When Won woke, he found himself in a bedroom—lavish, almost royal in design. He squinted.
Am I still in the Veyne? he thought, sitting up.
"Finally, someone's decided to wake up," came a voice.
The General…
He was lounging across the room on a couch, reading a magazine.
"Where am I?" Won asked.
"My house. You've been out for a week."
"A week?"
"A. Whole. Week," the General repeated.
"Why are you here?"
"Just returned from clearing a Veyne. Thought I'd check in. Do you want to tell me what happened in there?"
"Shouldn't your first question be how I survived a master-ranked Veyne as a mere Flintshade?" Won said, raising an eyebrow.
The General said nothing. Won continued, "Before I entered, you told me everything would be an illusion. So you knew it wasn't a normal Veyne. There were people inside. What kind of Veyne contains humans?"
The General averted his eyes. "Because of my bearing. It's called Vision. I saw you there. The Veyne appeared to me during slumber. Only you could cleanse it—that's what the voice said."
"The voice….you mean the Codex Map?" Won asked, intrigued.
"You received the Codex Map? But you weren't accepted into the Ashen Academy at the time. How's that possible?" the General asked, stunned.
"Maybe the system already knew I was worthy. Doesn't matter now. That voice you heard—was it the Codex Map?"
"No. It's a different voice. One I hear only during visions."
Won fell silent. If the General had only seen the vision, that meant he knew everything. About Won's rewards and what really happened inside.
"Did you see the whole vision?" he asked cautiously.
"No. Visions are never complete. There are only glimpses that I always see. I only saw you, some humans, and the creatures inside that instance Veyne. The voice warned that if it wasn't dealt with soon, it would breach and cause massive casualties."
"Why me?" Won asked again, testing the waters.
"I had the same question," the General admitted. "You're a Flintshade-ranked Ashen. But I don't have time for this now. I'll hear your full story later."
"Wait…. I have a question. If your bearing is vision, didn't you see what was about to happen on that veyne where everyone died?" Won asked, furrowing brows.
The General turned his head away saying, "No. I have been asking myself the same question. Only if I knew my child would still have been alive." His voice broke.
Won felt bad for him. It was visible in the General's face that he had been blaming himself for everything.
Clearing his throat the General added, "I am glad to see you finally awake. There's a letter next to your bed. The butler will bring you dinner. It's already night. Get yourself cleaned up."
With that, the General left.
Won checked his wounds—they had mostly healed. He reached for the envelope on the table.
To Ashen Won. From Meteor Ashen Technical.
He tore it open and unfolded the letter.
Dear Ashen Won,
Congratulations on completing your Veyne raid and being successfully selected for Meteor Ashen Technical. Your academic year begins tomorrow. We look forward to seeing you at orientation.
You'll meet peers your age at the academy. Please attend the first day, as dormitory assignments will be made. Absence may prevent you from choosing your preferred housing.
Please find your ID Number according to your rank in your year listed below:
Flintshade Ranked Ashens – ID No.:
1. Won
That was it.
He was the only Flintshade in his class.
Everyone else hadn't made it. Died in the veyne.
He ruffled his hair and let out a dry chuckle. Alone as a Flintshade, huh.
Never mind... I'm the only Gravemarch anyway.