Lying on his large bed, Nyx couldn't stop smiling. The more time passed, the wider his grin became, as if there were no limits to his dumb expression.
And honestly, no one could blame him. He was reflecting on his day and the simple fact that he had been lucky enough to enter his first trial before taking his last breath.
He'd been pretty sure he wouldn't live long enough for his awakening trial to even begin. Yet here he was.
Right in the middle of it.
Nyx's thoughts drifted to the little information he had about the awakening trial—or as the voice of the world had called it, the Trial of Origin.
Normally, one would be trained from childhood to ensure survival during a potential awakening trial.
The reason? The trial was pure horror. A nightmare most of the time. In the past, more people had died during their trials than had successfully awakened.
Nowadays, the survival rate was much higher, but the danger was still very real. And that was only thanks to the rigorous training everyone received from an early age.
Half of all school subjects revolved around survival and combat. Any family that could afford it would hire private tutors on top of that to ensure nothing happened if someone was chosen.
If your family managed to produce an awakener, it was basically a free ticket to wealth and status.
And Nyx? He never received any training—neither in survival nor in combat.
His family was of noble background back on Earth too, with nearly every member awakened.
But they despised him. They prayed for his downfall, for his death.
The only thing stopping them from openly killing him was their reputation.
"Tch, those retarded bitches. How fortunate for you that God doesn't exist—"
At least that was Nyx's assumption.
"Otherwise you'd all have already received divine punishment—like impotence or some sort of soul-cleansing crap."
More and more curses slipped past his lips. Words that didn't match his wide grin in the slightest.
But none of that mattered to him right now—not after everything that had happened.
Soon, he began humming a cheerful tune…
It was time to check out his soul. He couldn't wait to find out what kind of Vestige he had—if only he knew how.
His mood plummeted from sky-high to midlife-crisis-level in seconds.
"Just how the fuck am I supposed to read my soul? I should be able to do it now that I'm in my trial."
His hands trembled; sweat began to bead on his forehead.
"Shit. Shit. Shit. FUCK!"
He jumped out of bed, left his room, and started walking down the dark corridor.
Along the way, he noticed something that left him speechless.
It was still night, maybe around 2 a.m. The moon was hidden behind clouds, leaving the night pitch-black.
There were no light sources in the hallway—no torches, no glowing artifacts.
Yet—he could see everything clearly, as if it were broad daylight.
Is that because I'm no longer human?
He didn't know, but it was interesting. Nyx couldn't wait to learn more about his abilities, so he continued his search for Serra's and Selene's rooms.
He didn't want to disturb Caelia at this hour. It would also be far too embarrassing to admit that he didn't even know how to look at his own soul.
After all the VIP treatment and praise, being told he was worth more than he realized—he just couldn't. Not now. Not ever.
He had hoped to find at least one servant along the way. Most would be asleep, sure, but there were always some who woke up in the night for a glass of water or to relieve themselves.
The problem was simple: he knew nothing.
Where were the servant quarters? Where was the library? The kitchen? No idea. Everything was unfamiliar.
So he had two options:
Go back to his room, sleep, and ask in the morning.
Or just open every door he found and peek inside.
After weighing his options, Nyx quickly dismissed the first.
It would have been the more logical choice under normal circumstances—but he was impatient as hell.
Who wants to wait that long? Maybe someone else, but not Nyx.
So he accepted the risk that he might wake some people and gain a reputation as a rude bastard starting tomorrow.
All for the sake of curiosity.
Decision made, he opened the next door in sight without hesitation.
Ah, what a mistake that was.
Opening the door and stepping inside to get a better view—two pairs of eyes locked onto him.
Both of them were panting heavily, clearly out of breath, faces flushed deep red and full of shock.
Nyx froze.
Oh shit. This is awkward.
He had just interrupted a couple's intimate session. And not just at any moment—at their peak.
That's it. Game over. Starting tomorrow, Nyx would be branded a pervert and an inconsiderate idiot.
But he still had a mission to accomplish.
Trying to make it look like the most natural thing in the world, he spoke as casually as he could:
"Hey, sorry for interrupting your private time. Do you guys happen to know where Selene's or Serra's rooms are?"
Their brains had clearly short-circuited from the shock.
The woman's gears started turning again, slowly rebooting. The man, however, was still out of it.
With her partner's dick still buried deep inside, the woman stammered out a reply:
"Selene's room should be near yours, young master. We just helped her move her things there earlier."
Her expression was almost comical as she tried not to moan while speaking to Nyx, making no move whatsoever to remove her partner.
"You should find it easily. She even put a sign with her name on the door so you can find her if you need anything at night. I don't know about Serra, though."
"Hmm, that should be enough. Thanks, and sorry for the interruption. It was important. Carry on."
With a final nod, Nyx closed the door and left.
As soon as the door shut, he could hear them whispering—and soon enough, moans and the sound of clapping resumed.
It seemed that after this little encounter, they didn't care about anything anymore—
whatever shame or embarrassment they had left the room with him.
"Hah, yes, deeper! Take me harder—fuck the shit out of me, make a mess of me David!"
Nyx blinked, his face twitching slightly.
"…Well, good for David, I guess. At least someone's having a better night than me."
He shook his head and continued walking, pretending he hadn't just learned the guy's name in the most scarring way possible.
How the hell did I not hear that before walking in?
But thinking about it, he realized he probably had. He'd just been so lost in thought that he tuned everything out.
Walking back to his room, he paid more attention to his surroundings this time.
Truth be told, he had probably already passed her room earlier without noticing—just like he hadn't noticed the noises.
And sure enough, he found her room on the way back.
It was really close to his, and he genuinely wondered how he'd missed it, considering there was a HUGE sign on the door with her name on it.
Nyx sighed and knocked.