Walking out of the large tent, Eren and Jorlen made their way toward Tent 24. As they walked, an overwhelming oppressive feeling suddenly washed over them, making them uncomfortable. Dark clouds swirled around the tents, and the nearby children felt it too, causing a commotion to erupt.
A few seconds later, everything returned to normal, but the unrest among the children remained. Eren and Jorlen exchanged glances, both trying to make sense of the situation.
"What just happened?" Eren asked, looking up at the sky, dazed.
Jorlen shrugged, not thinking much of it, and the two resumed their walk.
After a few minutes, they neared Tent 24, where Eren spotted Anne and the others sitting at a table, engaged in discussion. He waved to Anne and walked toward her.
As he crossed the gathering of children, Eren noticed the complicated expressions on their faces as they stared at him and Jorlen. He didn't mind—he was used to being stared at. Ignoring their gazes, he continued toward Anne and the group.
While walking, Eren observed something strange about Jorlen. His posture shifted, his large stomach seemed to disappear, and his breathing became more controlled. He adjusted his mannerisms completely before they reached Anne and the others.
"Eren, come sit here," Klara said, pointing to a seat near her.
Eren walked over and sat down.
"What did the instructors say? Why did they let you stay?" Anne asked, her curiosity evident.
Everyone watched Eren eagerly, anticipating his answer. He explained everything that had happened in the instructor's tent, including his conversation with Edward and Charlotte, leaving nothing out. While they were relieved that he hadn't been expelled, a lingering worry was visible in their eyes—how could he become stronger without awakening a Verse?
Once the discussion ended, everyone's attention shifted to the fat kid standing nearby, staring intently at Anne. Eren noticed the expectant looks on their faces, waiting for an explanation.
Eren sighed. "Guys, this is Jorlen from Stormfront Village. We met in the instructor's office."
Jorlen grinned. "Hello, everyone," he said in a dignified tone.
Everyone greeted him back, eyeing him curiously.
"Eren and I are going for a walk. Do you guys want to come?" Jorlen asked, looking at the group.
They exchanged glances, but before anyone could answer, Jorlen said, "If you all have something important to do, continue with that. We can go for a walk next time," flashing a gloomy smile.
Anne gave Eren a questioning look as if to ask, Who is this guy?
Eren stood up. "You guys wait here. We'll take a short walk and be back soon."
"Come back within 30 minutes. We don't know when the other village kids will arrive," Klara reminded him.
Eren nodded and left the tent, ignoring the lingering stares. The moment they stepped outside, Jorlen let out a long breath, panting.
"Give... give me a minute to catch my breath," he gasped.
Eren felt a wave of confusion. What is this guy trying to do?
He waited patiently for Jorlen to calm down. After about a minute, Jorlen steadied himself, and they started walking past the tents.
"So tell me, man, what's her name? Is she your girlfriend?" Jorlen asked, grinning.
Eren immediately realized what Jorlen's bizarre behavior had been about. Shaking his head, he replied, "No, she's not my girlfriend. We're just friends. She's my best friend."
"Haha, fantastic! So, what's her name? What are her hobbies? What's her awakened flame? And what about her family? Do they accept love marriages, or only arranged ones? If it's only arranged, I can ask my mother to talk to her family. Oh, wait, I can't ask my mother to talk—no one likes a fat guy. That much became clear to me the moment I arrived here. I have to lose weight in three months before I do anything!"
Jorlen suddenly took off running like a maniac while rambling.
Eren stood there, dumbfounded, trying to process everything Jorlen had just said. By the time he snapped out of it, Jorlen's figure had already faded into the distance.
Unsure of what to do, Eren thought for a moment before deciding to follow in the direction Jorlen had run.
After five minutes of walking past the tents completely, Eren noticed a figure lying on the ground, panting like a pig. He walked closer and stood there silently, waiting for Jorlen to get up without saying a word.
Jorlen panting breathing via mouth sweat all over the face lying on the ground after a long struggle he sat on his but relatively calm breathing as he is gathing is breath for someting after lot of struggle
"So, what's your deal?" Jorlen asked, still sitting on the ground as he looked up at Eren.
Eren pondered for a moment, as he release what he is asking since he was there while he was explaning about the discussion with instrucotrs,eren didnt hesistent regarding his condition "It's the same as I expliend in the tent. I still haven't awakened a Verse," he said, his gaze shifting toward the scenery nearby. He realized they had walked quite far from the tents, and ahead of them stood a vast forest with towering trees.
"Mmm… what does that even mean?" Jorlen muttered.
"You can see… well, feel the Verse in your heart, right?" Jorlen asked with curiosity.
Eren looked at Jorlen as this is first time he heard something verse in your heart shaking his head "Do you see the Verse in your heart?"
They stared at each other for a moment before Jorlen responded, "Everyone can see, well that what my mother said to me. eventhough I cant feel as my said yet, I can feel the verse tip of my toung"
'Well, that's new to me…' Eren thought. ' As anne told him that she can remember the verse but she didnt mentioned about feeling in the heart may be she is not realised yet as well.
Jorlen studied Eren's thoughtful expression with curiosity. "Then how come you're here? The academy is only for awakened kids. Even if you're a noble's child, attending without a Verse would be pointless. You wouldn't be able to learn anything—it'd just be a waste of your time."
"I have awakened a flame…"
Jorlen stared at Eren blankly.
"Dude, how does that even work? If you want to enable or access your innate flame, you need a Verse. Without a Verse, how is that possible?" Jorlen asked, baffled.
Innate flame? What is that? Eren stared at Jorlen, expecting an explanation.
"Okay, I don't know all the details, but according to my mother, an innate flame is the one you're born with, and everyone has one," Jorlen said, noticing Eren's confused expression.
This guy knows a lot about awakening… Maybe his mother is an awakened too, Eren thought.
"But whether you can use your innate flame or not depends on your Verse. Without a Verse, you can't manipulate your flame," Jorlen added.
Should I show him my flame? Eren debated in his mind. He seems knowledgeable—maybe he has some insight that could help me train. I need to start training somehow… I have to get stronger within a week.
"Well, I can cast my innate flame… but I can't control it yet," Eren admitted.
Jorlen gave him a look that screamed, Show me.
Eren sighed, closed his eyes, and focused on his heartbeat. It began to race as he extended his palm forward, channeling every ounce of energy in his body.
After thirty seconds—which felt like an eternity—a small candlelight flame flickered to life in his palm. He opened his eyes, concentrating with all his might to extend its lifespan to five seconds. But after only three—another eternity—it vanished.
Eren collapsed to his knees, then lay on his back, drenched in sweat, gasping for air—mirroring Jorlen's earlier state.
Jorlen stared at him, dazed. He wasn't sure what size a candlelight flame was supposed to be, but he was undeniably curious.
Both of them remained on the ground for a long time, recovering their energy.
Eventually, Eren sat up and faced the tents, ready to return. Jorlen, however, stood facing the opposite direction, eager to keep walking.
"Let's walk a bit more," Jorlen said, stepping ahead.
Eren followed without argument. They had already been away from the tent for over half an hour, but he had questions. Jorlen clearly knew more than his friends did, and if his mother was an awakened, she must have taught him something.
Eren had intended to wait for the academy's official training to begin, but he couldn't afford to waste time. What if classes didn't start for another two days? What if the instructors didn't arrive for a whole week?
He broke the silence. "So, how do you train?"
Jorlen pondered for a moment before replying, "I don't know any training methods. My mother told me the academy instructors would handle that."
Eren's hopeful expression faded into disappointment. That made sense—none of his friends knew how to train either. It was as if families either lacked the knowledge or deliberately restricted their children from training before awakening.
"But," Jorlen continued, "my father did tell me some basics about the innate flame—what it is and how to refine it to grow stronger."
Eren's curiosity reignited. "Go on."
"My father said that when you awaken, your innate flame, Verse of Embers, and Willfire all mix together around your heart."
"You absorb [Atom], the fire energy from nature, and use it to manipulate your flame. How you use it depends on the type of innate flame you're born with."
"To become stronger, you have to separate each force—your innate flame, Verse, and Willfire—so they can revolve around your heart independently."
"So… the first step in training is to separate your innate flame?" Eren asked, absorbing the information.
Jorlen sighed. "Yeah. That's what my father said."
Eren fell into deep thought, digesting everything. I don't feel anything around my heart… but does my candlelight flame count as an innate flame?
While he pondered, they unknowingly wandered deeper into the forest. The trees were so dense that not a single ray of sunlight reached the ground. Strange noises echoed from the shadows.
Eren decided they had gone far enough. He turned to Jorlen, about to suggest heading back—
A sudden rustling sound interrupted him. It was followed by heavy thuds, like something massive walking nearby.
Both of them instinctively took defensive stances, their eyes locked on the source of the noise.
Moments later, a two-meter-high, one-meter-wide boar with a gigantic body and a single horn from its forehead emerged from the underbrush. It passed near them with a carefree look, oblivious to their presence.
Eren exhaled in relief. If that thing had attacked them head-on, it would have been a disaster.
He took careful steps backward, keeping his eyes on the boar as it moved past.
Then, a loud, piercing scream erupted beside him, Jorlen was making noises to attract the boar's attention.