Ascending the stairs with Miss Tsuki, Shin could not help but marvel at the grandeur of the massive cathedral. It felt like the place itself exuded a sense of mystery and intrigue, beckoning all to find solace in its dark embrace.
Reaching the top of the stairway and standing face to face with Gin, the silver-haired man then spoke.
"So you've decided to take on the offer?"
"Good. Trust me, kiddo, this will be for the best." Then, turning his attention to Miss Tsuki, he enquired,
"So, what happened?"
The silent Miss Tsuki then replied in her usual direct tone, "When the Waking Hour started, he attracted a Mimic."
"A mimic?!" Gin let out an astonished reaction, returning his gaze back to Shin; he jested with a slight chuckle, "A rank 1 monster for your first encounter. Your luck really is bad."
Confused by Gin's sudden reaction, Shin raised a question of his own.
"What exactly does the rank mean?"
Removing his hands from his trench coat and folding his arms before his chest, the silver-haired Gin explained:
"The ranking system is how we grade how powerful a supernatural entity is. From lowest to highest is Rank 5 to Rank 1."
"However, there is also a class system that is used to distinguish the different types of supernatural entities, from weakest to strongest: Spirit, Monster, Legend, Deity and Great One."
"The Mimic that you encountered was at the pinnacle of the Monster class. For someone completely new to the world of supernaturals, it's a certain death sentence. Even some rookie teams in the Order of Silver would find it difficult. But thankfully you had that protective amulet and Miss Tsuki to help you."
Yeah, otherwise I don't think I'd want to know what would have happened otherwise.
With a worn-out sigh, Miss Tsuki started to make her way towards the large ornate silver doors. Stuffing the Mimic's Essence Pearl into Gin's arms, she instructed with a weary voice, "I'm going to rest. This is his battle prize; let him absorb it, and, uh… tell him about the 'Rebirth' ritual." She then promptly disappeared into the darkness of the cathedral's entrance.
"Jeez, one would think she's the superior." Gin was casually lampooned. Flipping open the lid of the familiar silver pocket watch, he stated while making his way towards the entrance.
"There's still ten minutes left in the Waking Hour. Come on, I'll give you a quick rundown of the place.
…
00:01
"Okay, sweetie, then I…" Immediately her voice softened, seeing that the person before her had vanished. "Shin?" The concern in her voice was unconcealed. Seeing that the communicator was now lying on the bed, the worry in her heart intensified.
"Shin, where are you?" She scanned the bedroom in confusion.
Rushing out of the bedroom, Aunt Min began a frantic search.
…
After having gone through a brief tour of the Silver Palace, Shin now had a rough idea of what was what. Although they did not get to every area, he still felt that there was a lot more than is to be expected.
When they first entered the cathedral through the large ornate silver doors, they were greeted with an expansive reception hall.
Here a grand staircase gave way to the different levels; in the middle was a stairway that led downwards, and on either side of its entrance were two smaller staircases that led upwards.
Gin told him that the upstairs was where some of the command and logistics centres were. The downstairs was made up of underground areas that were then further divided up into different levels:
In the 1st level were the majority of quarters, including a large mess hall.
The 2nd level was for training facilities such as a gun range, fighting ring and gym.
The 3rd level is the research level, housing all available knowledge regarding the supernatural and an armoury.
To a new recruit this was all they had access to; once one worked their way up the ranks and earned merits, they could then have the right to access the deeper levels and better equipment.
Now having led Shin to a temporary room for the night, the silver-haired Gin then stated the workings of the 'Rebirth' ritual:
"When we recruit civilian members such as yourself, there is a need to eliminate the potential chance of corruption. To us Awakened, being corrupted is the path of depravity that will destroy everyone and everything around you. The connections you have to those that are not affected by spiritual energies can become a gateway that allows others to use it as a connection to you. Your family will then be targeted."
"Thus the 'Rebirth' ritual. To sever that connection," his voice carried a hidden pensiveness to it.
"Once you've rested for the night, in the morning I'll take you to 'He who devours fate'.
"He who devours fate?" Shin murmured softly.
"Uh, you can consider it one of the pillars of the Order of Silver. Once we're done with the ritual, I'll then take you to the library so that you can study the Codex."
Letting out an exaggerated yawn, Shin finally felt all the burdens of the day accumulate in his body.
"Before I forget, let me teach you the basics of absorbing Essence Pearls." Tossing the Essence Pearl that was scavenged from the Mimic, Gin then took a seat beside Shin on the single-sized bed.
"Hold the pearl in hand and then focus your mind on it."
"One of the easiest methods is to imagine all of the energy flowing from the pearl and into you. Thereafter, you have to guide that energy from the palms of your hand and let it flow through every blood vessel in your body; essentially, you are filling up the vessel that is your body."
"So how about giving it a try?"
Holding the Essence Pearl in hand, Shin began to follow the advice of Gin. In his mind he created the image of the pearl and its infinite colours flowing around each other like a river, then he imagined that river flowing from the pearl and into him.
The moment he did this, he felt a warm sensation enter his body. Focusing on the flowing colours, he made it flow throughout his whole body, feeling a slight quench to a thirst he did not know he had.
However, this thirst only grew stronger, absorbing most of the essence he had just taken from the Essence Pearl. Looking at the dimmed pearl, he felt its weight vanish before the pearl itself slowly faded out of existence.
"Not bad. You seemed to get the hang of it." The silver-haired Gin acknowledged.
"Now get some sleep, kiddo; you'll have a long day later."