Evan woke to the faint light of early morning filtering through the tall window beside his bed. For a few seconds he lay still, letting his mind settle into the quiet of the room. The previous day returned to him piece by piece, the library, the books, the walk through Dornhaven's evening streets, and the slow accumulation of knowledge that had begun to replace the uncertainty he had arrived with.
He pushed himself upright and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The floor felt cool beneath his feet. His body felt rested, the lingering mental and physical fatigue of the previous weeks fading somewhat after a full night of uninterrupted sleep. Evan stood and stretched slowly, arms reaching overhead while his shoulders rolled to loosen any stiffness. The motion pulled a quiet breath from his chest, and he felt the small satisfaction of starting the day with a body that, for once, did not feel like it had been dragged through a battlefield.
Evan rolled his shoulders once more before stepping into the open space near the window. The room was not large, but there was enough space for a few simple movements. He started with slow stretches, loosening his arms, back, and legs the way he had done many times during long nights of study back on Earth. After that he moved into a short sequence of exercises. Push-ups, squats, and controlled lunges followed one another in steady rhythm. His breathing deepened as his muscles warmed, and the faint stiffness left in his body began to ease.
The routine was only there to wake his body properly. When he finished, Evan wiped a bit of sweat from his brow and sat on the edge of the bed again. His thoughts turned toward the system interface waiting quietly in the background of his awareness. He focused inward and called it up.
The familiar Status window appeared in his vision.
In the upper corner of the interface a small line displayed current time:
Local Time - 07:12 AM
Below it, the structured layout of his status waited for review. Evan let his eyes move across the categories slowly, pausing first on the section that listed his attributes. The numbers remained exactly as they had been the night before. He studied them for a moment, weighing possibilities in silence, before leaning back slightly and letting the interface hover in place. Today he intended to learn more before deciding how those points should be used.
Evan dismissed the interface for the moment and stood again, pacing once across the room as he organized his thoughts. The books he had read the previous day had made one thing clear. The numbers themselves were only part of the equation. How those numbers were distributed mattered just as much as how they were earned. Rushing to assign them without understanding the consequences would be no different from guessing in the dark.
He turned toward the washroom and stepped inside. The water ran hot and steady, steam rising quickly to fog the mirror above the sink. Evan stood beneath the stream for several minutes, letting the warmth work through his muscles while the quiet routine cleared the last remnants of sleep from his mind. When he finished and returned to the main room, the air felt cooler against his skin and the day ahead seemed more inviting.
As he stepped back into the room, the faint scent of warm food greeted him before he even reached the table. Sometime during his shower an attendant had entered quietly and arranged a tray near the window. Beside it rested a neatly folded set of clothing, the fabric cut in the same simple style he had seen most people in Dornhaven wearing the day before. The colors were muted but practical, a dark shirt paired with durable trousers and a light outer jacket suited for the town's weather.
Evan dressed quickly, adjusting the sleeves and collar until everything sat comfortably. The clothes fit well enough to feel natural, which suggested the Authority Hall kept a range of sizes prepared for visitors. When he finished he moved to the table and lifted the lid from the tray. The dishes were familiar from the previous day. Stonefield root mash, slices of embergrain loaf, Skyr roast and a drink of Fermented sunberry brew accompanied by a small bowl of spiced sunfruit chutney. He sat down and began eating, the meal steady and uncomplicated, giving his body the fuel it needed for the day ahead.
He finished the meal at a comfortable pace and set the dishes aside when he was done. The food had done its job, leaving him alert and ready to move. Evan wiped his hands, took a moment to gather his thoughts, and then reached for the items he had brought with him. The hatchet and his travel pack vanished into his Spatial Inventory with the familiar inward gesture, leaving the room clear again.
Once everything was in order, he stepped out into the corridor. The guard stationed beside his door gave a brief nod of acknowledgment as Evan passed. Evan returned it and made his way through the halls of the Authority building, following the route he had taken the previous day toward the registration chamber. The morning activity had already begun in earnest, clerks moving between rooms while visitors waited quietly along the corridors.
Evan followed the corridor until it opened into the registration chamber he had visited the day before. The room carried the same quiet efficiency as before. At the far end stood the long desk where officials handled registrations. Behind it sat the same narrow-eyed official who had overseen his documentation earlier, his posture upright and composed as he worked through a stack of records.
The official looked up when Evan approached the desk. Recognition crossed his expression quickly, followed by the same calm professionalism. "You have returned," he said. Evan inclined his head slightly. "Yes. I reviewed my status and registration details as instructed. I found no issues." The official studied him for a moment, then gave a small acknowledging nod as he reached for the ledger and the banded device at his wrist.