Blight was stretched out in his bed facing the ceiling, periodically tapping at the windowsill that was draped in moonlight glow.
The sun was setting earlier each day, and with it, the days were getting shorter. Shadows washed over the fortress walls, plunging them into darkness.
For many hours now, he was silently contemplating, going over the changes from his awakening, inferring the meanings, creating many theories and discarding them to extrapolate and create his own disjointed understanding of what it all meant.
It was a lot...
He had imagined many different outcomes from his awakening, but never in his wildest dreams did he foresee such a situation.
He had also gone out earlier and found that they were still setting the tables. Since he had not eaten since morning, he was really looking forward to dinner. What he was not looking forward to, however, was having to sit with the others.
It would be right to say that since he grew up an outcast, he'd grown habits of a social recluse. He did not like talking with others. He did not like to be known. He would much prefer to keep everybody out and at arm's length.
"Haaaah," he couldn't help but sigh and scrunch at his forehead with his hand. He was hungry and could not avoid this forever.
Long columns of tables and chairs were laid out in the hall with floor lamps placed intermittently, running parallel. On each table was an assortment of different kinds of meats and dishes. It was a truly extravagant feast.
The regiment had mostly divided themselves into two groups. Most boys chose to sit with each other, and the same was true for the girls.
Groups were divided even further than this. One could easily see that people were all sitting next to those of their own circumstances.
For example, Eldrich was surrounded by affluently dressed young men, they were obviously scions and those from powerful families inside the clan.
Blight found an empty seat towards the end of one of the columns which looked unassuming and took his place at the table.
Many eyes followed him immediately, he stuck out like a sore thumb. He would've liked to ignore everybody and eat in peace, but unfortunately, the mouth sitting next to him had to start talking.
"Hey, you're that weirdo outsider without parents, aren't you?"
Immediately, the surroundings quieted down, and everyone began to pay attention to this conversation.
Blight was about to respond but stopped, then another boy sitting three seats across from him slapped the boy who spoke on the back of the head, startling him.
The spectators rang out with laughter.
"What the hell was that for Marsuu!" the boy who was slapped felt agrieved.
"Stop being immature Avil, we are a clan united as one, and you never know, maybe one day he will save your ass in battle."
The boy who defended him pointed his head forward and smiled lightly at him.
Blight was a little confused when he saw everyone kick back on their chairs and start to laugh until he heard the boy squeal. He also turned to face the him.
Marsuu looked slightly older than everyone else in this place. His face was longer and lacked buccal fat, he had luscious black hair that reached his neck and an inquisitive set of black eyes.
He recognised him as one of the few memorable people in the awakening ceremony. His abilities had something to do with traps and battle chains.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Blight."
Marsuu also extended his hand forward across the table, and Blight stood up slightly to reach and shake it.
"Same to you. I'm Marsuu." He turned to look at the first boy and grinned. "Don't take offense, Avil isn't a bad guy, he's just really stupid."
Blight smirked lightly, and the surroundings broke out in laughter and chortles once again.
Blight also turned to look at the other surrounding boys, quickly introducing himself, and they all stood up to shake hands.
"I'm Leyhart."
"Shazbot."
"Raol."
"Devin."
"Ezekiel."
"Bernault."
Unexpectedly, the night had gone really well. He found that they were easy to get along with and talked with them over dinner for hours before retiring to his room once more.
He'd developed a good impression of most of them and learned a lot about their lives, especially Marsuu. Like him, many of them had interesting abilities and boons, some combat-related, others utility. The first boy, Avil, even had an enchantment casting ability.
Blight couldn't help but have a lingering smile on his face when he shut his door. 'What is this I'm feeling?'
But he quickly snickered and returned to his cynical self.
'How can it be so easy to trust others?'
He'd made a conscious effort to not look into any of their eyes to avoid having his flaw be activated. If he wanted to have any acquaintances in this place, he would have to do this.
Life was a clash of wills, full of suffering and misguided efforts, of people striving to be heard and lashing out against others. 'Everyone has their own goals and desires that they want to advance. What are theirs?' He didn't know and would prefer to keep it that way.
Some things are better left unknown.
Above all else, what he felt repulsed by more than anything else was the idea of being truly understood, witnessed, and endorsed. Such a thing made him shudder with disgust.
He was careful to appear unassuming so as to not raise any suspicions. He was very reserved and careful when he spoke of his lineage and boon ability, considering every word before he spoke it and watching their every move and reaction.
While he had to admit that he enjoyed their company, he had no misgivings about lying to their faces, and he was sure that, to a certain degree, everyone was deceitful.
What did he think of people who thought otherwise? Idiots!
He sprawled out on the hard bed, feeling like a stuffed pig, and sighed. Everything had changed so much in just one day, and this was only the first day.
What did the future hold? He didn't know, but his life had never been so interesting.
Breakfast the next morning was a much smaller matter. Afterward, the head instructor explained that the day would be entirely dedicated to feeling and learning to harness latent ether and utilise our Ether Cores to activate our abilities and strengthen our bodies.
After this, the proper curriculum would officially be set in motion.
Classes would be divided into different subjects being held at the same time, multiple times a day for most of the day. The training grounds, on the other hand, would remain open and free for use at all times.
How you divided your time and which classes you attended was your choosing, but certain classes like at least one weapons speciality class, survival tactics and battle training every morning was mandatory.
Those who had abilities that were suited for specialised training would also be picked out and directed by other training staff.
In the enormous courtyard, close to 400 youths sat cross-legged on the grassy plain. Standing in front of them, the head instructor spoke and directed them.
"Focus on your Ether Core, try to feel the latent energy it gives off."
"To make it easier for yourself, if you have an ability you can use without causing any interruption, do it now and focus on the change to your core."
'I've been using my [Gazing into the Abyss] Ability this whole time without stopping since he began speaking and many times since obtaining it. Why can't I notice any changes?'
It was then that he noticed a tiny, almost minuscule thread of the same colour was being released from this core. It was like a miniature solar flare but unimaginably small and, unless he was specifically looking for it, unnoticeable.
When he focused in on that thread, he felt it travelling upwards, towards his skull.
The more he focused on this thread, the more of a profound feeling he got. Ether was described as the essence of creation. He began to understand why this was.
When he looked around himself and searched for this feeling, he found that it was actually everywhere. There seemed to be ether everywhere, at all times, or at least the latent potential of it, but yet, it felt so out of reach, so unobtainable.
At the same time, he felt that his own body also gave off a similar feeling, but it was far weaker, and almost incomparable.
Many surprised gasps and exclamations rang out around him, some had grasped it even faster than he did. Those who had abilities which could use more ether would have an easier time with noticing it.
Many others who were not able to use their abilities looked annoyed or gritted their teeth because they had not been able to grasp this feeling yet.
There were even quite a few people who didn't even look like they were trying. Those people must have long grasped this concept.
"As some of you may have already understood. This is ether, it is the primordial essence of creation, which even gave birth to the gods."
"When you first awakened, your body was strengthened by ether. You can think of it as a rebirth, but the total amount of ether that you are now made up of is still minuscule compared to a true being of ether."
"Your Ether core produces, accumulates, and stores ether. When you use ether and your core is depleted below the maximum capacity, it begins to regenerate ether."
At the same time the instructor spoke, Blight became curious as to why his ability used so little ether.
He was constantly peering into the future, but it seemed like this ability of his used less ether than he was able to naturally regenerate.
"This ether can be used to strengthen your bodies. At the same time, it is also used to activate and maintain your abilities.
"Ether was capable of even giving birth to the gods. Think of the difference it can make to your weak bodies, therefore, it is even more important you learn to use it efficiently. In a life-and-death situation, the most important thing is that you have sufficient ether. If you squander it, consider yourself a dead man."
Everyone listened quietly, continuing to take in his every word.