didn't plan it," August said honestly. "It just happened. I needed power, so I pushed everything I had into a single attack. The system recognized it as a new skill."
"The system may have recognized it, but you created it. That matters." Ben leaned back, his expression thoughtful. "I've been thinking about your Personal System. Its nature and implications. It's not merely a tool for measuring power or tracking progression. It's something more fundamental: a framework that allows you to transcend normal limits through systematic understanding and application."
"I don't follow," August admitted.
"Most people grow stronger through practice and experience. They accumulate power gradually, learning through trial and error. But your system quantifies that growth, breaks it into comprehensible components, and allows you to optimize your development path. You can see exactly what you're capable of, exactly what you need to improve, and exactly how to push beyond current limits." Ben smiled slightly. "It's an enormous advantage, but also an enormous responsibility. The power to grow faster than natural limits allow comes with costs we may not yet understand."
August absorbed this soberly. "You think I'm advancing too quickly? That there might be consequences, master?"
"I don't know," Ben said honestly. "But I want you to be mindful of the possibility. Power without wisdom is destruction. Strength without purpose is violence. You're doing well so far, but the higher you climb, the more important those principles become."
"I'll remember it master," August promised.
Ben stood, preparing to leave. At the door, he paused. "Benethar also told me about the Pixyflies. He was fascinated by their healing method, and said it was fundamentally different from anything I had taught him about biological repair. I may need to visit the northern territories myself once spring arrives."
"They were incredible," August agreed. "Master Aetherwing says they're under Arbiter's (Ozythalos's) protection?"
"I have heard and it has been for centuries. The Guardian Arbiter has always had peculiar interests." Ben opened the door, then looked back one final time. "Rest well, August. You've earned it. The next trial can wait for proper preparation."
After Ben left, August finally allowed himself to fully relax. His body sank into the mattress, the familiar comfort of his own bed vastly superior to battlefield accommodations. His mind drifted, processing everything that had happened over the past week.
He had completed the Trial of Strength. Had exceeded expectations by a considerable margin. Twenty Beast Lords defeated, one Forest Guardian Beast driven off, and a Boss-rank Mythical creature completely annihilated. The experience points accumulated during those battles would be staggering.
But more than that, he had discovered something about himself. In the moment of absolute necessity, when failure would have meant death for himself and countless others, he had reached deeper than he knew he could go. Had touched something that transcended normal magic and approached the divine.
The question was whether he could do it again. Whether that moment of transcendent power was reproducible, or merely a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence born from perfect circumstances and desperate need.
*Guess I'll find out,* August thought as sleep finally claimed him. *Hopefully not too soon though. That was exhausting.*
In the common room next door and those on the second floor, the Finn Household gradually settled into nighttime quiet. But the warmth of August's homecoming lingered in the air, a reminder that even in the darkest winter, surrounded by threats and uncertainty, there were moments of pure, simple joy.
Tomorrow will bring new challenges. The Trial of Wisdom awaited. Shadowfen would eventually regroup and return. Winter would continue its harsh grip on the land.
But tonight, August Finn was home, safe, and surrounded by family.
And that was enough.