In the fourth month, after a training session, Eve informed Aaron that she would be unavailable for a while, putting their training on hold.

For the time she was gone, Aaron turned into a lost puppy. After his solo, almost performative training, he would lie on his bed in his dorm room, staring at the pictures he had taken of Eve. In all five pictures, Eve had been "unaware." She had never actually posed, but neither had she declined when he took them. Only one picture showed her alone. After he took it, he faced what he termed "the revenge" — a training session that marred his "mental body."

That day, he realized he loved dominant women. Perhaps it was simply an aftereffect of his misplaced affection for Eve. He had never been one to shy away from expressing his affection. How else would they get Aaroned?

"Whoa, you really don’t pull your punches. You must want to touch me badly. Relax — I’m yours already," Aaron would say with a smirk.

"I am pulling my punches. You would be dead otherwise," Eve deadpanned.

"You know you’re the love of my life. I need to be alive for you to be the love of my life." Aaron shrugged shamelessly.

Wrapped in nostalgia — the happenings of weeks past — Aaron would wear a Duchenne smile on his face.

---

By the fifth month, when Eve returned, Aaron’s life changed.

He was coming from a rented training room when he met her. It was identical to their first meeting; Aaron thought he was dreaming. The same stoic expression. The same "Follow me."

Aaron shamelessly conformed to the idea of it being a dream. He walked up to her and took her hands in his.

She did not remove them.

He enjoyed his very vivid dream until they reached the forest — the training ground where they rendezvoused.

"Take your hands off me," Eve said. "I have given you enough face by not shaming you publicly."

She removed her hand, then stared at her palm. "Don’t do that again."

"Wow. You’re real." Aaron stared at his own palm like a smitten teenager. "Ahem. I’m sorry for the unnecessary hand-holding. Where have you been?"

He apologized quickly, changing the topic. To him, it was of no concern where she had been; he simply wanted to redirect the flow.

The answer to his question blew his mind.

Eve brought out a pill vial. "This is [Nirvana]."

"A pill of the highest order that will allow you to break through your talent limits to a new talent form."

"The [Nirvana] series is the ultimate talent breaker. Its origin is something you will learn of as you climb the Tower. It is ordinarily not found on lower floors — the vital herb for its production is not found on lower floors, and alchemists who can make use of it are not found here either. Actually, [Nirvana] is created by an organization. That organization alone controls it."

Aaron could not take his eyes off the vial.

"This is the SSS variation of the pill. Unlike other pills, its lowest-ranked variation is S-ranked. Its results differ from person to person, but this variation, at worst, elevates a person’s talent to sainthood. If a mortal takes this pill, it will forcefully awaken them, pushing their talent to sainthood. The most untalented of persons, once they take this pill, is a guaranteed saint. Actually, in the grand scheme of the Tower, anything below sainthood is generally the same; only as a saint are you recognized as a being. It is one of the reasons why angels are born saints."

She paused. "Speak. You can speak, right? I’m not really offended by you holding my hands. I don’t care for the norms of you humans."

It took a moment before Aaron spoke. "What price did you pay for this?" he asked slowly.

"It is inconsequential."

"No." Aaron moved his gaze from the vial to Eve. "Even if you want my life, I’ll do my best to fulfill the wish you want of me. If it would bring harm to my family, I’ll give you my life. As long as you do not bring harm to my family, I will do everything in my power to repay you."

He said it without an iota of insincerity.

"We haven’t even found out its effect on you. If it is the default possible effect, you would be of no use to me." Eve smiled. She threw the vial to Aaron.

He caught it and shot her a look: Do you want to break it?

Eve smiled. She had loosened him. "Get in a lotus position."

Aaron sat down, legs folded, and took the single pill from the vial.

A rush of aura burst forth from his body as he screamed in pain.

Eve stood stone-faced, restraining his aura. "This has nothing to do with you, Nox. Go back." Her voice hardened. "You too, Emperor. Don’t you have better things to do?"

She addressed the empty air.

A moment of silence ensued, until Eve snorted. "Who cares if he’s a student in your academy? Do you believe I won’t take action if you move?"

"I just wanted to check what the delicious smell was. But are you threatening the dean of my favorite academy?" A voice came from Eve’s side as the Emperor walked out from the trees.

"I appreciate your filial expression, Your Most Radiant and Eternal Imperial Majesty." Nox’s voice came from the same side as he too walked out from behind a tree.

Eve tensed, staring at both of them.

"Nox, this child belongs to the immortal."

"I know." Nox waved his hand dismissively.

"Oh, I did not know." The Emperor smiled lazily. "Aren’t you on opposing sides? Why are you helping his ’belonging’? You used an SSS-ranked [Nirvana]. You could have given it to me. I might have made one move for your cause." He clicked his tongue dramatically.

"I’m not on their side. I’m on my side, and he is pivotal to me. Do not intervene." Her stare was filled with killing intent.

"Aiya, I’m scared." The Emperor pushed his body off the tree he had been resting on. "Yo, old man, is she beneficial to the immortal or not? I feel like she has more treasures on her. I want to loot her."

"Unfortunately, she is beneficial to the immortal. She knows how to survive. She gave such a nice gift to his friend." Nox had a smile on his face.

"I came here for the delicious smell. Old man, you’re paying something of the same scent. I helped you threaten her."

"You can’t say that. We didn’t threaten her. We came to check on your citizen and a student of my academy."

"He’s not my citizen." The Emperor waved as he disappeared. "Yo, angel, I might kill you. There — I’ve threatened her."

"That brat." Nox faced Eve. "Don’t you think the pill is wasteful? He’s not that important. Well, I can’t blame you. You want to ride the coattails of the immortal." His voice hardened. "You won’t be getting that Providence you so seek."

He turned his back.

Eve called.

"I wonder if he knows you wanted to kill his friend."

"I didn’t. You have no proof. I simply wanted to replace the pill."

"And if he had rejected?"

"Who knows? We didn’t get to that bridge."

Nox vanished.

Eve exhaled. If not for the Emperor, the old man would have stolen the pill, killed her, and blamed her for it. [Nirvana] was worth an administrator making a move — especially one in Nox’s condition.

She focused on Aaron, who remained unaware of what had happened while his foundation and talent were rebuilt.

---

Two hours later, the aura died down, and Aaron opened his eyes to face Eve.

"Hello, beautiful," he said with a smile. The air he breathed was simply amazing. Everything was simply amazing.

"How do you feel? Check your status window," Eve said.

The only way to find the major effect of [Nirvana] was to check his status window.

"My abilities have merged?" Aaron muttered as he stared at the window, which now held only one ability.

[Shadow Sage] — SS Rank

[An ability that allows you to control shadows — perform Umbrakinesis — in most expressions of what your past abilities related to the Umbral element could do. You can swap location with any shadow in your perception. You can create a tangible shadow copy of yourself with fifty percent of your stat points alone. You can create minions from extracted shadows as you could with [Umbral Sovereign]. ]

And with the addition of a new trait:

[Enlightened One] — SS Rank

[You have been touched by the Tower — via a trait runestone or a medium that has enhanced your natural talent. You have become a genius. Now you can say you’re not a normie. Though this is not the highest rank of this variation of ’genius’ trait, your genius is of a better quality than geniuses with traits of this rank.]

What is with this flimsy description?

Once he had explained his new ability and trait to Eve, she explained. According to her, receiving an SS-ranked trait and ability from his previous state — having a B-ranked ability and no recognized genius-type trait — meant he had received the high effect of [Nirvana]. His natural limits now lay between Third Tier Saint and Demi-God rank. To improve his talent further, he would need an EX-ranked [Nirvana] pill — which would make Demi-God status all but guaranteed.

"Why not Godhood?" Aaron asked.

Eve snorted. "Do you really think a pill would guarantee Godhood? Even the most talented race — Celestials — are not guaranteed Godhood." A pause. "I cannot speak on Gods past this, but understand: no pill will make you a God."

Aaron, understanding what should be asked and what should not, changed the topic to the description of his new abilities and, mostly, the trait.

"It is a right the developer of [Nirvana] earned. How he earned it and what happened, I cannot say."

Aaron nodded, but in the back of his mind, he hoped what Eve had shared was normal for angels to know. With his heightened senses — though he still remained B-rank — he felt all the more strange around Eve. Especially with her being able to obtain [Nirvana] and possessing such knowledge. Eve would never guess that her actions to gain providence had made her victim suspect her past her intentions.

---

After the fifth month, when he had become a new man, he began his training anew. This time with even better growth and assimilation rate.

By the sixth month — the second reunion since the first, the third reunion — Aaron told the group of his change. He really could not hide it for suspense. The moment he entered, the group sensed it. The queries that followed had him telling on himself. That same day, the group welcomed another change — one that allowed him to devote himself even more to training.

---

Now, in his dorm room, he stared at himself in the mirror, taking in the changes of the past months. He had grown from 6’0" to 6’3". He was officially the tallest in the group. The mullet he had carried was gone — Eve was not particularly fond of it, the excuse he used — and he had dyed his hair as well. Now he sported styled-back black hair with a few strands falling elegantly off his face. He had paid attention to making those strands fall.

I can’t wait to surprise those motherfuckers.

Aaron smiled as he dressed, heading to meet Jude and Kai for the first time in months