Chương 3: Chapter 2 - Awakening

Ren woke up choking on his own air. He gasped sharply and turned over, eyes shooting open as his lungs burned like he'd been drowning moments before. His heart hammered wildly in his chest, each beat sending spikes of pain through his skull. The scent of damp earth and wet moss entered his senses. Ren sucked in another breath of cold air, slower this time, and blinked his hurting eyes a couple times.

Above him, a canopy of branches tangled together, afternoon light filtering through the leaves in fractured beams, painting the frosted forest floor in shifting patterns of gold and green. Birds chirped somewhere nearby, their calls echoing out all around.' I'm… alive?' His chest felt heavy, like an invisible weight was pressed against his soul, and there was a faint, lingering ache deep inside him. A sense of wrongness feeling as if something inside of him was bent out of place.

Or maybe it was bent back into shape? Ren pushed himself up onto his elbows, then froze, his eyes catching sight of something in the small clearing. Someone. A short distance away, leaning against the trunk of a broad oak, sat a girl with long, soft blue hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. Her skin was fair and unblemished, almost luminous in the afternoon light. She wore a simple nightgown, the fabric far too fine for travel, and her long, delicately pointed ears marked her unmistakably as an elf.

She sat with her knees drawn to her chest, arms loosely wrapped around them, eyes half-lidded—caught halfway between waking and dreaming. A couple metres from her lay another figure, stretched out flat on the ground. A boy, or… maybe they weren't. They had long silver hair, sharp and clean despite the forest debris, framing a face too delicate and beautiful to be easily read as either masculine or feminine. Their clothes were worn and practical, stitched and patched with care.

A common broadsword rested strapped across their back, its hilt worn from use. The silver-haired figure groaned quietly and rolled onto their side.' Why do these guys feel familiar for some reason...?' Ren thought, memories of what just happened resurfacing into his mind.

"Hey," he croaked up, his voice rough and barely his own, "are… are you two real?" The elf girl was startled fully awake upon hearing Ren's voice, her head snapping up. Her eyes were a clear, icy blue, sharp with alarm as she quickly scanned the clearing, getting to her feet as she did.

"Where am..." she started before her gaze finally landed on the others that had woken up.

"Who are you?"

"Did you two kidnap me?" the elf continued immediately, frost beginning to gather on the grass at her bare feet as well as at her fingertips.

"My uncle won't be merciful on either of you, and it was a mistake to not restrict my essence!" Ren had no idea what was going on, but if the dropping temperature and the silver-haired person leaping to their feet while drawing their sword was anything to go by, this situation was about to get much worse.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Ren yelled quickly, jumping to his feet too, just as fast as the silver haired person did, "I've no idea what's going on either! I was in my cabin one moment, in a dream where I nearly died the next, and now I'm here!" His words seemed to resonate with the elf as she froze mid-motion.

"... How do I know you are not lying?"

"What can I do to prove myself?" he said, looking between the two others in the clearing with not much certainty.

"Uhm, I'm from a small village North-East of Losso the capital, uh, I'm a shepherd and E-rank adventurer?"

"That does not do anything to clear your name and prove who you are to me," the elf responded quickly, "and I was talking about the dream you had anyway. Was it in a black void that seemed far too real?"

"Yes!" Ren replied, happy that he had found something that could defuse the situation.

"The pain felt as real as it would've if I was awake. My name's Ren by the way." The elf released her control on whatever she was doing and brushed dirt from her nightgown as the temperature in the clearing rose again. Only then did the silver-haired figure relax their stance a little, still choosing to stay silent.

"My name is Elowen of House Aelcryth," she said, looking around once more, "and unless I'm mistaken, none of us should be here."' House Aelcryth?' Ren thought, more than a little surprised as he studied the girl. Her flawless skin, the silver-threaded fabric that covered her, and the quiet confidence allowed him to reach a conclusion.' She definitely fits the part of nobility.' The both of them then looked towards the silver-haired figure, expecting them to add their name to the mix as well.

"Varrin," the silver-haired figure said eventually, lowering their blade before stretching a little and testing their body.' Guess that's all we're getting out of... him?' Ren mused to himself, their voice didn't shed any light on their gender either.

"Were you guys in that... place... as well? Whatever it was..." He looked around at his newfound companions hoping for some semblance of an answer as to what happened. Elowen answered first.

"Yes... well at least I was." She exhaled slowly, steadying herself before standing straighter. Even in a simple nightgown, there was an unmistakable shift in her posture, a poise settling in as naturally as breathing. She glanced around the forest once more, her blue eyes sharp and calculating, then turned back to them. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Panicking won't help us," she said, her voice firm.

"Until we know where we are on Xantris and what condition we're in, speculation is pointless." Varrin's silver eyes flicked toward her, unimpressed. Nothing was said but the slight tightening of their jaw spoke volumes. Elowen either ignored it, or didn't notice it at all.

"The first thing we should do," she continued, as if reading off of a set of instructions, "is check our status for any changes." A soft shimmer of pale white light suddenly bloomed before her, forming neatly aligned text, unreadable to anyone but her. It hovered at eye level, responding to her presence as if it were alive. Ren stared at the elf in a equal mixture of confusion and surprise.

"…Our what?" The light in front of Elowen flickered slightly and she turned to him.

"Our status." He could only look at her in even more confusion, he had no idea what this beautiful elf was talking about.

"You don't know how to access your status?" she asked slowly. Ren opened his mouth, then closed it before reluctantly shaking his head.

"I've… never had one." For a heartbeat, Elowen simply looked at him before her expression hardened.

"Are you not a Blessed?" she said flatly, the words landing like a verdict. Varrin's gaze shifted to Ren, his colourless eyes sharp and assessing now.

"I—" Ren scratched the back of his head as heat creeped up his neck.

"I might've missed the cut-off, but I was hoping I'd awaken soon. I mean, I'm only seventeen so—""So you're dead weight," Elowen cut in, irritation flashing through her voice.

"Unawakened, untrained, and surely pulled into whatever this is by sheer coincidence." Ren flinched.

"That's… not exactly—""This is a survival scenario," she snapped.

"If you can't contribute, then you're a liability, and right now, I don't have the luxury of liabilities." Ren looked away, clenching his jaw as the irritation flared. He'd thought worse things about himself, but it stung more knowing he is just as much of a dead weight now as he was before. Varrin clicked their tongue softly, but said nothing. Elowen sighed, clearly restraining herself, then gestured sharply.

"Varrin, are you a Blessed at least?" The silver-haired person nodded and the white words appeared before him the same way it did for the elf girl.' Dammit. Your brother falls short again, Yumè.' Ren reprimanded himself, before muttering under his breath in irritation.

"Who even needs a stupid status anyway?"

'Though it would be cool if I could just make words appear' he admitted, more than a little envious.

'What would you do? Just think about white words appearing?' The air in front of him rippled. Lines of glowing text began to form, one after another, emerging from nothing. The letters burned faintly white, solidifying into structured lines that hovered before his eyes.

[Aethersoul Ren] [Rank: Awakened] [Dominion: -] [Soul Power: Soul Shepherd] [Soul Saturation Level: 0/1000] [Soul Attributes: Accelerated Regeneration, Survival Instincts] [Soul Attunements: -] Ren's breath caught, and he leant forward in excitement, eyes wide as he read the words suspended in the air.

"Oh." Elowen's annoyance flickered briefly into surprise, then back into irritation. Varrin raised an eyebrow. Ren swallowed hard, a slow grin tugging at the corner of his mouth despite himself.

"Looks like," he said softly, staring at the shimmering text, "something changed after all." For a moment, silence hung between them. Then Elowen laughed a short, sharp, and utterly humourless laugh.

"So this is a joke to you?" she said, turning on Ren, her eyes staring daggers into him.

"You let me think you were an unawakened liability in a situation where we are in completely unfamiliar territory?" Ren blinked.

"What? No—I swear, I didn't know. I've never had a status before. I didn't even know I could—""This is not the time for games," she snapped back, "not with whatever pulled us out of our beds and into a forest we don't recognise."

"I'm not joking," Ren said desperately.

"I found out at the same time you did." Her gaze searched his face, clearly looking for any sign of deception. Whatever she saw there didn't fully satisfy her, but she clicked her tongue anyway and looked away.

"Fine," Elowen said stiffly, "then explain it. Your Soul Power and how it works. If we're going to survive, I need to know exactly what you can and cannot do in this party."

"That… sounds reasonable," Ren answered, nodding. He took a breath, gathering his thoughts.

"Well, it says Soul Shep—""Don't." Varrin's voice cut in, calm and collected, causing both Ren and Elowen to turn towards it. The silver-haired Blessed was watching Ren intently now, eyes sharp and unreadable.

"You shouldn't explain your Soul Power. Not to anyone." Elowen frowned.

"Excuse me?"

"It's simple," Varrin continued.

"The easiest opponent to kill is one you understand. Their strengths and weaknesses." The silver-haired figure tilted their head slightly.

"Their limits."

"We're not opponents," Elowen said exasperatedly. Varrin shrugged.

"You assume that stays true." Ren frowned, surprised, but not shocked. Something about Varrin's demeanour had screamed guarded from the start.

"I get what you're saying," he said slowly, "but we're in an unfamiliar place. None of us know where we are, or how we got here. Trust matters." Varrin's eyes flicked to him.

"Trust gets people killed."

"Maybe," Ren argued politely, "but not trusting each other at all might just guarantee it." Elowen inhaled sharply, then straightened again, clearly deciding upon something.

"Enough," she said.

"If trust is the issue, then I'll set the example." She stepped forward and raised her hand, palm up.

"My Soul Power is called Cryoweaver," Elowen stated proudly.

"I can condense my Soul Essence into physical ice. The shape, density and temperature of it is all under my control." Tiny sparks of pale blue began to gather above her palm, forming a small crystal of ice. It glittered prettily and reminded Ren of water under a full moon. Elowen aimed her palm at a nearby tree and shot the small crystal at it, embedding it into the thick trunk. Briefly glancing at Ren and Varrin for their reactions, she moved on to her next demonstration.

Holding her arm outright, white motes appeared until they surged and condensed. Within seconds, a beautiful blade of pure jade formed in her grasp, the edges looked impossibly sharp and the hilt was adorned with gold. Its surface exuded a sort of cold even when looked at. Ren's breath caught at the sight of such an elegant blade. Elowen held it aloft, her posture even prouder than before as she looked at the weapon with adoration.

"This," she explained happily, "is my Soul Attunement, the Sword of Aelcryth, a relic of my house. It can generate ice independently, much like my own power, so it amplifies my control and reduces my essence expenditure." Varrin's eyes locked onto the sword and something dark flickered. Hunger? Resentment? Or maybe both.

"Didn't think princesses were trained to swing swords like that," they said coolly. Elowen stiffened and her ears flushed a deep red.

"I—I'm not a princess," she sputtered, "I mean—House Aelcryth isn't royalty, exactly, and even if it were, that doesn't mean I haven't trained—" Ren watched her as she stumbled over her words, completely undone by the jab.' …That's kind of cute,' he thought, despite himself. Varrin snorted softly before continuing after a moment, "I don't plan on telling either of you my Soul Power." Elowen bristled.

"You just lectured us about trust."

"I did," Varrin agreed before smiling a faint, pleasing smile, "but I might reconsider." They nodded toward the sword in her hand.

"If you hand that over." The tone was sarcastic, but the look in their eyes was not. Elowen's grip tightened around the hilt, frost creeping along the blade in response to her rising emotions. Ren sighed inwardly.' So much for a smooth start,' he thought. And yet, despite the tension and the barely contained hostility, he couldn't help but feel happy something finally went his way. With this newfound power, he'd be able to accept higher paying jobs at the Adventurer's Guild, and earn more coin to help cure Yumè.

But he also couldn't shake the feeling that this trio had been brought together for a reason. Regardless of whether they trusted each other or not.