Awakening: I Ascend Alone-Chapter 28: Five Days

Melvin had five days.

Five days before the Crimson Moon would appear and every Climber would be seen venturing into the Silver Spire.

Five days was not much time to prepare for something that could very well kill him. Still, Melvin did not waste a single hour of it.

He had purposely postponed the notion of "The Silver Spire" story writing until he returned, at least after conquering the second step.

During the mornings, he visited the Academy library. He read anything that could help him survive, ranging from battle notes, monster descriptions, training methods to even journals written by people who had entered the Spire long ago.

Most of them would never return.

During the afternoons, Melvin moved to the training grounds. There, he pushed his body until his muscles trembled and his mind until it went beyond his limits.

His practice went from flexibility training to movement drills and balance exercises. Alas, Melvin began to make use of other training halls he thought were going to offer benefits to his skills honing. Other times, he focused on controlling his whip, repeating the same strike again and again until his arms felt numb.

Yet, despite all that he had gone through during those days, he felt something strange happen every time. Just like his first time in training, he never felt the after-effects that always came once his training ended.

His body... adapted.

No matter how hard the training became, his muscles seemed to adjust quickly, as if they had been prepared for the strain beforehand. This was something Melvin knew was beyond his control since he already knew his capabilities.

It was during one of these exhausting sessions that Melvin finally remembered a mark he carried, and his suspicion of it grew stronger.

When he returned to his room one night, he had summoned the runic description again and read it carefully.

[Mark]: Hollow

[Description]: Aeon survived by cutting away what made survival difficult. Fear was inconvenient. Pain was distracting. Hope was dangerous. And emotions were abstract. So, he buried them. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Melvin stared at the description for a long time.

"...So that’s how it works."

He had imagined the mark passively granted him raw strength or visible power. However, after much training, he realized that whenever he trained or fought against the shooting orbs, the mark only helped him ignore distractions. Pain dulled. Fear faded. Even doubt seemed to disappear.

With each motion he established, his mind always remained clear, sharp, and focused on only one thing—his goal.

Because of this, his instincts became faster. His reaction cleaner. His movements more efficient.

As long as Melvin did not drown himself in unnecessary thoughts like he had on the first day, the mark would continue to refine him.

In battle, that kind of calm could mean the difference between life and death. Or perhaps... it could make him something far more dangerous.

’Possibly, Aeon was a god that was nicknamed "Hollow." Maybe his actions resulted in such an awkward name.’ Melvin had wondered.

He felt like he needed to find out more about his predecessor. What was it that changed the life of such a god? Or was it his normal way of living?

Whatever the case might be, Melvin thought that even emotions were never going to stop him one day. When the day comes, how will things turn out to be? How mind-boggling can making a decision in such a situation be?

All these and many more were what troubled his mind after he found out about the effects of [Hollow]. Perhaps, he should even embrace the effects since they are going to make him more invincible.

He thought of a future where he would live as "the Hollow."

Still, there might be some troubling moments toward achieving such a feat. Melvin did not spend all five days alone.

During that time, he kept an eye on the ash-brown-haired girl.

Her name was Keth.

Eventually, he learned that the girl was the special case the principal had mentioned before. Just like Melvin, she had somehow awakened an Origin without going through a Trial Zone.

’What was it called again?’ Melvin tried to remember.

Perhaps, because she already saw herself as someone exceptional, she never trained as intensely as he did. Quite often, she visited the training grounds, watching him quietly. Sometimes she leaned against a corner wall with her arms folded. Other times she sat on the bench near the dressing room.

Occasionally, she even offered a few short pointers. Melvin did not know whether to be annoyed or grateful, but he took her advice some of the times and it provided good results.

During those times, Melvin understood that there was more to her calm self.

In the end, Melvin reached a quiet conclusion.

Keth... resembled the girl who had saved him in his previous life.

Maybe she wasn’t the same person. But the resemblance was enough to cause something new to take root in his heart.

He did not know how strong Keth was or would become in the future. She might even grow into someone far beyond his reach.

But one thought remained. He suddenly felt like he wanted her to stay safe all the time. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to make sure that she was going to return with him after they ventured into the Silver Spire.

It was going to be her first time... anyway.

***

Now the five days had passed.

Melvin lay on his bed with both hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling of his dorm room. Morning sunlight streamed gently through the window.

Today was the day the other Climbers would return to the Academy.

When Melvin stepped outside later that morning, the usually quiet campus was filled with activity. Students were arriving from a single direction but diverging into different areas in the expansive space of the academy.

Some were dropped off by sleek cars. Others walked through the academy gates carrying backpacks, bags, and equipment. Many "parents" stood nearby, giving last-minute advice or reluctant goodbyes to their wards.

There were hugs.

There were worried faces.

There were forced smiles.

Everyone knew what tomorrow meant. The Crimson Moon would appear before dawn; hence, they more or less had a few hours before a forthcoming dangerous adventure.

The journey into the Silver Spire would soon begin.

Melvin stood among the crowd as the scene unfolded before his eyes. He watched as people who originally shouldn’t have known they existed entangle themselves into embraces, acting as one.

Everything looked so normal, like it was original.

Melvin grimaced, with his face to the ground. When was he going to have such a feeling of oneness even when they were more than one? Would he...

He shook his head. It was better not to think of things now.

Suddenly, a strange mix of emotions crept into his mind. Was it fear? Excitement? Or anticipation?

His fingers slowly tightened.

"What does the future really hold?"

The question slipped quietly from his lips, and after standing for a while, he turned and began walking towards the eastern section of the academy.