Magi took advantage of Echo Squad's mandatory half-pay break to look for a new apartment.

  The city's reorganized districts meant certain areas were now more valuable based on proximity to stable Guild checkpoints and commerce centers.

  His notebook contained a list of calculations: square footage divided by monthly rent, adjusted for utility costs and distance to transportation hubs.

  He circled a listing in the eastern sector. The building advertised reinforced walls and a backup generator, practical features in a world where rifts could appear anywhere.

  It wasn't fancy, but it had a separate bedroom and actual counter space in the kitchen.

  The property manager gave him a quick tour, emphasizing the building's safety features.

  Magi asked about internet connectivity and laundry facilities, not the emergency evacuation routes that seemed to be the selling point.

  After inspecting the bathroom fixtures and checking for mold, he agreed to return later with the deposit.

  When he left the building, he noticed a Guild healing station had been established across the street.

  The sign indicated it was one of the new 24-hour facilities created to handle rift-related injuries. Magi considered his dwindling coffee supply and decided to visit the station's cafeteria.

  The healing station buzzed with activity. Raiders with various injuries waited on benches while designated Guild Healers moved among them, their blue uniforms marking them as medical personnel. Magi navigated through the crowd toward the cafeteria in the back.

  He purchased a coffee and a packaged sandwich, finding an empty table near a window. The coffee was surprisingly decent.

  He opened his notebook again, reviewing his apartment calculations while he ate.

  "Excuse me."

  Magi looked up to see a woman in a Guild Healer's uniform standing beside his table. Her dark hair was pulled back in a practical ponytail, and her eyes had the slight redness that came from extended healing sessions.

  "Yes?" he asked.

  "You're from Echo Squad, right? The one who helped against the bone dragon?"

  Magi nodded once, wondering if this was another recruitment attempt.

  "I'm Nadia. I work with Crimson Tide sometimes." She gestured to the empty chair. "May I?"

  He closed his notebook and nodded. She sat down heavily, the motion revealing her exhaustion.

  "I watched the observation footage," she said quietly. "From your team's drone."

  Magi said nothing, waiting.

  "You used healing during that fight. And during the exhibition match with the Golden Lions." She leaned forward slightly. "I need to ask you something, and it's not official. Just... healer to healer."

  He took another sip of coffee, considering her. She didn't seem hostile, just tired and perhaps concerned.

  "Go ahead," he said finally.

  "How do you prevent burnout?" she asked, her voice dropping. "I've been healing for eight hours straight, and my reserve is almost gone. But you..." She glanced around before continuing. "You healed your entire team multiple times during that bone dragon fight, and your energy signature barely fluctuated."

  Magi considered the question. Most people who approached him wanted information about his combat abilities.

  Nobody had ever asked about his healing technique before.

  "I don't do anything special," he said.

  She gave him a skeptical look. "I've been a Guild Healer for three years. There's no way you maintained that output without some technique."

  Magi shrugged. "I heal small things constantly."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I don't wait for major injuries," he explained. "I monitor my team's condition and apply small amounts of healing energy before problems compound."

  Her brow furrowed. "That's... that's not how we're trained. The Guild protocol is to conserve energy for significant injuries."

  "I know."

  "We're taught that continuous small healing depletes reserves faster and leads to burnout."

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  Magi took another bite of his sandwich. "Has that worked well for you?"

  She blinked, then looked down at her hands. The skin around her fingernails was cracked from overextension of healing energy.

  "No," she admitted. "We're always exhausted. Especially after major incursions."

  "The system tells me Basic Healing costs the same amount of energy regardless of how I distribute it," Magi said. "Five small applications or one large application. The total energy cost is the same."

  "That's not what the Guild teaches us," she said, but doubt crept into her voice.

  "I'm just telling you what works for me."

  She studied him with new intensity. "Show me your healing attribute."

  Magi hesitated, then pulled out his system interface, displaying only his Basic Healing attribute. The level showed as 12, typical for a C-rank Raider.

  Her eyes widened. "That's impossible. You healed four people repeatedly during an extended combat situation. Level 12 couldn't possibly—"

  "It's efficient," Magi said simply.

  "How?" she pressed. "What technique are you using?"

  "No technique. Just basic application with precise timing."

  She stared at him, confusion giving way to something like alarm. "You're saying you just... heal them? No specialized skill? No advanced technique?"

  "Yes."

  "And you do small, continuous healing rather than waiting for major injuries?"

  He nodded.

  Her face went pale. "That's..." She stopped herself, looking around as if worried someone might overhear. "That contradicts everything in the Guild Healing Doctrine."

  "I wouldn't know about that," Magi said. "I just do what works."

  She stood abruptly. "I should go."

  "Did I help answer your question?" he asked.

  She gathered her things, movements suddenly hurried. "Yes. Thank you."

  Without another word, she walked away, her posture rigid. At the door, she glanced back at him with an expression that mixed fear with something like realization before disappearing into the crowd.

  Magi returned to his notebook, adding a line item for coffee expenses at his potential new apartment. The station cafeteria's coffee was good, but having his own machine would be more economical long-term.

  Three tables away, a man in civilian clothes closed a book he hadn't been reading and followed Nadia out of the cafeteria.

  ***

  The next morning, Magi decided to examine the black fragment he'd found during his inventory check.

  It sat on his kitchen table, unremarkable in appearance, just a triangular piece of obsidian-like material about the size of his thumb.

  He touched it carefully, and it warmed slightly before cooling again.

  The system couldn't identify it beyond "Unknown Material Fragment," which was unusual. Most items at least registered a basic classification.

  He tried applying a small amount of each attribute: Fire made it glow briefly, Water caused it to steam, Wind created a soft humming sound, Earth made it vibrate, and Lightning produced tiny sparks that danced across its surface.

  Nothing happened with Healing, Sword, or Barehand. Which made sense, as those attributes typically affected living targets or weapon capabilities.

  The fragment responded to elemental attributes but didn't change fundamentally. Magi made careful notes in his apartment-hunting notebook, turning to a fresh page.

  His Guild tablet chimed with a notification. Echo Squad had been scheduled for a training session tomorrow, cutting their break short by one day.

  The message included an unusual note: "Mandatory health assessment required before return to active duty."

  Magi frowned. Health assessments were typically annual, not between missions. He wondered if it had anything to do with Nadia's questions about his healing methods.

  The Guild Healing Doctrine wasn't something he'd paid much attention to. He simply used Basic Healing the way that seemed most effective. Small, continuous applications rather than large bursts after injuries occurred.

  If the Guild taught differently, why? Was it actually more efficient to wait until injuries were severe? That contradicted his experience entirely. Or was there another reason the Guild wanted healers to conserve energy?

  He put the fragment back in its box and closed his notebook. Whatever the reason, he'd need to be more careful about demonstrating his healing methods publicly.

  ***

  At the Guild Registry the following day, Magi arrived early for Echo Squad's training session.

  The lobby was quieter than usual, with only a few teams checking the mission boards.

  He noticed Nadia standing near the medical wing entrance, talking with a tall man in an administrative uniform. When she saw Magi, she quickly looked away, said something to the administrator, and hurried down a corridor.

  The administrator watched Magi with a calculating expression before disappearing into the same corridor.

  "Magi!" Layla's voice boomed across the lobby as she entered with Jax. "Ready for more boring training?"

  "It's not boring," Jax countered. "It's specialized C-rank tactical instruction."

  "Boring," Layla repeated, rolling her eyes.

  Magi nodded in greeting. "Have you been notified about a health assessment?"

  "Yeah," Jax said. "Weird timing. Guess they want to make sure we didn't pick up anything from that collapsing rift."

  Marc and Eli arrived together, completing the team. Marc checked his tablet. "We have the health assessment first, then tactical training afterward."

  "What kind of health assessment?" Magi asked.

  "Standard physical examination," Marc replied. "But they specifically mentioned checking attribute usage patterns, which is new."

  Eli looked thoughtful. "That might be because of the environmental stabilization classification. They probably want to make sure none of us were affected by the dimensional collapse."

  As they walked toward the medical wing, Administrator Whitehall intercepted them.

  "Echo Squad," she greeted. "There's been a change in your schedule. We need to separate you for individual assessments to speed up the process."

  Marc frowned. "That's not standard protocol."

  "New procedure for teams involved in permanent rift closures," she explained smoothly. "Nothing to worry about."

  She gestured to different corridors. "Layla and Jax, room 104. Marc and Eli, room 112." She turned to Magi. "And you'll be in the specialized assessment room at the end of hall C."

  "Why the separation?" Marc asked.

  "Different attribute types require different testing equipment," Whitehall said. "We're trying to be efficient."

  Marc didn't look convinced, but he nodded. "We'll meet in the tactical training room afterward."

  As the team dispersed, Magi followed Whitehall down hall C. The corridor grew quieter as they walked, passing fewer and fewer people.

  "This seems far for a medical room," Magi observed.

  "It's equipped for unusual attribute patterns," she replied without looking back.

  At the end of the hall stood a heavy door marked "Specialized Assessment." Whitehall opened it and gestured for Magi to enter.

  Inside, instead of medical equipment, Magi found a conference table where three people waited: the administrator who had been speaking with Nadia, a woman in Science Division white, and a stern-looking man wearing the insignia of the Guild's Internal Security division.

  No medical personnel were present. This wasn't a health assessment at all.

  "Mr. Necros," the Internal Security officer said, "we have some questions about your healing methods."