"How do I start?" Terran asked the elation in his voice almost tangible.
Silvia could only smile back helplessly. "I'm afraid It's not so easy. Do you know anything about mana roots?"
Terran could only shake his head in disappointment.
"That's all right. Nobody actually knows a lot about them, so there is not much to learn. What we do know is that mana roots are not physical, and yet all the blessed have them. They connect to your brain stem and run all throughout your body. It is believed that they carry world energy throughout the body, just as our veins carry our blood, allowing blessed to utilize their abilities. In order to find your trial, you must follow the mana roots up to your brain stem. This is because the essence of all blessings resides in the head, and your brain stem serves as a metaphorical gateway. However, trying to jump straight into your mind will get you nowhere."
"That seems simple enough."
"Ha-ha," Silvia chuckled. "Its simplicity is what makes it complicated. While meditation seems to help, there is no single technique that guarantees one will be able to trace their mana roots, even finding them proves difficult for most."
Terran tilted his head in question. "I don't mean to be rude, but what is the point of this class if there is not a teachable method?"
"It is true there is no one way. Still, you can ask your peers about their methods. Just because it won't work for everyone doesn't mean it won't work for you, and vice versa. More importantly, I am here to supervise those that have left their bodies defenseless."
Terran had utter confidence in his body's resilience, but he still found the thought comforting.
Seeing Terran didn't have any more questions, Silvia directed him towards an open mat.
Unsurprisingly, Terran had never taken the time to search for any abstract concepts inside of himself. His life had only had one purpose before arriving at the Oasis, and self-inspection was not it. Contrary to Silvia's words, it only took a few seconds for him to visualize energy moving throughout his body. However, unlike nerves, the energy flowed in what could only be considered a labyrinth. Twists and turns led to countless dead ends. Loops brought him back to similar places.
"It is nothing less than a miracle my body is able to send mana to where it's needed."
Although it was a maze, a map was somehow slowly forming in his mind. As time passed, Terran's focus reached his neck and was nearing his brain stem. It was at this moment that sight came to his closed eyes. In front of him was a golden archway wrapped in lush ivy. Surrounding him was a boundless field filled with all sorts of life. However, after attempting to look around, he found that the only thing he could do was open his eyes or move forward. Of course, for Terran, there was only one path. Everything was happening so fast, but that was not a good enough reason for him to slow down. Without further hesitation, he stepped through the archway and into darkness's cold embrace.
"What's happening?" The same question berated Terran's mind as seconds turned to minutes. He attempted to open his eyes, but it was as if he lacked eyes to open. Not even the system interface would pop up.
"System, you there?"
Terran was not expecting a response, but he still asked anyway. Not to his surprise, whether it was because it could not or chose not to, he never got a response.
He was trapped in the endless darkness that had consumed him upon entering the lush archway.
Soon, a feeling that was not his own crept its way into his very heart. This feeling was pain, but not the kind he was used to. It was not physical. Instead, it was a mental pain that clung to one's soul after a significant loss. The invasive feeling of loss only multiplied. It did not take long for an aching frustration, anger, and sadness to manifest. All these emotions clawed at his very being. While there were a variety of other emotions, these four utterly blanketed the others.
This event was very confusing for Terran, as it was clear to him that these emotions were not his own. While at the same time, it was a simple fact that he was feeling them. The number of sources exponentially rose to an uncountable number. Although Terran had a strong mind, he was sure that if the sum of these emotions continued to grow, he would soon lose his ability to think.
At this moment, another sensation made its way into Terran's mind. Unlike before, this was one of his own. It was a feeling that he had never experienced before, for better or worse. It caused a chill to run down his illusory spine. It was the feeling of his life slipping away from him. He was unsure what was happening, but his gut told him it was unrelated to the invasive feelings hammering away at his fragile mental state.
Terran had sought after death for as long as he could remember. Only now, after finally escaping his hellish prison, did Death's arms choose to embrace him back.
"No, I don't want to die! I will not die!"
At this moment, a melodious womanly voice descended from the depths of darkness.
"Live! Escape and live to fight another day!"
The words were short, yet they carried with them great power, power surpassing the words of a leader. A power that could only be followed as an absolute decree.
Terran's eyes flew open, and he barely managed to stop himself from choking at the sight in front of him. Six majestic white wings were attached to an oddly familiar back rippling with strength. The pressure radiating off the being in front of him was suffocating. Instinctively, he closed his eyes again, pretending to not be awake while he organized his thoughts.
Even though the intimidating sight caught him off guard, he still managed to gather a miniature layout of his situation. He was lying in a bed of sorts surrounded by a barrier covered in ancient runes. Luckily, the angel had been looking out a window and did not seem to notice his eyes flickering open and close.
"Is that one of the angels that caused the downfall of humanity? Why is it in front of me?"
The history books had many holes in them, but they had made one thing abundantly clear: their feathery friends had caused the apocalypse, and now one was standing a few meters away from him.
Terran quickly tried calling up the system interface. But, just like when he was trapped in the darkness, no text flashed in his retina.
"This must really be the trial." Terran thought as he reassured himself. Although it may have been obvious, he had his doubts after being trapped in the dark void.
If what Silvia said was true, then there was a chance this was an event that happened in his past. Terran believed this to be the case. When he had opened his eyes for a brief second, an unmistakable case of déjà vu bombarded his mind. However, it had quickly been overwhelmed by the pressure of the winged being.
Unfortunately, his understanding of his situation did nothing to help him out of it. Despite waking up, the sense of his life drifting out of his hands was ever-present. If he wasn't wrong, the runes circling him were responsible for his desperate situation. But, of course, that was only his immediate concern. He did not need to throw away his life to know the angel in front of him was a wall he couldn't simply climb over.
"Fuck me!" Terran cursed in his mind. "What the hell am I supposed to do in this situation? Kill myself over and over again fighting this angel until my blessing gets stronger?"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted his self-pity session. "So, the little fragment is awake."
Hearing the deep and imposing voice, countless thoughts raced through Terran's mind. He first wondered how the angel knew he was awake, only to instantly chuckle at his own question. How would such a divine being not notice? His fear lingered in the back of his mind, but his attention focused on what the angel had called him. Figuring that he was clearly already trapped, Terran decided to try and get information instead of fruitlessly struggling.
His emerald eyes shimmered open for the second time.
"What do you mean fragment?" Terran questioned while burying his emotions.
"Oh, it can talk?"
Terran wanted to frown at the angel's seemingly insulting words. Still, his guard was high, and he considered emotion a weakness in such situations. He was about to throw out another question when the angel snapped his fingers.
In that instant, pain like nothing he had ever felt filled every fiber of his bones. The process of the depletion of his lifeforce sped up exponentially. Terran had thought he had grown accustomed to pain, but this belief had just been doused in a bucket of icy water. The pain felt like every individual cell in his body was being waterboarded with poison. Such a poison that somehow stung, burned, and throbbed, all at the same time. Terran tried to keep a straight face, but he could not keep himself from wincing as his face rapidly paled.
He was sure he would return to the void of darkness any second when a tremendous explosion shook the building. The window shattered, blowing glass across the room, and a second later, a bright light flashed outside.