He was no longer a helpless infant wrapped in blankets.
Outside, he was a quiet boy of nine years.
Inside, he was someone who had lived two lives, he knew this world now, not just its villages and temples, but its structure, its vastness, its mysteries—things even Lira and Marek could not begin to imagine.
And all of this understanding came to him through two sources: the dreams and the letters.
The dreams never stopped, every night for nine years, they came without fail.
Some nights he drifted high above a world so enormous its continents resembled scattered islands in an endless sea. Other nights he witnessed lights tearing across the heavens, or shadowy figures the size of mountains standing beneath nine glowing layers of sky. At times he saw strange rivers whose currents flowed with light instead of water.
Each dream was clearer than the last, as if revealing a piece of a puzzle too large for even adults to grasp.
Together, they formed a picture of a world far more vast and ancient than Pearlroot Temple's small patch of land.
Atem learned to memorize each fragment upon waking. He never mentioned them aloud. Some knowledge, he sensed instinctively, was better kept quiet.
Asha's letters helped as well… though Atem had long since labeled her "ungrateful."
In the first year after she left for the Jade Stream Sect's main branch, her letters came so frequently that Lira often smiled just from seeing the courier. Two letters a month—sometimes three if she was excited.
As the years passed, the letters gradually slowed, now, she only sent a single letter each year, and often late.
Ungrateful girl indeed.
Yet despite her inconsistency, her letters were more useful to Atem than she ever imagined.
Even in her short, clumsy handwriting, she described what she called "cultivation", sect rankings, the structure of the Jade Stream Sect, stories she overheard from older disciples, geographical details of the surrounding peaks, and rumors of massive continents far to the west and south.
Almost anything new she learned, she wrote down and sent—usually unaware of how valuable these scraps were.
Atem read each letter many times, storing the information in the back of his mind. Paired with the nightly dreams, he had come to understand the rough outline of the world: nine vast regions wrapped around a central landmass, all under skies divided into layers of shimmering light.
The dreams showed him the scale and Asha's letters showed him the names and together, they revealed a truth that Pearlroot Temple's villagers could never grasp.
On the ninth winter's end, Atem sat on the wooden steps outside the clinic as always, staring at the sky. He had made this spot his own over the years.
No matter the season, he ended up there, sitting quietly with a distant look in his eyes.
He wasn't lazy—he just liked silence. People often said Atem had a strange calmness for a child. Even when others laughed, argued, or played, he sat there like someone trying to understand something only he could see.
"Atem, you're still here?"
The voice came from behind.
It was Athena. She was around his age, but unlike Atem, she was lively, sharp-tongued, and always full of energy. Next to her, Atem's quiet nature stood out even more.
"Where else should I go?" Atem asked, giving her a puzzled look.
Athena clicked her tongue. "Today is Sun Measuring Day! All children who turned nine must go test their talent."
"Oh… is that today?" Atem let out a yawn and slowly laid back on the steps. "I'm just an ordinary person. I doubt I have anything worth measuring."
"You—!" Athena pointed at him furiously. "How can you say that before even being tested?"
Atem laughed lightly. "You should hurry, or you'll be late."
"I'm not going anywhere without you." Athena stomped her foot, cheeks puffed.
He chuckled. "It doesn't matter if you go or not. You're the temple's head 'pearl,' remember? The old priest will test you whenever you want."
Everyone knows about her identity, Athena in fact is the Head Priest's granddaughter.
Athena's face turned bright red. "I—I told him I wanted to do it with the other kids… h-humph."
Atem almost burst into laughter. "Me joining won't be a good thing."
"How so?" She raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Your talent can't be that terrible. Everyone knows about your sister. You can't be much worse, right?"
He shook his head slowly. "You know I have a weak body. I can't handle heat or cold… and the testing hall is freezing."
Athena's eyes lit up. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bronze pendant engraved with a curling flame.
Atem's eyes widened. "This is…?"
"A spiritual artifact," she declared proudly. "A Bronze Heat Pendant. If you wear it, you won't feel cold or heat."
Before he could even speak, she thrust it toward him.
"But this is too valuable… I can't take it." Atem looked at the pendant bitterly.
"Taking it?" Athena sneered. "Who said I am giving it to you? I am just lending it."
"Oh?" Hearing this, Atem was disappointed. He actually hoped she would give it to him. His weak body truly struggled with temperature changes, and something like this could change his daily life entirely.
As he thought about it, a faint bitterness rose in his chest. His weakness wasn't a small flaw—it shaped his entire world. Lira and Marek never told him the real reason for his condition, but he wasn't stupid. He understood enough.
"Good. If you lend me this pendant for a month, I will go." After some thought, he agreed.
"Eh? One month? Are you out of your mind? At most one week." Athena rolled her eyes.
Atem felt disappointed, but a week was better than nothing. Unlike normal children, he rarely ventured beyond the temple. He dreamed of traveling, exploring, climbing mountains—but those dreams stayed dreams. Staying in the same place every day made him feel like he was suffocating.
"Good. I agree." He stood up and took the pendant from her, placing it around his neck.
The moment it touched his skin, warmth spread across his chest. It felt unreal. Atem's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to smile but didn't know how.
Seeing how quickly his attitude changed, Athena felt like she had suffered a loss.
"Okay, let's go. Just try not to be too slow." Athena laughed and walked ahead.
Atem nodded and followed quietly.
"So, you don't know, but this girl Thia is also going, and her brother is…"