NOVEL WEB Chapter 12: Chapter 12
The next week flew by in a haze of work, cautious experiments with smart mode, and catching up with old friends. Alex had set himself on a path to slowly strengthen his mind, but he knew he couldn't rush it. The headaches from overuse still haunted him, reminding him of the fine line he was walking.
One evening, as he sat at home after another long day at the office, his phone buzzed. A message from an old friend, Mark, popped up.
Mark: "Dude, it's been ages. BBQ at my place this weekend? A bunch of the old crew from college is coming. You in?"
Alex couldn't help but smile. It had been a while since he last saw Mark and the rest of the gang. They used to hang out all the time during college, gaming nights, random road trips, and late-night study sessions that usually devolved into pizza and movie marathons. He missed those days, the simplicity of them. And maybe seeing his friends again was exactly what he needed to balance the craziness going on in his head.
Alex: "Yeah, I'm in. Sounds fun. What time?"
Mark responded almost immediately. "7 PM. Don't be late or I'll make fun of you like old times."
---
That Saturday, Alex found himself standing in front of Mark's house. It hadn't changed much since their college days—a small, two-story suburban house with a slightly overgrown front yard. As he walked up the driveway, he could already hear laughter and the sizzling sound of the grill from the backyard.
"Alex!" Mark's voice boomed from the side of the house. He was standing over the grill, a beer in hand, flipping burgers like an overenthusiastic dad at a neighborhood cookout.
Alex waved and walked over, the familiar scent of grilled meat hitting him as he approached. "Mark, still trying to give everyone food poisoning?"
"Hey, I've upgraded since college," Mark said, grinning. "I'm a BBQ pro now. Just wait till you taste these."
"Sure, I'll believe it when I see it." Alex chuckled, grabbing a beer from the cooler nearby.
As he looked around, he spotted a few familiar faces lounging in the backyard. Sarah, who used to be the go-to for any last-minute cramming sessions, was deep in conversation with Chris, who always had a new conspiracy theory to share. Jess, the quiet one from their group, sat on the patio with her usual calm demeanor, sipping what looked like lemonade.
It felt like a reunion of sorts, each of them slipping back into the roles they had played during college. But things were different now. They had all grown up, had jobs, responsibilities, and their own lives. Still, there was something comforting about being around them again.
As the evening wore on, the group shared stories of their lives since graduation. Sarah had become a marketing manager at some startup, Chris was working as a freelance coder while also writing a blog about tech and society, and Jess had started her own small art business online. Mark, on the other hand, was still the same, working as a software engineer but living life like he was still in college.
"So, what about you, Alex?" Mark asked, handing him a freshly grilled burger. "You're still doing the bookkeeping gig, right?"
"Yeah, just keeping things low-key," Alex replied, trying to sound casual. He had to be careful with what he said about his actual life now. There was so much going on that he couldn't exactly explain. "Nothing too exciting, but it pays the bills."
"Low-key Alex, always staying under the radar," Sarah teased, leaning back in her chair. "But hey, sometimes boring is good. Less stress, right?"
"Yeah, but I bet he's secretly plotting something," Chris chimed in. "Like, he's probably got some master plan to take over the world through numbers and spreadsheets."
Alex laughed, but inside, the thought lingered. He did have a plan—sort of. His abilities were growing, slowly but surely, and his mind was already starting to show signs of strengthening. But he couldn't exactly tell them that. So instead, he played along. "You got me, Chris. World domination, one spreadsheet at a time."
They spent the rest of the night reminiscing about old times, sharing embarrassing stories, and catching up on each other's lives. Alex felt a sense of nostalgia wash over him as they joked and laughed, but he also realized how much had changed since college. He wasn't the same person he used to be. He had this system now, a constant presence in the back of his mind, shaping his thoughts and pushing him toward something bigger.
---
By the time Alex got home that night, it was nearly midnight. The BBQ had been a welcome distraction, a reminder of the normalcy he once had. But now, as he sat in his dimly lit room, that normalcy felt far away.
He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind drifting back to his abilities. He had been careful not to overuse smart mode again, sticking to small bursts here and there. But the temptation was always there, lingering just out of reach.
Alex opened the system in his mind, and there it was—the progress bar for his mental strength. He had noticed it after his last attempt to push the limits. It wasn't much, just a faint indicator of his growth, but it was enough to show him that he was moving in the right direction.
The next morning, Alex met up with his family for brunch. His younger sister Amilia was as energetic as ever, talking a mile a minute about her latest school project. His parents, as usual, were asking about his job, his plans, and when he was going to "finally settle down." It was the same routine every time he saw them, but there was something comforting in the familiarity.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Amilia asked, throwing a piece of toast at him.
"Yeah, yeah," Alex said, dodging the toast. "You're working on some… science project, right?"
"Not just any project," she said, rolling her eyes. "It's a robotics competition. I'm building a robot that can navigate a maze on its own. And I'm totally going to win."
"That's cool," Alex said, genuinely impressed. "You'll have to show me once it's done."
"Maybe," she said, crossing her arms. "If you stop being a workaholic and actually visit once in a while."
Alex chuckled, but her words stuck with him. He had been so focused on his own journey that he had drifted away from the people around him—his family, his friends, even his coworkers. He needed to reconnect with them, to stay grounded in the life he had before everything changed.