Later that week, alone in his room, Oren attempted to sense the world's energy through meditation. Though the concept felt familiar, no matter how long he concentrated, nothing answered him.
There was no presence, no current to grasp, only a quiet realization settling in. The thought faded as the next several days slipped past in a blur.
Only one day remained before the Trial of Longing, a test said to take most candidates an entire week to complete.
With no further information provided during the past week, countless rumors spread throughout the academy.
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 exclusion, and a warning was issued to every remaining candidate.
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. Because of his extensive past and former ties, Oren was already proficient in several subjects and fighting styles, far surpassing most other first-year candidates.
Yet none of the lectures addressed Enlightenment or other uncanny matters, as the majority of those attending were upcoming first years.
At night, Oren returned to meditation, once again attempting to sense the world's energy. Still, nothing changed.
...
...So this is what school life is like, Oren thought with a pensive smile.
He had just finished one of Elder Sloan's lectures on medicine and healing.
How did C04 heal me, though?
He had learned many valuable things in that lesson, things he, as a higher being, did not need to know.
But now that his state was reduced to a mortal, they were helpful.
And now that he had finally left, he 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, but that was only because he was a mortal now, a mundane human among the Unison people.
Perhaps he still was what he had once been, only what had once made him divine had been suppressed.
He could have relied on it in the past. He simply chose not to.
Looking around the room, Oren's lips curved wistfully.
Whatever I once was... none of it matters now.
Oren took a deep breath, bearing through the drowsiness, persuading himself inwardly.
Sleep is for the weak. Who needs it? Certainly not me...
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 recently learned about money and its value in these outskirts.
And so he would make sure not to use his own, even though he had been searching for this place over the last couple of days and could not find it.
It was a gambling den, a place where he could earn money. But since the trial was near, he would not become enamored with greed.
He had been given a week before the Trial of Longing and had tried his best to explore the Second District, but it was too vast.
The expansive sprawl of the outskirts 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.
Candidates who had yet to be accepted were not trusted to return freely.
Oren smiled bitterly, as he recalled placing five yie one the receptionist's desk.
To leave, he was made to surrender half of his remaining Yie, five pieces taken as assurance rather than payment.
But upon meeting the receptionist, he was given 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 center was pinched inward, folding the shell around a hollow space inside.
Said to tell the future, apparently it was an accurate prophecy, with proficient evidence that what was said would either help or happen.
That was what the receptionist had said, at least.
What nonsense.
Oren did not buy it, it must be a joke. How can peice of paper tell the future.
Actually, someone must have written it, that did not change anything.
How can someone tell the future?
Despite his wary thoughts, he cradled the fortune cookie tightly in his palm.
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.
Perhaps it was from the city, or maybe the Unison Mountains. Mountains had trees, but for all Oren knew, it could even be from a distant land he had not heard of.
He looked down at the peculiarly shaped cookie.
Bringing his left hand toward it, he held both points of the crescent, then snapped it.
Snap.
Can I really eat this?
His eyes gleamed, but before he ate it, a slip of paper fell into his palm.
In deep black was written,
"Every step counts."
He stared at it for a moment,
What is that supposed to mean?
Perhaps this was meant for a different person.
Yes...
He folded it away with a faint, distant smile and opened the door.
He eventually opened the door, stepping outside the academy. There, he beheld the sight of the outskirts.
For some reason, today, the world seemed darker.
Dark enough to make Oren think that it was slowly turning midnight at midday.
Or maybe it was that possibility of death crept closer.
...
Deep within the academy's corridors, a young man walked solemnly, his figure trembling as dread weighed upon each step.
A faint scent lingered in the air, fading with time. His dirty blond hair rustled in the breeze.
His eyes swept the hallway. Despite his shivering figure, his gaze was as deep as the abyss, his blue eyes strangely dull and aged.
He was contemplating whether he should leave or stay.
His skin was pale with fear. Nonetheless, his skin was healthy, unblemished, untouched by sickness, and he could still move normally.
To the young man, though, that slight imbalance demanded order.
Get yourself together...
Stop trembling.
But his mind sank further into a sea of terror.
After a while of searching, his movements stilled, and so did the trembling.
Crimson sunrays spilled across the back of his white robes like a rising bonfire, their deep radiance casting the dwindling shadows from the hallway.
Sable's hand trembled as he reached for the golden doorknob, then recoiled, stepping back.
He stood before a large, imposing oak door in one of the many academy hallways.
An esteemed elder's room.
A timetable was pinned to the door, showing the meetings and arrangements the public were allowed to know.
The rooms from two thirty-two to two fifty-two in this hallway were specifically reserved for elders and higher-ups.
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 were not important, he would have delayed it until the last possible moment.
Gathering courage, he immersed himself in countless tumultuous thoughts.
He allowed nostalgia to briefly take over, but before he knew it, he was quivering again.
Rubbing his cheek, he thought about his past with a wry smile.
I wonder if it will be my trial... my Trial of Longing.
He had often caught himself reminiscing about his past. His past in Riverbend. It had been his home once, in the Third District of Unison.
The Second and Third Districts were not too different. There was little to distinguish them, and the Third especially was nothing special.
Honestly, it was unremarkable.
But he knew it was precisely because the Third District was nothing much that it was so beautiful compared to Unison City and the other districts.
If Sable's suspicions were correct, that place would be the real tower he would have to overcome... to not die.
I am pathetic.
He swallowed hard, forcing a polite 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 sensed an immediate reaction to his knock.
Sensing a small, indescribable shift, Sable stepped back, but it seemed he had moved too fast, anticipating when the door would open.
It took a few seconds for the elder to walk to the door and open it.
But Sable had been watching. It felt as though he knew the exact moment the elder's hand gripped the doorknob.
It felt as though around this time of year, during these seven days, he could predict when someone was walking toward him, feel them, read them, their demeanor and emotions like an open book.
But it was also this time of year when he especially felt the most vulnerable and feeble.
That was what had been troubling him lately.
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 winter. It was only Elder Tie Ru.
A tired 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 in a calm yet authoritative tone, "Do not worry. My meeting has sadly been cancelled."
Looking past Sable to the window, Elder Tie Ru continued shortly,
"You have been out here for a while, haven't you? Why is that? Candidate, is something troubling you?"
His jade eyes shimmered in realization.
"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 realize 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, none in this district at least.
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 suppose... ever since I was a child in the Third District, and even now here in the Second, I have always felt my senses were lacking. Each 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.
Despite Elder Tie Ru's calm tone, there was a sharpness that could not be explained.
It was because no one leaves their district without reason.
"Before you continue, tell me your name. What is your candidate number?"
"My name...?"
Sable nodded hesitantly, a sharpness in his throat.
"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.