The wild cries of babies filled the air and with it brought the ambience of peace. Everyone knew a place filled with babies, although noisy, has to be one of the safest place in the world.
Paul thought the same thing as he opened his eyes. It took a minute for him to recollect what had happened and that's when he realized that caves do not host babies.
"Reith?" Paul shot up from the bed, and the sudden movement elicited a sharp pain from his lower limb, and a loud cry escaped his mouth.
Gritting his teeth, he looked at his leg, to see that it was swollen and bandaged, which meant using that Hidden skill had ruined his limbs. It looked hideous.
"Paul… You should stop moving the moment you wake up." Reith rushed into the room, on his head was a little bandage but his concern was addressed towards his companion.
Paul ignored the comment, "Where are we?" He asked but got his answer instantly when he heard the little giggles coming from outside the room.
It was all nostalgic because he had grown up in quite the same atmosphere.
"An orphanage. The nurses saw us on one of their excursions, and although, I can't understand how it happened—" Reith paused mid-way, and took a look at Paul's legs before letting out a soft smile.
The last time, he had told the boy not to get involved but he was glad Paul didn't listen.
"Thank you Paul. I wouldn't ask how it all happened but I'd let you know that we are quite a long way from Yevendra." Reith delivered the new with a widened smile.
Paul looked away, "Running wouldn't do us any good. He saw our faces, meaning they would be after us once again. I have to get stronger." He uttered, taking a deep breath, before letting himself fall back to the bed.
At that moment, watching the young hero, Reith knew it was best not to say anything. The boy needed a lot of experience for him to grow.
If anything, it was best to encourage him than to stifle him.
"If you want to train, the nurses in the orphanage might know a place but you still have to let that leg heal up." Reith said, standing up from the bed. "In the meantime, I'd suggest that you talk to God. Maybe we can get our next direction of movement."
Thinking that the statement might rile up the champion, Reith refused to turn around till he left the room.
What struck Paul was not just the suggestion but the way Reith spoke about God. He couldn't ignore the intimacy in that sentence and it kind of irked him. Was God talking to Reith now?
Shaking his head, he banished the thoughts. What he needed to do now was to find a way to get himself back to work, training, and building his strength.
A large gust of air escaped his lips, and Paul closed his eyes, letting himself get swallowed by the darkness, and as his mind got deeper, a dim golden light shone from within, flickering as if trying all its best to give the light it was known form.
Paul got closer, and then the broken orb appeared, half of it had cracks spreading to the center of the circle, and he sighed. It was his fault, if only he had listened.
In that moment of regret, a translucent screen appeared in his subconscious, sending his mind back to the present, followed by a heavy headache.
However, this time Paul didn't frown. He had been expecting this for a while. He remembered there was a screen before he passed out but he couldn't see it.
[Rewards Available. Paul, you escaped a situation beyond your current capacities with wisdom, brilliance, and ability to define your priorities. Here are your rewards.]
"It was able to follow my decisions? I guess something created by him shouldn't surprise me any longer." Paul smiled, and he looked at the list of rewards.
There was some sort of pill, a strange looking box, and great-sword, and a mail icon.
"Revitalization Pill?" Paul questioned. The name gave off its use, and with his trust in his God, he knew it would only be for his own good.
The capsule appeared in his hand, and in a swift gulp, he swallowed it.
A refreshing feeling came over him in an instant and it moved through the vessels in his body, moving down to his legs.
Paul watched as his swollen left leg, started to reduce in size, and the bandages wrapped around started to loosen until they fell off, revealing the limb.
The wounds were gone, including the scars.
"As expected." Paul chuckled, maybe this game might be worth using after all and if possible, he would be able to get his powers faster, and then save her.
A faint memory appeared in his head—it was a man clothed in white, and he was speaking about some war, between Good and Evil.
Paul tried to dig deeper into the memory but it left as soon as it came.
The door to the room made a squeaking sound as Reith walked through it, but the scene he got, scared him to the bone.
Paul turned around, sensing he was being watched.
"Oh, it's you." He smiled, taking slow steps towards his companion, "Thanks for the food, but I need to head over to that training ground? We can't afford to waste more time." Paul spoke, patting Reith's shoulders, before he walked out.
Reith couldn't believe his eyes. This champion of God had a lot of surprises and he couldn't wrap his mind around it. That wound wasn't meant to heal that fast.
No wound should heal that fast. Looking down, Reith realized a piece of bread was missing from the tray.
"That sneaky guy." He rolled his eyes, and dropped the tray, before rushing out.
Paul stood in front of a lady, and she couldn't stop stammering. He couldn't blame them, she had seen his wound so the reaction was normal.
"I am a core awakener…" He said, hoping she would get the hidden meaning behind it.
"Um…okay. I can only escort you to the training ground but I can't take you inside." The nurse said, her eyes glancing at the healed leg at the slightest chance.
She had heard core awakeners were very special people, was that why his legs healed so fast? The nurse looked down again. Maybe it was still in the healing process and this boy was trying to act tough.
Paul had gotten a change of clothes so his totally fine leg wasn't seen.
"Thank you, I appreciate your time." Paul beamed. Although something kept troubling him. Would the system and damage core affect his training?
When he first got his core, he had use the raw power that came from it and there was no need for training. Now, it was a whole different story.
Prior to using that hidden skill, he was unable to access the full brunt of his previous power because his body couldn't take it.
He didn't want to take another chance, so he had to build his body.
Paul got drawn out of his thoughts as soon as they came face to face with a large gate.
"The training ground is behind the gate. It is mainly for students but I heard that if your core strength is good enough, you'd be able to train there.
The wild beasts are getting stronger and the nation needs all the help it can get." The nurse spoke aloud as they stood behind the gate.
"Wild beasts?" Paul raised a brow.
The nurse looked at him with a frown, "Didn't you hear? A lot happened in the past five years.
A large explosion happened in the west and it claimed a lot of lives.
Something was released into the air, and since then, we have been hearing news of the appearance of strange beasts." She looked down, fiddling with her fingers, missing the reaction caused by her news.
Paul curled his hands into a fist, and it seemed like the weight of air had increased.
Leventus had flown in the west direction. What if? No! He shook his head. It couldn't be. It was best not to think of it.
But it seemed like despair gave a tight hug and was not willing to let him go. He bent down to the ground, his fingers moving through his hair.
If she was gone, then there was no purpose to his life. Pain moved her fingers softly around his mind, pulling him deeper into a brimming void.
The cracks on the orb hidden within his subconscious slowly started to increase and his heart pulsated.
"She had to be alive." Paul whispered to himself, ignoring the presence of things around him. Although his body seemed to heal, his mind was filled with countless wounds, and right now they were only growing wider.
A soft touch reached out, and everything vanished, the pain and despair like they were never there.
Paul recognized the touch, and in a moment, his body lifted into the air, and a warmth surrounded him.
'She's alive, Son.'
With those words, everything went back to normal and when he opened his eyes, he realized the nurse was staring at him.
"I'm okay, I was just lost in thoughts." Paul smiled, and he turned around, following the way back.
The nurse kept quiet all through the way. She couldn't deny what she saw when that boy's eyes were closed, and it had created a deep fear within her.
Those dark flames that were spreading from under his feet were real, and her eyes captured it. It felt like any wrong step and she could be consumed.
She'd recognize those flames anywhere.
Was their new patient corrupted?