The clock read 13 minutes after 11 in the night. Reading the time took no longer than a second, even lesser if he was aiming for accuracy. But professor String was staring at the clock for much longer, and it wasn't for the time, but at the hands themselves. The longer hand was a piece of spotted blue crystal. Spotted blue crystal was the most inert among all rocks, and should thus be worth too little to warrant the smallest attention. Yet, the reality was that a shard of clear spotted blue crystal could be worth upward of 10 gold. The longer hand of the clock wasn't the purest spotted blue crystal, but would still be worth a gold. Such an amount spent on the hand of a clock was nothing short of ludicrous. The long hand itself was simple, plain even, like a long spotted blue crystal staff. The smaller hand was a rectangular block, that would have looked ugly, if not for the deep shade of green. It was no effort distinguishing the block for a Meer's heart. Meer's heart had no value, because it wasn't sold or bought in any market. Owing to the legend, or some other form of faith, it was popularly believed that Meer's heart could only be found, and it was deeply connected with one's fate. That was also probably why there was never in history a case of Meer's heart being thieved. The two hands were nailed to the centre of a thick plate of Wale's shard. The glass-like plate was a little over six inches in diameter, and had the numbers 1 through 12 etched around the edge. The clock hung on the plain white wall, that bore nothing else. A simple clock that held enough character to grow increasingly magnetic the longer one looked at it.
Finally, when he felt freshened enough, he turned away. The cottages, that were the quarters of the professors in the academy, were all the same. There was a bedroom, a bathroom, and a study/office. The furniture inside was all the same as well, as long as it was provided by the academy. Professors were allowed to decorate their cottages of their own accord, which was where the differences came from.
The only changes professor String made to his cottage was the clock on the wall of the study, that was also visible from the bed in the bedroom as long as the door was open, and the S'Erwood table in the study. The table was a family heirloom. Until he was fifteen, String loved the table. Then, he learned of the council's law concerning S'Erwood, and his feelings for the family heirloom turned more complicated. He brought it along to the academy because he couldn't bear to part with it. And now, the table that had witnessed the genius of several of his ancestors, watched professor String prepare lessons and and mark tests of his students on it.
Tonight, for some reason, he was feeling restless. There was an ominous scent in the air. He wanted nothing more than to fall into his bed and sleep, and it wasn't even like sleep was staging a protest. It was him that couldn't go. Something kept him glued to the chair in the study. And he could see the glow on the table, as if it was gloating at him.
'Can't run now,' the table was saying to him, in a voice that was very strangely like his father's.
Holding onto his silence was his way of retorting at the table. He had retorted enough, when he heard the soft knocking.
**
May opened his eyes to the notebook and what he had written in it. The most eye-catching was the final question mark.
[ ? ]
It wasn't a mystery that demanded effort to be solved. He understood very easily what it meant, what he was asking of himself. He just wasn't sure he could answer it all by himself. And even if he wanted to ask for help, who should he go to? The quiet question mark spoke so much more than the many bigger words that preceded.
Then, for some reason, he heard professor String's voice in his head.
'The first awakening is the worst recorded of all the periods, and understandably so. People were living their lives in their world, when suddenly, without any warning, they started awakening. Their lives were changing far too rapidly. The world was changing in inexplicable ways. And so there was, the immediate reaction, confusion. Because of this, we're not entirely aware of the circumstances surrounding the first awakening. It's also so very far back in history, that it seems insignificant. Rightly so too. We were better prepared for the second and the third awakenings, and those periods are well documented. What we know today, is from studying everything documented about the second and the third awakenings.'
And it clicked. Professor String didn't only teach history, but was also their class' professor, as well as a professor of abilities. It made perfect sense. May sighed in relief, even smiled a ghost of a smile, as he decided to head over to the professor's cottage. Professor String would surely have answers.