HP: The Arcane Thief
chapter-160

A.N.: A bit of Magic Theory in the Chapter, but in case you don't understand, don't worry. It will become clearer as you read the practical applications.

....

At night, Axel was woken up from his slumber when he was kissed on the forehead by Daphne. It has to be mentioned that Axel wasn't unconscious this time. So this much was enough to wake unlike the last time with Martina.

"Sweet dreams."

Daphne then proceeded to kiss the scars on his face. Axel fought back the smile that arose from the depths of his heart. Daphne has ways of making him feel happy without even intending to.

But just as she was about to leave, she stopped, inhaling his scent again. "Lavender…" He heard her whisper.

'Fuck…' Axel cursed inwardly. Just as he was about to open his eyes to explain. Daphne unexpectedly got into bed to hug him.

??

Axel didn't know what to do. Daphne hugged him tightly, slightly rubbing herself on him as if to erase Martina's scent. Her actions were like a kitten.

Seemingly tired, he felt her slowly relax while hugging him as she sighed in contentment. In the end, she buried her face in chest and fell asleep.

Axel, who had been curiously observing her, was now at loss, looking at Daphne sleeping comfortably while nestled on his chest.

Without realizing, he poked her cheek with his finger, making her brows furrowed in her sleep.

Looking at her, Axel couldn't helping smiling. Is she not scared at all? He couldn't understand how Daphne could be this relaxed while sleeping on his chest. And that too after he had shown her his past.

'Becoming friends with her might really be the best thing that happened to me.'

Axel fell asleep watching Daphne.

When he woke up, he was laying alone on the bed. Daphne had managed to get out with extreme care in order to avoid getting "discovered."

A smile came to his face. He had quite a good sleep. But slowly, it receded. Good times can't last long. He has to go to Atlantis. There are too many reasons to go.

One of them being:

[Special Quest: Save Atlantis.]

[There is a chance that Atlantis might be destroyed by Kraken. Save Atlantis and destroy the Organisation. Rewards will be based on the degree of completion.]

The mission had arrived not too long after he had defeated Theron and Nerio. They had already revealed that they had been planning a big attack on Atlantis. Axel would rather it did happen, else there would be nothing stopping the Organisation from moving on to do more destruction, starting with Britain.

So, he really would have to go whether he wants to or not. Axel tried to get up, but felt the familiar sluggishness to his movements.

'Still not recovered,' he thought in exasperation.

It was better than yesterday. He could now perform rapid movements, maybe a bit of Arcane Footwork as well, not at a high intensity and certainly not for more than a few seconds.

He checked his magic, and was disappointed again, His magical reserves had also not recovered, He can use his skills, but only for a few seconds.

Axel could feel that when he defended Voldemort's magic, he had really gone overboard. It was never this bad the previous times he had used limit break.

'Alright system, exactly what happened to me?'

[Do you finally have the time?]

'Whoa. Are you actually being sarcastic?' Asked Axel in surprise.

But Axel couldn't blame the system. He hadn't had the time to converse with the system yet, neither has he had the time to get to fixing his body.

Actually, he was about to do it just after winning the fight, but then he got on call with Daphne, after that he went unconscious, and then there was the emergency as soon as he woke up. After that he once again slept before he could get to it. So yes, he finally had the time now.

[You have used Limit Break to the extreme. You have been previously warned not to use it for a reason.]

Axel was a bit puzzled. "Alright, so limit break is a bad skill. I get it. But you've never told me why it is bad. I should at least know exactly why I shouldn't use it."

So, the system explained.

[All humans have a limit placed upon them. They can slowly increase that limit, but at any point they can't exceed it. The skill you have is very unconventional. Even by the multiverse's standards. It forcefully exceeds those limits at an equivalent cost. It goes against the very laws of the world. So, the further you go, the more dire the consequences.]

Axel swallowed. He realized what the system said did make sense. Somehow, he could also subconsciously feel this limit. He didn't like it at all. Who is anyone to dictate how far he can go? So, he just uses all might to just still do what he wants, fucking all the limits. Guess there's a cost for doing that.

'So, what was the price?'

[You have damaged your soul. Every wizard summons magic from the other two worlds through their souls as the medium. Every soul has a limit to how much magic it can summon at once and during a period of time. You exceeded yours by a huge margin, hence damaging your soul.]

Axel grunted. It did feel much worse after knowing exactly how messed up his condition was. But it was important. He needed to know exactly what was wrong with him. But there was one thing he still didn't understand.

'So, my soul is damaged. What about my body? Why is it not functioning properly?' He asked.

[The remaining energy was converted from your body, so it has also been severely depleted.]

'Damn... so, how do I recover?' Asked Axel, coming to the most important topic.

[You can fasten your body's recovery by consuming various elixirs, but the recovery of the soul is difficult to hasten]

'What? Why?!'

[The soul is a collection of Akashic Records. The more outstanding your records are, the stronger your soul, and the stronger your magic. You just lost a lot of your records by doing what you just did and got the remaining ones into a disorder. That's why doing magic using your soul as the medium is difficult for now. Fortunately, there's also a positive side to this.]

'What could be good after this?

[Your records aren't permanently gone. They'll come back with time along with the new ones. Your achievements this time, especially taking that attack head on and surviving has given a great boost to your records. So, when you do recover, your Magical Limit will have been significantly increased.]

Axel was a bit relieved to know that. At least he got something out of it. But imagining the sheer amount of power Voldemort had, he didn't think the increase would help him much. That monster was just too strong.

'If my records are impressive, then why is my magical limit so low?'

[Don't be mistaken, Axel. Your magical limit is extremely high compared to humans your age. Anyone with a higher magical limit is only older than you.]

"So basically, the more impressive and quantitative records a person has, the more their magical limit, right?"

[Affirmative. But other factors can also influence it, for example, destiny. If it's written in the future records that someone is destined to do great things, their records, and hence their magic can be powerful despite age. You don't have that advantage since you were supposed to have died early. In fact, you don't even exist in many realities. And that is just one factor.]

That's harsh, thought Axel. But he didn't mind it much. Destined? Fuck it. He'll write his own destiny. Ain't no akashic records exist that can dictate when he dies.

'What are these other factors you mentioned?' He asked. He wanted to know just what other ways one can have a strong soul.

[That is restricted information.]

'What? Why?!'

[It comes under the realm of getting to a higher existence. The information is too restricted to be available to you even at this stage.]

Axel sighed. Guess there was no use asking it.

'Then, why is Martina so powerful? Is she also destined to do great things? Or is it some other factor?' He asked. Axel realized that Martina was only three years older than him, but her magical limit far exceeded his.

The 'Guardian Angel' spell she had used… it used an extremely high amount of magic. And she had spammed two of them in succession, the second one being even more powerful than the first one. And all that without suffering any repercussions.

[It's because her soul has gone through 'Transmigration', so her previous records also count. She is also a comparatively higher existence due to having the blessings of ROB.]

'Fuck… talk about unfair.'

[You shouldn't be impatient. You have time on your side.]

Well, that was true. Axel's records were great, and with time, they would only get more impressive. He should just focus on his present situation.

'So, how do I recover?' He asked.

[The natural way is to recover through time. But there are a few more accessible ways that can hasten the recovery.]

'And what is it?' Asked Axel, already assuming it wouldn't be easy.

[The main factor is that you have lost your records, meaning your soul has weakened. The System can give you custom missions to quickly get more records. These missions will be designed to maximize the records you gain through your actions in a period of time. They won't be too difficult or risky.]

[Meanwhile, to make use of your existing disordered records better, you need another skill. It would have been given to you as a reward, but it's too expensive for that. Please buy it using your SP.]

Axel frowned as soon as he saw the cost. "Fuck…" he muttered out loud. It really was fucking expensive. Axel had gathered a lot of sp during this time, but this was putting a huge dent in his collection.

'Well, this better be worth it.' he thought, before buying it. He didn't have a choice right now. Right now he couldn't do magic

[Congratulations. You have gained the Skill: Zen Focus]

[Zen Focus: It's not about the size, it's about how you use it.]

Axel frowned. "What kind of description is that?"

[It means that it's not about the amount of magic that determines a better wizard. It's about how you use it. Zen Focus will help you align your remaining soul better so that you can use your magic optimally.]

'Well, makes sense,' thought Axel. Just when he was about to start learning the skill, he heard soft footsteps, causing him to stop.

Daphne entered the room with a tray filled with food and saw Axel sitting up with a deep frown on his face.

"You're up? Are you feeling better now? She asked, looking quite bright.

Axel nodded. "Yeah, there's progress."

"How was your sleep?" She asked, a bit tentatively.

Axel nodded casually. "I slept quite well. Though funnily enough, I think it was a bit too hot in here last."

Daphne shook her head. "It wasn—I mean, was it? Why would you think so?"

Axel looked down at his chest. "Well, there the front of my shirt feels a bit damp due to sweat."

Daphne cursed under her breath. It was her drool! She forgot to dry it!

"Anyways, how was your sleep?" Asked Axel.

"M-Mine?" Daphne stammered, caught off guard. "Ah… I was fine. I was great actually, the best I ever had."

Axel raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Where did you sleep? One of the spare bedroom? Did I mention they were locked?"

Daphne opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything. She was trapped this time. But looking at the grin on his face, she realized that he was making fun of her. "You… you already know!" She complained.

"Of course. I was awake the whole time," Axel admitted. "Though, I don't know why you were rubbing yourself on me…"

Daphne's face had gone beet red. She put the tray of breakfast on the table with a thump and ran out of the room. "Eat it on your own!"

"Hey, wait! Just hear me out, this is important!" Axel called out after her. "I just remembered that the spare bedrooms aren't locked at all in case you need them. Though I don't think you'll be needing them since—" Daphne slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

Axel chuckled to himself. Teasing Daphne is always fun. Though he did wonder if he had gone overboard this time. To let him eat on his own, now that's cruel.

He looked at the food. It was made from the magical ingredients he uses for his diet, but it looked and smelled quite delicious. Daphne must have put a lot of effort into making this. Axel sighed. This type of care… he had never experienced it before. He felt like he could live like this forever.

But… it can't last long. If he got lazy and stopped now, others would destroy it before long. He has already decided. Only when he has reached the peak and eliminated all the threat will he finally stop and relax.

Axel got serious again. As he brought out the interface for the new skill: Zen Focus.

'System, Accept the information'