Won shrugged, trying to wave off the questioning eyes of Orson. He had decided not to use his cognidominance on people—at least, well, for now. He thought relying too much on cognidominance would hinder him from improving his social skills. Not that he had any to begin with. But he wanted to follow General Benjamin's advice for now.
He was too confused to answer anything to Orson at the moment. He needed to talk to Woco first. But he also knew he had to respond to Orson; he didn't seem like the type to let a matter like this go. After all, he was a general-ranked Ashen.
Besides, General Benjamin hadn't mentioned anything like what Orson was saying. If Orson's statement was absolutely true, General Benjamin would have told Won, right?
"Where did you hear such a thing about a red-eyed human receiving a fate seal?" Won asked, raising his brow, trying to sound casual.
Circling around, Orson crossed his arms. "From what I've heard from my father, about 30% of the receivers of fate seals had one of their eye colors change."
"Thirty percent? Only? And why would you think I'd be in that thirty percent? Think of the majority," Won said with a sigh.
"Is that so?" Orson asked, tilting his head. "But why can't I sense any familiar energy from you? In my 15 years of life, I've met a lot of people of all kinds of ranks. But you..." Orson trailed off, looking straight at Won.
"You're radiating energy unlike anything I've felt before."
Won scratched the back of his head, trying to act annoyed. "You might have only met the rich, the people of all ranks, Orson. But have you ever met a kid from the squalor?"
Orson stayed silent for a few seconds, then shook his head.
Won exhaled loudly. "Then congratulations. You've successfully met one. Now you better prepare yourself to sense more in the future."
That statement left Orson bewildered. He opened his mouth to say something and then decided not to.
Won was already lying in his bed. He didn't want to think about his new life, about the first class starting tomorrow. He had always been curious about school, academies, and study. But now that it was finally happening, his curiosity was starting to fade.
After Orson took a shower, he got dressed for the programs. He looked at Won, who was busy on his phone in bed, and asked, "You're seriously not going?"
"Not my place. Not mandatory. Not going," Won muttered in a low voice.
"You want me to bring you a dish? Or snacks?"
Won sat up, jolting.
"There'll be food?" he asked, eyes widening with curiosity.
Orson broke into a smile and turned away. "Yes. And you wouldn't want to miss that."
Won immediately stood up and started searching for an outfit from the clothes General Benjamin had bought for him.
***
The campus was elegantly arranged as if for a festival. Big stages were set up across the grounds. Different classes were playing music, dancing, or putting on fun presentations. The sky was gray and dark, but it wasn't raining, which made the atmosphere even more exciting.
Orson was busy chatting with his old friends while Won was focused on eating. Most of the food he tried was new to him. Who knew he could experience so many firsts in one day?
All the academy's buildings looked like palaces, with their beautiful, regal architecture. Everyone was having fun and gossiping—until suddenly, something dropped from above.
Right in front of Won, where he was standing.
Everyone screamed at the sight.
It was a horrifying-looking monster's head, blood spurting from it.
Then another drop.
This time, it was the monster's body.
It had four legs and a tail. The monster's color was green.
Did a veyne break out or something? Won thought, standing still and unfazed.
Blood sprayed onto Won's clothes and face.
The screams grew even louder; suddenly, everyone was running. Orson pushed through and stood beside Won.
Won looked up, trying to figure out where the body had fallen from.
"Are you okay, Won?" Orson asked, concerned.
Won nodded, "I'm alright."
There's no way the body just fell from the sky! Won mused, then his eyes shifted to the rooftop of the building in front of him. A shadow darted away instantly.
What is this?
Before he could think further, he started running up the stairs of the building, with Orson following behind, shouting, "Won, where are you going?"
"I saw someone move on the rooftop. We have to check if someone did this on purpose."
"Won, the teachers and guards will handle this! We can't just check ourselves," Orson yelled, still running.
They reached the elevator and got inside.
"That monster... it could have been killed by Ashen Guards. Let the authorities handle it," Orson muttered.
Won shook his head. "Why are you coming with me anyway? Did I ask you to?"
"I can't just let you go alone. What if—"
"You feel this is weird too," Won interrupted. "The Ashen Guard wouldn't just drop a body like this, even if a veyne broke inside the academy. There's something else."
As the elevator's doors to the rooftop opened, they saw Madam Natt was already there with some guards and teachers.
How did they get here so fast? Won thought.
Madam Natt tilted her head at the sight of them and raised her brows. "What are you kids doing here?"
Before Won could speak, Orson jumped in. "We came for you, Madam. We knew you'd be here. Actually, Won here—" he gestured at Won beside him, "he saw someone on the rooftop when the body fell."
Madam Natt narrowed her gaze at Won and asked, "What exactly did you see?"
"I only caught a glimpse of a shadow. I couldn't see his face. Did a veyne break? What really happened?" Won asked.
Sighing, Madam Natt said, "No veyne broke. But this has never happened before. A monster appeared out of nowhere, and someone killed it as soon as it came out. But we're not sure who did it."
"Could that monster have come from outside the main campus boundary?"
"No, that's impossible. Protective spells are cast there. Monsters can't break through those spells. When they break out from a veyne, we get notified immediately."
"That was really dangerous, Madam Natt. The body... it smelled awful!" Orson added.
Madam Natt nodded and looked at Won again. "The blood on you—are you hurt?"
"Oh, it's the monster's blood. It sprayed on me when it fell."
"I'm sorry that happened on your first day. Thanks for cooperating. You may go now and take a shower. Exposure to monster blood for too long can affect your skin," Madam Natt added, waving them off.
A teacher behind her chimed in, "Use a mint body wash. That's better."
Won glanced at him briefly and nodded.
It seems like the universe is against me getting clean. Why do I always end up covered in blood right after a bath? Won thought as they left.
***
Won looked at himself in the mirror as he took off his clothes. He remembered that when he had touched the blood of that handsome guy with focus, he had immediately sensed everything.
He placed his hand on his cheek, where the monster's blood was, and closed his eyes, whispering to himself, "Breathe... and sense the blood."
Seconds passed, but nothing happened. He stood still, focused.
Nothing.
Finally, he opened his eyes, disappointed.
Why do I feel like there's something big behind all this?
"Woco, don't you feel weird about everything that just happened?" Won asked inwardly.
"I don't have feelings like humans, Ashen Won. But given the circumstances, I can tell you the students were lucky today. The monster could have done serious damage to the academy. It was a higher-ranked monster. I can't give you any information about where it actually came from. It was an unexpected event."
Won nodded, acknowledging her point. "Why can't I sense anything by touching the blood now? It worked last time."
"There's a possibility the killer had something to do with that. Maybe he enchanted strong spells while killing it."
"Ah... huh. Anyway, I have another question. You told me my eye color change had nothing to do with the fate seal—that it happened solely because I've become a vessel of a god. But Orson told me something different. You know that already, right? What's your explanation?"
"You can trust me completely. Your eye color change had no relation to the fate seal."
Won raised his brow and threw out another question. "You also said the fate seal had nothing to do with me being a vessel. But now that I think about it, my identity is Seer of Emptiness and I'm the vessel of the God of Emptiness. So—"
Woco interrupted. "Because you've been alone your whole life. Your desire for loneliness is too strong. Your heart is as shallow as the dark sea. Indeed, you are the vessel of the God of Emptiness, but your fate seal bears your true desire and achievement."
Won sighed, twisting the tape open, and said, "You just said you don't have feelings like humans. But listen to you, spouting poetic lines."
"My apologies," Woco replied before shutting off.
Won almost laughed at the weird system.
Desire for loneliness, huh? Shallow as the dark sea? What a load of crap!
***
A few minutes later, when he came back from the shower, he found Orson standing near the closet.
But something was strange.
Very strange.
Orson wasn't just standing there—he seemed completely frozen.
Won stepped closer and tried shaking him, but not a muscle moved. Orson's eyes were still, unmoving.
What the hell? Won cursed inwardly and looked around. The clock was frozen too. He ran to the window—the lake's water was still, the tree leaves didn't move, and birds hung in the sky, motionless. Everything suddenly seemed like a picture.
As he turned back, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, startling him so much he nearly fell.
The figure, in human form, caught Won by the arm.
Won wasn't sure this was a human at all even though it looked like one. He sensed a type of energy from this figure unlike anything he'd ever felt—not even from the God of Emptiness.
The figure was a man with striking white hair and purple eyes. Probably the most beautiful... thing Won had ever seen—if it was even a person.
"Who are you?" Won asked, straightening himself and letting go of the man's hand.
The man smiled at him, circling around the room, and then, with a raspy, deep, and elegant voice, spoke:
"The reason you didn't die a few minutes ago."