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 plain 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 softly 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 darkened. What about my true peace?
Uneasy and confused, he felt unsettled. He felt vulnerable, but Oren instantly knew what it was.
He could no longer feel the vastness of his soul.
He moved his arms back and forth, clenching his fingers and then unclenching them.
Am I now a mortal? he thought.
Was this the damned realms' doing?
The curse of a ruined realm.
It was said that every ruined realm bears a curse to separate them from what was divine. That was the price of existence.
People assumed that one must pay a price when entering.
Some say otherwise.
Either way, many did not believe 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 Oren 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 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, oblivious to the truth and to the fact I have been here for quite a while now."
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.
His apparent saviour wore a faintly sorrowful smile that seemed to be growing darker.
What? Why is he...
Oren watched carefully as the young man's voice became bitter.
"I have saved your life, and you dare say it was rebirth."
He looked at Oren's robes for a while, searching for a gap that showed the bandages.
Then he added, full of pride,
"But before you say anything, yes, I am impressed too. Just look at my excellent stitching when you take off your bandages. It took a few tries to get you back to good condition. Then again, it is quite hard to restore someone's health piece by piece."
He raised his arms in theatrical display.
"It is like a puzzle, is it not? You cannot complete it without the final pieces."
A few tries? Missing 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?"
He opened his mouth, closed it, then froze completely.
This… this is not rebirth.
Oren gave him a dark look.
When he finally spoke, he could not help but ask, "You… saved me? But how...?"
The man clicked his tongue, then grinned.
"Yes, I saved you. What of it? Did you want to die there? Anyway, I have nothing to gain from lying to a potential youth of this academy."
He chuckled.
"As for how I saved you, my skills are brilliant, do you not think? But I must apologise. A magician never tells his secrets."
He laughed at his own joke despite not being a magician.
Oren's sincere smile wavered as he studied the dull oak brown cuts of wood and brick lining the walls.
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. I do not eat people. I am not a monster or a creature."
His stomach growled.
"But I have not eaten in a while, so I do not care enough at the moment." He pondered briefly, then grinned widely.
"Ah. A name. Yes. It has been some time since I used one. But you may call me... C04."
His smile failed to reach his eyes.
"Now that you know my name, you can take a breath, stop being shy, and speak like two civilised beings. There is an important matter we must speak of."
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 eventually said.
"I am sorry. You went through the struggle and annoyance of saving me. I am in your debt."
The man's smile remained calm as Oren added, stuttering naturally, "But I cannot repay you. I have nothing."
"Repay?"
C04 tilted his head, resting his ankle atop his knee, an amused smile resting on his lips.
"I desire nothing. I want nothing. I have more than enough."
"Actually," the man pondered, seeing a bright opportunity, "I am missing two things."
Oren chuckled sincerely.
"Ask anything you want."
Just as Oren 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.
So he spoke calmly, his voice filled with sorrow and grief.
"I fail to recall the incidents that led to my state. My memories are blurry, indistinguishable from one another. I do not remember my mother, my father, my siblings, my clan... i am alone in this world now."
Oren's eyes watered as he sighed inwardly and continued.
"But I remember my name. I am Oren Xianrath."
His gaze rose to C04's soft smile, deep in contemplation.
Did he buy it?
Before Oren could fully know if the peculiar man accepted his lies, he spoke.
"Good to know. Now let us hope you do not fall into a building again."
C04's eyes did not waver as he continued.
"Oren, if anyone questions your origins, tell them you are related to a merchant. Merchants travel, even through the mountains.
So no one will accuse you of anything. Your sudden appearance can be explained, especially since even you do not know how you arrived."
He paused, allowing the words to settle.
Oren listened carefully, committing each detail to memory.
"If the townsmen see a newcomer, they will assume you are the invader, the one who stirred them into panic the other day.
They will condemn you.
They will think you are either an invader or a traveller, not because we are at war, but because suspicion is easier than trust.
With the trial approaching, I assume you want peace. You would not want distractions, would you?"
Oren turned toward him. C04's relaxed features were calm, almost gentle, yet they pressed against Oren's instincts like a silent weight. He froze.
"Yes, I will make sure to say that I am part of a group of merchants. But why did you save me?"
C04 shrugged.
"You see, Oren, I dislike watching something I tried so hard to save eventually die and drown in the merciless currents and rivers of life.
But that is how this world functions. Then again..."
He smiled and raised his arms.
"I am alone, and I have done well, amazing actually. Yes, I am amazing. But Oren, just because I am exceptional does not mean you are as exceptional.
So do not try to replicate my skills."
"I see," Oren murmured at last, unable to respond with a coherent sentence. His smile wavered. This man is quite full of himself.
Oren pondered. If it were to heal someone who looked like a ruined corpse, I would be proud too.
After a moment, he asked, "What is your second request of me?"
"Well, that." C04 looked away, staring 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."
School? Oren was taken aback by the simple question.
What does he take me for, a child?
Despite his thoughts, Oren understood that joining could grant knowledge and opportunity.
Refusing would be foolish.
Staring at C04 with an unsure expression, the eccentric man continued.
He spoke with something Oren lacked at the moment, certainty.
"This academy will grant what you lack. It will correct you, help you prosper, and forge you into something better. You will have money, food, and a place to rest.
So would you partake in this prestigious academy for me?"
So he asked, "You said i will have food, money, and a place to rest... tssk."
Oren chuckled bitterly, ofcourse i will accept. I have nowhere else go, no where return to so i will stay here.
He pondered for a moment.
Then, Oren added, what else, what would you do if you were in my shoes? What do you advise?"
"My advice?" C04 replied instantly.
"Enroll. Survive the Sanctuary. Reach enlightenment. After that, you can choose. Ascend or live comfortably in Unison.
Either way, you will never starve again. Being enlightened makes everything easy.
"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. If I am correct, the trial is before the Light Festival during the Week of Darkness. The people of Unison call it the Sunwane."
Seeing Oren's intrigued expression, C04 added proudly, "You see, that is why I am fortunate to have met you so soon."
C04 sighed, his tone oddly innocent.
"Fate brought us together. It was luck I found your ruined body in time."
C04 leaned forward and smiled.
"Who knows what would have happened?"
Noticing C04's slow movements to leave, Oren asked one final question.
"Before you leave, I have a question."
"Is it so bad? Me not coming from Unison, I mean. I know that the townsmen cannot know I am an outsider, but what about the people in the academy?"
"People?" C04 chuckled lowly.
"There are no people here. Only candidates. There is no such thing as an actual person here. Still, do not tell anyone."