Arc slowly regained consciousness in the same manner he had before. He found he was mentally exhausted and physically very tired. He may have been 'unconscious' during the past week, but he was by no means asleep or resting. He may have been nourished by that field, but that was only supplementary. It was no replacement for sleep.
He was confused as to why he was physically tired though, as he thought he wouldn't be moving.
What he didn't know, or rather couldn't know, is that is was a combination of his soul being split from his body, the jostling from the quick movements of his father, and the result of the art that Zerrin had used which utilized Arc's own physical energy to put him into a dormant state.
One of the things he did know is that he was famished.
He may have been dormant, but he had still gone a week without food or drink. He didn't need to urinate or defecate, he hadn't consumed anything after all.
He had no other way of grabbing attention, so he cried out a few times. He would have to practice speaking at a later date.
While he waited for someone to answer his calls, he did an environment check.
He was on a fairly large and very soft mattress that was covered by a deep crimson blanket. There were quite a few pillows on the bed as well, with complementary shades of red, gray, and brown, and in all sorts of sizes, ranging from large to small.
The room itself took on a red theme. The ceiling was the same color as the blanket and the walls were a drab grey. The curtains that darkened the room were an earthy brown, bordering on dirt. There were various matching rugs on the floor covering a motley of gray and brown tiles.
In one of the corners of the room there was a table in a style he recognized. That was probably his 'refreshment station'. There were a few other seats furnished in that same crimson along with a similarly colored sofa placed around a reddish-brown wooden table.
This was easily the best looking room he had seen.
The room that he was tortured in seemed shoddy and dull with all its grey and silver. The rest of his father's house was similarly disorganized. Nofafi and Breda's house was better, but it was still not on the level of this room he found himself in. It was flashy, but not over the top.
His analysis was interrupted by the entrance of a white furred creature with blue spots through those reddish-brown doors.
This furry fellow looked suspiciously like a panther. Its color scheme was a stark contrast to the room, and it gave off an eerie chill.
"Strange child, what is it you want? Flattery? Fame? Fortune? I cannot wait to see what her spawn will grow up to be."
The cat changed into a man in front of his eyes. He had cat ears much in the same form as Sirius', and his hair matched his fur. Arc wasn't able to piece together what exactly had happened, but at this point he was neither surprised nor concerned. Jamie would not leave him in a place with danger and the introduction of Xan and what some applications for it were meant he was now prepared for just about everything.
He had still been taken aback by the suddenness of it. The change was almost instant after all.
"Out of respect for her, I shall protect and care for you. It is the least I can do. I hope you can accept my apology for not being able to assist her, not that you can understand me anyway."
This tall, white haired, steely ice-blue eyed panther-man seemed to like to talk to himself a lot. He had hardly closed his mouth since he had changed, picking him up and taking him out of the room.
"For now I suppose you want food. Food is good. Food will make you grow. Food will make you STRONG. Then you will be able to protect yourself."
This man wasn't making much sense. Arc was starting to think that this was his form of baby talk.
"Master Kelvin. I have prepared the food for the child. May I suggest you treat speak to the young Arc in a more refined tone? I wouldn't like to see your image ruined if a dignitary saw you with him." A young lady wearing a formal set of robes colored red brought in a bowl of some sort of mushed food.
"Oh come off it Merri, you know I saw her as a daughter. I know you thought of her as a cousin as well. Let me have this bit of fun with him, you know I can sense where everyone is anyway. I won't embarrass myself." Kelvin responded in a rather exasperated and indignant tone, confirming Arc's suspicions he was dawdling. "Anyway, do you think I could feed him? You'll have as much time as you want with him."
"Very well. Don't force him. Only give him as much as he will eat." She left the bowl and spoon on one of the tables. "When you are done feeding him you can play with him in his room for a bit. Leave the bowl on the table, I will clean it up later."
"Thank you Merri!"
She stopped before leaving the room. "Don't forget your work!!"
"I know I know..." He turned and picked up a spoonful of the mush. "Work work work. All I do is paperwork. How I envy you for having nothing to do." He moved the pleasant smelling food towards Arc's mouth. "I must admit you are a breath of fresh air."