Early morning. David slowly got up after last night's bottle of beer. He felt a little sick—he had never even touched alcohol before.
Rising to his feet, he went to take care of his morning routine. Entering the bathroom, David brushed his teeth, washed his face, and finally took a shower.
Ten minutes later, he came out, dressed, and went downstairs. His companions were sitting in the common area. Approaching them, he said,
"Good morning, everyone."
They looked at him and replied the same.
Sitting down next to Emma, David asked,
"What's new?"
The others gave him a strange look. Then Leo answered,
"Today we're going home."
Hearing this, David's eyes widened.
"Right… I completely forgot about that after last night."
"You're right," Lucy added.
"At five o'clock this evening, the gates will open, and we'll be able to return," Leo continued.
David tilted his head.
"So, everyone's going back?"
"Not everyone will return," Leo replied.
David frowned.
"Why not?"
Leo scowled.
"Are you an idiot?"
The word startled David. No one had ever called him that before.
"No, I really don't know."
"Hah…" Leo sighed. "Over seventy percent of the awakened won't return. Those who passed the Trial of Fate can manifest here both physically and mentally. Which means they can appear in any part of the city. Now do you get it?"
"Yeah, thanks," David said. "Alright, I'm going to train a little."
The others nodded. David left the tavern and headed for the training ground. The walk took only ten minutes. When he arrived, he found it was a fairly large field. Entering, he drew his sword from its sheath.
It was still as black as coal. Taking his stance, David began swinging the blade. An hour passed, and he had made about fifteen hundred strikes.
Sitting down by a tree, leaning against the trunk, David pulled out a bottle of water and took a drink. His thoughts drifted to his subconscious. Settling into a meditative posture, he began to sink into his inner world.
Within five minutes, he succeeded. Opening his eyes, he saw the same familiar landscape.
"It's beautiful here," he thought.
He began exploring his subconscious, but noticed nothing strange. Only when he wandered a bit farther did he see the boundary of his world.
"Is that… a barrier?"
Touching the barrier, David turned back and glanced at the great tree. It had grown even larger.
"That damned tree is still growing…" he muttered to himself.
Finally, he turned his head and saw his sword. Walking over, he touched it and took it in his hands.
He tried to draw the blade, but it wouldn't budge. No matter how hard he pulled, it was as if it resisted him.
"Maybe it doesn't want me to wield it yet? What is this…"
After examining everything, he returned from his subconscious and looked around. Everything was as it had been. Over twenty minutes had passed inside his mind, while only ten had passed in reality.
"In my world, time flows twice as slowly… That could be useful. I should head back."
Standing up, David made his way to the tavern. Ten minutes later, he arrived, but found no one inside. Stepping back out, he headed toward the city center.
The closer he got, the more obvious it became that a crowd had gathered there. Curious, he thought his friends might be among them. Searching through the throng, he finally found them.
Walking up to Emma, David asked,
"What's going on here?"
Emma didn't react to his sudden appearance behind her—she had already sensed him coming.
"The Return Gate will open soon. Did you prepare the demon cores?" she asked.
"Yes, I always keep them with me."
"Good. It won't be long now."
Everyone waited by the great pillar, eager to finally go home. The gate began to open slowly. The portal expanded wider and wider until at last it fully opened.
To David's surprise, no one rushed ahead.
"So many people, and no one wants to be first… Interesting," he thought.
A few minutes later, it was their turn. Stepping forward, David placed one mid-grade soul core and three low-grade ones into the mechanism.
The portal flared to life. Looking back at his companions, David said,
"See you on the other side."
They all nodded. David leapt through.
It felt as if he were drifting among the stars, floating in open space. The sensation was unmatched by anything he had ever experienced. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes.
He was inside a capsule. The machine registered his awakening and began draining the water.