Utopian System

As the group moved towards the designated area, Elio felt the weight of exhaustion settling on his shoulders.

However, he noticed with relief that the System was slowly healing his wounds as the hours passed.

Lena approached Elio, her eyes filled with concern. "Son," she said softly, "are you alright?"

Elio attempted a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm... surviving, Mom. All of this is... a lot."

Lena embraced him briefly, the familiar scent of home momentarily drowning out the lingering smell of battle. "You're doing well. Your father would be proud."

Ivan, who had been nearby, stepped closer. His voice, gruff with age, carried a hint of wisdom. "If I may, lad," he said, "don't forget to rest. A tired mind makes mistakes."

Elio nodded, grateful for the advice. "Thank you, Ivan. I'll keep that in mind."

As the day progressed, the distribution of cores began. Elio watched, still unsure of how to handle his new role. Zara and Selene took the initiative, organizing the lines of soldiers with brusque but effective efficiency.

"Come on, move it!" Zara shouted, her voice carrying over the murmur of the crowd. "We don't have all day."

Selene, meanwhile, kept a vigilant eye on the entire process. "If I see anyone trying to be clever," she warned, her tone icy, "they'll answer to me."

Micah approached the soldiers with a kind smile, attempting to calm the evident nerves in many of them. "It's normal to be nervous," he reassured them. "But you're doing something important. Be proud of being new summoners."

Kriz, unable to stay serious for long, began cracking jokes as he distributed the cores. "Step right up to receive your portion of divine power in exchange for your soul to our new ruler!" he announced in a showman's voice. "Guaranteed to make your enemies tremble... or your soul back!"

Brok, despite his intimidating size, handled the cores with surprising delicacy. "Treat your invocation with care," he murmured to each soldier. "It's more powerful than you think."

Meanwhile, Lucien coordinated the surveillance of the families' building. "Rotations every four hours," he instructed the squads. "Stay alert, but don't get too close. If you see anything suspicious, report immediately."

As the day wore on, Elio felt the weight of exhaustion. His wounds, though healing thanks to the System, still ached. He rubbed his eyes, trying to stay alert.

"We need to establish shifts," Selene suggested, noticing the fatigue on Elio's face. "We can't all exhaust ourselves at once."

Zara approached, her tone allowing no argument. "You need to rest," she said firmly.

"I can't," Elio protested weakly. "There's so much to do and I have almost all the cores."

"And it will get done. You've given us enough cores to distribute for several hours," Zara responded, her voice softening slightly. "But you're no good to us if you collapse. Rest. We'll handle it."

Reluctantly, Elio nodded. He retreated to the side, observing how his friends managed the situation. He felt strangely useless, but also grateful for their support.

"Am I doing the right thing?" he murmured to himself.

"I hope so," Lucien responded, having approached silently. "But what's important is that you're trying."

Elio looked at his mentor with gratitude. "Thank you, Lucien. I don't know what I'd do without you... without all of you. I-I'm sorry I hit you, I was..."

Lucien smiled slightly. "Don't mention it. I think I know what happened... But forget it. Now, rest a bit. We have a long road ahead."

As Elio closed his eyes, the murmur of activity around him continued. The city was changing, evolving. And although the future was uncertain, for the first time in a long time, there was hope.

♢♢♢♢

Zara, exhausted after hours of distributing cores, finally had her turn to rest. Almost without realizing it, her steps led her towards where Elio slept. She stopped a few meters away, biting her lip as she fought against the urge to move closer.

Part of her wanted to approach, to make sure he was okay, but another part felt embarrassed by that impulse. Since Elio had fallen from the wall, something had changed within her.

"Damn it, Zara," she chided herself quietly. "You're a warrior, not a lovesick teenager."

But the image of Elio falling from the wall, the desperation she felt in that moment, the crushing relief when she found him alive... all of it swirled in her chest, confusing her.

"Come on, Zara," she scolded herself softly. "Don't be ridiculous. You're just going to... check that he's okay. Nothing more."

With that unconvincing excuse, she approached stealthily.

Elio lay on his back, his face relaxed in sleep. Zara couldn't help but notice how his Summoner's Robe had regenerated completely, with no trace of battle damage.

Without thinking, she extended a hand to touch the fabric.

"Checking out the merchandise?" Selene's voice startled her, making her withdraw her hand as if burned.

Zara jumped as if electrocuted, turning to find Selene watching her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"No! I was just... checking his new robe!" Zara stammered, internally cursing the heat she felt rising to her cheeks.

Then, remembering Elio was asleep, she lowered her voice. "I mean, no, ma'am. I was just... worried about his protection. That robe... do you think it'll be enough?"

Selene crossed her arms, her smile widening. "His clothes? Or his muscles?"

"Selene!" Zara hissed, casting a nervous glance at Elio to make sure he was still asleep. "It's not... it's not what it looks like."

"Oh, isn't it?" Selene moved closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Because it looks like our fierce warrior has a wall-sized crush on our young leader."

Zara opened her mouth to protest, but the words caught in her throat. Instead, she let out a frustrated groan and covered her face with her hands.

Selene, surprised by the lack of vehement denial, softened her expression. "Hey," she said, placing a hand on Zara's shoulder. "It's okay, you know? Having feelings doesn't make you weak."

Zara lowered her hands, looking at Selene with a mixture of shame and confusion. "I... I don't know what to do with this," she admitted quietly. "I've never... you know."

Selene nodded understandingly. "First love is always complicated. Especially when the object of your affection has the weight of the world on his shoulders..."

Zara frowned, looking back at Elio. "It's just... What if it's not enough? What if Fathoran...?"

"Ah," Selene said, understanding. "So you were really worried about his protection."

Zara nodded, grateful for the change of subject. "That robe... do you think it'll be enough?"

Selene considered the question for a moment. "Well, I'm not sure about the exact properties of that new... Robe? Perhaps we should take additional precautions."

"Like what?" Zara asked, relieved to have something practical to focus on.

"Lucien must have a spare armor set, this is his section of the wall," Selene said. "We could put it on top of the robe. Will you help me?"

Zara felt her heart skip a beat. Help put an armor on Elio? While he sleeps? "I... uh... sure," she managed to say.

'Sure? WHY DID I SAY SURE?!'

As Selene went to fetch the armor, Zara stood there, torn between panic and an emotion she didn't want to name.