Theo's heart skipped a beat. As an orphan, especially one living in the outskirts of unknown origins, his chances of becoming a candidate were more than just slim. It was practically an impossible chance. But with what he was looking at now, he had no words to refute reality.
[Ether Core – Dormant]
[Core Rank – None]
[Core Saturation – 79%]
[Warning: Awakening Imminent]
Now that he thought about it, the signs were there. The sensation he felt when he was hit by that wave of light at the orphanage. The unnatural amount of strength he showed right after. If he focused, the cause for it became clear. Closing his eyes, he shut out all his senses, focusing all his attention within himself.
At first, he felt nothing. Another moment passed with the same nothingness engulfing him. Then a dozen seconds. Then... then, as if discovering something he had always known was there, he could feel it. The sensation was unmistakable. It was a thick, rich, and... strange substance. But with that simple description, he knew what it was.
"Ether!"
Ether is simply, or known to all of humanity, as a supernatural form of energy. Its existence is defined as the manifestation of life energy. And as far as humanity knew, it was the foundation upon which the laws of the world stood. The invisible force that separated the ordinary from the unordinary, and reality from fiction.
Until now, Ether had always been something he had only heard about. Something that belonged to the world, but granted beings capable of sensing and manipulating it tremendous power. To candidates chosen by fate itself. Not to nameless orphans scraped from the very edges of society.
Yet here it was, nestled cosily within his grossly abused body.
While he was distracted by the revelation of his awakening, they finally reached the end of the ever-descending stairs. Looking up, Theo was, but couldn't be bothered to show his surprise at what he was seeing.
'I can't even be bothered to be surprised anymore, honestly.'
Craning his neck, he gazed at a door not dissimilar to the one they passed through when they began descending the stairs behind him. Like that one, this door was also surrounded by runes etched into its frame.
This time though, he didn't feel the same sensation he felt when he passed the first door. In fact, now that he was a good distance away from it, he couldn't feel the pressure of ether anymore. That wasn't to say it wasn't there. It was just, much more subdued.
'Almost like, it's being repelled?'
Theodore stared at the engravings, wondering what their function was, or even what they were. After a few moments, he couldn't make any sense of their purpose. But something strange did happen. For some strange reason, the words written in what he thought was a strange and foreign language he had never seen, nor heard of before, suddenly made sense to him.
Furrowing his brow, he turned to the transcended old man, and said hesitantly.
"What is this?"
He looked between Theo and the door, then asked.
"What else could it be?"
"No, not the door, I mean what's on it. The strange words etched in its frame. I've never seen or heard of this language before,."
He chuckled.
"Well, of course you haven't. It's the language of a dead civilization. So of course you haven't heard of it before."
Theo pondered for a bit, then responded with a worried expression.
"So, nobody understands this language then?"
"Well, there are those who dedicate themselves to deciphering it and all others like it. But no one has been able to fully translate it to our common tongue here on earth."
Theo turned back to the runes and continued to ponder with an ever-deepening expression of unease.
'You say that, but for some strange reason, it's just barely, but I can somehow understand their meaning.'
Reading the first line engraved on it, he strained his mind. And after a while, the runes almost seemed to shift. And at the same time, something clicked.
Not visually, no. Nothing physically about the door or runes actually changed. What changed, however, was him. Somehow, a stream of information flowed into his mind. And along with it, the meaning of the runes settled into his thoughts. It was as if it had always been there.
A chill crept up his spine.
It wasn't a direct translation. No, that would have been too convenient. It was more like, an impression. A concept of what the framework of the language was. And whether he liked it or not, it was forced into a shape his mind could understand.
Glancing over the first lines of the runes, they read.
[Beware those who wield power for those with false authority... for they shall never bear the weight of your sins.]
Noticing Theo's lost daze, the transcendent man turned to him, and raised a brow.
"What do you see?" he asked evenly.
Theo looked to the man and frowned.
"A bunch of gibberish?" he said, shrugging his shoulders.
The man stared intently into Theo's eyes, studying him for a long moment. Then he smiled faintly and turned back to the door.
"Good," he said. "Then it's doing its job."
Theo raised a brow.
'Doing it's job? What's that supposed to mean?'
Choosing to remain silent, his attention drifted back to the runes.
The engravings were dull, almost seeming ancient. Which was strange. Because if he was told the truth, and he was sure he wasn't. Then he was currently still on earth. But if he was, then that begged the question. Where did this place come from?
'I mean, I know I've never been to a wealthy person's house, but.... nothing I've seen here seems, or feels like it is meant to be here.'
The transcended old man's auburn eyes narrowed, as for a moment the air became still. Turning back to the door, he said nonchalantly.
"It should be starting any moment now."
Theo raised a brow.
'For... what's coming? What's this weird old man talking about?'
Suddenly, a wave of pressure fell on him, and before he could form another thought, his eyes widened. Starting from his chest, then quickly settling deep in his muscles, and radiating out to every inch of his body, Theo was engulfed in a sea of pain.
As soon as it started, he knew what it was.
His awakening, had begun.