Raze woke before dawn with a headache that felt as though someone had pressed a thin wire through his temples. He lay still, listening to the Academy's distant bells and the soft breathing of the sleeping creature curled beside his bed. Bephe twitched once, dreaming of whatever occupied the dreams of a young monster with an appetite far larger than its body.
The pain was not severe. That was what made it difficult to ignore. It had arrived after the archive, lingered through the evacuation exercise, and sharpened whenever he concentrated on several problems at once.
He sat up and opened his status.
[Absolute Genius]
The familiar description appeared: accelerated comprehension, heightened learning, intuitive mastery. Nothing indicated injury. His mana reserves remained strong. His cultivation pathways were stable. Even his perception showed no obvious decline.
"Helpful," he muttered.
Bephe opened one eye.
"No, I'm not talking to you."
The creature closed it again.
