Ringing echoed throughout Henry's mind.
'Dammit, what happened?'
Henry opened his eyes, and was graced by the face of a beautiful woman.
Warmth radiated from her skin, she was… hugging him.
"Don't be scared, sweetie. Everyone has nightmare's, you know what makes you different from them, though?"
Her voice filled his body with ease, and peace. Her soft skin pale as porcelain as if she was a beautiful sculpture from a master craftsman.
Henry wished to speak, to thank her for saving him, to tell her he was so confused, that he needed help. But the words that came out weren't his.
"No… what is it?"
A young boy, he wasn't waking up to this woman, this was a dream, a memory. This must be-
'My mother…'
"Well Henry, your father as clumsy as he is."
She let out a laugh that could melt the coldest hearts.
"A nightmare hunter! And do you think he isn't out there fighting your nightmares right now?"
He looked up at her with admiration.
"No…"
She smiled… Henry recognized it, not from memories but from instinct.
"Now, how about I tell you a story. Any requests?"
She sat up and began tucking the young Henry in bed.
"Oh, oh! Can you tell me the story of dad, and the secret city?"
He was brimming with excitement.
"Why yes, I can!"
As his mother began talking, her voice became faint.
'Wait-'
Henry's vision went blurry, his mother's face slowly distorted.
'Just one more minute, please!'
"No!"
Henry sat up, blinking rapidly he looked around, he was no longer in the cafeteria. He was now in a small room with a bed surrounded by blinds, and medical equipment.
"Calm down, no need to scream."
The familiar voice came from next to him, turning, Henry saw Lumora sitting by his bed.
"What happened!?"
She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.
"Well, you tried to fight someone much stronger than you, and got pummeled."
He thought back to the fight with Arden, he had been corned and last remembered.
"The haymaker."
His thoughts spilled aloud.
"Yup, right on the money. He knocked you clear out."
Feeling his face, there was a sharp pain when touching his temple.
"It's not that bad, just a bruise. I'm shocked, I thought you'd be worse off, seeing how…"
She looked Henry up and down.
"Thin you are."
It made sense, he had just gotten out of the hospital, and not 12 hours later he was in a fight. But something didn't make sense.
"Why are you here?"
There's no way she had enough pity to stay at the side of someone she had just attempted to make leave the academy.
Lumora looked down, she seemed upset?
"I believe you… well, that you didn't want to hurt him, I mean."
Henry was confused.
"What?"
"During applications, I believe that you don't know why you attacked the other applicant."
'Thank god. '
Henry was silently celebrating, that was one less eye on him.
"Oh well, thank you."
Lumora smiled.
"It's no problem, shockingly you seem, more adjusted than most people here. Especially that other guy."
Henry's thoughts flashed to Marlon throwing the plate at Arden. She was probably right, but Marlon was nice company.
"Yeah."
Henry mustered a laugh that hurt his swollen jaw.
Lumora put her hand out,
"Well, how about a formal meeting. I'm Lumora Clemensen."
He shook her hand.
"Henry Philips, nice to meet you, Lumora."
'Maybe this won't be so bad after all.'
The two exchanged a friendly stare before Lumora stood up.
"Well, I've got to be going, there's an hour until we're put into our classes."
An hour? Wasn't it just dinner time.
"What do you mean?"
She looked down at Henry and made a face of realization.
"Oh, Henry, it's morning. You slept through the night."
'Oh, shit.'
***
An hour. That was the time Henry had to figure out what they learned at this academy, and he had already wasted twenty minutes rushing back to his room for a change of clothes.
'Okay, if I was going to learn anything quickly, where would I go…'
Henry searched through the student handbooks atlas.
'Deans office, nurse's office, gym, study rooms, librar- '
"That's it!"
He dashed to the library, everyone would be gathering at the auditorium right now so he only had a bit of time.
Timidus's library was massive, each bookshelf had its own sliding ladder to allow access to the upper levels. He didn't have time to search, Henry slid across the floor to the librarian, who was on her knees organizing books.
"Excuse me miss!"
The timid librarian dropped her stack of books out of shock.
"Damm- Uhm yes, can I help you? Isn't the assembly soon?"
"Sorry, but is there a book that explains what the chosen are? Preferably, one that can be read quickly."
She looked at him with confusion, but visibly the gears in her head were turning. She immediately stood up as if she was a programmed machine and dashed through the labyrinth of shelves. Henry could barely keep up.
'How well does she know this place?'
The librarian immediately reached for a book in between hundreds of others.
"Let me know if this helps."
She held it out to Henry.
'Mysticism, and The Chosen, interesting.'
"Now, why are you here and not at the assem-"
Henry dashed out, situating himself in a corner of the hallway.
'Okay, now I just let the knowledge flow.'
He cracked open the dusty book, he must be the only chosen to not know what being chosen meant.
***
"As many of you know, fifty years ago the first chosen appeared. Random people, differing in age, race, and nation, all felt the connection. When chosen, a link is created between you, and Miasmal Energy, a force not understood by many that appeared alongside the first chosen. Many chosen explain the process as one day waking up and feeling as if you unlocked a whole new spectrum of feeling, like in differing amounts you could feel a new energy moving around the air.
That is all for around 20–50 days, but randomly usually on day fifty, all current chosen connect to the closest Conduit, and in their vision, will see a glowing light that protrudes all walls leading to the Conduit.
Once the chosen arrival at the Conduit, it will emit a spectral circle, commonly called the Conduit Circle. When the chosen enter the circle, they will be transported, to The Chosen'sTrial."
Miasmal Energy, Conduit, The Chosen's Trial!? All this did was leave Henry with more questions. If only he had more memories, he could at least get an understanding of the world he lived in. His knowledge of history and world law seemed to conveniently skip anything regarding the chosen.
Slipping the book in his coat pocket, he looked at the time.
He didn't think he was reading for too long,
'Five minutes?!?!'
Henry ran as fast as he could, desperately trying to make it in time to the auditorium.
Slamming into the auditorium doors, he was greeted by a line of students. All of which were now staring at him.
An older man Henry presumed to be a teacher led him to the back of the line.
Henry looked ahead and saw an unfamiliar person sitting in a chair while each student walked up to them, and seemed to write on a paper they had.
The current student was the gray haired boy Henry had met the day before. He wrote on the paper, and began to cry before running out of the room.
'That's not worrying at all.'
Henry tapped the student in front of him.
"Hey sorry I'm a bit confused, what are we doing?"
The student stood daggers at Henry, unable to tell if Henry was joking or not.
He seemed to have made up his mind and responded.
"We're selecting our classes. It's important that we think about it carefully so we have to wait in line."
"Oh, thanks."
Henry didn't fully know what the classes entailed, but with his general understanding, he would have to go through some type of trial, so the classes most likely were to prepare him for it.
'The handbook!'
Genius, the classes were in one of the student handbook's chapters. He reached in his pocket to grab it but realized. There was nothing there.
"Huh"
Henry checked all over, even taking his coat off and feeling it, but he only had the book from earlier. He must have dropped it when leaving the library.
'Shit.'
Dread filled his body. He had no clue what classes there were, and now he had to select the right ones with the added pressure of being in front of everyone in the academy.
***
Each step was, an eternity, as the path in front of him became shorter and shorter he was eventually standing face to face with the paper bearer.
"Hi."
Henry sheepishly put his hand out, but the person didn't reciprocate.
"You may now select your classes."
Staring at the paper he saw dozens of different classes, combat training, trap development, wood working, bushcraft, but one stuck out to him.
'Wait… this might be perfect.'