Lauri stared up at the now familiar ceiling of his bedroom within the underground dormitories of Compound Thirty-Four. Sitting up, Lauri had to hold a hand to his head as the room began to spin around him. The effects of the sickness were the strongest they had been, and for good reason.
Because today was finally the day, today was the Summer Equinox, today Lauri would journey into the Aether Stream and put his training to the test to determine whether he would make it back to Earth and become a full-fledged Awakened.
'Although, even if I do make it back… I'll still just become one of Yang's Indebted.'
Lauri slowly got out of his bed, pushing the bad thoughts to the back of his mind. No matter what happened, he still had to survive. But that was for later.
Changing out of his bedclothes, Lauri put on the standard white clothing he had been provided with by the Compound Thirty-Four, consisting of a clean white shirt, white jogging bottoms and a white jumper.
Lauri looked around his clean white room, at its white walls, his bed with its white bedsheets, quilt and pillow.
'For a man whose power is tied to shadows and darkness. It sure seems like Yang likes the colour white.'
About to leave the room, Lauri swiped his communicator from off the top of his desk. Stopping for a moment, he stared at the monitor. It seems he had left it open last night, the story he was reading left open halfway through the chapter.
This was one of countless stories Lauri had read in the last month, this one started off like all the others. A young boy awakening in the middle of the night, his consciousness whisked away into an unknown place to undergo a Trial that would allow him to unlock his Title and Talent abilities.
Lauri lingered for a few more moments.
'It's, strange. Every Risen here wasn't awake when they awakened, their minds travelled somewhere else for their Trial, and their bodies stayed in the same place. Which isn't what happened to me? I had to travel to my Trial with Laurence, I had to survive and fight to reach the altar with a soul core. But these Trials are different, why is my experience different?'
Shaking his head, Lauri slowly left his room and made his way to the cafeteria. As he walked, he thought about all the other differences he had noticed between himself and the other Risen.
One of the largest differences would have to be, the village that Lauri had grown up in. The woods where Laurence had found him and the fields he, Merry and Richard had played in were all located in the Aether Stream.
This realisation had brought new questions into his mind, such as. If they lived inside the Aether Stream, how did Granny and Laurence rise past the rank of Risen? To become a Risen, one must return to Earth after spending some time within the Aether Stream so that their bodies are properly adjusted to the power of their soul.
'Does that mean, there is another way to rank up? Another way besides how we are taught?'
Lauri's head began to hurt as he thought about this harder. Summoning the strings, Lauri looked at the information detailing himself. Nothing had changed within the last month, he hadn't slain any Fiends or absorbed any soul cores, so there were no changes to his soul count, Imprints or anything else.
Lauri's eyes rested on the words that described his 'Divinity'.
'I never did get around to testing that out, lost all my time reading webnovels… Can't exactly say it was worth it, but I suppose I'll have all the time in the world to experiment with it when I'm in the Aether Stream.'
Chuckling, Lauri turned down the hallway leading to the cafeteria.
'All the time in two worlds, one might say.'
The atmosphere of the cafeteria was subdued. Unlike the first time Lauri had entered, none of the teenagers sat around the tables seemed to want to talk, only the children of the Families seemed to have not lost the ability to talk.
Whilst the children belonging to the families Familiar were engaged in quiet mutterings of practised strategies, the tables filled populated by the Risen coming from regular homes were mostly silent, a small conversation or two between close friends pierced the veil of silence.
Approaching the table he had always sat on, Lauri sat down as Ashley and Gareth were in the middle of a rather heated conversation.
"Ash, you need to eat, I'm serious. Don't think we haven't noticed, over the last month you have eaten nothing in the cafeteria. At least now you have to eat something, it's the last time we'll eat nice food in God's knows how long."
His voice grew heated due to the concern he held for his friend, Gareth looked at Lauri as he leaned on the table.
"Tell her Lauri."
Lauri blinked a few times, it was somewhat hard to focus on what Gareth had said. But he'd try. Taking a deep breath, Lauri slightly turned his head to Ashley, trying his best to put on a happy smile.
"He's telling the truth, Ashley, we could either be back in two months… Or longer. Nama told me for the last day Compound Thirty-Four's chefs are willing to make anything a Sickly wants, as long as it's not too complicated. Is there anything you want?"
Folding her hands into her lap, Ashley scowled.
"I appreciate how concerned you all are, but, I'm fine really. I'm not hungry."
Looking around at the empty tables, Gareth shook his head.
"What's the point of giving us the option of any food we want, they're basically just giving us our last meal- aw."
Gareth was interrupted as Lauri kicked him under the table. Staring at Gareth, Lauri nodded to Ashley. Her sad expression grew a little sadder as she heard Gareth's words.
"Ah, ah, but that's not to mean anything bad. It's just the government having our best interests at heart."
Covering her mouth she shook her head.
"Oh, you boys… So, what are you guys going to do today, it's our last day on Earth after all."
Lauri and Gareth sat back, the thought was a hard question to ask. It was currently lunchtime, the teenagers sat in the cafeteria would enter the Aether Stream at the end of the day, giving them nine hours until the Transference.
Lauri scratched the back of his head.
"I was planning on finding Nama and thanking her for what she's done for me. What about you guys?"
Gareth thought for a while longer.
"Message my father… I was going to try and send a message back to my family and then practice more. I guess."
Ashley nodded.
"Same as Gareth, message my mom and dad and then practice. Are you not going to try and send a message to your mom and dad, Lauri?"
The innocent question stung Lauri's heart like a fine blade. Rubbing his face with his hand, Lauri huffed.
"I, I can't do that. As… I don't have a family to message…"
Ashley and Gareth exchanged a glance. Putting her hands together, Ashley frowned.
"I'm sorry, Lauri, I didn't realise."
'There isn't anything to be sorry about, I don't even remember them.'
As he thought this, the image of his parents on the banks of the mysterious river flooded his mind. The faint memory of his parents buried beneath the rubble of his home, of the Fiend with seven tongues.
Lauri abruptly stood up.
"Sorry I've got to go, I want to find Nama."
Before Ashley or Gareth could respond, Lauri left the table. Quickly walking down the hallway, he wiped his eyes.
Turning the corner at the end of the hallway in the direction of the stairs. Lauri's journey abruptly came to a halt as he walked into a wall, bouncing off of it he fell to the floor.
Rubbing his face, Lauri scowled.
'This feels familiar...'
But as he looked up, Lauri paled more than his sickly body already was. Just like the last time he had rushed out of the cafeteria, Lauri had run head first into an Awakened. But this time it wasn't Nama, but Awakened Instructor Rel. The man who had given the talk to the Risen when he had first entered the Compound.
Rel had a half smile on his lips as he held out his hand to Lauri.
"Ah, Risen Lauri. Just the man I was coming to find."
Lauri looked at Rel with confusion and then at his hand before taking it.
'Risen Lauri? Huh, I'd read it in stories, but people really greet others with their rank and then name? It does make it feel more official.'
"You were looking for me?"
Patting off his jogging bottoms, Lauri looked at Rel with an inquisitive expression.
"You were looking for me? What for?"
Rel rubbed his chin.
"Not going to say, good morning Instructor? Usually, I would tell you youngins off, but well. Today of all days I can let it slide and yes, I was looking for you. I have a gift from Awakened Nama."
'A gift from Nama? Strange why couldn't she give it to me herself?'
"She gave it to me to pass along as she was sent off-site late last night."
"Nama was sent away?"
Lauri looked away slightly annoyed.
"I was going to say thanks for all the help…"
Crossing his arms, Rel smiled.
"Don't sound so down Lauri, there's always a way you can tell Nama about how thankful you are."
Sighing Lauri looked up to Rel.
"And that way would be?"
Lauri's eyes narrowed as a small laugh escaped from Rel's lips.
"Survive the Aether! And tell her thanks yourself! Haha! Sorry, I've always got to tell that to at least one Sickly a year, or else I'm not doing my job as an Instructor!"
Biting his lip, Lauri rolled his eyes.
"So this gift from Nama? I don't see you holding anything, is it so small it fits into your pocket?"
A couple more laughs escaped Rel's lips before he was finished. Holding his hand's palm up to show how empty they were, he moved one of his hands to Lauri's shoulder.
"This comes with a message as well. Survive so you can achieve your heart's desire. This was originally Dokja's, and it served him well. I hope it serves you well, too, on your journey."
A bright light appeared at Rel's chest beneath his shirt, moving along his skin the light travelled up his arm until it reached the hand touching Lauri's shoulder. The boy's eyes widened as he heard a familiar voice. Neither distinctly male nor female, it was the voice of the Strings.
[Imprint received, Cooking Mania]
Lauri's eyes opened wide.
'A- An Imprint? Nama's gift was an Imprint?'
Rel laughed.
"I remember the first time someone gifted me an Imprint, that was a great reaction to have a young man. I'm sure Nama would have loved to see your reaction. I'll make sure to let her know the next time I see her."
A small smile appeared on Lauri's lips.
"Please do and… Thank you, Instructor Rel."
Rel smiled in return, turning, he held his hand up as a small wave.
"And with that gift given, I shall head back to my office. There's a lot of paperwork for us Instructors to do tonight, so I'll leave you kids to your devices."
Lauri nodded. Watching Rel disappear back the way he came, Lauri turned around. Now that he had learnt Nama was no longer at Compound Thirty-Four, there was no reason to visit her office. Running a hand through his short hair, Lauri looked at his friends.
'One more reason to survive. Even if I do die, I can always just come back as a ghost. With so much unfinished business, I'd be surprised if I don't.'
***
The crowd of Sicklies shuffled up the stairs leading to the surface. It was time, Lauri hadn't even noticed how fast the time had flown. After eight hours spent talking with his friends, he had even spoken to some of the others in the room wishing them luck and in turn, they had wished him luck.
Instructor Rel and a few other Instructors Lauri didn't recognise had entered the cafeteria. It was their job to escort them to the building that would be their home as they entered the Aether Stream.
Reaching the top floor, Lauri smiled, seeing the orange light of the setting sun. This sun may not have been the sun he had grown up with, but its warmth had become a source of comfort for the young Sickly, a way for him to feel as if the impending shadow of Yang was not constantly hanging above his head like a guillotine made of the same dull grey metal as his Indebted.
Lauri cast one last glance at the men and women manning the tops of the walls, the Indebted were as motionless as ever.
The crowd of Risen slowly left the main building, where both administrative duties were upheld and where the Risen's dormitories and training facilities were located. Following a dirt path, they travelled to a smaller building. This was the Risen medical facility.
The medical facilities' ground floor wasn't much, a desk where the rare visitor would enter to come to see their son or daughter. Lauri wondered how far Compound Thirty-Four was from the nearest city, he began kicking himself as this was quite an important question. But not one he had thought to research.
'Idiot.'
Entering the medical facilities' lower levels, they reached the floor that would be their home for the foreseeable future, a wide room containing the medical pods that would sustain their bodies as their souls traversed the Aether Stream. The room was large enough to hold over one hundred of these medical pods. They were all empty, it was reasonable to assume that any Risen that had yet to return from the Aether Stream would have been relocated to a more permanent location.
As he was taking in the room, Lauri's expression froze.
'H-How had I not felt him, wait, his shadow. I can't feel it at all.'
And at the end of this room, Director Yang stood with his hands held behind his back and a broad smile stapled across his lips.
Lauri could in fact not sense the dark shadow that followed Yang everywhere he went, it seemed that hiding his dark presence from people like the young Risen and Instructors was one of Yang's disguises. It made sense, for the month Lauri had been here he had only been suffocated by Yang's presence when they were alone.
Stepping forward, Yang held his arms up to welcome the Risen. His voice was unusually energetic and happy. A tone that set Lauri's stomach on edge.
"Hello all! I hope you all don't mind, I promise I don't mean to keep you long. I just wanted to come and see you off. The next generation of humanity's mighty defenders. To think the next time I will see any of you," Yang's eyes scanned the crowd of Risen, coming to a stop on Lauri causing the boy to step back in fear.
"You will all be Awakened, ready to brave the worst this the Fiends have to offer. Prepared to banish the darkness that claws at our future. I truly… Wish you the best. Instructors, you may proceed."
Yang lowered his arms taking a step back and at the same time, Instructor Rel walked a few steps ahead of the Risen.
"Now please," He gestured to the medical pods. "Pick a pod, they are all the same, so pick the one you like best, or the one by your friend. It is all your choice."
It took some effort, but Lauri managed to tear his gaze away from Yang. The man looked at the Risen as they prepared to enter the medical pods with a certain, gleeful expression. Lauri was dragged towards a pod by Ashley, who was also pulling Gareth along.
"Come on guys! Let's get pods next to each other!"
Lauri and Gareth exchanged bemused glances as they followed after Ashley. Standing next to their pods, they waited for the next instructions from Instructor Rel. Seeing as every Risen had picked a pod, the man continued.
"Now remember. Trust in your training, trust in your instincts. But most of all, trust in yourself. Find your way to a gate and remember under no circumstances to enter the gateway before a two-month period has elapsed, or your body will break down. Best of luck to you all."
Rel gave a nod to someone by the doorway, and the lids of the medical pods slid up.
"Good luck guys."
Ashley's quiet voice caused Lauri and Gareth to turn around. Gareth spoke first.
"You guys better stay safe, I want to hear about all of your adventures when we meet again in two months."
Lauri chuckled.
"Just don't take forever Gareth, a prince like you, I'm sure you'll get dropped right into the largest human settlement in the Aether."
Gareth dramatically rolled his eyes.
It was time, to step into the pod. Lauri quickly closed his eyes as the lid of the medical pod slowly slid down. Lauri quickly closed his eyes to ensure that he didn't accidentally look at Yang. Anxious as he was, seeing Yang would only make him feel a thousand times worse.
'Happy thoughts, Lauri, happy thoughts.'
Slowly, Lauri's consciousness began to fade.
From somewhere far away, a whispering voice echoed throughout Lauri's mind, body and soul.
[The Aether Stream accepts a new challenger, welcome Son of the Last Sun]