Gene was sitting in a hospital room after being transferred there yesterday when he lost consciousness, lost in thought.
He was frustrated and bothered by what had happened yesterday.
Classes were supposed to start tomorrow. That morning, Instructor Howell told him that he ended up to the first rank in category B which something that completely surprised him.
Jin knew very well that he wasn't that strong, the only reason ended up there was because of the entity that had taken control of him at the time.
He guessed that the same entity that possessed his body was also responsible for killing Mark and the other two.
The thought that he couldn't control his own body when that entity took over made him terrified.
No matter how strong that power was, it clearly wasn't under his control right now.
That realization led him to one conclusion... he needed to become strong enough to use that power by his own will.
After thinking for several minutes, Jin came up with a temporary solution to avoid falling under the entity's control again.
First, he should stay away from anything that could push him into a life-threatening situation.
Second, he should avoid dealing with Amon's Guardian for now which meant he wouldn't be entering Amon's Tomb anytime soon.
That decision made Jin feel a little sad. He had been visiting the tomb often lately because it gave him a feeling of peace and comfort.
Jin let out a long sigh "Tch that fucking bastard…"
What annoyed him even more was that he clearly remember the fight between the entity and Chris.
Chris's expression was anything but satisfied, and Jin was certain that Chris suspected him.
"That son of a bitch has put me under suspicion now. Maybe they'll find out that I actually killed those idiots!"
Anyway, Jin decided to go to the library today to clear his mind a bit and shake off those anxious thoughts.
So he got out of the hospital bed and spoke to the nurses, telling them he was feeling okay. After that, he left the hospital and headed back to the academy.
After a few minutes, Jin arrived at the library he had been excited to visit since his first day.
The outer walls were painted a calm shade of brown, decorated with runic symbols Jin couldn't understand, but they looked beautiful from the outside.
Inside, the floor was covered in luxurious tiles, and the walls were painted a soft green. There were fewer carvings indoors, giving the place a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.
Large windows lined each floor, filling the library with natural light.
The building was massive, stretching across three floors, all packed with organized bookshelves.
The smell of the place was amazing with a mix of flowers and old paper. Green plants hung down from the ceilings of every floor, adding life to the quiet space.
It was incredibly silent, with only a few people around.
At the far end of each floor, there were groups of comfortable sofas and old wooden tables where visitors could sit and enjoy reading.
And at the end of every floor stood spiral staircases connecting the levels made of sturdy wood and decorated with detailed ironwork, giving the whole place a touch of elegance and class.
Near the entrance on the right, a librarian was asleep in his chair.
Jin smiled and said, "What a beautiful library."
Then he walked over to the librarian to ask about the books.
"Hello?" Jin called out to the sleeping librarian, but the man seemed completely knocked out.
"Hello? Hey! Can you hear me?" Jin raised his voice.
The librarian suddenly woke up in surprise and looked at Jin. "Ah—hello, sir. How can I help you?"
Jin sighed. "You should try to stay awake. You can't just leave visitors like that."
"Anyway, where can I find books about the Chaos creatures and the power of Awakening?"
The librarian scratched his head awkwardly. "Haha, sorry about that. We don't get many visitors these days, so I kind of dozed off… haha."
"Anyway, you'll find plenty of those books on the third floor."
"Thanks. I'll head there now."
"Enjoy your reading," the librarian replied with a calm smile.
Jin went up to the third floor and looked around. There were around twenty bookshelves, all filled with books related to Awakening.
Throughout history, the Awakened had documented their powers, how they worked, their different types, and other details that could help future generations.
That was how most Awakening abilities were known.
They didn't follow bloodlines or logic, the power itself chose its wielder by its own will so everyone has random chance to get one of those knowing powers.
No one knew how or where these powers first originated, but it was said they existed even before Darko came into the world meaning their history ran far deeper than most people realized.
Hundreds of books filled the shelves, leaving Jin completely overwhelmed, unsure where to even begin.
"Oh my God… this many books! How am I supposed to find anything about my power?"
He moved from shelf to shelf, pulling out random books and flipping through them quickly before putting them back, hoping to find something related to his ability.
He searched for nearly an hour but found nothing about blood-related powers. In the end, he grabbed 3 general books about Awakening anyway.
He also found a book about the ancient eras and took that as well, hoping it might mention something about Amon.
Carefully carrying the books, Jin walked to one of the quiet corners of the floor and sat down beside a window that overlooked a calm, peaceful view outside.
Jin took a deep breath, adjusted his posture, and opened one of the books, ready to read with excitement.
Soon, he was completely lost, losing all sense of his surroundings and the passage of time.
A smile never left his face as he flipped through the pages, discovering information about the ancient eras and things he had never known before.
He kept reading and reading and reading with intense enthusiasm. If someone had looked at him, they might've thought he was crazy because of the goofy smile stuck on his face while he read.
Hours passed. The sun began to set, and Jin finally finished 2 books out of 4 , feeling happy.
He sighed in satisfaction, took a deep breath, and stretched his stiff arms from holding the book for so long. Staring up at the ceiling, he muttered,
"Hooo… I never thought I'd read books like this. Man… life is good."
Then he noticed how empty the library was and said little loud, not caring who heard him,
"What a waste, Those stupid rich people have no idea how amazing reading books really are."
Even though his voice wasn't that loud, it was still audible.
Jin didn't care much about it as he assumed there was no one else on this floor of the library anyway.
But he was wrong…
Suddenly, a girl's voice spoke from behind him "What are you reading?"
Jin turned and saw a girl with long white hair. She wore a dress in white and blue, with a simple slit on one side and tight sleeves.
The girl was none other than Yumi Artavelia herself!
Jin looked at her and said in his mind "shit… did she hear what I just said?"
He cleared his throat lightly and said, "Uhem… just some books about Awakening powers and history."
Yumi gently moved a hair from her eyes as she said "Hmm… ok"
Jin was a little surprised by the way she spoke, then quickly added, "Ah, yes… it's a good book. By the way, what are you reading?"
"I was reading a book about the Safnax style of dueling," Yumi replied.
Curious, Jin asked, "Safnax style? What's that?"
"It's a combat style mastered by one of the ancient Awakened named Safnax. I'm still reading about it, so I don't know much yet… but someone shouted and interrupted me."
Jin scratched his head awkwardly and embarrassed "Ah… it seems I interrupted your reading Sorry about that."
Yumi stood up from her chair. "No problem. I was going to leave anyway. It's gotten late, and I've been here for several hours."
Jin's eyes widened. "Several hours?"
"How long was I reading for?!"
Jin didn't remember seeing Yumi when he first came to the third floor, so he was surprised when she said she had been there for hours.
He turned toward the window and realized night had already fallen. He had been reading under the library lights the whole time without noticing.
Yumi looked at Jin, who had suddenly ignored her while staring out the window, then said,
"It looks like you really got lost in your reading."
Jin felt a little embarrassed. "Yeah… I guess I did get completely lost in it."
Without saying anything else, Yumi stood up, holding her book, and walked away.
Jin watched her as she left, then scratched his head.
"It really did get late …"