The absence of pain was strange. Oscar placed the inhibitor back into his ear and pulled it out again. Again, no pain, no discomfort, not even a drop of sweat anywhere on his light, healthy skin. To be sure, he cleaned out the inside of his ear with his pinky and could only stare at the inhibitor, confused.

The pain that had accompanied him for several years, the pain Elder Saul and his master, Draven, could not figure out other than a vague notion it was something with his mind, the pain even a grade-four supreme heal elixir meant Marshal Exalts could not take away, was gone.

He blinked multiple times and shook his head in disbelief. "F-first, some strange version of me pops into my inner world, and now the pain is gone from my ear…huh…."

Oscar furrowed his brow in irritation instead of the relief he should feel from being freed from years of torment. Too many shocking turns of events brought a different headache, and he wandered to the water basin. With Oscar's entire head in the water, bubbles floated to the surface, the cold water covered his ears, and his heart thumped louder in echoes.

'The cold water is nice….' Oscar drank a mouthful, pulled his head out, and dried his head with a towel. He still thought about the sudden disappearance of his usual chronic pain and the sudden appearance of Demon. Were the two connected somehow? 'The timing can't be a coincidence.'

He paced around the tent, pondering the mystery. Backtracking from this point to other moments, Oscar reviewed his specific memories of Demon and the nerve-wracking pain. He snapped his fingers and nodded. He finally understood.

Demon's words from earlier rang through his mind. Demon's earliest memory or vague recollection was when Oscar faced the Rainbow Didus. The same went for when Oscar first experienced the piercing pain.

Everything started after that horrific battle after he lost his ear after he witnessed Nicholas' death and sacrifice. He clutched his ear; his heart slowed as he breathed in deeply. Something happened during the battle, and Oscar needed to know, but not now. Now, he had to focus on Ashen Grove and his friends.

Oscar slapped his cheeks, regained his focus, and exited the tent.

…….

Under the starry night, the base was glowing with burning braziers lighting up every corner and noisy with rowdy conversations from the central gathering area. Many fellow students gathered in this area to trade information and rest up for tomorrow. Not many ventured out in Ashen Grove under the night due to the risks involved.

The cover of the darkness provided too much of an advantage to the wild Exalt Beasts of these lands. Despite the altering abilities of Exalts to create light and flames, none of them could overwhelm the power of nature as Elite Exalts. The power to alter the world around them was a privilege for higher Exalts.

Oscar wondered why Frederick mentioned work during this dangerous time of night. When he arrived, he saw his friends. Frederick, Emily, and Serena were drinking and talking until Oscar approached them.

"Mind if I sit down?" With a smile, Oscar pulled up a chair and sat without waiting for their response.

"Here's the man of the hour! My dear brother, Os, the rampaging deer under the moon." Frederick held up his cup and shouted enthusiastically, drawing attention from around them.

"Indeed!" Emily unexpectedly joined in Frederick's outlandish behavior and wrapped her arm around Frederick's shoulder. Her flushed cheeks looked red hot, her droopy eyes were wet, and her wide smile smelled like alcohol. "What an absurd person, always having a surprise in his pocket."

The nearby tables and onlookers shook their heads and returned to their own affairs. Oscar laughed and facepalmed. There was no work. Frederick invited him to celebrate their victory and had already started a few pints without him together with Emily, their faces all flushed red with intoxication.

"So the work you mentioned doesn't exist, only a celebration? You do recall I don't like to drink alcohol." Oscar reached for a skewer.

"But you will drink tonight with us. What other time should you drink if not in the company of your good friends? Night in Ashen Grove is a time to rest, recollect, and fill yourself up for tomorrow."

Frederick placed a cup before Oscar and poured out a foamy ale. The grassy, malty aroma wafted to Oscar's nose. Oscar didn't enjoy much of the taste, and the smell was alright.

"Alright," Oscar lifted his mug. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Emily clinked her mug hard, spilling some on the table.

"Cheers!" Frederick laughed and patted Emily's head.

"Cheers…." Serena looked drowsy, and her eyes constantly flipped from open to close.

Oscar winced from the taste of the ale. A bitter deep grassy flavor lingered on his tongue, reminding him of the bitter raw grains he had tried at home. Nearly gagging, Oscar ate a couple of skewers to counteract the ale's flavor before drinking again. Before long, heat rose from every pore of his face, flushed red.

Hours went by.

"So, thanks to the teleportation of the desert realm, we returned to our original sides around the fig tree. The Undying Flame Sect couldn't chase us because the barrier was still up." Frederick sounded boastful and laughed his heart out.

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"You should have seen the look on Maia's face. Half of her face was angry and wanted to tear you apart, and the other half was white like a ghost. She might not want to come anywhere near you from now on."

"If that's the case, I welcome not being hunted down by a Grade Eight prodigy, and I already have enough to deal with like Orden. But I don't think she'll stop there." Oscar downed another mug. Contrary to his dislike of ale, he had no problem putting down large amounts of it.

"You have the worst luck when it comes to women. Is this going to be the classic enemies become lovers?" Frederick teased and poured more ale into Oscar's cup.

"No!" Serena's cry pierced Oscar's ear. She hugged him from the side with a sleepy face. "What do you mean he has the worst luck? Have I brought him any misfortunes?"

Oscar chuckled and slumped in his chair. Frederick looked away awkwardly while sipping from his mug.

"A few times, maybe," Oscar remembered the trouble with Edward during the Inner Hall test, the unwanted attention during their stay at Uleon City, and the current ill will from Fabian. Serena was not to blame for these factors, but they were simply due to her presence near him.

Though Serena might have brought some unnecessary trouble, Oscar didn't want to cut ties with her because he still regarded her as a good friend. Besides, he wasn't too bothered by them because they hadn't affected him personally.

Staring down, Oscar wanted to move Serena off of him. She looked unsteady and about to fall over if not for him, so he backed down.

"We should call it a night," Oscar let out a hot breath.

The night was well underway, and the large gatherings of other students dwindled to just Oscar's group and a few outliers. Most students retreated into their tents to sleep and prepare for tomorrow.

"You're right. Emily looks about done too. I would have thought she'd have a stronger tolerance due to her father being the way he is." Frederick carefully took up Emily in his arms, letting her head rest on his chest, and nearly stumbled to the floor. Quickly, he regained his balance and nodded to Oscar. "We'll see each other later."

"Later," Oscar waved goodbye and put Serena over his shoulder. He returned her to her tent and laid her down gently on the mattress. Before he could leave, her arms wrapped around his neck.

"You said compensation….let's go somewhere tomorrow," Serena mumbled through her drunken state, and Oscar nodded.

"Sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

…….

Back in his tent, Oscar cracked his neck several times. The alcohol loosened his tense body allowing him to relax, and he sat down in a meditative trance with this giddy feeling.

Holding the ataerstone in his hand, Oscar filled the room with the sounds of his rhythmic breathing. Ein flowed all around him like a rapid tide infusing itself into the ataerstone and then to his body through his pores and flooding his core.

"Training?" Demon's voice entered Oscar's head.

The Ein meditation was the gateway to entering the inner world. While Oscar was in his trance, he could contact Demon and vice versa. Demon had not moved a single inch from when Oscar last saw him, sitting in the same position and spot by his core.

"I can't neglect my progress as an Exalt. The Demon Deer Eirin Mantle was amazing, and I fought above my current level. It's a trump card I must use sparingly, or else my helpless body would be food for the predators. Normal use of Eirin, despite the pain, is enough."

"...."

Demon fell silent. Oscar was still skeptical about the true nature of this second mind in him. The mind was a fickle and mysterious topic that many could not fully unravel. Surely, however, the books back at the Neptunes Archives could provide some answers for him.

An hour flew by. Oscar was still meditating until he opened his eyes. Reaching into his space pocket, he pulled out one of the golddew figs. Frederick told him they divided the figs and gave Oscar a larger share because most of it came from his victory.

A total of 85 golddew figs was Oscar's reward for this past endeavor. One of them, Oscar toyed with in his hand, feeling the raw Ein inside. He reached in again and pulled out Gol-4.

"Gol-4. Do you think it's safe for me to eat this?" Oscar showed the fig to the golem. He brought him out to consult the golem due to Gol-4's extensive knowledge of treasures and rare resources.

"A raw golddew fig. That is highly improbable. You can take it to an alchemist, and they can try to convert the Ein within into elixirs. They may make a smaller batch or have lower quality, but it's safer than taking in the raw Ein. Only in the mythical times of antiquity was it rumored that people ate the raw materials before the discovery and creation of alchemy." Gol-4 retorted.

"But can I eat a piece of it? If this equals ten Ein Burst elixirs, then one-tenth is one elixir." Oscar said with great interest.

"No, not this fig. Once the fruit is split, the Ein within it will spill out. You can't eat a piece and store it for later. The only way would be to eat it whole. However, there's a reason you have to take in Ein in intervals occasionally. Only during an advancement when the core opens up like an exposed dam can you continually absorb Ein without worry. But you know this, don't you?" Gol-4 spoke plainly.

"What about the ataerstone?" Oscar showed the ataerstone, a teal gem that shone dimly in Oscar's palm. "I can convert it into a purer Ein to absorb and integrate into my core more easily."

"That could work…but you would need to handle the equivalent force of ten elixirs, and you may waste some of it as you try to absorb them. It's too risky and could result in backlash."

"So, either way, I would waste some of the Ein within it." Oscar fiddled with the fig in his hand and tossed it into his mouth, swallowing it whole. "I have 84 more of these. The Pavilion will need lots of it, but I have the leeway to experiment on one."

"You're crazy," Gol-4 backed away from Oscar to the other end of the mattress.

Oscar focused hard and felt the rampaging Ein swirl in his stomach. With his Ein as the guide, he funneled it into his ataerstone to be purified and sent to his core.

The raw Ein quelled from a torrent to a gentle stream. However, excess started to seep out of Oscar's pores, released as a puff of smoke. Some could not wait to escape and wracked pain through their path until they escaped with the blood coming from his new wounds.

Oscar clenched his teeth and withstood the pain, the injuries were at an acceptable level, and he continued to absorb as much as possible. If not for the ataerstone, he would have been in danger.

"Phew," Oscar wiped the sweat from his brow and bandaged his injuries. Out of the fig fruit, he only absorbed around twenty percent properly, while the rest were wasted and escaped to become a part of the world.

"Told you. An alchemist would have better results." Gol-4 did not mince his words.

"I know, but I wanted to know for myself. As long as there's not too much risk, I'm fine with trying anything out. It still worked in a way." Oscar lay down on his bed.

"The same mindset is so prevalent in alchemists and fabricators." Gol-4 dropped to the floor and rolled around. "How deranged."

"Thank you." Oscar exhaled loudly and fell asleep.

The next morning, Oscar stepped out of his tent. The fresh morning air was chock full of the fragrance of the forest and warm from the soft sunlight, and the small breeze fluttered around with small bits of pollen and weak grass—the start of a brand new day for everyone in Ashen Grove.

Today, Oscar had to keep his promise to Serena.