Rem placed her hand on the heads of both Eugene and Rin and tugged their hair slightly.
"Ouch." Rin lifted his head quickly.
Unlike Eugene, who raised his head more slowly while rubbing his eyes.
"Aaah… what's wrong with you? Why are you pulling my hair?" Eugene asked, drowsiness overwhelming him.
Rem said while examining her nails carefully,
"The lesson is over. They're going to close the hall."
"Aaah, they're annoying. Why don't they leave the hall open?" Eugene grumbled irritably.
Rin looked at him while cracking his body.
"I told you we should sleep, but you insisted on training… aaah."
Rem looked at him in surprise.
"Since when have you two been training together?"
"Yesterday was the first day."
They left the hall and walked for a few moments until they reached the cafeteria.
Tiiin. The restaurant door opened, and cold air rushed inside.
The cafeteria was spacious, with white chairs and tables as well, large lamps hanging and decorating the ceiling, and large reflective windows on the left side of the place.
Eugene and Rem moved toward their usual seats.
Meanwhile, Rin looked at them and said,
"What do you want me to order for you?"
Eugene sat on a chair and rested his head on the table, saying in an almost inaudible voice,
"Anything, as long as it's food."
Rem looked at him and said,
"And for me, just a cup of coffee."
Rin handed Eugene his books to hold.
Rin left, while Eugene and Rem remained silent for a few seconds.
Eugene looked at her, his chin resting on the table.
Rem noticed and their eyes met. She asked,
"What's wrong?"
Eugene said with sleepy, exhausted features,
"It's strange. You usually only eat carrot cake. Since your cat died, you haven't eaten it."
Rem felt sadness inside at the memory of her cat, but she did not show it.
She raised an eyebrow and said sarcastically,
"Since when do you care?"
Eugene frowned slightly.
"I regret asking."
"Hehehe. Why are you trying to hide that you care about the people around you?"
Eugene straightened his back and moved his neck.
"And who said I don't care about the people around me?"
Rem lowered the corners of her lips, revealing an inverted smile.
"Really?" she said with doubt and sarcasm.
Eugene clasped his hands and stayed silent for a moment.
"Honestly… I do care, but I'm bad at showing it."
Rem raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Why?"
Eugene lowered the corners of his lips and shrugged slightly.
"I don't know."
Rem looked back toward Rin.
"Why is he late?"
Rem was surprised, because in that moment the cafeteria filled with first- and second-year students, and Rin had more than five students in front of him.
Eugene sighed and began playing with the small thread in the middle of the white cotton chairs with faint red lines.
Rem returned her gaze forward and remained silent for a few moments.
She placed her chin on the table and played with her pen.
Eugene reached out and took Rin's book.
Rem asked in a flat, calm voice,
"Didn't you bring your book?"
Eugene replied in a tone close to hers,
"Yes."
Eugene opened the book and began flipping through it.
"Aaah… why is he late?" Rem turned her body slightly and looked again, finding that only two people were left in front of Rin.
She returned to sitting upright.
"What are you looking for?" Her tone was gentle and open, her words flowing smoothly.
Eugene turned his head, then closed the book in disappointment.
"I'm looking for today's lesson."
Rem raised her eyebrows slightly, her tone surprised at first and a bit higher.
"You're looking… for the lesson? Haha. What's happened to you? Since when do you care about lessons?"
Eugene smiled faintly, his tone gently defensive.
"Whoever spends forty days with a people becomes one of them."
He turned his head slightly to the side and closed his eyes briefly.
"Hehehe. Why do I feel like you're mocking Rin, Farid, and me?" Rem said.
Eugene shrugged casually.
"I didn't say anything. Understand it however you want." His tone carried light sarcasm.
"Anyway—"
Rem took the book from Eugene under his surprised gaze and began flipping through it until she reached the lesson.
She turned the book and held it from the top.
"This is the lesson."
Eugene leaned forward, took the book from her, and stared at the lesson intently.
He lowered his head and sighed quickly and softly.
Then he raised his head with a wide smile and a slightly embarrassed tone.
"What do you think about explaining the lesson to me?"
Rem raised an eyebrow, confusion filling her heart.
"Eugene… are you okay? First you care about the lesson, and now you're asking me to explain it to you."
Eugene frowned, lowering his mouth slightly.
"What's wrong with that? Instead of being happy for me, you're suspecting I'm sick." His tone carried pleading and disappointment.
"Enough acting. And besides, it's strange for you to change like this overnight."
"I didn't change overnight. You just didn't notice."
"Heh, clearly. Anyway, which part didn't you understand?" Her tone became serious at the end.
Eugene looked to the left and said in a low voice,
"Well… the entire lesson."
…
Rem placed her hand on her face.
"What were you doing during the lesson, then?"
"Well, I was extremely sleepy, so I didn't pay attention to some of the explanations, which were very complicated for me."
She brought her thumb close to her index finger, bent it back for a moment, then snapped it lightly as a playful warning mixed with slight irritation.
"Then focus, because I won't repeat it. And don't worry, I'll explain it to you as if you were a child."
Eugene felt insulted and frowned.
"But I'm not a chi—"
"Shhh."
"I'm the teacher here. You don't have the right to speak without my permission," she said with a sarcastic smile.
"Alright, alright, you're the teacher," Eugene said, clearly annoyed.
"Listen carefully," Rem said, dropping the joking tone, and Eugene focused.
"Every cultivator plants their imprint. Where do they plant it?"
"In the inner world?"
"Correct. The inner world is the core itself, also known as your vital imprint.
"As you know, it summarizes your destiny, mentality, life, emotions, and soul.
"This vital imprint is considered an empty world. It consumes the power of the universe, also known as the laws of the universe.
"Therefore, due to the cultivator's weak body at the beginning, and the insufficient growth of the vital imprint, the inner world is small and can only contain one imprint.
"That's at the beginning.
"So, what have I said so far?"
Eugene raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Why are you asking me?"
"To make sure you're paying attention and understanding what I'm saying."
"So far, what I've understood is: everyone has a vital imprint, which summarizes the essence of a person's life from birth to death.
"It is primitive at the beginning, so the cultivator can only plant one imprint."
"Good." Rem felt a bit relieved that Eugene understood so far.
"Now, as I said, the inner world is small at the beginning and can only hold one imprint. In order for this world to develop and grow, you must refine it by having the absorbed imprint be assimilated through the vital imprint.
"This makes the vital imprint stronger and larger.
"To allow the vital imprint to absorb the imprint you took in, you use feathers to control the imprint, or rather the unstable part of it.
"Usually, consciousness transfers to the inner world."
Eugene remembered when he had entered his inner world and tried to make the plant absorb the mist.
"However, the imprint does not remain stable for long, as it absorbs feathers. As a cultivator, you must understand how it works and make your body adapt to it, which makes controlling it easier.
"Do you understand what I've said so far?"
Eugene nodded.
Rem continued.
"The inner world is divided into levels.
"The barrier between each level is a glass wall. This wall becomes stronger, tougher, and harder to break between each level."
"How does the cultivator destroy this wall?" She tapped the tip of her thumbnail.
Tap. Tap.
She spread her fingers and said,
"You don't break it. It breaks on its own. When you fully understand and absorb an imprint, your vital imprint evolves.
"The wall becomes unable to withstand the power and shatters, allowing you to move to the next tier.
"Between each tier, there are three stages."
Eugene tilted his head and raised one eyebrow.
"And what's the benefit of these stages?"
Rem shrugged.
"I don't know. Alex didn't explain it fully."
"What are you two talking about?" Rin's voice came from behind them as he arrived carrying a cup of black coffee for Rem, chocolate cake with milk tea for Eugene, and a chicken sandwich with chili for himself.
The aroma of coffee and cake filled the air, instantly stirring their appetites.
Rin sat down and handed each of them their food.
They began eating.
"Aaah," Rem took a sip and felt the heat of the coffee flow down her throat.
Eugene attacked the cake like a child, causing chocolate to spread around his mouth.
Rin took a napkin and tried to wipe Eugene's mouth, like a mother.
"Stop that. I'm not your child for you to keep cleaning my face," Eugene said with mild irritation and seriousness.
"Give me the napkin… I'll clean my mouth myself," Eugene said, his voice heavy and unclear because of the food.
End of the chapter.