Later that week, alone in his room, Oren attempted to sense the world's energy through meditation.
The elders' terminology had revealed something he had only just realized. Enlightenment was not a single state, but a progression.
Like most matters concerning the extraordinary, the exact details were unclear, but Oren assumed the first stage must be to sense the world's energy.
Though the concept felt strangely familiar to when he was an Antherion, no matter how long he concentrated, nothing answered him.
There was no presence, no current to grasp.
Making him quickly realised that what he was doing was only practice for the future.
Because feeling the world's currents was an impossible feat for a mundane human.
He could see the trees of a forest, the surface of a lake, and feel the fleeting breeze of spring, but not this.
This was something else entirely.
And to comprehend it, Oren had to beat the trial.
It was the only way, there were no shortcuts.
As the next several days slipped past in a blur, night and day were slowly becoming indistinguishable.
Unlike some, Oren found a way to continue advancing, attending the open lectures held within the academy.
By day, the lectures covered mathematics, English, and science, deepening his understanding of the world's language and history.
Occasionally, they touched on medicine, combat, and survival, encompassing a vast range of weapons and techniques.
Since Oren was already proficient in several subjects and fighting styles, he far surpassed most other first year candidates.
Oddly, none of the lectures addressed Enlightenment or other uncanny matters, as those attending were upcoming first-years.
After an arduous week of preparation, only one day remained before the Trial of Longing.
...
Later that day, Oren stood in the reception hall of the academy. He looked toward the exit doors, then back at the receptionist's desk with a pensive smile.
So this is what school life is like...
He had just finished one of the Elders' lessons. It was one of Elder Sloan's lectures on medicine and healing.
It made him wonder.
How did C04 heal him?
Oren shook his head after giving it a second thought.
Some things were better off not knowing. That madman had mentioned pieces when referring to healing him.
That was more than enough information.
Oren exhaled, rubbing his eye with his palm as he groaned.
Sleep... He wanted sleep.
For some reason, it felt as if he desperately needed it, but that was only because he was a mortal now, a mundane human among the Unison people.
But perhaps Oren still was what he had once been, only what had once—
He dismissed the thought.
Whatever I once was, none of it matters now.
He took a deep breath, bearing through the drowsiness, persuading himself inwardly.
Sleep is for the weak... Who needs it?
Certainly not me.
Anyways, now that he had left the lecture, he would be leaving the academy for a while.
Oren had recently learned about money and its value in the outskirts, and so he would make sure not to use his own.
He had spent the last few days searching for a gambling den.
But with the Trial of Longing set for tomorrow, he could not afford to indulge today.
Oren had explored the Second District for nearly a week and barely made a dent in its vastness.
The sheer scale of the expansive sprawl made him want to buy a map of Unison, perhaps even the mountain range if they still had them.
It would cost him nearly all of his Yie. But he did not mind, because half of what he had been given was already in the hands of the academy.
Because candidates who had yet to be accepted were not trusted to return freely, and since there was one day until the trial, most left the academy to see their families one last time.
Oren had heard that some students had lost hope, believing it pointless to remain until the trial arrived.
Though they were few, their actions led to immediate expolsion, and a warning was issued to every remaining candidate.
His grip tightened around the item in his hand.
The receptionist, had given him what the people of this world called a fortune cookie.
It was a small, crescent-shaped biscuit, golden and smooth along its curved surface. The centre was pinched inward, the shell folding around a hollow space within.
It was a prophecy, a prediction that could tell the future.
That was what the lady had said, at least.
Oren almost scoffed.
What nonsense... A piece of paper cannot tell the future, and neither can the human who had written it.
It was worthless.
...Yet he cradled it tightly.
He 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.
Oren barely spared them a glance.
His golden eyes dropped to the cookie in his hand.
Without thinking, he brought his other hand up, gripping both ends of the pale crescent.
Then snapped it.
The sound made him pause for a moment...
Can I really eat this?
But before Oren could inspect thd fortune cookie closer, a slip of paper fell into his palm.
He raised the note and read the words written in jet black.
"Every step counts."
He stared at it, lost in confusion, and for a moment Oren didn't move...
A sharp breath escaped him.
What is that supposed to mean...
No!
Oren slammed the half-broken cookie on the ground, then froze as the silence hung in the air.
A few people nearby turned their heads, watching him with faint confusion.
After a few seconds Oren let out a resigned sigh.
Getting agitated like this isn't like me.
He glared at the shattered shell on the ground, then looked away...
Perhaps this fortune was meant for a different person.
He nodded to himself, Yes.
Giving the puzzled receptionist an apologetic smile, he tucked the paper into his pocket, and opened the door.
Stepping outside the academy, he beheld the sight of the outskirts.
Oren's body trembled faintly, a bad premonition clawing at his mind.
For some reason, today, the world seemed darker.
The sun still hung above, yet its crimson flames had dulled, their light fading, leaving everything below less vivid.
Everything seemed inexplicably darker, ghastly and terrifying. The trees, once radiant, were the first to fade, their colour slowly draining away.
Beneath them, the grass followed, slowly dimming into a muted green.
The azure sky above was fading into nothing, stripped of light.
It was as though the colour of the world was slowly being leeched away... Or perhaps it was the looming sense of death drawing closer.