Chương 39: A New World

Evel groaned as he put his shaky hand on his forehead. A splitting headache reverberated through his skull, and his body was filled with goosebumps. He winced as he opened his eyes, hit by a blinding white ceiling light. He took a sharp breath and pushed himself up. What was going on? He was enclosed in a small room, surrounded by wooden walls and fur rugs. His old, tattered clothes were gone; now he wore a simple woollen white outfit. It hugged his skin tightly, giving Evel a warm feeling of comfort.

A smooth, silky feeling was at his fingertips. I'm on a bed? The headache slowly faded away, leaving a heavy drowsiness that lulled him back to sleep. He massaged the dimness from his vision, as his fragmented memories slowly began returning. We were fighting the panther… No, we beat the panther… His jaws clenched as memories of Allen flashed through his head. His face softened. Fern… His eyes narrowed, and his shoulders tensed. Lucien… We got to a standstill. Was he telling me about his ability? And then?

Evel couldn't quite grasp the specifics; the memories past that point refused to return. Looking down, Evel frowned. I'm shaking. It was a curious feeling. His mind felt mostly fine, only the weak remnants of a headache, overshadowed by a thick cloud of haze, remained. Yet his body refused to listen to him, shaking continuously. Goosebumps swelled on his arms, and a continuous chilling feeling swept through his body. Evel looked around the room once more and located a wooden door.

The door wasn't fully closed, leaving a small gap allowing Evel to make out the well-lit corridor. This… The corner of Evel's lips raised to reach his eye. There's no other explanation, I made it! He took a long, slow exhale at the revelation. He had survived. Evel pushed himself up off the bed and stretched, now in a much better mood. His headache was dissipating, and his body was rapidly returning to normal. The weird reaction must have been some side effect, similar to when that being stood over us.

Jumping on his feet, he looked at the wall ahead of him. A mirror was sandwiched between two paintings. On the right was a painting of Temporis city, an enormous hub with a massive population, with a central towering castle. He had heard many tales of the place — a dream destination for all those who lived in the Imperium Tempor. After all, it was the home of the emperor. Evel's heart began racing as he imagined the opportunity of one day meeting his Highness.

It was every citizen's dream to be graced by the presence of the strongest person in the world. Evel looked down at his right palm and remained still for a moment. Then, he scoffed and turned his attention to the next painting. It was a familiar image.

'Unyielding Fist' Alaric was heroically fighting off the terrorists of Dissent fourteen years ago. Evel had seen this image countless times before, even more than that of the emperor. Alaric had been the talk of every citizen in Yosten the year of the incident. Evel had been just five, but this was one of the few memories he recalled with clarity.

Each image of Alaric brought him hope for a better future, and his repeated motto to take control of your own life had given Evel just the amount of courage he needed to change his own circumstances. Even now, every time he saw Alaric's image, a deep sense of hope would fill his heart. Evel really could take control of his own life. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Finally, he looked at the man staring at him from the reflective surface in the center.

He had a slightly tanned face with dark auburn hair that matched his eyes. A faded, silvery line that had long since lost its colour streaked vertically down his cheek. Deep eye bags dropped under his eyes, and his once sharp eyebrows looked round and unkempt. His jaw was clenched tightly, and small specks of hair littered his face, not yet taking a cohesive shape. He was skinny, but no longer frail. Although not impressive, some visible muscle popped out of his frame. In his eyes, a cloudy uncertainty remained.

He was Evel. After a deep, long breath, Evel reached for the door. He turned back to take a quick look at the painting of Alaric, then turned to exit. Upon opening the door, a dimly lit, ever-extending hallway revealed itself. It was a curious sight, but Evel felt no sense of danger, so he continued forward. The moment Evel put one foot out the door, the world changed. It was as if he blinked, and the next moment, he had been teleported in front of massive double doors.

Standing just ahead of the door was an older waiter with a stern look.

"Congratulations, sir, you're the first one to recover from the Orsus batch. Please follow me, and everything will be explained once all the survivors are up." The waiter explained. Despite his uninviting expression, his voice was deep and smooth, making him feel much more trustworthy than he may be. With a nod, he followed along. The waiter opened the double doors in a grand fashion, and the bright light of the interior hit Evel all at once.

The sight ahead of him was complex and busy, but one word came to Evel that described the scene. Luxurious. A massive hall held over 50 people. The walls were crafted from prestigious marble, nothing like the material of his room, and outlined with a subtle gold trim. Thick marble columns supported the ceiling, along with various large panes of moving images. Evel had never seen anything like it.

The couches were made from leather, an expensive kind that Evel had never seen, and each table and chair had a thin gold trim running along. White-gloved waiters, similar to the one guiding him, constantly shifted around, serving the large group of people within the room with drinks and snacks. This level of wealth was foreign to Evel. He had never once seen something so extravagant, and his shock must have shown as the waiter lightly nudged him.

"Sir, come along now, sights like these shouldn't impress you." Then what the hell should? Evel snapped out of his daze and lightly nodded, and followed the waiter. Following closely, Evel was able to observe the crowd. There were at least 30 non-staffers. They all wore drastically different clothing and had drastically different builds. One thing was consistent between them: an icewood emblem with various symbols engraved on it. Evel gulped as he recalled the name of the tier icewood represented. Weaver.

And so many of them in one room. Along with the dagger symbol that Arlo, the shopkeeper and his pursuers had, two other symbols caught his eye. A hammer and a wheel. He recalled Monique had the symbol of a book, but none of the individuals in this room's emblem contained that symbol. As he passed by a few congregations, he was able to overhear some discussion, although not clearly.

"... Diana is… arrow…"

"Final… Jack…"

"The beasts…" Every group of people seemed to be discussing the challenges they had just gone through. So these are the 'supervisors' Arlo had hinted at. Soon, a familiar name caught his ear.

"Brenton ain't bad, no versatility, but he's good at what he does." Evel's head snapped in the direction as excitement began rising from his heart. Did this mean Brenton was alive? He and Elena would be the first to meet up, so was Elena alive too? What about the rest of them?

"Ehem." The waiter's voice reached Evel, who had been standing still as he wondered about the status of his friends.

"Sorry." As he continued forward, the icewood-badged observers began noticing him, and the discussions amongst themselves intensified.

"... Skydart."

"Evel…"

"Bremin and Diana…"

"Sundown…"

"... that I know…"

"Psychic…" The whispers overlapped as the spotlight fell on Evel. He couldn't help but feel nervous in front of all these powerful people. Each of them was a formidable individual who would instantly become famous in Yosten, and now they huddled around talking about him. Evel ignored it the best he could as he reached a door at the end of the room. The waiter opened it, signalling for him to enter.

"You'll wait for further information in this room. Food and drinks are already inside, and should you need more, you can simply ring the bell, and someone will arrive. Do you have any further questions?"

"How long will I have to wait here?"

"It depends, but likely no more than an hour. You'll probably get company within a minute or two, I imagine others are waking up as well. Everything else will be explained after all the survivors have arrived." Evel had a mountain of questions, but refrained from asking. He'd know soon, regardless. Instead, he left some words of appreciation.

"Thank you." With a polite bow, the waiter closed the door behind him, leaving Evel alone in the room. The room was significantly smaller than the one he'd just left, but the luxury still remained. Leather couches, gold-trimmed tables and chairs, shiny white marble. Along the furthest wall was a series of paintings of people Evel didn't recognize, and along the wall to his right was a wall filled with various colourful banners with different logos.

Evel approached one of the tables, which was filled with various foods Evel had never seen. One looked like a fish, but it was cut up into thin slices, each slice followed immediately by a green plant. Is this all really free? It was unbelievable. Why would they give out such expensive food for free? Could it have been poisoned? Did they really think Evel would fall for such a simple trap? Evel shook his head before his imagination took off. His past biases could no longer be relied on.

He was stepping into a new world, and to start it off, he would eat this piece of fish and enjoy it thoroughly. Grabbing it with his hands in excitement, he opened his mouth wide to take a bite, but before he could bite down, the door behind him creaked open. Evel instantly whipped his head. Elena? Leo? Brenton? Juniper? Had they survived? His face darkened as his eyes gazed upon the second man to have woken up. A blonde man in the same woollen white clothes stood with a serious face as he walked in.

He shifted his head, meeting eyes with Evel, who was mid-bite. His demeanour instantly changed. He smiled, then waved, then approached Evel. Evel instinctively took a step back, but his eyes remained fixed on the man before him. This was the man who betrayed Fern. He had stabbed her in the back after earning her trust, and now, this same man was approaching Evel, the look on his face nothing but friendly. He waved.

"Evel! You beat me here!" Evel remained silent. His eyes remained stuck on the man's approaching face. He wasn't sure how to act. Lucien…