Einar Nordgren 

I felt my sleepiness drown out as the water splashed to my face. Splashing water a few more times, I looked up from the fountain.

The washroom mirror showed an exact replica of my face.

These damned exams were taking a toll on me.

The fringe near my temples was wet and slicked to my forehead, my face was pale, far paler than it usually was, and dark circles covered my eyes, rendering their usually charming blue useless.

Not like I wanted to charm anyone.

Pulling out my handkerchief, I wiped my face and turned to leave. Thanks to the hardworking cleaning lady, the washroom was as clean as always with no signs of mud or dirt on the tiles and the walls.

Everything in this washroom was good except for the door that announced a person's entry or exit to the whole floor.

Hearing the ear-piercing creak, I closed the door behind me. Almost at the same time, the school bell rang, signaling the start of the next paper.

I broke into a sprint, rushing all the way through empty corridors.

Nobody was here, I must be the only one late. Just my luck.

Arriving at my exam room, I skidded to a stop right on time to find the invigilator placing the test papers on my empty desk.

Seeing me, she grumbled. "Hurry and take your seat."

"Yes ma'am," I muttered under my breath with an apologetic expression. But just as I was about to step into the room, a subtle shift in the air caught me off guard, and I halted.

As I looked around, the exam takers were doing the same, even the invigilator.

It was like an invisible tide sweeping into the room, flowing through the walls and windows, seeping into every nook and cranny. The air itself seemed to grow heavy with a strange energy that pressed down on my shoulders. I felt my skin tingling, but when I looked down at my hand, there was nothing, just goosebumps.

But I clearly felt it, there was something unseen, and ethereal moving around us.

The faces around me mirrored my own confusion, and growing unease. Some students were shifting in their seats in discomfort while others looked around, their eyes asking for an explanation. The invigilator's stern expression was gone, replaced by furrowed brows as she gripped the edge of the desk, knuckles white.

Then, almost at the same time, the sounds of notifications rang out from every phone in the class. I reached into my pocket and fished out my own in a hurry.

An email had arrived. But it didn't have a sender.

I clicked on it, its content instantly revealed.

[An Expert's Guide to Cultivation]

Huh?

Dumbfounded, I looked up to find the other students with the same expression as mine while a rare few were immersed in their phones.

I scrolled down.

[Cultivation is the process of transcending mortal limits through the use of ambient essence in a person's surroundings]

Is it talking about the thing in the air?

[There are eight stages of cultivation, and this guide will explain what each of them is and how to enter them]

I couldn't understand the rest of the content, but one thing was for sure, it was talking about this new energy in the air and how to use it.

"Oh my god!" A student—one of those immersed in their phones—shouted as he stood up. "I can finally break free of these mortal shackles."

"What the hell are you talking about?" The invigilator snapped. "Sit down or you will lose marks."

The student laughed heartily. "Who cares about these marks? I am leaving." He grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder before leaving the room.

As he passed by me, the student tapped on my shoulder. "Good luck my friend," he said, an indescribable expression on his face. "You are going to need it."

I watched his back moving farther away from me, but I couldn't let go of the weird feeling he gave off.

What was that?

Soon, a few more students followed, eager smiles on their faces.

What about the exam?

My phone vibrated in my hand as more notifications rang out within the room.

A stark, official message flashed across the screen.

NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED

All citizens are instructed to return to their residences immediately and remain indoors until further notice. Martial law is in effect. Failure to comply will result in…

My eyes skimmed over the rest, the legalese blurring into meaninglessness.

Martial law? What is happening? Is it because of the energy—essence—and the email?

My attention was brought back by the sound of the invigilator barking orders with a pale face. "Everyone, remain calm! This is... this is just a precaution. Leave in an orderly fashion..." But her words held little authority.

Students scrambled out of their seats, shoving each other in their haste to escape.

I hesitated, my gaze flicking between the chaos erupting around me and the cryptic email on my phone.

Not knowing what I was supposed to do, I went with the flow. I was absentminded all through the journey back to the apartment, my mind going over each and everything that was in the email, trying to understand, comprehend them.

The apartment door locked shut behind me, the familiar smell of dust and instant noodles hitting me with a wave of normalcy. The world outside had gone awry, a symphony of sirens and panicked shouts. But here, it was just me and the hum of the refrigerator. And the email.

I sank into the worn couch and stared at the phone in my hand. Cultivation… eight stages… ambient essence… the words swam before my eyes. I scrolled back to the beginning, my hand hovering over the first stage it had mentioned. Aperture opening. There was a set of instructions beneath it.

It spoke of absorbing the ambient energy into one's body and using it to create something called an aperture to have a place to store essence for later use and cultivation.

Doubt gnawed at me. Was this real? Was I going to try this? What if it was dangerous?

But then, I remembered the student who laughed in the invigilator's face as he walked away. His eyes seemed so certain. And the look he gave me, it was as if he wanted me, dared me to do it.

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and focused on the screen. "Find a quiet place, sit comfortably and clear your mind." With the sounds coming from outside, the apartment was far from quiet, but I tried to block out the sounds and focus.

Following the instructions, I got off the couch and sat on the stable floor. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself before closing my eyes.

Breathe. That was what the email said. In and out. Till I felt harmonious with the world.

Slowly, the outside world faded away, leaving me alone in the silence. And then, I felt it. The energy, essence, which had been flowing around me all this time. I felt it clearer. It was like the whole world was submerged in an ocean, a sea of energy that swirled with unseen currents.

Now breathe the essence in, take it into your body.

I tried to do it. I breathed in, but nothing happened. It almost felt as if the energy was too exalted to enter my, a mere mortal's body. I relentlessly tugged at it.

I was too invested in it to notice the time passing, but after what felt like an eternity, something happened.

A small trickle of it moved. It seeped with the air and entered my nostrils. It felt as if breathing an icy fire. It was cold. Too cold. And I felt myself burnin

g.

Panicked, I gasped awake, and everything faded away.