What!
How… how am I alive?
Sweat pooled beneath his neck as his abyssal golden eyes shot open with weariness.
He sat up beneath the alabaster bed sheets in one of the guest rooms inside the cathedral house. He could smell the damp scent of rain from outside.
A storm? He did not give it a second thought.
Gazing down at his body, he noticed he had been placed in ice white robes. Beneath them lay bandages tightly wrapped around his pale skin.
He drew in a slow breath, gradually raising his hands to his face in awe.
He caressed his lips, then his fingers brushed over the marks on his face, once sliced, bruised, and scarred.
Somehow, everything that had suffered even the slightest damage had been entirely restored.
The words slipped out of his mouth.
"Rebirth? Is it possible? Yes, this is rebirth. I have been given a new life, a new chance."
Oren's eyes brightened, then darkened with despair.
What about my true peace?
He had glimpsed it, if only a few fleeting moments.
Failing to dismiss the immense regret, Oren remained
Uneasy and confused, he felt unsettled.
He felt vulnerable and empty, but Oren instantly knew what it was.
He could no longer feel the vastness of his soul or the life within him, not even the presence of his anchor existed in its ethereal depths.
Oren moved his arms back and forth, clenching his fingers and then releasing them.
Does that mean I am a mortal? The thought was calm, but the next surged with fury.
His face twisted in disdain.
Was this the damned realm's doing?
The curse of a ruined realm, if this world could even be called one.
...it was said that every ruined realm bears a curse to separate them from what was pure.
That was the price of existence.
Many assumed that one must pay a price when entering.
Some say otherwise.
Either way, people rarely believed in it because most information on myths was scarce. It seemed the price Oren paid was what made him divine.
What made him whole. His golden eyes widened slightly as he quietly mused.
He had been the lowest of divinity, an Antherion, but because of the heritage that came with the rank's name and his own ignorance, he did not ascend further.
If he truly was a mortal now, he could not stay as he had before. He would not make the same mistake twice.
But what clouded his mind most was the thought.
Is this karma? He had said he would be fine becoming a mortal.
Only if it meant surviving. But there were only a few ways to truly flourish in the world as a mortal.
He would have to play his part perfectly to survive in this unknown world.
The thoughts lingered. Then, for some reason, the fearsome smile on his face vanished in an instant, and he felt a sudden impulse that made him clutch his neck, stifling any sound.
From across the cramped room in the shadowed corner, he heard a voice devoid of emotion.
It sounded as though it had been restrained.
"How distasteful. You are still oblivious to the truth and to the fact that I have been here for quite a while."
Oren's eyes darted sharply across the room.
He did not know who the person was, but the voice was familiar, the same one he had heard complaining after he died and before he woke up.
Wait. If I died, then how was I capable of hearing?
The dust thickened as Oren focused, his abyssal golden eyes taking in the figure.
The face the voice belonged to was handsome. The man's abyss black hair was long and thick, perfectly contrasting his eyes, their colour like the crimson sun.
His skin was flawless and pristine.
The sketchy man wore a faintly sorrowful smile that seemed to be growing darker.
What? Why is he looking at me like that.
The man stared at Oren's robes for a while, his expression strange and unsettling.
"I have saved your life, and you dare say it was rebirth.."
Oren body stiffened, This… this is not rebirth.
Searching for a gap in Oren's robes that revealed the bandages, he added, full of pride, "Before you say anything… yes, I know."
He let out a quiet breath.
"I am impressed too. Just look at the work," he said lightly.
"Putting you back together was a delicate task… It isn't easy, restoring someone piece by piece."
Put back together? pieces? Oren gulped. A spectrum of emotions shone across his face.
The man continued anyway.
"Still," the man added with unease, not for Oren's well being but for his own skill, "would it not be unfortunate if something went wrong during your procedure?"
Oren opened his mouth, closed it, then froze completely, after a moment of consideration he gave the man a dark look.
When Oren finally spoke, he could not help but ask, "You… saved me? But how...?"
The man clicked his tongue, then grinned.
"Believe it or not, I saved you. What of it? Did you want to die there?"
He chuckled.
"As for how I saved you, it has nothing to do with my brilliant skills, still I must apologise."
Oren's frown narrowed as he heard the man say, "A magician never tells his secrets."
The man laughed at his own joke making Oren's sincere smile waver slightly.
Feeling overwhelmed, he chose not to speak.
Speaking to a fool would only make his state of confusion worse.
"There is no reason to be shy… ah, a name," he whispered to himself.
"Yes… you may call me… C04."
The smile C04 wore never seemed to reach his hollow eyes.
"Now that you know my name, you can relax. There's no need to be shy. Just speak normally. There's something important we need to talk about."
Oren could not tell if it was a joke, but the following chuckle slightly eased him.
He nodded, remaining outwardly composed.
"I am Oren," he finally spoke.
"I am sorry that you went through the struggle and annoyance of saving me. I mist thank you, I am forever in your debt."
Oren stuttered naturally.
"But I cannot repay you. I have nothing."
The man's smile faltered.
"Repay?"
C04 tilted his head, resting his ankle atop his knee, an amused smile resting on his lips.
"I desire nothing. I want nothing. But there is more than just what I want." C04 pondered, seeing a bright opportunity, "I am missing two things."
Oren grinned.
"Ask anything you want."
Just as he spoke those words, C04's eyes darkened slightly, as if he understood something.
Then he asked the question Oren had been expecting the entire time.
"Oren… you are alone. So my first request is this... where did you come from? How did you end up here?"
It was two questions, two requests, but Oren let it pass.
Oren looked away thoughtfully, then froze.
No one could know he wasn't from this world. If they did… who knew what they might do to him?
After a moment, Oren scratched the back of his neck.
"I do not know... i do not remember anything."
His gaze returned to C04's crimson eyes, and for a moment, C04 said nothing, letting the silence stretch.
When Oren continued he was more careful, his eyes narrowing with unspoken feeling.
"It seems I… I can't really remember what led me to this state. My memories… they're all blurry, mixed up. I do not even remember my mother, my father, my siblings, or my clan… I'm alone in this world now."
Tears welled in Oren's eyes as he thought deceitfully.
Did he buy it?
But before Oren could tell whether the peculiar man had accepted his lie, the man spoke.
"That is… interesting. For a mortal man to fall into a building and survive, even after my…"
"Brilliant skills?" Oren chuckled. "C04, you're the reason I'm alive. Let's hope the next time I fall into a building, you're there."
C04 spoke after a brief pause.
"Ah… actually, let's hope that doesn't happen again, as you should know it was quite a tedious task."
Oren listened carefully.
"Hopefully, the third district won't realise you're the one who stirred them up the other day. With the trial approaching… I'd assume you want peace."
His gaze lingered on Oren.
"You wouldn't want distractions, would you?"
C04's relaxed features were calm, almost gentle, yet they pressed against Oren's instincts like a silent weight.
"Yes… I will make sure to say I was part of a merchant caravan."
Glancing across the room, Oren studied the dull, oak-brown wood and brick lining the walls.
He looked back at him, his expression somber.
"...I was most likely a merchant, travelling through the mountains," Oren pointed at C04.
"There were more people than just me and you. More than two."
He shook his head."I don't quite remember, but I know there were a lot of us."
C04 studied him for a while. Oren was healed... new, even, and yet he looked like a tired man.
"I would not be surprised. Merchant caravans rarely suffer major harm, even in the Unison Mountains."
He paused.
"With groups that large, they do not require many Enlightened to cross safely."
Oren nodded, then asked politely, "What is your second request of me?"
"Well, i..." C04 looked away, staring across the room concisely at the half circle embedded into the window that revealed the outside world.
"I seek the final youth required to join this academy. I have already talked to the academy heads to arrange something. They will not question you."
C04 looked at him, a wry smile flickering beneath his facade.
"Remember, this is not a command, just a request from a... friend. Do not feel forced to say yes, but remember this friend in particular saved your life."
Oren's hairs stood on end.
He knew this… and organized, taking it as far as speaking to the academy.
Despite his thoughts, Oren understood that joining could grant knowledge and opportunity.
Refusing would be foolish.
"This academy will give you what you lack." He leaned back, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.
"It will correct you, shape you, make you stronger. In this place, food, wealth, and a place to rest. There is a chance you'll have them all, if…"
"If?" Oren asked calmly.
"If you become Enlightened."
An enlightened?
He regarded Oren for a moment. "So… will you join, for me?"
Oren grimaced, making C04's smile falter.
"You said I would have food, money, and a place to rest… tssk."
Oren chuckled bitterly.
"Of course I will accept. I have nowhere else to go, nowhere else to return to, so I will stay here, but with one exception... You must answer my question."
He pondered for a moment, then added,
"What would you do if you were in my shoes? What do you advise?"
"My advice? Sure, why not," C04 replied instantly.
"Enroll. Survive the Sanctuary and beat the Trial. Then you can reach enlightenment. After that, it is your choice. Ascend further, or live comfortably in Unison… Or you could escape the mountains.
Either way, you will never have to worry about survival again. Once you are enlightened, life becomes much easier. Everything becomes simpler.
It will grant you free access past the border so you can stay in Unison City and be accommodated grandly."
C04 thought for a moment. His blood red eyes searched the room.
"Also, before the trial, attend as many lessons as you can. Even the smaller lectures are useful. Since i have been here in a while i dont really know...
But If I am correct, the trial will be before the Light Festival, during the Week of Darkness, the sunwane."
C04's chest rose, then settled as he leaned forward and stood.
Noticing C04's slow movements to leave, Oren asked one final question.
"Is it so bad…? Me not coming from Unison, I mean. I know the townsmen cannot know I am an outsider, but what is wrong with being one?"
Oren's voice quieted.
"What about the people in the academy?"
"People…?" C04's lips curved faintly.
"There are no people here, Oren. Only candidates. There is no such thing as an actual person here."