Jay and Jin arrived at the location Albedo had specified: two wooden pillars standing atop a small hill.
They glanced at each other, then at Albedo, who was waiting beneath the pillars, flashing an oddly charming smile.
"Come on, go ahead and use your keys to open the gate," Albedo said with a playful giggle.
Jay and Jin exchanged uneasy looks before turning back to Albedo, who seemed to be trying to act cute—strangely enough, it was working.
"Come on, don't be shy," Albedo urged.
Jin raised his hand, wide-eyed. "What key? You didn't give us one."
Jay added, "Same here... oh, greetings, Lord Albedo. I hope you're in good health."
"Ah, yes, I am," Albedo replied, acknowledging Jay's formal greeting. "But... I didn't give you the keys, did I?"
Jay and Jin stared at him, exasperated.
"Well, lucky for you both that I showed up today, or you'd be stuck here," Albedo continued with a smirk.
"And whose fault would that be?" Jin muttered.
Ignoring the comment, Albedo reached into the folds of his ornate robe and pulled out two small wooden plates, each labeled "key," handing them to Jay and Jin.
"Now then, whenever you need to enter my domain, find these wooden pillars in any city, hold up your key, and say 'open.' Simple enough?"
With a clap of his hands, he signaled for them to begin.
Jay lifted the key in his hand, glanced at Jin, then confidently said, "Open."
At his command, the pillars glowed with a blinding light, enveloping the three of them in its radiance.
As the blinding light faded, Jay and Jin slowly opened their eyes, adjusting to their surroundings.
They stood on a lush, green field that stretched out before them like a sprawling canvas. In the distance, two small mountains rose, their slopes rugged and majestic. At the point where the mountains met, a river tumbled from a great height, cascading into a thunderous waterfall. The mist from the waterfall blanketed the ground below in a thick, swirling fog, giving the scene an ethereal quality. The river continued its journey, winding through the landscape and disappearing into the horizon.
Not far from the river stood an imposing, old-fashioned mansion. Its walls were built from a material that shimmered in the sunlight—an unknown stone that seemed almost alive with a subtle, otherworldly glow. The mansion's architecture was grand, reminiscent of ancient, forgotten times. The building basked in the warm, soft light of a lone ivory sun, hanging in a vast, dark sky that held no stars—only an endless expanse of deep black.
Jin, having glimpsed parts of this domain before, wasn't taken aback by its beauty. Yet, he could feel the weight of the spiritual energy coursing through the air. It was almost tangible, like an invisible force that pulsed with life around him. Despite his composure, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of weariness under its immense power.
Jay, on the other hand, was speechless, his mouth hanging open in pure wonder.
"Wow, it looks like a masterpiece, like a painting from an art museum,"
Albedo had stepped forward a few paces, then turned to face them. He cleared his throat with a small cough, drawing their attention.
"Welcome," he said, his voice carrying a note of pride, "to my nameless Domain. From this day forward, it will be your home."
Albedo led them toward the entrance of the mansion, where a figure stood waiting—Luke.
"You're here too?" Jin asked, surprised.
Luke inclined his head in greeting. "Hello, I am Luke Grimdal. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Grimdal… does that mean he's from a noble family?"
Jay whispered in Jin's ears.
"Yes, he is."
Though Jin didn't know much about all the noble families, he had certainly heard of the Grimdal family—the infamous clan known for their dark alliances.
"They're rumored to have contracts with demons," Jin murmured to Jay. "People say they sell their souls to obtain their souls."
"Demons? Are they like monsters?"
Jay's brow furrowed. He had read snippets here and there about them, but reliable information was scarce, with rumors that the ORDER had suppressed the details.
"They're not mindless monsters. They're intelligent… even somewhat human in nature."
"It's rude not to respond when someone introduces themselves," Luke interjected, looking amused.
"Oh! Um, forgive me," Jay stammered, snapping back to the present. "I'm Jay—well, Jasmine, but please, just call me Jay."
Luke nodded. "Nice to meet you, Jay. And, ah… Jin, thank you for your help last time," he added, looking a bit awkward.
Jin smiled. "Don't mention it."
"You two know each other?" Jay asked, looking from Jin to Luke.
"We've met before," Luke replied briefly.
Albedo cleared his throat, interrupting.
"Now that everyone's acquainted, you should head to your rooms and rest for the day."
Luke guided them into the mansion, which had an abundance of empty rooms. He gestured around the spacious hall.
"Choose whichever room you like," he said, nodding to the options. His own room was the first one off the lobby.
Jin selected a room toward the middle of the hallway, putting some distance between himself and Luke. Jay initially considered taking the room next to Jin's, feeling they'd developed a bond. But seeing Jin's expression, he decided instead on a room beside Luke's, who made no comment.
Without waiting for the others, Jin entered his chosen room and locked the door behind him. He hadn't brought any luggage; he had sealed his rented house using Mathematician, resulting in a permanent lock, never to be broken.
He sighed at his own impulsiveness, then looked the room around him. It was larger than he expected, almost luxurious. Near the entrance was a storage area with shelves for shoes on the left and a separate bathroom to the right, equipped with a shower and even a bathtub.
Jin's eyes traveled to the room's centerpiece: a king-sized bed positioned to face a large sliding window that offered a sweeping view of the landscape outside. He approached the bed, noticing a sizable desk with a computer on one side and a tall bookshelf on the other, filled with books of every genre. And a ceiling fan overhead—though it wasn't needed, as the domain maintained a pleasantly cool temperature at all times.
With a weary sigh, Jin flopped onto the bed, feeling the mattress give beneath him.
"I need to reach the Awakened state soon," he muttered to himself.
Thinking of the floating screen in his mind, he focused, and it appeared before him in response. It displayed "Questioning Future," an ability that allowed him to ask questions and receive answers. He likened it to an internet search bar, limited but still useful.
Jin asked, "Which Abyss Lord took my sister's soul and body?"
The screen's response appeared quickly:
Cannot be answered.
He scowled. "Figures. It's useless when I need it most."
The screen responded with more information:
Master can learn about that once Master obtains the required Memory Fragment.
"Memory Fragment? What's that?" he wondered aloud.
Memory Fragments are items that Master can acquire by completing achievements. Each contains a portion of Master's forgotten memories.
"Interesting. So, what counts as an achievement?"
Any significant feat may be considered an achievement. For example, killing a monster.
"Killing monsters, huh? Well, that simplifies things."
Suddenly, there was a knock at Jin's door. He got up and opened it to find Albedo standing there.
"So, were you busy? Doing anything… inappropriate?" Albedo asked with a smirk.
"I was not," Jin replied, rolling his eyes. "So, why are you here?"
"Oh, I need to take you somewhere," Albedo said casually.
"Where?"
"It's time for you to Awaken."
*****************
Albedo led Jin to a mountain near a cave entrance sealed by a thick, golden-brown substance.
With a clap of his hands, Albedo caused the liquid barrier to recede, revealing the cave's entrance.
Jin and Albedo stepped inside, where darkness enveloped them. Unable to see ahead, Jin hesitated until Albedo summoned a small ball of light that illuminated their path.
They descended a staircase carved directly into the cave's rock. The walls were damp, and Jin could hear the faint sound of water flowing nearby, making him wonder if there might be an underground waterfall ahead.
"So, where exactly are we going?" Jin asked.
"The Awakening process requires a tremendous amount of spiritual energy. We're going somewhere you can absorb as much as you need,"
Jin nodded, well aware of the basics. To Awaken, you need to absorb a high concentration of spiritual energy, equivalent to the strength of your soul.
When humans first obtain their souls, they are known as Sleepers. Although they possess a soul, they haven't yet connected their psyche and body to it, leaving them no stronger than ordinary humans.
The Awakening process, however, requires an immense intake of spiritual energy to bind the psyche, soul, and body together, forming a Triangle that unlocks true potential.
"I don't have spiritual awareness yet, but even I can feel the energy in this place,"
Jin noted, glancing around the glowing cavern walls.
"Of course," Albedo replied, a hint of pride in his voice. "I use this cave regularly for my own cultivation, so it's saturated with my spiritual energy."
They soon arrived at the heart of the cave. Jin's gaze fell upon a shimmering pool that fed into a river, which flowed to the cave's edge and cascaded down as a magnificent waterfall.
His eyes widened in shock.
'What... this is beyond anything I've seen. His spiritual energy created an entire river where spiritual energy has materialized as water.'
"Come on, sit on that stone,"
Albedo instructed, pointing to a series of stone steps floating across the pool, leading to a central platform where a large, smooth stone hovered above the water's surface.
Albedo leaped onto the central stone with ease, and with a graceful hand gesture, activated a glowing spiritual energy absorption array around it. Intricate symbols began to shine across the stone, pulsing with Albedo's energy.
"This array will help you absorb spiritual energy, I'll guide you through the Awakening."
Jin carefully stepped across the floating stones until he reached the central platform. He sat in the middle of the array, calming his breath, and closed his eyes. Albedo took a seat behind him, placing a hand gently on Jin's back.
"Now, let's begin," Albedo said, channeling his own spiritual energy into Jin, initiating the flow of energy.
Albedo observed with intrigue, his lime-green eyes focused intently.
'This soul of his... it's unusually deep. I can't even perceive its limits.'
Jin took several deep breaths, each one drawing in more spiritual energy. With his final exhale, he began to feel the energy around him with heightened clarity.
Suddenly, the pool of spiritual energy around them stirred, the water's surface trembling as if alive. The pool's gentle flow shifted into a wild, swirling vortex, funneling the energy into Jin with increasing force. The vortex spun faster, spiraling into a powerful cyclone of energy that poured into him with an intensity that was almost overwhelming.
Bit by bit, the torrent of spiritual energy surged into Jin's being, and in a single, breathtaking moment, the pool emptied entirely, leaving the once shimmering waterbed dry.