Ethan awoke to the quiet hum of his ship, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dim light filtering through the sleeping quarter. He stretched, feeling a satisfying ache from the previous day's exertion but also a lingering sense of something… more. The aches and pains of bat had faded somewhat, and in their pce, he felt an underlying energy, like his body was gradually adapting, growing stronger.

  Sitting up, he repyed the battle with Raeth's forces, recalling with crity the moments where his reflexes seemed almost unnaturally sharp. His hands had moved instinctively, his body reag to threats before his mind could fully process them. It had saved him, but he hadn't trained for this, at least not in the way it had all happened.

  "Iris," he called out, keeping his voice calm as he began making his way to the cockpit.

  "Yes, Ethan?" Iris's voice responded in her usual toeady and attentive.

  "I wao talk about what happened during that st fight." He paused, trying to choose his words carefully. "There were moments when my reflexes felt… heightened. My body reacted faster than it should have. It was like I was moving on instinct, almost as if I'd trained for it for years, but I haven't."

  A brief pause as Iris processed his words. "To crify, Ethan, you experienced enhanced physical efficy, as well as a heightened awareness of your immediate enviro?"

  He thought back to the way his movements had flowed, how the world seemed to slow around him just enough for him to react. "Yes, exactly that. But it wasn't just the reflexes." He hesitated, feeling the urge to expin further but keepiain thoughts to himself. "Ever since I've been on Kynara, things have been… different."

  Iris's voice held a trace of curiosity. "Please eborate."

  Etha out a slow breath, leaning ba his seat as he searched for the right words. "I've noticed that I'm pig up skills faster than I used to. Bae, I wasly a fast learner with teaery, but here… it's like my brain processes things differently. I've been abs information faster than ever, like with the ship systems, the guild protocols, everything." He paused, mentally cataloging each skill he'd picked up since his arrival. "And the nguages…"

  "Yes," Iris replied. "It is unusual for a human without a transtion impnt to prehend alien nguages seamlessly. However, you've shotitude for uanding every species you've entered, regardless of dialect or syntax. This ability aligns with the heightened learning capacity you've described."

  Ethan nodded, sidering her words. It was strao say the least. When he'd first arrived in this universe, he'd assumed his survival depended on adapting quickly. But what he hadn't expected was how instinctive it would all feel. He remembered the long hours he used to spend ba Earth, struggling through plicated work tasks or pieg together basic skills. But here, everything flowed. Almost like he'd been prepared for this universe in some way he couldn't yet expin.

  Of course, he hadn't told Iris or anyone about the reality of his situation, that he wasn't native to this universe. It was a truth he kept tightly guarded, a secret he wasn't even sure he'd ever reveal. He'd arrived in this gaxy abruptly, one moment in his mundane life oh, the waking up in the cockpit of a ship he'd never seen before. That secret was his to carry alone.

  Iris's voice broke his thoughts. "Ethan, based on your description, it is possible that these enhas are part of a rger physiological ge, likely triggered by an unknown factor. Your improved reflexes, heightened learning abilities, and nguage prehension all point toward an enha process within your body."

  Ethan rubbed his temples, the implications of her words sinking in. He'd suspected that something about him was different, but he hadn't sidered the possibility that it might be ected to his very biology. "So, you think my body is ging?"

  "That is a reasonable hypothesis," Iris replied. "However, without a prehensive examination, I ot determihe full extent of these ges. While I monitor basietrics, such as your heart rate and oxygen levels, a more thh assessment is beyond my capabilities."

  Ethan nodded, processing her analysis. A thh assessment… But how could he even begin to find out what was happening to him? He wasly in a position to leave Kynara for a high-end medical facility, and the idea of entrusting someone else with his mystery made him uneasy.

  As if sensing his hesitation, Iris tinued, "In the ar sector, there is a top-css medical space station equipped with the test diagnostid research teologies. They specialize in advanced human and alien physiology and may be able to duct a full analysis. Given their access to specialized equipment, they could provide you with valuable insights into your dition."

  Ethan absorbed the suggestion, picturing a sterile, advanced medical facility sing every inch of his body, trying to make sense of his unusual traits. There was logi the idea, but the practicalities of it loomed rge. Traveling to ar, for one, required a fully repaired ship. And then there was the matter of the cost. An examination like that wouldn't e cheap, and he was still scraping together credits to fund his current repairs.

  "For now," he said slowly, "I think I'll stay on Kynara. I still have a lot to learn, and I keep these… ges while I take on more missions. Besides, I don't have the credits yet for a long-distance journey. I'd rather build up my funds here, maybe get the ship in top dition before I even think about visiting the ar sector."

  "That is a sound approach, Ethan," Iris replied with her usual calm. "I suggest that you dot any unusual abilities or experiences iail. If your body is indeed undergoing an enha process, this dotation will allow us to analyze trends and gauge the progression of your abilities."

  He aking fort in her suggestion. He could monitor his experiences, look for patterns, aer uand the shifts within him. And Iris, for her part, would help him keep a prviate record as a way to make sense of these strange developments. He felt a faint sense of satisfa knowing he wouldn't have to navigate it all alone.

  "Good idea, Iris. I'll keep a log, and I'll let you know if anything else feels… off."

  "As you wish, Ethan. I will monitor your biometrics closely and notify you of any irregurities I detect," she assured him.

  Ethan sat ba his seat, feeling slightly more at ease, and g his information tablet. His at bance dispyed on the s firmed he was just uwo millios. Enough to cover a lot of the necessary repairs. a few more jobs, he mused, and he'd be set.

  Scrolling through his messages, he decided to che with a few colleagues on the merary work, his thoughts drifting to the es he'd fed since arriving in this universe. He tapped into a group chat he shared with a few trusted friends, meraries like himself who each carved their own path across the p.

  Ethan quickly sent out a message to his tacts, giving them a heads-up about the syndicate's experiments with mind-trol alloy and his run-in with Raeth. The replies came back swiftly: "Good ihan. I will keep a and speak with my tacts to see if we learn more about this situation" Rourke replied. "I'll keep a as well. Ive been entering more signs of the Syndicate in my missioly" Kara added. "Great, that's just what we hings just keep getting worse on this damned p." Dax pined. "Stop pining Dax, that's what this job entails. Thanks for letting us know, Ethan." Leena wrote.

  With a small smile, Ethan closed the group chat ahe tablet aside. It felt good to touch base with friends across the gaxy, a remihat while the merary life was often solitary, he wasirely alone in it.

  As he rexed in the quiet of his ship, he allowed himself to enjoy the peace, knowing that for now, he could rest and recharge. He was close to reag his goal, close to the repairs he o restore his ship to its full potential. But for today, at least, he could take it easy, sav the calm before his adventure.