NOVEL NEXT Chapter 54: Moonberries
Warlock Ch 54. Moonberries
He flipped the pancakes, the only sounds were the soft hiss of the batter and the occasional crackle of the stove. The calmness of it helped to soothe the tension in his chest. He placed the pancakes onto a plate, their golden, fluffy surfaces indicating his cooking was a success. He carefully spooned the moonberries on top, watching as their faint glow spread across the stack, making the dish look almost otherworldly.
Just as he was finishing up, he heard soft footsteps behind him. He turned to see Evelyn, still sleepy-eyed, her hair slightly tousled as she padded into the kitchen. She rubbed her eyes, giving him a curious look as she took in the sight of him standing there, holding a plate of glowing pancakes.
"You're up early," she said, her voice thick with sleep. She stretched slightly, glancing at the plate in his hands. "And cooking. That's new."
Damian shrugged, offering her a small smile as he set the plate on the table. "Couldn't sleep," he admitted, not wanting to dive into the details of his nightmare just yet. "Thought I'd make breakfast."
Evelyn blinked, still trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep as she moved closer. She peered at the pancakes, her eyebrows raising in mild surprise. "Are those... moonberries?"
"Yeah," Damian replied, gesturing to the plate. "Moonberry pancakes. I found the recipe in one of the books. Supposed to help with concentration and focus. Figured we could both use some of that."
Evelyn smiled softly, sitting down at the table as Damian placed the plate in front of her. "You're not wrong," she said, picking up a fork and taking a bite. Her eyes widened slightly as she chewed, clearly surprised by the taste. "Wow... these are actually really good."
Damian chuckled, taking a seat across from Evelyn. "Glad to hear it," he said, watching as she took another bite of the moonberry pancakes. The soft glow of the berries made the dish look almost magical—well, more magical than everything else around him already was. The kitchen was quiet except for the occasional scrape of a fork against the plate.
Once he finished his plate, a soft 'ding' echoed in his head, followed by the familiar blue text of his system.
[Your concentration has increased by 10%.]
Damian froze, staring at the notification. His fork hovered mid-air as his brain processed what just happened. '10%?' That was… a significant boost. But what struck him most was why now?
Yesterday, when Evelyn cooked and gave him the drink—nothing. No notification. The same thing at Cassius' place when they'd eaten together. His system didn't even acknowledge it. But now?
"Why is it different?" Damian muttered, almost to himself.
Evelyn glanced up, noticing his sudden pause. "What's up?" she asked, her tone curious but casual as she set her fork down.
"Did you feel anything when you ate?" Damian asked suddenly, his eyes locked on Evelyn.
She paused mid-bite, glancing at him with a bit of confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Like... I don't know. Did you feel different? Sharper, maybe?"
Evelyn put her fork down, considering the question. "Actually, yeah," she said after a moment. "I do feel sharper. My concentration is better than usual, now that you mention it. Why?"
He hesitated, unsure how to explain. "Uh... I just got a notification. My concentration increased by 10%," he said slowly, his eyes still flickering between the now-faded system message and his empty plate. "It didn't happen before. And it didn't happen with your cooking yesterday."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "A 10% increase? That's... a big boost. Way more than a normal mage would get from just food."
Damian blinked. "Wait, what do you mean?"
Evelyn gave a small smile, as if she was holding back something, but she continued anyway. "Usually, these kinds of magical foods or drinks will give you, at most, a small boost. Maybe 1%, 2% if it's something really rare or high-quality. But 10%?" She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "That's not normal."
Damian frowned, trying to make sense of it. "So... you're saying I made something better than a mage chef would?"
Evelyn didn't answer right away. Instead, she just smiled, a knowing look in her eyes that said more than her words would have. "You could say that," she replied, picking up her fork again and taking another bite, her expression far too casual for the conversation they were having.
Damian narrowed his eyes at her. "Yup, you're not gonna tell me, are you?"
Evelyn laughed softly, shaking her head. "There are some things you'll figure out on your own, Damian."
He sighed, leaning back in his chair. It wasn't the first time she'd left him in the dark about something important. But 10%? That was... well, game-changing, quite literally. In the system's terms, even small percentage increases could mean the difference between winning or losing a fight. If he kept cooking like this—or learning whatever skill allowed him to cook with these kinds of boosts—it could change everything about his progression.
'Why now?' He thought, staring down at his empty plate. Why was his system activating only now? What was it about this moment, this food, that triggered the notification?
Something inside him told him he'd figure it out. His system had been evolving rapidly, and every day, he was learning something new. The speed at which he had devoured Cassius' books, the way he absorbed knowledge like it was second nature, the dreams that felt more like memories—it was all connected. He just had to keep pushing, keep learning.
Evelyn stood up, taking his plate with her and placing it in the sink. "You'll figure it out," she said, as if reading his thoughts. "It's just a matter of time. You're growing faster than most warlocks ever do. That kind of speed comes with its own set of... discoveries."
Damian raised an eyebrow. "That sounds ominous."
She turned back to him, her expression softening. "I mean it in a good way," Evelyn said, her voice gentle but filled with a knowing warmth.
Damian met her eyes, still unsure of the weight behind her words, but there was no denying the truth in them. He was growing, changing in ways he hadn't fully understood yet, but it wasn't something he could run from. Not anymore.