Within the final edge sect night never fell, light pervaded all area's within the sect never allowing darkness to fall in this holy land.
This created an odd feel to the surroundings as the light in all directions only created shadows directly below them.
The odd feel Bran Ai had felt ealier was due to their being no 'Source' from which this light came.
To sleep peacefully here one must build in accordance to this fact, those which are below a certain cultivation threshold must live in the underground buildings to keep their minds fresh daily, while anyone else must build dark rooms to mimic the night.
Sleep for a newly initiated mortal is paramount, the same goes for food and water.
Currently the children underwent an unintended stress test.
They all walked the frozen tundra without rest, most came with nothing but the clothes on their back and they had all been starving ever since.
Simply walking for three days through the frozen terrain and surviving would be a miracle to any experienced adventure, let alone with how ill-dressed and untaught the majority of these kids are.
Had they not been special they would have died long, long ago.
Their minds lacking nutrients thus became very susceptible to outside influence at this moment, any ounce of kindness could shift their perception of events to the peak, and likewise any show of distrust can forever turn them against you.
It was this fact that allowed all the people whom led them here to so easily draw them in, Abbas's speech was simply a formality, a simple coercion spell and these kids followed without care.
In the air above the underground dorm's many silhouettes' could be seen chanting.
"The heavens are merciful, the heavens are merciful, have pity on these souls so that they may forget, have mercy oh heaven so that they devote themselves to the great dao, heaven be merciful, enlighten these poor souls so that they may praise the heavens for it's mercy"
Like a passing wind the voices sounded across the dorm's entering the minds of the children in their sleep.
The eyes of any that might be awake at this moment shut close, falling into a deep rest.
Children that cried in their sleep, children that called out for their parents, children that felt scared of everything that was happening, each fell silent.
The chanting continued for hours on end without pause, a great sense of calmness fell.
"That's enough for today, we will convene again tomorrow at the same hour"
"yes"
"okay"
With that the figures in the air left.
Bran Ai awoke in discomfort, his body felt weak and numb yet he had no complaints.
'Hungry, so hungry. I thought we would get something to eat soon, looks like I'll have to find something myself. I saw some fruit trees earlier should I go pick some right now?'
Bran Ai assured himself that all was well, maybe they just forgot to feed them, he hoped that was the case.
He looked at his roommates still sleeping soundly trying not to make noise that may disturb them, even if they had given him the cold shoulder it was something he was used too.
He really couldn't blame them though, he currently looked like a walking skeleton in all fairness, few adults would find him pleasing to look at let alone a child.
The light on the 'window' had disappeared making the room dark, so Bran Ai struggled to adjust his eyes at first, once he did he made his way outside slowly as to not trip.
Pulling the cloth door to the side a bright ray of light cut through the darkness blinding Bran Ai whom had just adjusted his eyes to the dark.
He closed the gap he made letting his eyes re-adjust for a moment before quickly closing his eyes and rushing outside making sure that he closed the gap in the cloth door completely.
'Wha... Why is it so bright? isn't it nighttime?'
He turned around looking around him.
Then Bran Ai looked up while covering his eyes with his fingers still struggling to adjust his eyes.
'I can't see the sun yet it's so bright out'
Adjusting his eyes once more Bran Ai made his way up the stairs without delay.
His feet had gone numb already, they swelled and tore from the constant strain they had gone through the past three days yet this did not stop him from walking.
It was foolish to walk in his condition but he lacked common sense at this moment, he was too hungry to care.
Walking onto the field Bran Ai made his way over to the rear of the building where he noticed a group of fruit trees earlier.
There was no path leading into these trees making the ground uneven and hard to traverse, Bran Ai was rather surprised at how long he had to walk to reach the trees he was sure they looked closer then they actually were.
As he got closer he knew it was a fools quest to attempt to climb up.
Each tree towered above the landscape with trunks as thick as six man spread arm to arm with well over 30 meters before any branches could be seen.
The fruits were beyond his grasp.
'Berries, maybe there's berries'
The weather was just right for berry bushes to grow, although it was rare to ever find in his homeland maybe this paradise could have them.
Bran Ai ran into the forested area without concern, what kind of danger could be so close to such a place? Would the owners of this place allow for any dangerous animals to be nearby?
He walked under the trees, the light could hardly pierce the thick foliage creating rays of light adding a surreal and magical look to the forest.
The roots of the trees piercing from under the ground already towered over Bran Ai, climbing over each root was simply unreasonable.
'I better go around, this one's too steep to climb down, this place is... kinda creepy'
Climbing over roots, going around them or sliding down, whatever method he could use available to him he used to make his way past the tree roots.
A simple task that requires plenty of energy to execute.
Bran Ai started to sweat, he was already feeling light headed due to the lack of food and now it was getting worse.
He soon landed in small clearing in-between the large trees with plenty of bushes and other foliage to search.
Bran Ai did not think more rushing into the bushes in search of anything to eat.
'I've never seen these plants until now, I wonder if they can be eaten'
He inspected each plant he came across trying to find anything that seemed even remotely edible.
A white flower stood alone among these bushes no more then a few inches in size, its stem was towering above the bushes with its petals spread open.
'I don't know about this, looks kinda dangerous'
Desperate as he may be he still decided against simply eating the first plant that seemed to fit his needs, especially this flower that had an odd vibe to it.
Further in the distance he saw colorful polka-dots on a couple bushes.
'Those should be berry bushes, I just hope they won't make me sick'
He pushed his way through the foliage scratching his arms and legs in the process but he didn't pay attention to it.
A few more wounds wouldn't matter to him anymore.
Having reached the berries he noticed they seemed to be slightly glowing, the bushes hidden slightly in the dark made them all the more noticeable.
Red and lush the berries truly looked appetizing.
He didn't hesitate this time simply grabbing one berry after the other from this pair of bushes until he stripped them clean.
Each berry tasted like heaven to him finding himself unable to stop, he did not notice that the new scratches he had gained disappeared in mere moments.
Bran Ai felt an explosion of energy burst inside him spreading across his body filling him with a great pleasure of satisfaction, his entire body felt rejuvenated at this moment.
For a few minutes he found himself unable to move simply sitting in comfort.
The chirping of birds in the distance finally woke him up and with a breath he stood back up and left this place.
He felt if he spent to much time in here something bad would happen, the sense of comfort was new to him giving him an odd feeling.
Walking back into the room Bran Ai noticed the light from the window was starting to light up once more.
He did not know just how long he had been gone for but it didn't really matter.
His roommates still slept soundly never noticing that he had left.
'Ah I really messed up, I could have saved some for them'
He felt a little bad, but nothing could be done about it anymore.
Bran Ai sat down on his mat, it would be difficult to read anything at the moment and even with his body being renewed his head felt light, he would take a rest for a little while, just a quick nap.