Nope. But it was close..

I do not know how long I slept but when I woke up, it was dark. I checked and I was asleep for more than 24 hours in a stretch. Only Lei was with me in the room and she woke up concerned for me as soon as I moved. I told her that I was fine and asked her to go to sleep. It took some persuasion as she tried to wake me up for a long time and I did not budge and she thought I was down with sickness. A doctor has come and checked and couldn't find anything other than that I am in a deep sleep.

I went to the bathroom and took a long shower and went down in search of some food. I was HUNGRY! I saw Shanara was awake and asked her for some food, lots of it. I sat down on a table nearby and ate the food I received in silence. Once my stomach started getting some fuel for it, my mind started working again. I know that I can't ignore what happened to me yesterday. I knew that I have already wished for unlimited endurance and with my improved mind and body, I should not even feel a little tired after a few hours of sex with the three little elves. Still I was dead to the world for a whole day.

I also clearly remember that after my wish I felt the hotness of the ring and the sadness in Scarlet's voice. That's another thing in my mind now, I mean Scarlet is supposed to be just a voice which can answer my questions or is she more that that? If it is just a voice why am I sensing the change in her mood? And why does a wish hurt me like that? Too many questions and no answers. I came to a conclusion that Scarlet has feelings and she was not happy with my last couple of wishes because she knew that it is affecting me.

I just finished my food and went out for a walk. The silent streets of the town helped me think. I found a secluded spot where no one can hear me or sneak up on me. I called out for Scarlet and she answered in a neutral tone "Yes, Adam?". 'Is the stone affecting me when I make a wish?' I asked and she replied that every wish affects the concerned parties. 'I didn't ask that. Is the stone affecting me personally for every wish I make?' I asked again in a more demanding tone. She replied that she cannot talk about that or answer any questions of how the stone works. Ok, I am pissed now. I didn't ask for the stone, granted I will not let go of it now. But still, this is critical information.

I asked her who created that rule and she said that is how it always was. A person gets the stone, make a wish and get them fulfilled. They are not supposed to know what mechanisations are happening behind the wish. I read between the lines and said 'so, basically no one ordered any rules. It is a self made limitation, then?'. She did not reply for a few seconds and then slowly admitted it. I told her since it is self made, then it can be removed too. So remove the rule and let me know the details. She started talking after almost a minute which felt like a year to me.

Each wish takes a part of the life **** from the person who is making the wish. If the person keep on wishing then his life **** will be drained and he/she will die. The only reason I didn't die till now even with all the wished I made is that with my enhancements my life **** gets refilled faster but still the drain is much more substantial. In a nutshell, I have overworked the stone and now it needs a break between every wish or it kills the owner. Nice bit of information which is withheld to me until now. I asked if I can wish for unlimited life **** too? She said no, a physical body can only withstand so much.

I asked her when my life **** will be filled back again and she said it will take a few earth days but did not specify the exact number of days. She again said that she could not say that to me. It pissed me off like anything but thanks to my improved brain, I got an idea or more like a shot in the dark even with all the craziness I am hearing. I just told Scarlet that if she does not tell me what I want to know I will remove the stone and hide it in some place where it will not be found for atleast an millinea and she will be alone for a very long time. She hastily asked me not to do that and said that in my case it will take 3 more days to reach the optimum level to make more wishes without any problems, Great!.

I told Scarlet finally 'You and I are going to have a very lengthy chat soon'. She didn't reply but I now knew what needs to be done and started thinking of a perfect way to make it possible. Meanwhile, I have a challenge to complete, without Scarlet. But this added a sense of thrill. If it is with Scarlet, the victory will be only a wish away, now I have to work for it and it will be a real challenge. For my nerd mind which have seen and read it's fair share of fantasy this added an excitement which felt real good. I smiled to myself as I walked back to the Inn. It is close to dawn now and I have plans for today.