Chapter 327: The Hunted
Dasha opened his eyes to see a book in his hand. Sitting at a table in the House of Wisdom, he began reading at once. He had taken a thirty-minute nap and the abrupt awakening returned his heartbeat and temperature to normal. Previously, Dasha followed an everyday man’s sleeping schedule. A monophasic cycle, as it were scientifically called, describing the seven to nine hours of sleep working people had. It was the type of sleep best suited for body-intensive training.
Not anymore. Not for Dasha. Being "best suited" had to be sacrificed in wake of efficiency. He switched to a dymaxion cycle of sleep. A segmented sleep schedule where he slept four times a day in intervals of half an hour. Adapting to the schedule was near impossible for, say, a fighter that participated in the Heavenly Games. Sleep was necessary for the body to heal.
The dymaxion schedule itself was suited for those with the DEC2 gene; a mutation that made them "efficient sleepers". It was not a matter of training; rather, these individuals were simply born with it. They could sleep at eleven and wake up at four without a hint of distress. DEC2 was responsible for controlling levels of orexin and functioned as a timekeeper. It rose during the day and fell during the night, following a rhythm.
On Earth, Dasha had injected himself with the DEC2 genome that bloomed the mutation into himself. He was about seven when he compounded the formula and twelve when he had the resources to inject it into himself. Even with the genome inside him here, he previously elected for long hours of sleep in order to properly rest up his cultivating body. Due to the very nature of cultivation, rest was not a suggestion—it was a requirement.
Internal Healing Middle Stage circumvented the previous issues. As well, since Operation Storm needed him to come up with an invention for the spy at the Thunderstrike Brotherhood, Dasha pushed his mind and body. Circumventing and adapting a type of technology he was not accustomed to was easier said than done. He had to study decades and centuries worth of technological progress. To pace the geniuses of this world was not that easy, after all. Humanity has and always would have intelligent men and women.
’From what Dr. Thornton told me, the Thunderstrike Brotherhood lamp line of products are known to use Dalecarlian runes. The doctor was more interested in Futhark but her general expertise in runes was still needed.’
Dasha finished flipping through the book, memorizing and comprehending, and then put it aside on the table. Between the stacks of books was a dark blue buffer lamp and a swing-arm lamp. He checked the base of the swing-arm lamp, fingers finding subtle creases.
’These lamps have the magic circles placed underneath and have a clause that hides them from the average person.’
From his index finger, fire appeared and he carved out ᛟᛈᛖᚾ. A non-phonetic Elder Futhrak rune, it pulsed with magic and did...nothing. The magic circle did not appear. Dasha tried again, this time going for a phonetic reading that had Dasha utter, "Opən."