After a few minutes, Raven shook off his dark mood. He took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. Air this clean was a luxury in the real world. In the real world, micro-dust and other pollutants made the air thick and foul, especially in the outskirts. Even the city's filtration systems only offered a sterile, stagnant taste of air. Only the truly wealthy could afford the simple pleasure of a pleasant breath.
He sighed; he didn't realize the value of air until he had transmigrated.
"Back home, fresh air was at least free," he muttered.
If only there was no dreadful heat, his feet did not burn, and his wrists and back were not in agony!
The desert caravan steadily dragged up the sand dune, with more criminals stumbling and falling in the sand. A couple of times, those who could not walk were taken off the chain and were directly executed by the guards. Raven watched them get their heads cut off by swords with a hint of compassion in his eyes.
"May they rest in peace."
All in all, he was in good spirits.
It was a bit strange to feel good amidst this disaster of the trial. But Raven had time to prepare himself for this eventuality. Back then, he had made a decision to find a way home if he didn't transmigrate back using the reenactment method, and now this was his only way back home: to become an Orbiter.
"Even if heavens fall upon me, I must survive."
Raven calmed himself using the quote he had heard from his bros. He decided to take another look at his status and summoned the runes again. The last time he was too outraged by the Prism and didn't study the Attributes and the ability well. While not as important as one's Prism, the Attributes were often the deciding factor between life and death. They represented one's natural traits and affinities, sometimes even providing passive abilities and effects.
[Theft] Ability Description: "Stealing requires a rigorous strategy and a direct approach. But you see more of the futility"
[Otherworlder] Attribute Description: "Your soul doesn't belong to this world"
[Mark of Infinity] Attribute Description: "It is taboo, even impossible, to enter sacred places. However, some have the authority to do so. You, divinely touched by infinity, inherit its mark, a vast passageway between these places"
[Eye of Stars] Attribute Description: "They say the eye is the mirror of the soul, but this eye of stellar attraction has the power to see the soul's essential depths"
"Hmm... interesting," Raven thought.
Raven quickly recognized the fact: The orbit knew he was a transmigrator. And he could feel something in his body. He didn't know how to describe this feeling; it was like a sixth sense. If he swiped his hand while looking at an object at a certain distance, he could steal it.
"How magical..."
Thinking about his attributes, if [Otherworlder] was his innate Attribute, then the other two came from the [Shrine Thief] Prism. [Mark of Infinity] was more or less straightforward: it was supposed to allow passage into certain sacred places and enhance several types of sorcery. Since there were no sacred places in sight and Raven's Prism had nothing to do with sorcery, it was useless.
[Eye of Stars] was a stranger one. He had never heard of it and had no idea what it was supposed to do — at least not until the sun had set and the night had arrived, and the sky darkened, revealing stars. To his surprise, Raven found himself able to see a dim light in the witch's body in front of him. This ability alone was nothing to scoff at. And it was quite possible that he could see Neula Cores of any Orbiter in the caravan. The Neula Core was a mystical core of an Orbiter's soul.
'Finally, something good. I wonder if...'
"Stop the caravan! Prepare to camp!"
Following the head guard's order, the criminals stopped and fell in the sand, exhausted. The small clearing where the sand was flat was somewhat protected from the wind by the massive sand dune, but the night in the desert was too cold to rest with ease.
The guards got busy herding the criminals into a tight circle, forcing them to share warmth, and lighting up a large bonfire in the center of the camp — although not before tending to their camels. Camels, laden with food, water, and other cargo, were connected to the main chain and were firmly affixed. While looking around, Raven noticed the young guard from before; he had a circular bright light like a star in the center of his chest, shining brightly, a stark contrast to the witch's dim light. He was looking at the night sky.
"He must be an Orbiter," Raven realized.
Soon, the bonfire was blazing. The stronger criminals tried to find their way closer to the fire, while the weaker ones, like Raven, were forced to sit at the outer end of the circle, with their backs freezing in the cold. Of course, they were still shackled, but the chains were taken off. The witch was sitting beside him, and the noble criminal was in front, despite all his effort to get closer to the flame.
"Damn brutes," he hissed, clearly irritated.
The guards walked among the criminals, giving them water and food. Raven, just like everybody else, received a few sips of water and a small piece of rock-hard, moldy bread. Despite its unappetizing look, he forced himself to eat the whole thing, only to be left as hungry as he was before.
By the looks of it, he wasn't the only one.
The noble criminal looked around in anguish.
"By all the constellations, they used to feed me better even in the prison!" he exclaimed.
Raven looked around to spot any Orbiters in the caravan. He spotted two mini stars like lights to his left, on the bag that was on the camel, while looking around he spotted a small circular bright light that was far away from the camp to the left of the sand dune. It was growing bigger by the second. And then he heard a rhythmic sounds.
Thud! Thud! Thud!