CHAPTER 35: A GAME BEFORE SLEEP
Hours seemed to slip by unnoticed. Different squads were scattered across the training grounds, each trying to access their inner domain; some were struggling, their face twisting with effort, while others seemed to have already grasped how to do it
John, meanwhile, sat cross-legged among them, forcing his face into what he hoped looked like intense concentration.
In reality, boredom was slowly eating him alive.
He had already slipped into his Inner Domain with ease, and now the endless void stretched around him once more. Purple threads drifted through the darkness like living veins, sinking endlessly into the abyss below, while the red core above pulsed with its slow, hypnotic rhythm.
If I'm stuck here pretending, I might as well look around, he thought.
He began to wander deeper into the landscape, admiring the strange scenery. Each step seemed to pull him further from the outside world. Time blurred as the inner expanse drew him in more and more with every passing moment. He didn't realize how long he had been roaming until Echo's dry voice broke through the silence.
[Alright, that's enough. Sigh… You've been twisting your face for so long that, from the outside, it probably looks less like concentration and more like constipation.]
John frowned at the comment. Hey, I am trying my best here, okay. Now, how long has it been?
Before Echo could answer, a voice echoed across the training grounds.
"That is enough."
John's eyes snapped open as the world rushed back all at once—the cold stone beneath him, the bite of the night air, and the muted sounds of the other squads shifting around the training grounds. Darkness had fully settled in now, the last traces of evening long gone.
ONE stood before them with his hands behind his back, his expression as unreadable as ever.
"That will be all for today," he said, his voice carrying easily across the squad. "For a first attempt, your progress is acceptable."
His gaze moved over them, calm and sharp.
"Some of you managed to touch your Inner Domains again. Some of you only brushed the edge. Others are still blindly groping in the dark."
A few shoulders loosened at that, only for ONE's eyes to narrow slightly.
"Do not look so relieved. This changes nothing."
The brief comfort vanished instantly.
"This was only the first step. Until you can enter your Inner Domain consistently and begin circulating energy through your Origin Script, this will continue."
"When you complete that stage, you will return to your previous instructors."
That drew a few surprised looks.
"But not to the same training." ONE paused, the faintest trace of something dry touching his tone. "It will be an upgraded version. Whether that sounds better or worse depends entirely on how much you enjoy suffering."
"Until then, most of your time will be spent here. With me." His gaze swept over them once more. "You will learn to enter your Inner Domain, circulate energy, and shape your Origin Script into something that is actually yours."
He let the silence hang for a moment.
"So, rest while you can."
Then he turned slightly.
"Dismissed."
All the squad members began moving at those words. They stretched, trying to work the numbness out of their limbs after sitting still for so long. Nico rubbed at his backside with a grimace while John twisted his waist, feeling his back loosen.
Nico grinned as he let out a long yawn. "Wow… that was actually not half bad."
Orion rolled his shoulders with a satisfied sigh and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I could get used to this… just sitting down and doing nothing."
Lucian turned his head toward him, one brow lifting as his frown deepened. "What do you mean by doing nothing? Weren't you trying to access your Inner Domain or something?"
Orion shot him an offended look, clicking his tongue as he straightened. "Of course I was. What do you take me for?"
A smirk tugged at Lucian's mouth as he folded his arms across his chest. "Let's see… a lazy, idiotic bum sums it up nicely."
Lucian sidestepped with ease, his grin widening as Orion stumbled past.
Nico burst out laughing, nearly doubling over at their antics. "Gods, you two never change," he wheezed, shaking his head.
Meanwhile, the other squads had already started moving as well, dismissed by their own supervisors. The training grounds slowly began to empty, voices and footsteps blending into the cool night air.
John had just finished stretching when he noticed Daren staring at him. It lasted only a moment before Daren turned and walked away like it was nothing.
John just shook his head.
"A lot happened today," said Amara as she walked alongside Nyara.
"It did, didn't it?" Nyara replied.
"Yeah."
An awkward silence settled between them. Nyara simply pulled out a Rubik's Cube and began to idly turn it in her hands, while Amara drifted back toward the others, leaving Nyara in her own little world.
Soon, they reached their room, and as always, everyone drifted toward their usual spots almost instinctively.
For a brief moment, the room was filled with nothing but sighs, groans, and the rustle of movement.
Then Nico suddenly straightened where he sat and grinned.
"One game of cards before we sleep."
Adam looked up at once. "I'm in."
The twins exchanged a glance, then nodded almost in sync.
"Sure."
"Why not?"
Thomas pushed himself up on one elbow from where he'd thrown himself across his bed. "Well, don't mind if I do."
Nico's grin faltered for a moment as beads of sweat formed on his temple. "I'll play with everyone except Thomas."
Thomas slowly turned his head toward him, offended. Then, with all the grace of a petty child, he mouthed one word.
Pussy.
Nico leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. "Bring it on, then."
That was all it took.
A deck was produced from somewhere—John had long since stopped questioning how Nico always seemed to have one ready—and within minutes, a loose circle had formed. John settled near the edge of the group, close enough to be part of it, far enough to slip into silence if he needed to.
The game started with the usual chaos.
Adam talked too much. Nico gloated too early. One of the twins cheated—or at least was accused of cheating within the first five minutes.
For a while, the room felt almost normal.
Then, halfway through a round, Thomas flicked one of his cards down and leaned back.
"So…" he said, glancing around the room. "Are we just not going to talk about today?"
Adam shook his head. "Talk about which part? The part where we all found out we're apparently geniuses? Or the part where ONE said training gets worse from here?"
"Both," Thomas said.
Nico immediately sat up straighter, a smug look spreading across his face. "I don't know about you guys but I am still amazed by the affinities we had… I mean, death? Me? Who would have guessed."
He said it like he expected the room to applaud.
Lucian stared at him. "You've been acting like you personally invented death ever since we left the training grounds."
"Can you blame me?" Nico shot back, tapping a card against his palm. "It's cool."
"It is kind of cool," one of the twins admitted.
"Very edgy," the other added.
Nico pointed at them. "See? These guys get it."
That opened the floodgates. Soon enough, everyone was throwing in comments—some joking, some serious.
"Chaos still sounds fake," Adam said, glancing at Thomas.
Thomas spread his arms. "And yet, here I am."
"Hellfire and sins of wrath and pride is still the most ridiculous one," Lucian muttered.
Malric only gave him a flat look. "It is what it is."
"Still sounds like the villain reveal of a story," Orion said from his bed.
"I was thinking the same thing," Amara added.
"Coming from you, that means nothing," Malric said dryly.
Amara only smirked.
It went on like that for a while until Sylas, who had been quieter than usual, suddenly looked toward John.
"Speaking of weird," he said, lazily twirling a card between his fingers. "Did you really only awaken lightning?"
The room shifted almost immediately. John felt more than one gaze turn toward him.
Nico looked over at once. "Yeah, I was wondering about that too."
Thomas frowned. "Not gonna lie, it is weird."
John raised a brow. "Weird?"
Thomas gestured broadly. "Look around. Death. Chaos. Hellfire. Twilight. Corruption. Witchcraft. Devouring. Then there's you, just lightning, I think it's not bad but I was expecting… you know more… more insanity from you."
Sylas nodded. "It does sound suspiciously normal."
John felt his chest tighten just a little. For a moment, he considered if he should tell them or not.
Maybe he should tell them.
Not everything, obviously. But something.
His thoughts barely formed before Echo's voice slid into his mind.
[Keeping a few cards close to your chest is rarely a bad idea, minion.]
John's jaw tightened faintly.
Yeah, but they're my squad.
[And?]
It feels shitty hiding things from them.
Echo was silent for a moment before his voice echoed in john's mind.
[Then it is your choice. But I still think it's better not to show too much, remember they are not the only ones who will be listening]
John hesitated as he heard echo's warning but at the same time He didn't want to keep secrets from his only friends.
But Echo was right—the Covenant might be listening in ways he didn't fully understand. If ONE could already sense something strange, there was no telling what else was watching.
So, John exhaled slowly and leaned back.
"…you are right you guys got me," he admitted.
That got everyone's full attention.
"I also awakened a darkness-related affinity."
Nico blinked. "Wait, seriously?"
John gave a small shrug, keeping his face calm. "I wasn't sure if I should mention it earlier."
"Why not?" Adam asked.
John let out a quiet breath. "Because after hearing everyone else? It felt pointless."
Thomas stared at him. "You thought darkness was pointless?"
John gave him a look. "Compared to Chaos and Death and whatever Malric has going on? Yeah."
That actually earned a few laughs.
Sylas narrowed his eyes slightly, like he wasn't fully convinced, but he decided to let it go.
Nyara's gaze lingered on John for a second longer than the others before she finally looked away and resumed turning the Rubik's Cube in her hands.
[Smart enough,] Echo murmured. [Abyss framed as darkness. Sensible. I am pleased.]
John ignored him.
The game continued, though the conversation never fully left the day behind.
At some point, John glanced across the room toward Thalia and frowned.
"Actually… what's with you?" he asked. "You've seemed out of it since earlier."
That drew everyone's attention.
Thalia was sitting a little apart from the rest, legs crossed on her bed, the small book from earlier open in her lap. Her fingers moved lightly over the pages as if she were tracing the words.
She looked up, almost like she'd forgotten the rest of them were there.
"Nothing," she said. "I am just… Fascinated."
She lifted the book slightly.
"The Origin Script."
A few of them groaned immediately.
Thomas pointed accusingly. "You're reading that right now?"
"Yes," Thalia said simply, then glanced back down at the page. "Because unlike all of you, I actually like to study."
"That's fair," Lucian muttered.
Curiosity began to spread through the room.
One by one, a few of the others started reaching for their own copies of the book they'd all been given earlier. Some were enthusiastic while others… not so much.
John watched as the mood shifted again—from joking to something more focused.
Elowen was the first to voice what most of them were probably thinking.
"A difficult challenge is waiting for us," she said softly, staring down at the pages in her hands. "I can barely understand half of this."
She turned a page, brows knitting tighter.
"Actually… less than half."
"That's what ONE is for," Sylas said, opening his own book and leaning back against the wall. "He'll help us. Or at least explain just enough to make us suffer through it ourselves."
"That sounds exactly like him," Amara said dryly.
Liora, who had been quiet for most of the night, finally spoke.
"Maybe that's not a bad thing."
A few heads turned toward her.
She looked down at the book in her lap, her voice calm but steady.
"This is better."
Thomas blinked. "Better?"
Liora nodded. "Before, we were just surviving drills. Enduring whatever they threw at us." Her fingers tightened slightly around the cover. "But now… we can actually start becoming stronger."
Silence settled for a moment.
Her gaze lifted, moving across the room.
"If we understand this… if we learn how to use our domains, our affinities, our Origin Scripts…" She paused. "Then our chances of surviving what comes next get better. We might even find a way to escape this place."
Everyone turned serious when they heard that because for all the jokes and petty arguments, that was the truth sitting underneath all of it.
They weren't training for glory.
They were training because weak people died.
Nico looked down at his cards, then huffed through his nose. "Damn. You just changed the whole mood, not in a bad way but still..."
"She's right, though," Adam said quietly.
One of the twins nodded.
"Yeah."
"We finally have a real path now."
Thomas leaned back and stared at the ceiling for a moment before grinning.
"Then we get stronger."
Thalia didn't look up from her book, but her voice was firm. "A lot stronger."
Even Lucian gave a small nod.
The air in the room changed after that.
For the first time since the Awakening, it felt like the chaos around them was starting to form into direction.
Then Malric, who had been silent for a while, spoke from the corner of the room.
"Speaking of change, did anyone else notice Daren?"
John's fingers stilled slightly against the cards in his hand.
A few of them looked over.
Malric's expression was thoughtful, darker than usual.
"He felt really different."
That made the room go quieter.
Elowen looked up first, her brows furrowing. "I thought so too."
John glanced at her. There was something in her tone that felt like she knew more than she let on.
"He's been… off," she said slowly. "Not just today."
Nico frowned. "You noticed that too?"
Elowen hesitated, then gave a small nod.
"I don't know why," she admitted. "But something about him feels different."
John thought back to the stare across the training grounds.
Yeah, he thought. He was different.
Nico let out a breath and tossed a card onto the pile. "Things are just becoming crazier and crazier"
John looked around at all of them unease and determination tangled together in the same room.
Then he smirked faintly.
"Then we'll just have to be even crazier."
That got a short laugh out of Nico.
Thomas pointed at him. "There he is. Finally said something useful."
"Shut up and play," John said.
The game carried on, cards sliding across the table as laughter and conversation wove through the room. But eventually, one by one, exhaustion won over them.
The game ended.
The lights dimmed.
Before long, the chatter faded completely, replaced by the steady cadence of sleep.