Lying on the bed while looking at the floating lights up at the ‘ceiling’ of the Fhagec, I was bored that the fact that there was nothing to do during the night.
Earlier, after taking a shower, I sat on the chair near the writing table next to my bed.
There were scrolls of parchment and something similar of a pen next to them. I tried writing several quotes from famous philosophers like Cicero, Laozi, and Voltaire just for fun but I got bored in a minute.
After that, I tried writing prompts but all the stories I wrote seems to bore me after hundreds of word.
And so I lie on the bed, staring upward.
An hour had passed I think, yet I never knew staring vacantly could actually be therapeutic. Erganisu was sitting on the chair, writing something. When I asked him earlier, he said it was documentation.
In other word, it’s a diary.
I was also wandering if I should make one. As I did, I heard a groan from where Erganisu was sitting. I got up and look at his direction. He had stopped writing and currently he was holding his chest as he was wrenching and twitching in pain.
“Are you alright?!”
“It’s suddenly became fiery hot in my chest and my heart is beating erratically.”
He said that with an expression that was enduring the pain. Was it the food that we cooked? If so, what kind of food that would make someone hot in the chest and giving them heart attack!?
As I tried to help or rather helplessly watching him writhing in pain, his whole body froze and at that moment, his head fall onto the table.
… What?
… He’s not dead right?
While considering the possibility that he was just faking it, I slowly approach him. I don’t know if Orka share the same organs placement such as a human but being a humanoid but I think the design are the same or if not nearly the same.
I touched his chest.
There were breathing and heartbeat. As far as I can tell he was breathing normally and his heart was beating normally. Perhaps that pain that he felt just recently was a temporary bout.
I had the silly thought of moving him to bed but with my meagre strength and the fact that he probably had a weight double of my own or even more, I dismissed the thought and decided to lie down at my bed again.
When I got into my bed, I could hear snoring from his side. I’m pretty thankful. I thought that he was going to die for real and I would be left alone or I could have be suspected for a foul play.
As I breathed easy, I resumed what I did before which is staring at the ceiling. I lost count on how many minutes had passed as I was staring at the ceiling but my boredom was overwhelming my mind and it made me restless. Maybe I’ll take a stroll outside.
But just before I got up, I felt a heating sensation in my chest. It was not only was that but my heartbeat was increasing too. These symptoms sound like what had happened to Erganisu.
As I realized what was happening and what would come next, I let myself fall on my bed.
As I was losing my consciousness, I tried to adjust my body so as I don’t have a bad sleeping posture after I faint.
I don’t want to wake up tomorrow with aching back or neck pain but wait what if I don’t-
--
Ugh…
I wonder why but every time when we fall to sleep, there’s this blank period of complete darkness that we somehow remembered and time seems to passed like seconds after that or maybe it’s just me alone?
I opened my eyes.
Rays of light streamed from the opened window. I never actually close it on the night that I had opened it.
“Close window and light on.”
I issued a command and the room went bright from the floating lights. I got up only on my upper half and look at the other side.
“Dimming? Dim the light?”
Whatever I said, the light intensity didn’t change. I guess there’s a limit to the commands.
Erganisu was not there. Perhaps he went to breakfast? If that’s the case, then I shouldn’t waste any more time. I quickly got up and went to the bathroom and took a shower and did the normal toilet routine of small business and large business.
After that, I closed the light and opened the window again.
I got out of the Fhagec and went to the portal. Thankfully, there was a guard standing by. I greeted him and he sombrely replied with a nod. He opened the portal for me and I said my thanks to him.
I thought I had entered the mess hall for breakfast but turned out that it was the General Education Class.
Oh crap I overslept…
Everyone was looking at me as I froze standing in front of the portal.
“Take a seat Ruigne, it’s alright. I understand your circumstance. Erganisu told me that you were late in taking the Specialization Pill on that night.”
Mr. Tauzad assured me as he gestured me to sit.
I awkwardly walked towards the seat next to August. For some reason, everyone had a pleasing expression on their face. Well almost everyone.
“Don’t worry; Erganisu had been taking note, so you can refer to him.”
So the lesson resume as I took some the already written notes from Erganisu.
--
“So, why are you all so perky today?”
As we had our lunch in General Education class which the food was thankfully delivered to us, I was being cautious in asking that because of the cheerful mood. I don’t want to spoil it by asking rashly.
“You remembered last two days ago about those Specialization Pills? During this morning training, Gavrau told us about our ‘special’ ability.”
“Well, considering it was called ‘Specialization Pill’…”
“Shush, I’m talking here.”
Akujin was proudly talking about the effect of the Pill. Apparently, everyone that had taken the pill now have a special ability. As I remembered, it was also to form connection with the Planet-Spirit.
“My ability seems to fit me perfectly. I call it [Replication]. It works by being able to replicate any object as far I know. I tested it and the limitation was that the object had to have a certain size no larger than me and the amount that I can replicate is dependent on how many I replicated. For example, I replicated about 8 wooden swords and I couldn’t continue after that. Also, there’s a time limit for the replicated objects. After half an hour, they up and disappeared. It’s a very interesting ability.”
Wow, that is more to the magic I had in mind. Still, it is an impressive ability.
“Hey, Ruigne, look at this.”
August called me out and I looked at his direction. He had goofy smile that reminded me of myself when I had talked with Aeriasus.
He was holding a spoon with some mashed potato of sort and swallowed it. After a while, in a blink, a silent and an invisible sort of explosion were emitted from him. The mashed potato in his bowl was empty.
“So… you can move really fast?”
“Sort of… I call it [Reaction]! See, I tested it out this morning. Turns out, with an explosion, time slow down around me or maybe it makes me faster. Anyway, I don’t know how but everything seems to almost stop around me when I use it. When I become super quick, it has a time limit of five seconds or when I leave the radius of the explosion. I can use it about every ten seconds in interval.”
So he goes really fast or he actually slowed the time around him in a certain radius.
“Can you change the shape of the radius?”
“Nope, I think it only explodes in a circle. Still it’s good enough to become an asset in saving my ass.”
“Cool.”
Now that I heard both of them, I wonder what would be the special ability that I will have. While we’re at it, I guess I should ask everyone here. I turned towards Erganisu.
“So what was your?”
Earlier, I saw that only Erganisu had looked disappointed.
He sighed.
“Mine is quite barbaric. It turns my skin into iron, gives protection from Eomancy-based attacks, increases my mental fortitude, and my strength. I called it [Indomitable] but I had like if it I had a more intellectual ability. I guess I can never escape the fate of being a brute…”
He then sighed again and looked at his meal with a dejected expression.
I guess I should give him room and time for him to cheer up.
As I tried to ask Vefal and Kiefy, I noticed something or someone popped out from my right side. When I turned and look, it was a shadowy humanoid was on my side. Naturally, I was scared shitless and jumped out the chair I’m sitting.
August on my left side was surprised and showed a mild annoyance.
“Dude, calm… stay cool.”
What, how could I calm down if that thing suddenly appeared right next to me?
“It’s my ability. I called it [Shadow]. It’s like another me. I can mentally order her to do practically anything that I can do. I haven’t fully tested its capability yet so…”
Vefal, who looked as though she enjoyed watching me jumped scare, muttered at me with a faint smile.
And then, Kiefy smacked behind her head in annoyance. Vefal rubbed at where she was smacked with a remorseful face.
“I’m sorry for my sister and I wouldn’t mind showing you my ability but…”
There was the sound of the portal opening. The next class are due.