Why do they require Enlightened?
Well, Elder Sloan had already told them why. They were required to go places where ordinary humans could not venture.
Oren remained silent, pondering the true meaning of Elder Sloan's words.
His gaze crossed the room, settling on Telei Ru as she spoke with reverie in her voice.
"Enlightened. Enlightenment. Elder Sloan, could you tell us anything about the Trial of Longing, or about becoming Enlightened?"
Hearing her sincere words, most candidates' eyes shimmered in admiration.
A few voiced agreement, while the quieter candidates looked away.
"How do we prepare for the Trial of Longing? What awaits us?"
Telei Ru's emerald eyes shone with conviction.
Glancing at Telei Ru, Oren considered what she said.
After all, I agree with wanting to know more. But… if the elders chose to say nothing in the assembly on the trial oflonging, why would they reveal anything in an introductory lesson on resources theory?
Another student raised his voice.
"Why is it we still know nothing crucial about the trial… is it that you do not know yourselves?"
Looking at the students, Elder Sloan staggered slightly.
He could not help but sigh, for he himself did not fully understand the trial.
Because of his lack of knowledge, he chose not to explain.
Instead, he waited a moment, glancing at the window with a wistful expression, then chuckled lightly.
"I cannot say much, but what matters most is your development in this academy."
He shortly continued, "To become Enlightened, you must be ready to have little information and still succeed… do you understand?"
"But we need more than that," Telei Ru smiled with concealed contempt.
Then another voice rose with confidence.
"Why can you not tell us more? Why withhold information from us, when you wish for us to succeed?"
Unlike before, Elder Sloan responded immediately, his calm expression had faded into annoyance.
"Do not be hasty."
Raising his voice, the students around the room shut up.
"Even if you pass the trial, you must still reach official Enlightenment."
Oren observed the candidates' expressions, then the elder.
Apparently, the candidates were either satisfied with Elder Sloan's answer or had simply accepted that he would not share more.
But to his surprise, the elder's eyes were now on him.
Oh no… Oren's expression darkened as Elder Sloan's eyes lowered to his work.
There was nothing, now words, no theory, not even the date and title were on Orens sheet of paper.
Elder Sloan clicked his tongue, then looked away, noting Orens lack of participation, then continued.
"Though you are not yet accepted into the academy, you will receive the education of candidates who are. In the meantime, before the trial day, partake in the many lectures of the academy."
He side-eyed Oren.
"If any of you are too tired to partake, perhaps you should not attend at all. Don't you agree, Oren?"
After a moment, the elder snickered.
"It is not even a lesson we teach often."
Ignoring Elder Sloan's words, Oren looked out the window toward the city, refusing the provocation.
Today, there was a chance he would see more of the outskirts.
Every day he had observed more, and today he would explore further than he had previously.
The thought made him smile.
Yet his fingers tapped softly against the desk.
I feel constrained… trapped.
What was worse was that he did not know by whom.
The elders maybe...?
The thought made him question the assembly, then the lesson he had attended.
What are they avoiding… or did I forget the answers?
...
Even several hours later, the events of Oren's first lesson lingered in his mind. So this is what school life is like, he thought with a smile.
To leave the lesson, Elder Sloan had made each candidate say one thing they had learned over the six-hour period.
Oren, however, had failed to give the elder a proper answer and was held back because of it.
Now that he had finally left, he had just passed the receptionist's desk on his way to the exit of the building.
He wanted sleep.
For some reason, it felt as if he desperately needed it.
Oren took a deep breath, persuading himself. Sleep is for the weak. Who needs it? Certainly not me. I am not mundane…
He shook his head, dismissing the thought, a bitter taste lingering at the back of his throat.
But his true reason for leaving was to visit a certain establishment. He had just learned about money and its value in these outskirts.
And so he would make sure not to use his own, even if the place he was seeking was not in this district of the outskirts.
Oren smiled bitterly as he recalled dramatically placing five Yie onto the receptionist's desk.
It was because candidates who had yet to be accepted were not trusted to return freely.
To leave, he was made to surrender half of his remaining Yie, five pieces, taken as assurance rather than payment.
Only after that was he allowed to reach the exit doors.
Oren reached the doors in an instant. They were tall, imposing slabs of metal and refined old wood, far too grand for the worn-down outskirts.
Perhaps it was from the city, or maybe the Unison Mountains. Mountains had trees, but for all Oren knew, it could even be a distant land he had not heard of.
He eventually opened the door, stepping outside the academy.
There, he beheld the sight of the outskirts.
...
Crimson sunrays streamed through the grand windows, casting deep shadows beneath the windowsills and leaving the hallway unnaturally dark.
Sable's hand trembled as he gripped the golden doorknob, then recoiled, stepping back.
His legs quivered beneath his robes, sweat pooling beneath the fabric.
For some peculiar reason, he felt feeble, sick, and weak.
But he felt physically fine, almost. His skin was healthy, unblemished, untouched by sickness, and he could still move normally.
Nonetheless, that slight imbalance demanded order.
Get yourself together.
Stop trembling.
But nothing sable said could make it stop.
Despite his shivering figure, Sable's gaze was deep as the abyss, his blue eyes strangely dull and aged.
He stood before a large, imposing oak door in one of the many academy hallways.
A timetable was pinned to the door, showing the meetings and arrangements the public were allowed to know of.
The rooms from two thirty-two to two fifty-two in this hallway were specifically reserved for elders and higher-ups.
Sable's dirty blond hair rustled in the breeze. His eyes swept the hallway, contemplating whether he should leave or stay.
A faint scent lingered in the air, fading with time.
Sable was not afraid. He was not nervous, nor did he fear the person he came to meet.
He feared the reason that had brought him here, the reason he was to meet an elder.
If it weren't important, he would have delayed it until the last possible moment.
But this had already been postponed for too long.
After all, Sable did not want to come here.
If he did… then—
Pathetic.
He swallowed hard, forcing an indifferent smile, though his eyes remained cold and void of feeling.
Raising his trembling hand, he knocked on the door.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The oak frame trembled slightly.
Sable's balance wavered as he observed an immediate reaction to his knock.
The door slowly creaked open.
A man stepped through.
His jade eyes glimmered like emerald glass held up to the sun, bright and flawless, yet wrong to Sable alone.
His ice-white hair was equally striking.
Immediately, Sable was met with the thought of winter.
But it was not the winter, it was only Elder Tie-Ru.
A tiresome breath escaped Sable's lips as the elder remained somewhat confused.
"I am sorry to disturb you before your meeting, Elder Tie-Ru."
The timetable showed that Elder Tie-Ru was due for a meeting in a few hours.
But luckily, there was space in the foreseeable future after the Trial of Longing, unlike for some other elders.
That was why he had chosen to speak with Elder Tie-Ru.
Elder Tie-Ru smiled calmly, then looked Sable up and down.
Noticing Sable's strange demeanor, Elder Tie-Ru asked with a calm yet authoritative tone.
"Do not worry. My meeting has sadly been cancelled."
Looking past Sable and to the window, Elder Tie-Ru shortly continued.
"You have been out here for a while, haven't you? Why is that? Candidate, is something troubling you?"
His jade eyes shimmered in realisation.
"It's the trial, isn't it? That is what is troubling you?"
After a few seconds of silence, Elder Tie-Ru grew confused. Sable's silence made him realise his worries were not about the trial.
What…! How did he know I was here?
Instead of asking, Sable nodded with a dim smile.
He remembered the elders were not here for counseling, nor to act as his therapists.
He could not speak to these people as though they were close friends or clansmen.
Especially this elder.
It was not as though he had anyone to confide in. Perhaps Oren.
Before Sable could answer Elder Tie-Ru's questions, the man chuckled, sarcastic yet sincere.
"It's okay. You can tell me. I'm not as harsh as Elder Idris, I hope you know."
Elder Tie-Ru sighed, his emerald eyes shining as the crimson sun slowly reached its peak.
"But I know I'm not the only elder you could have come to, and I also know I'm not the one who has made you scarce."
"So tell me, candidate… what is wrong?"
Sable froze and let out a deep breath, his fingers fidgeting in his pockets, unwilling to reveal too much as he spoke.
"I do not know. It is quite hard to explain… I guess it is… Ever since I was a little youth in the Third District… and now, here in the Second, I've always felt my senses lacking. Every year, it seems—"
"Third District?"
Elder Tie-Ru's eyebrows furrowed as he squinted in confusion, then he raised a hand, gently cutting Sable off.
"Before you continue, tell me your name… your candidate number would suffice."
"My name…?"
Sable nodded hesitantly, a sharpness in his throat, replying, "My candidate number is fifteen…"
He held his breath, then carried on.
"My name is… Sable, sir."
Elder Tie-Ru's eyes darkened once again.
For a brief instant, his expression faltered, then a false smile returned.
Gesturing to the door, he said, "Come in, Sable. Let's speak privately."
Walking inside the room, Sable's eyes darkened with inexplicable emotion.