Ken settled onto the mat, crossing his legs in a meditative pose, seeking inner balance. Closing his eyes, he focused on the subtle energies within and around him, allowing himself to relax.
The gentle hum of the meditation hall's ambiance enveloped him, fostering an atmosphere of serenity. Suddenly, a system prompt appeared.
[You are in a meditative state. Meditation will now begin]
[Do note that you cannot interrupt the process until after ten minutes, do you wish to continue?]
Ken pondered briefly, wondering what harm could come from meditating for ten minutes, especially since he had received a quest to do so. Everyone in the hall was meditating, making this the perfect opportunity. With no reservations, he clicked yes.
[Entering the celestial space…]
Just as the message appeared, a warm, golden energy began to envelop his heart, filling him with a sense of tranquility. A brilliant white light illuminated his darkened vision, radiating an intense energy that expanded within him.
Suddenly, Ken found himself transported to a pristine white room. The floor, ceiling, and walls glowed with an ethereal energy, imbuing the space with an otherworldly quality.
"What the heck is this place?" He blurted out, his voice bouncing off the walls of the room.
That was when he heard the strange voice of a woman. "Ken…" the voice said, echoing over the room. It was a soothing voice accompanied by a hint of familiarity, but the way it sounded, it seemed as if she was in anguish.
"Who are you?" He asked, searching the room for the source, his curiosity piqued.
Meanwhile, on the outside, Angela had approached Ken. Her hands hovering above his back as she prepared to channel her energy into him, while intending to enhance his meditation.
But as her hands got closer to his body, she encountered an unexpected barrier, halting her hands midair, preventing it from touching Ken's body.
This had come as a shock to her, as she withdrew her hands and move it closer to Ken's body again, but the same thing had happened again.
A few metres to touching Ken's body, an invisible barrier had appeared, stopping her hands from moving further.
"Impossible." Angela whispered, her eyes widening in surprise, her mind racing with concern and uncertainty.
Scott, seated nearby, could hear the little squeal from Angela, so he opened one eye to investigate. "What's going on?" He wondered.
That was when he saw Angela moving her hands closer to Ken's body. This time, she decided to release some of her energy without directly touching his body.
As the energy left Angela's hands in its invisible form, it started approaching Ken's body. Unlike when her hands were stopped by the invisible barrier, the energy hadn't stopped, instead it was quickly being absorbed into Ken's body.
"This kid... is he...?" Angela thought, recognizing the hallmarks of a celestial.
Scott watched, perplexed, as Angela's eyes locked onto Ken with newfound understanding. But the next thing that happened surprised her greatly.
Suddenly, her whole body tensed up, the hairs of her body standing as she felt the energy within her leaving her body rapidly into Ken's body.
Noticing how fast her energy was being absorbed, she confirmed her suspicions. "It's just as I thought, this kid… he's a celestial." Angela said within herself.
Realizing the rapid energy transfer, she swiftly withdrew her hands, severing the flow. The energy had stopped being absorbed into Ken's body.
Scott had witnessed it all, but he couldn't understand what just happened. He saw Angela doing her hand thingy until suddenly the hairs of her hands stood up, and then she backed away, glancing at Ken like she had just seen a ghost.
'Is there meant to be one among the first years? But I wasn't informed.' Angela thought.
She then saw Scott glaring at her with both of his eyes open. Due to the incident with Ken, she had lost her focus a bit. But she noticed that Ken wasn't even aware of what was happening around him, which further confirmed the fact that he was indeed a celestial who was currently meditating.
She then turn to Scott, inquiring, "Do you know his name?" Her voice barely above a whisper. Scott nodded, his response alleviating her concerns.
Heaving a sigh of relief, she whispered to herself. "Great then."
Relieved, she observed Ken for a few minutes, pondering on the whole incident. Then, she moved on to Scott, as she continued her class, while also keeping a close eye on Ken.
Unaware that his identity has been exposed to a certain person, Ken remained immersed in the white room, his gaze travelling around the place as he tried to find the source of the voice.
"Ken…" the mysterious voice called out again, pain and anguish lacing her words.
"I said, who are you?" He inquired.
"Get stronger… you have to get stronger…" the voice urged, its desperation palpable.
This was the only reply he received, and before Ken could respond, the white room had started fading, as it disappeared along with the voice, plunging him into darkness.
[You have successful meditated for ten minutes!]
The system message flashing, updating him.
[During your meditation, you absorbed a total of 200 points of mana. Such an impressive feat for a first-timer!]
[Mana: 200 points]
[Congratulations! You have completed your daily quest!]
[Meditate for ten minutes]
[Reward: 50 MP]
[Mana: 250 points]
Although he was glad about this improvement, his excitement was however tempered by the lingering thoughts of the mysterious female voice.
"What was it all about? who was the woman behind that voice? What does she mean by he should get stronger? Why could he hear her voice?"
He had many versions of who she could be, but it was useless as none of it made any sense.
As he pondered on this, a system message had displayed above his face. But it was one that caused his eyes to furrow deeply.
[New Quest!]
[Find out about the strange woman behind the voice]
[The woman has set a condition for you to find her: become stronger than you currently are]
[Reward: Unknown????]
Ken's brow furrowed, intrigued by the enigmatic quest.