Outworld: Awakening

"Hey?! How long do you intend to sleep? Wake up. Are you dead? Hey! Why won't he answer me? Did he really die?"

An unfamiliar voice filled Adam's ears as he lay unconscious.

'Who is that? What happened after—?' Just as this thought filled Adam's mind, he felt a tug on his cheeks.

Slowly opening his eyes, a bright light assaulted them, and his pupils dilated.

"Finally, you're awake. Friend, does you Blessing relate to sleep?"

As Adam heard the cheerful voice, the first thing that came into view was the tray ceiling of his new location. He could see a caged chandelier at its center which illuminated the blue paint on the walls of the room.

'How did I get here?'

Adam slowly rose from his resting position while using his right hand to cover his eyes. At that moment, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

Instinctively, Adam raised his head, meeting the brown eyes of a young man who looked like he was in his late teens or early twenties. He had curly black hair which he packed into a ponytail. Standing at over six feet, coupled with his robust physique, he had an intimidating presence.

Adam's blue eyes lingered on the yakuza-like tattoos which covered the arms, neck and upper body of this youth.

"Who are you? And, what am I doing here?" Adam asked as he causally brushed off the young man's hand.

"Hahaha... I don't blame you for being cautious. You have been asleep for a while. I was wondering if you would ever wake up. The name's Hendrix Moon. Remember it well."

Hendrix paused as he flashed a beaming smile at the confused Adam.

"We are in one of several rooms in the Year one dormitory for Varidan students. Hahaha... Nice to meet you roommate," Hendrix said as he extended his hand.

'Dormitory? But, how did I get here?' Adam thought as he extended his hand.

"Hendrix, how did I get here? And, how long as it been since I passed out?" Adam asked.

"Someone from the registration office brought you here, and you were already unconscious. That was two days ago. If not that..."

'I was asleep for two days? What the hell.' Adam no longer paid any mind to Hendrix's words after he heard the news.

"Friend, you haven't still told me your name," Hendrix said.

"You can call me Adam."

"Cheers to your recovery Adam. I hope we have a great year ahead of us," Hendrix said.

Unlike his cheerful demeanor, Hendrix looked like a stereotypical thug who wanted nothing but trouble.

"Yeah. I hope so," Adam said.

Scanning the room, a bookshelf partially filled with books came into view. He could also see two separate study areas and a king-sized sleigh bed. Titling his end to the right, he also noticed that his bed was just as big. He also noticed six beautiful black uniform, hanging from an opened closet.

"It's yours by the way. That's the academy's uniform. The registration officer brought it along with those," Hendrix said as he pointed towards six pairs of black combat boots. Some were knee-high while others were standard boots.

"Oh, that reminds me. She also said you have a month to decide which reward to choose. If not you'd forfeit your right. Naturally, she also said you have to register your Blessing before you can attend classes," Hendrix explained.

"Thanks for the heads up, Hendrix," Adam said.

"Hahaha... It's not a big deal. By the way, what happened during your trial? Why did you pass out for that long?" Hendrix asked.

Adam slowly shook his head as he said, "I'm sorry, I don't remember. Hendrix, what is the passage of Emria and who is Pyren?"

Hendrix's eyes bulged and his mouth dropped as he heard Adam's words.

'Why is he looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?' Adam thought.

"Hendrix, did I say something wrong?" Adam asked.

"No, no. Don't mind me. I'm just genuinely surprised. If those are your rewards, it means you're among the top twenty-five students who completed the first trial quickest. I'm really impressed," Hendrix said. He had yet to recover from his initial shock.

Meanwhile, Adam's brows creased as he heard Hendrix's words.

'Is he making fun of me? Why does he look so surprised?'

As if reading Adam's thoughts, Hendrix continued his statement, "Adam, don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to mock you or anything; in fact, I'm awed. Rooms are assigned to Year one students based on our level. Since you were assigned here, it means your Blessing's connection is only at E. Just like me.

"Here, ones treatment is directly proportional to their Blessing's level. From what I heard, the least person to receive such a reward had a C-level connection."

[Establishing Connection to The Omen...]

[Connection Successfully Established.]

Name: Adam Staples.

Age: Seventeen.

Race: Human & Demonkin.

{Stats}

Constitution: 5. Agility: 10. Endurance: 12. Luck: 0.5

Dexterity: 12. Strength: 12. Charisma: 5.

{Skills}

Summoning.

Illusion Inducement.

{Title}

Manipulator.

Illusionist.

Devourer.

Dominator.

???

{Status}

Awakened!

{Omen Points}

10.

{Level}

D.

???

'It changed? Is this because of the merger? Omen Points? How do I use them? Hahaha... Vicar was right after all. I needed to merge both souls to attain my titles and skills. If my level went up from E, does that mean it's possible to grow higher?'

A smile tugged at the sides of Adam's lips as this thought filled his mind. Hendrix assumed Adam smiled because he complimented him.

"Adam, where are you from? Are you the first Awakened in your family? I don't mean to pry, but this is the first time I'm seeing someone who doesn't know about Emria and Pyren."

Adam woke up from his stupor as he heard Hendrix's words. He had a bashful smile on his face as he said, "I don't know where I am from. My parents were taken away from me and have long since departed from this world. Pardon me for my ignorance, I grew up in a desolate region."

Hendrix's expression sank as he heard Adam's words. He chided himself for making Adam remember a tragic memory.

"I'm sorry, Adam. I didn't—"

"It's okay. It's all in the past. I will make the Demon responsible pay one day," Adam interjected.

'This guy is really serious...how can someone with a E-level connection be so confident?' Hendrix thought as he stared at Adam's limpid eyes.

A smile gradually formed on his lips as he clenched his fists. "I'm sorry for your loss, Adam. I can see your determination through your eyes. That Demon won't know what hit it," Hendrix said as he tapped Adam's shoulder.

"Emria and Pyren are the names of legendary figures who could be grouped among the very best among the Blessed. Emria, the first high priestess of Sulhel, was the first person to establish a Blessed Connection to the white flames of purification.

"She conquered the Varidan dungeon and established the academy on the surrounding grounds. It was said that she vanquished over ten Èṣù—"

"Èṣù? What's that?" Adam interjected.

"Did you seriously just ask that? Don't you know about the ranking of Demons?"

Hendrix could not hide his incredulity as he stared at Adam.

Adam nodded without saying a word. If he didn't admit his ignorance, how would we learn? He thought.

"Wow. All right. In ascending order, the Demons are ranked from; Familiars, Demonkins and Èṣù. The Èṣù are responsible for taking souls and granting connection to The Omen. The Demonkins are the Omen Awakened. Depending on their connection, they are ranked as; Plagues, Disasters and Havoc. The Familiars are the least ranked of the Demons. They are beings created by the Èṣù but have no connection to The Omen. Just like the aberration we fought during our first trial," Hendrix said.

'Huh? I fought an unranked Demonkin? Did he fight something else?'

Adam's brows creased as he heard Hendrix's words.

"Hendrix, do you mean an unranked Demonkin?"

"Unranked Demonkin? What's that?" Hendrix asked. Adam's words piqued his interest, and he could not wait for Adam to clarify himself.

"Forget it. I must have heard wrong. Please continue," Adam said.

'I definitely heard Unranked Demonkin back then. What could this mean?' Adam thought bas he stared at the disappointed expression on Hendrix's face.

"Hahaha... I was excited for nothing. I thought a new category of Demonkins have been discovered. So, Priestess Emria was a legend back then. Although she died early, she left behind six detailed scrolls on how to establish a connection with the white flames of purification.

"Since she left the world, the church of Sulhel as not seen a Blessed Connection to the white flames. Although Varidan Academy was established by Emria, it has no connection with the church. However, each year, new students are allowed to read the first passage of Emria. If they're able to establish a connection with the white flames of purification, they become important figures for both the Church of Sulhel and Varidan Towers," Hendrix said.

Saying nothing, Adam slowly nodded as he fell into deep thought.

A few seconds later, he raised his head as he said, "I get what they're doing, but isn't it careless to leave such a precious item at the hands of new students? Who knows, one could be an agent of the Demons."

"Hahaha... Adam, any Demon that tries that only wants to commit suicide. According to what I heard, the passages are not written on scrolls; rather, they're living flames which binds to the souls of those who read them. Can a Familiar or Demonkin withstand something like that? Even the Èṣù dare not try it," Hendrix explained.

'Oh. It seems the priestess had great foresight,' Adam thought.

"Unlike Emria's, Pyren's story is a sad one. At an early age, he was renowned for having a Blessed connection to the Blessing of Smithing. He was a man who created extraordinary weapons. Seven of his creations have slain over twenty Èṣù. Including the Black Sword of Sulhel, Priestess Emria used. Being a man who created weapons that could threaten the Demons, he was constantly being targeted by them. However, thousands of Awakened ensured his protection.

"Unable to kill him, the Demons targeted his loved ones. Slowly, his wife and two sons died of terrible diseases. Even those with the Blessing of healing couldn't cure them. He lost his family over a period of two years. The only surviving member was his daughter, only ten years old at the time. She, too, had fallen Ill; and no one could do anything to save her.

"It was at the point of her death, an Èṣù made Pyren an offer. If Pyren offered his soul, it would cure his daughter of the disease."

Hendrix paused as he sighed while slowly shaking his head.

"On the expected date of his daughter's demise, they found hundreds of weapons littered on the floor of Pyren's workshop. He lay on the floor, with a dagger buried deep into his heart. Sobbing by his side with trembling hands, was his daughter. Pyren accepted the offer and his daughter lived. She grew up to become the first Priestess of the Church of Sulhel, Emria Hervoet," Hendrix said.

Adam's mouth slowly opened as he heard Hendrix's words. Although their stories were not similar, he could empathize with Emria. He knew what it was like to lose a loved one to the Demons.

"Hendrix, if Pyren had such a reputation; why would they allow a new student access to his works? I'd imagine most of the stronger Awakened would have bought it all," Adam said.

"Well, you're not wrong. Hardly would anyone see Pyren's works being displayed for sale. The ones in Varidan Academy are the last works of Pyren before his demise. Sadly, they're are not as great as his earlier creations. Even most of the higher level students have access to better weapons. However, it is a rear treasure for people like us. According to legend, Pyren focused more on Emria's Black Sword, hence why the rest weren't good enough."

"Thank you, Hendrix. I wouldn't have known this if not for you," Adam said.

Hendrix's smile brightened as he heard Adam's words, "Hahaha... it's no biggie. By the way, aren't you hungry? You've been asleep for two days, your stomach should be killing you. Since it's our first day together, I'll treat you to something nice. You should change to your uniform, let's go to the cafeteria. Trust me, it's out of this world. When we are done, you can go to the registration hall and Varidan Towers to register your Blessing and receive your reward," Hendrix said as he tapped Adam's shoulder.

Saying nothing further, he walked towards his closet. He, too, had to get dressed.

Meanwhile, Adam remained sitting on his bed.

'I definitely can't go anywhere near Emria's passage. That means my only option is one of Pyren's creations,' Adam thought.

"Oh. Adam, just a heads up, this place is not a place that enforces or promotes equal standing. Varidan Academy's sole purpose is to breed the best of the best Awakened. In essence, this a class based Academy. Whether you're a prince from Permisia or a drifter from Wazar or from beyond the walls; everything comes down to your level of connection. If you know your position in the hierarchy, you won't have any problems."