Outworld: Awakening

A few minutes after Headmaster Darius uplifted the lockdown, normalcy returned to Varidan territory. The guards spanning its perimeter retreated, and the students had permission to do as they pleased, as long as they broke none of Varidan rules.

Unlike a few minutes ago, Adam lay on a white sofa in an all so familiar room. Beside him sat Arianna and another lady Adam had encountered.

"Niamh, what are we supposed to get from him? If the guard in charge of Pyren's Valley couldn't find the source of the explosion, does Dean Hensley really expect a Year one student to know?" Arianna said as she stared Adam's face.

Niamh was the stern-faced registration officer who brought Adam to his dorm after he passed out. She rubbed her temples as she heard Arianna's words. She sighed repeatedly, however, she said nothing.

"Niamh—"

"Let me think, Arianna. Obviously, I don't think Dean Hensley expects to get any useful information from him. This is just for formality. We need to at least hear what he has to say. Hopefully, he saw something useful," Niamh said as she played with the tip of her mohawk.

Arianna's brows creased as she heard Niamh's words, "This is just a waste of time. But since it's an order from Dean Hensley, I can't really do much about it. Shouldn't he have woken up by now?"

Niamh shrugged, "I don't know. They already healed him. It shouldn't take—"

Before Niamh could finish her statement, Adam's hacking cough interrupted her. Both ladies simultaneously rose to their feet, with Niamh reaching for a cup of water beside the sofa. Wasting no time, raised Adam's head slightly, before pouring water through his parted lips. Just as the water slid down his throat, Adam's eyes slowly opened.

"Where am I?" Adam muttered as he tried to rise to his feet.

"Take it easy, Adam. You are in the registration hall, you don't have to be afraid," Arianna said.

'How did I get here? Did they heal my injuries? Why here of all places?'

Different questions flashed through Adam's mind as he stared at Arianna and Niamh, he didn't expect them to be the first people he would see.

"W-What happened in Pyren's Valley? One minute I heard drums, the next moment, I was in the eye of an explosion," Adam said.

'I knew it. There is no way he could have seen anything.'

Arianna and Niamh stared at each other as they heard Adam's words, they had the same thought in their minds.

"Adam, tell us everything you experienced in Pyren's Valley. Start from the moment you descended into the valley. Remember, we can detect if you are lying or not," Niamh said as he piercing gaze landed on Adam.

Adam's countenance turned rigid. He stared into Niamh's eyes as he said, "Wait… If I didn't know better, I would believe you guys are suspecting me. That's not possible, right? You don't expect me, an E-level Awakened to cause such an explosion, right? In fact, why would I knowingly harm myself? You—"

"Calm down, Adam. We just want to know what happened. Who said anything about suspecting you? Why are you suddenly becoming paranoid? Or, did you have a hand in the explosion? Tell us, we are the only people who can help you. I promise you, nothing bad will happen to you," Arianna interjected.

'Hahaha… Are these guys playing good, cop bad cop? If they can murder people for trespassing, do they honestly believe I would fess up? I wonder what they mean by they would know if I am lying? Did they feed me a truth serum…? No. That's stupid. Whatever it is, it seems it doesn't work on me. If not, Arianna should have known I lied while registering.'

As different thoughts raced through Adam's mind, his countenance softened. This change didn't go unnoticed to Arianna and Niamh.

"Trust me, Adam. I will protect you even if you had a hand in the explosion," Arianna reaffirmed.

Niamh said nothing, still maintaining her stone cold demeanor. Fiddling with his fingers, Adam looked at Arianna, then he glanced at Niamh. His mouth opened, but he said nothing as he lowered his head.

"Niamh, can you please give us the room?" Arianna said.

Without saying a word, Niamh rose to her feet before being swallowed by a portal.

'Oh? Niamh… that's a nice name,' Adam thought. He finally knew her name.

The moment Niamh disappeared, Arianna sat close to Adam donning a sympathetic countenance.

"Adam, don't worry about her. You can tell me anything. Do you need something to make you more comfortable?"

Adam slowly shook his head, "Miss. Arianna, thank you. I honestly don't have a hand in the explosion. After…"

Choosing his words carefully, Adam explained everything that happened after he left the registration hall. Meanwhile, Arianna neither interrupted nor reacted to Adam's explanation.

"Miss. Arianna, that's all I can remember," Adam said.

"So, after you heard the drums; you saw the beast, then the explosion followed, right?" Arianna asked.

Adan nodded, "Yes. That's what happened. The snake might have a hand in it," Adam said.

'It was a waste of time after all. There is no way he would have caused the explosion. At least, we have interrogated him as instructed,' Arianna mused.

"Ehm… Miss. Arianna, how long was I unconscious? I remember being thrown away by the shock wave. Thank you for healing my injuries."

Arianna snapped back to reality as she heard Adam's words.

"It's been a few hours. I wasn't the one who healed your injuries, but I will convey your thanks to the right person. Can you move now?" Arianna said.

Saying nothing, Adam nodded.

"That's good. It's time you returned to your dorm. Classes begin tomorrow, I wish you good luck."

Just as Arianna finished her statement, she clicked her fingers, and a portal swallowed Adam. The moment he left the room, another portal opened.

"Any good?"

"Unsurprisingly, he knows nothing. Please relay the report to Dean Hensley, Niamh," Arianna said.

"All right. Until next time, Arianna."

Saying nothing further, Niamh turned to leave the through the portal. Just as she turned, Arianna's voice reached her again, "Niamh, did you notice anything strange with The Labyrinth of the Nameless after the explosion?"

"Something like what?" Niamh asked.

"I don't know if I saw wrong, but its radiance turned red," Arianna said.

"Red? How is that possible? Are you sure you weren't seeing things?" Niamh said. She could not hide her incredulity as she stared at Arianna.

"Forget it. I was probably seeing things. Taking this job has been tasking on my mind. Forget I said anything," Arianna said.

"All right. I know you took this job to find your sister, but you shouldn't work yourself into the ground. Remember to take it easy. See you later."

Saying nothing further, Niamh disappeared from the room.

'It's been ten years already… could she still be alive? I wonder where you are now?' A tear lingered at the sides of Arianna's eyes as she stared at the ceiling.

Year One Dormitory.

Unlike before, the portal didn't return Adam to another location within the registration hall; Rather, it sent him to the entrance of his dormitory. With his hair disheveled, and with his uniform torn in multiple places, other students pointed and stared at him. To them, he resembled someone who had survived the mauling of a beast.

[Three Potential Sources of Danger Detected]

'Did they know I was lying? Or, did they send them to watch after me? If they suspected me, they wouldn't have let me go. Unless they believe I have someone I'm working with… Either way, it doesn't matter.'

With this thought in mind, Adam strolled into the dorm while ignoring the strange glances at his direction. Using the elevator-like construct, he reached the entrance of his room within minutes.

Wasting no time, Adam opened the door. At that moment, his mouth dropped slightly before he quickly closed the door.

A few seconds after he closed the door, it opened for a second time. Two ladies who had bedspread wrapped around their bodies raced out of the room while holding their uniforms and shoes. The moment they saw Adam, they blushed with one winking at him, before they sprinted towards the elevator-like construct.

A split second later, Adam's eyes bulged.

'It seems the ladies in Varidan are daring,' Adam thought as the doors of the construct shut on the n.a.k.e.d ladies. They left the bedspread at the entrance of the construct.

"My friend, where have you been? You missed a lot… Eh! What happened to you? Were you robbed?"

As Adam heard Hendrix's voice, he titled his head to the side, only to find his roommate approaching while n.a.k.e.d.

"Hey! Put on some clothes first. Don't come near me while you're n.a.k.e.d," Adam said.

Donning a wry smile, Hendrix covered up with a bedspread before urging Adam to enter the room. Unlike before, a flowery fragrance filled the room.

"Adam, what happened to you? By the way, where have you been? I waited for you at the tree but you never came. I even went to the registration hall, they told me you had already left. Did you get lost? Or, did those ladies from the cafeteria do something to you? By the way, did you see the explosion earlier? Wait… wait, that's not the reason for your current state, right?"

'One question at a time,' Adam thought as he rubbed his temple.

"Don't worry about my uniform, it's nothing major. I wandered into somewhere off limits, I'm lucky to have got off with a light punishment. It seems you had a great time while I was suffering," Adam said with a knowing grin.

"Hahaha… I'm sorry for taking all the fun. I really looked for you, believe me. Don't worry, buddy. There are a lot of fine ladies in Varidan, we going to have a great time this year…"

[Establishing Connection to The Omen...]

[Connection Successfully Established.]

{Title}

Manipulator.

Illusionist.

Devourer (Unstable!)

Dominator.

???

Just as the system's message appeared in Adam's mind, he felt an overwhelming sense of hunger consuming his body.

"Adam, are you all right?" Hendrix asked.

Unlike before, Adam clenched his stomach while his eyes turned bloodshot. Hendrix thought Adam was unhappy that he left him out of the good time. However, after observing Adam, he noticed that he was in pain.

"Don't mind me. I still recovering from the punishment from earlier. I think I going to sleep early, you should, too. Classes start tomorrow, and we don't want to arrive late," Adam said.

"All right. Take it easy, Adam. Don't worry, I will treat you to something nice in the cafeteria tomorrow."

Saying nothing further, Adam watched as Hendrix went to his bed, before he buried himself under his sheets.

Laying down on his own bed, Adam had a scowl as he stared at the wall.

'What kind of hunger was that? If hadn't controlled myself, I was moments away from ripping Hendrix to shreds…' As different thoughts filled Adam's mind, he slowly closed his eyes.