Silence.
It was a strange thing in a life filled with the constant beeps and noise of a hospital.
He didn't know how long he had been floating in the black void, but it felt euphoric — away from the noise, away from all of it. He let himself sink deeper and deeper.
Then his surroundings changed.
The heat hit him first. Heavy and dry against his skin. Something rough pressed beneath him — gritty, hard.
His body was returning to a shape whether he wanted it to or not.
He opened his eyes.
'Ah—'
Excruciating pain swallowed him whole. On reflex his mouth flew open, which only made it worse — agony pouring in through his throat and eyes at once.
He collapsed. One hand clawed at his neck, the other pressed hard against his face.
He gasped. Choked. Gasped again.
Saliva spilled from the corner of his mouth and dripped into the dirt.
Then he felt it — mixing with the saliva. Unmistakable.
Blood.
***
The pain faded slowly, and his senses began to return.
'Ah....' he groaned inwardly.He didn't bother opening his eyes nor making a sound.
He simply pressed his palms into the ground and pushed himself upright, brushing the wet dirt from his hands and face.
His first thought was simple: 'Where the fvck did I end up?'
He knew he was in a human body — the weight of it, the dull ache of it, made that obvious. But the pain had been something else entirely.
In his previous life he had been a doctor. He had read about several conditions that caused full-body collapse, but nothing like this. Nothing even close.
Before he could think further, something shifted.
The emptiness around him broke apart.
A few steps ahead — the air thickened, the space changed. Dense and still in a way open air never was.
A wall.
His vision was still dark, but he didn't need his eyes. He moved toward it, hand outstretched, until his fingers touched a flat surface.
There it was.
before he could ponder onto this feeling a voice interrupted his concentration
"Did you come for the exam?"
A rough, young voice came from behind him.
He turned. Without sight, he felt the presence of a person — taller, much taller than he was. He stared in the direction of the voice and gave a slow nod.
"Why do you have your eyes closed? Are you blind?" he paused. "And why are you just nodding — can't you speak?"
He nodded again.
The taller boy stumbled back a step. A beat of silence.
"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't know — I didn't mean to—"
The shorter boy raised one hand, palm flat, pushing gently at the air.
It's fine.
"Right. Okay." The tall boy paused, which only made it more awkward. "What should I call you—" His eyes caught the nameplate near the boy's collar. "Ah- vesper. I'm Zephyr, by the way."
Zephyr extended his hand on instinct, then immediately started pulling it back.
Vesper caught it and shook it.
"How did you—" Zephyr went quiet, staring.
Vesper tapped a finger against his own temple.
Zephyr didn't actually believe it, but he accepted it anyway. "So — where do you want to go vesper?"
The name didn't surprise him. He had already felt the nameplate near his collar the moment he stood. It was an easy guess.
Vesper.
Quite a nice name, actually. He would have preferred his old name — but for some reason, he couldn't remember what it was. The memory sat just out of reach, like trying to grab smoke.
'Vesper it is, then.'
Zephyr was still waiting for a response.
Then, without meaning to, Vesper's hand shot up into the air.
Zephyr blinked. "You want to go to Orvel Academy?"
Vesper zoned out for a moment, staring at Zephyr's face. Then he nodded.
The name was familiar. More than familiar actually.
He had read this novel in his past life, after all.
As a doctor he had lived under constant stress and exhaustion — and that novel had been his escape. Every problem disappeared the moment he opened it.
Zephyr's face twisted into a small frown. "I hate to say this, but... are you here to take the exam?"
Vesper nodded.
Zephyr looked like he wanted to say something. He opened his mouth, then closed it — probably afraid of saying the wrong thing. Instead, he reached over and took Vesper's hand.
"I'm going there too. Come on, I'll take you."
Vesper bowed his head in thanks.
***
After about fifteen minutes, Zephyr stopped and spoke. "We're here."
Vesper stilled. He concentrated, reaching outward with his senses, feeling the space around him.
And then he felt it.
A massive structure, looming up and up and up. He tilted his head back trying to reach the top of it, but at a certain height the sensation blurred and fell apart. He couldn't feel that far.
'It is the same as the novel described it.'
It had been called a grand palace that reached the sky — one of the most beautiful buildings in the Aztec Empire. Sadly, he would never see it even if was physically present there.
The two of them moved forward and stopped in front of a huge entrance. Surprisingly, there were no knights or guards — just a person sitting at a bench, sorting through papers on a desk.
"You should register over there," Zephyr said. "They're handing out numbers."
Vesper moved to the desk. The person there didn't question him — just handed him a badge and said, "Next."
Vesper pressed his back against the nearest wall and ran his finger over the badge.
'87.'
"You look calm," Zephyr said, appearing beside him.
Vesper raised an eyebrow.
"I mean — everyone else is stressed about the exams. Whether they'll even pass."
That was fair.
There were three stages to enrollment at Orvel Academy, and only one in a million applicants made it in. First, a theoretical exam. Second, the aspect reveal — where a candidate's affinity was exposed and assessed. Third, the practical exam, the most important of the three.
It was said that even poor results on the first two could be forgiven if the third was strong enough.
Vesper glanced in Zephyr's direction. and pointed his finger towards him
" What me" Zephyr pointed at himself, then let out a short laugh. "Nervous? Never."
The crowd around them began moving inside. The two followed.
Vesper didn't use his spatial perception constantly — it was exhausting, a real drain on his mind. So he asked Zephyr to guide him to his exam hall, and Zephyr did without complaint.
Vesper sat down at his assigned bench, pen in hand, and stared into nothing.
Then he felt it — a paper materializing on top of his hand.
He knew what it was.
The question paper.