Sleep did not take Renn gently.
It pulled him under. There was no transition—no drifting thoughts, no fading consciousness. One moment, he lay within the quiet stillness of Lumisdale.
The next—
He was elsewhere.
His eyes opened. There was nothing. No sky stretched above him. No ground supported his feet. No horizon existed to give shape to direction. It was an emptiness so vast it defied scale, as though the world itself had been stripped away, leaving only existence behind.
And yet—
He was aware.
Renn found himself floating. Weightless, unanchored, suspended within a void that neither moved nor changed. Even sound did not belong here.
"…Where am I?"
His voice did not echo. It simply… existed, then vanished. Then, something broke the emptiness. Far beyond reach—
A light.
Small at first. Barely more than a distant spark. But it was enough. Renn's gaze fixed on it instinctively. And without realizing— he began to move. Or perhaps, it was drawing him closer.
The distance between them closed slowly, almost imperceptibly. With each passing moment, the light grew—expanding, brightening, revealing more of itself.
What had once been a spark became a glow. What had been a glow… became something vast.
Renn slowed.
Then stopped.
Before him, was a sphere. Not merely large, but immense.
A golden expanse, suspended in the void like a second sun—yet it did not burn. It did not blind. It pulsed. Its surface was not still, but it moved.
Currents of light flowed endlessly across it, folding inward and outward in a rhythm that felt alive. Patterns formed and dissolved in the same breath, like a world in constant creation and collapse.
It was not just something he saw. It was something he felt.
A presence.
Ancient. Boundless.
Renn's chest tightened slightly.
"…This is…"
The thought never finished. Because the sphere responded.
From its surface, fragments of light began to drift free. Small at first—like distant stars breaking loose from the night.
They moved toward him.
Slowly.
Silently.
One brushed past his arm. Another passed through him. There was no pain. No resistance. Only… recognition.
Then more followed.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
They surrounded him, spiraling gently, their movement no longer random—but guided. And then— the pull began.
Subtle at first.
A quiet force, barely noticeable. But it grew.
The particles shifted direction. Their motion aligned. They were drawing him in. Closer. Closer to the sphere. Renn did not resist. There was no fear.
Then—
A voice.
It resonated through the space, through the light, through him—as though the void itself had chosen to speak. Low. Vast. Ancient beyond comprehension.
"For what purpose do you seek this power?"
The words did not echo. They lingered.
Renn did not hesitate. Not because he understood. But because the answer came naturally.
"…Purpose…?" His voice felt small in that endless space. A brief pause. "…To become strong."
Silence.
The sphere did not move. The light did not shift. Then—
"Wrong."
The word did not echo. It struck. Everything changed. The warmth surrounding him vanished instantly.
The gentle pull—gone. Replaced by force. Violent. Absolute.
Renn's body jerked backward. The particles of light that once drifted around him now scattered, their motion reversing as if rejecting his presence.
The sphere receded. No, he was being torn away. Faster..... The distance between him and the golden sphere stretched rapidly, its brilliance shrinking, fading, slipping further and further beyond reach.
"…What?!"
The void distorted. The stillness shattered. A force gripped him—pulling him backward through nothingness, as though something unseen had seized him and cast him out.
The light diminished.
The sphere gone. Darkness swallowed everything. Then—
Renn's eyes snapped open.
Air rushed into his lungs. Sharp and real. The scent of herbs returned. The warmth of the hut. The faint crackle of incense.
He was back.
His chest rose and fell quickly, breath uneven.
Renn sat just outside the hut, where the wind moved freely across the open fields of Lumisdale. Morning had not fully arrived yet. The sky was pale, caught between night and day. He stared at nothing in particular. But his mind was not empty.
"Wrong."
The word echoed again. Heavy. Unyielding.
"…What is my purpose…" He murmured quietly.
It was the first time the question had no immediate answer. Not strength. Not survival. Something deeper. Something he had yet to understand.
The first light of morning broke gently across the grasslands. Captain Arden stepped out of his hut, stretching slightly before scooping water into his mouth. He gargled lazily, eyes half-lidded— Then paused.
Above the bamboo poles, a figure stood.
Renn.
Balanced on one foot. Eyes closed. Still.
Arden narrowed his gaze slightly. The Aether around Renn was faint. Barely visible— But perfectly stable. No flicker. No fluctuation. A continuous, quiet flow.
Arden spat the water aside.
"…Woahh... How long have you've been there?"
Renn didn't open his eyes.
"…Five hours."
Silence. Arden smiled softly.
"…That's more than enough. Get down.We should have breakfast first before training."
A small wooden table had been set inside the hut. Simple. Unadorned. Renn sat across from Arden. Seris beside him. Moments later, Lio, Taren, and Kael joined, still shaking off sleep.
The group ate quietly at first. The only sound—the clinking of utensils, the soft rustle of morning wind.
Then—
Seris looked at Renn. Not casually. Not briefly. She was observing him.
Renn noticed.
"…What?"
The question came naturally. Seris didn't look away.
"You seem down today."
Renn blinked. "…I'm not."
A pause. Seris tilted her head slightly.
"Yes, you are."
On the other side, Taren cleared his throat loudly. "Ehem…"
Everyone glanced at him. "…Is it perhaps…" He leaned slightly forward. "…our Seris is concerned about Renn?"
Seris froze. An immediate reaction.
"…What?!"
She choked slightly, coughing once. A faint flush spread across her face.
"That's not what I meant—!"
Lio cleared his throat. Kael smirked faintly. Taren leaned back. "…Worth it."
Renn said nothing, he was clueless...
At the training grounds. The bamboo poles stood once more beneath the rising sun. All five balanced again. Eyes closed. Bodies steady. This time, no trembling. No collapse. Control had been achieved.
Arden stood before them. Watching. Evaluating. He looked at his watch.
"…One hour."
All five stepped down. Arden crossed his arms.
"…It's been a month. You've learned control." His gaze sharpened slightly. "…Now you learn how to use it."
The air shifted.
"…Next training begins now."