Suddenly, his whole body trembled as if struck by an invisible force. The feeling only lasted for a few seconds and the pain went away. He stared at the the Professor with his eyes wide open in shock.
"What was that?"
"It was something for mental strength. Not powerful, but it will help you feel more relaxed and sleep better without any nightmares for a while."
"How do you know that I have nightmares?"
The Professor sat back down in his armchair and took his teacup again.
"I've treated many people who have experienced bad situations. They were not sleeping well because of nightmares and insomnia. Sadness, anger, stress—these emotions terribly affect someone's body. A person's health is usually affected first by their mental well-being. And for someone who has endured your experiences, it is impossible not to have nightmares."
Professor Reiner was right. After everything that had happened, nightmares accompanied his sleep every night. Although exhaustion helped him fall asleep, these nights brought him no real rest. Sleeping felt more like surrender, night after night, into the arms of a torturer.
"Thank you"
"But I figured out that your desire for revenge, your determination made you more stable than I thought. You are okay for now. But if you ever feel overwhelmed with anything come to me. I will help you."
Arsh thanked them once more and left the sitting room.
As he headed toward the stairs leading to his room to collect his belongings and move to his new place, he saw Bera and Mes. They were waiting for him in front of the room he rested.
"Did you talk with the professor?" asked Mes.
"Yes, we did. He checked my health, and it seems I am okay."
"Gather your belongings. Let's go to where you'll be staying from now on. Then we can start our training. I want to see what you are capable of first"
'How direct,' thought Arsh. He was ready to head out and begin the training. But Mes interrupted Bera.
"He's just arrived from a long journey. He's not at full strength yet. Let him rest. You can start tomorrow."
"Most of the time, real fights don't happen when you're in perfect condition," Bera replied. "That's why it's better to do the first training while he's like this. It'll help me understand him better."
"I'm fine with that. The professor already healed me. I'm already feeling much better," Arsh said. After the morning sleep, a good meal, and Professor Reiner's treatment, he felt energized. He was still tired, but Bera had a point.
"Then let's go."
Arsh went into his room, closed the door, and gathered his belongings. He placed the notebook and the dagger he'd hidden among his clothes into his suitcase, then headed downstairs.
With Mes and Bera, he began walking toward the forest just behind the mansion. There was no visible path, but Arsh followed them without question.
At first, there seemed to be nothing but trees around them. Then, before long, another mansion emerged ahead. It wasn't as grand as the mansion, but it was still impressive. Tucked away behind the trees, the building was invisible from the forest's edge. In front of it lay a wide clearing.
"You will stay here with us from now on. Others like us stay here too, but at the moment, only Bera, Walter, and I are here. You will meet him later. I have a room here, but since I don't like being alone, I've been staying in the main building. I'll move back today, though, since the place is no longer empty."
When they reached the door, Mes stopped Arsh.
"Before you go in…" Mes started, but he didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he stepped closer and plucked a single strand of hair from Arsh's head.
"Why did you do that?"
"When Professor Reiner built this house, he used a rare artifact. For someone to enter, it requires a strand of hair or a drop of blood belonging to that person. The artifact recognizes them, understands their intent, and then decides whether to allow entry."
'There really are strange things in this world' Arsh thought.
"What happens if it doesn't accept me?"
"I am not sure. I have never seen that. Did you see it Bera?"
Bera slowly shook his head as an answer.
Mes tossed a strand of his hair toward the doorway. Arsh watched as it was slowly wrapped in faint light, then scattered into the air like dust.
"You can enter now. It is okay."
'Just accepted it like that?' Arsh stepped slowly through the doorway. He half-expected something strange to happen to him as well—to be wrapped in light or something similar—but nothing happened.
The inside of the house was nothing like the mansion. It wasn't grand or imposing; instead, it felt warm and welcoming. Arsh liked it immediately. The house had many rooms.
"This house was built for people like Bera, you, and me," Mes said. "For those who don't want to blend into the city or live among other people."
"Doesn't Mr. Herman stay here? I didn't see him at dinner."
"Oh, no. He's married and has children. Also, even though he's affiliated with the FFSD, he works as a police officer. That's why he doesn't live here… I've prepared the room next to Juan's for you. Mine is also directly across from it."
After leaving his belongings in the room that Mes showed him, they went back downstairs. Bera was waiting for them outside, in the center of the open field.
"Today, we'll just test your physical capacity. Juan said your reflexes aren't bad."
Before Arsh could even respond, he felt a sharp punch slam into his stomach. The blow left him gasping, and in that instant, Juan's claim of his skill was exposed as a lie.
Arsh staggered back, trying to catch his breath, but his opponent didn't give him a moment. Another strike came, this time aimed at his side, forcing him to twist and dodge. He swung a fist in retaliation, but the other moved faster.
He had been learning how to fight for as long as he could remember. In the desert, while traveling, one never knew what might happen—or when a raiding gang might suddenly attack the village. Because of that, every man and woman in the village was trained well enough to defend themselves.
Among the younger generation, Arsh was known as one of the best fighters in his village and even among those nearby. That was why he had never imagined he would feel this incompetent.
Arsh barely gave Bera a couple of strike but they seemed to have no effect on him. On the other hand every strike if he managed to dodge was quite powerful. They kept going on like that for a while.
"That's enough for today," Bera said after ten minutes.
"You're not bad."
"I barely even touched you."Arsh replied, breathing heavily.
"I have more experience. I'm taller, older, and stronger than you. I'm not tired at all and most importantly, I have siunis, which helps me to be stronger and faster. So this result is only natural. You're good. You'll improve quickly."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Arsh and Mes behind without another word.
Arsh was sitting on the ground, wiping the blood from his lip.
"Ah, the professor had just healed you... but I am glad that Bera liked you." Mes said.
"Did he like me?"
"Yes, he talked more than he usually did and said you are good. He is satisfied. You know, he doesn't talk too much."
Arsh understood that much. The guy was like a wall, without any emotion on his face. But Mes and him seemed to get along well with each other.
Mes helped him stand up and they headed back to the mansion.
"Now, if you are not too tired, shall we decide what we are going to study? Let's go to the library; we will study there from now on."
"Okay, let's do that."
It had been a tiring day, but it was better than sitting by himself all day. He began to follow Mes.
At the end of the corridor, they came to a rather ordinary door. But when Mes opened it, the light that spilled out struck his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, Arsh saw the most beautiful sight he had ever witnessed—dust drifting through the beam of light pouring in from a small window in the ceiling. Arsh had never seen so many books in one place before. Moreover, there were many interesting objects, paintings, and maps on the shelves and walls.
They were on the second level of a three-story space. The ceiling was very high, and the area was open from bottom to top, allowing every level to be seen at once. The walls were covered from end to end with bookshelves. Narrow walkways ran along the upper levels, just wide enough for someone to walk and browse the shelves.
"Let's go downstairs." Mes said.
They descended to the ground floor via the spiral staircase beside them. In the center stood a large table cluttered with stacks of books. The air was dusty and the light was dim. When Mes turned on the lamp on the table, Arsh continued to take in the room. He realized library as big as nearly half the house.
Clearly pleased with Arsh's reaction, Mes asked, "Do you like reading?"