The first to awake was Fiona, a grey halo formed around her head with one thorn on it.
Her red eyes were greyed out.
Looking around she could see Leo and Heimer standing too.
"You're awake.
I can see you walked down the path of null.
...
What gift did you get." Heimer latched his hands on her shoulders.
"The gift…do you mean the bowl?" She asked with a calm tone.
Heimer nodded at her.
"If it's that then…
I think it was called 'Rejection'…" She replied.
Heimer gently removed his hand from her shoulders.
"What would rejection even mean?
I have no idea" He shook his head.
He raised her hand to see the number engraved, it was three.
Heimer had worries, worries that were delayed by another standing up.
Caeser had awoken.
Caesar had a yellow halo over his head, it had one thorn.
Eyes glowing yellow.
He had walked down the path of luminescence, and four was engraved on his hand.
"Ouch, my head." He held his head from the slight pain he was having.
"Path of luminescence…
What was inscribed on your bowl?" Heimer asked Caesar.
"Luck" Caesar replied.
"Luck?
What would that even do" Heimer had a look of confusion.
He stepped back and waited for the next one who would wake.
Fiona walked behind and sat against the wall, she closed her eyes and the halo disappeared.
"Leo you're up?
What did you get." Caesar joyously asked Leo.
"Well…" Leo and Caesar conversed.
Karius was the next to wake up, he had a red halo on his head.
He looked at Heimer.
" 'What gift did you get'
Is that what you wanted to say?"
Heimer was startled.
"Mine are the 'Eyes that read the mind'." Karius told him.
"Nice" Heimer smiled.
-
After a while almost everyone had awoken.
Herra walked the path of nature.
Rud walked the path of nature as well.
Paul and Saul walked the paths of water.
Laura walked the path of flames.
Clarence walked the path of water.
Cera walked the path of nature.
Zefroth walked the path of luminescence.
Dan walked the path of flames.
The only one who remained was Luka, he laid on the wooden floor with no response.
"I'm seeing a lot of people snatching your flame." Caesar snickered.
Both of them sat on the porch of the shelter.
"That wasn't even funny" Leo had a straight face.
"Sure, sure.
What do you think their gifts are?" Caesar was curious.
"Probably not 'luck' that's for sure…" Leo smiled.
Caeser had a bit of a laugh.
"And you forgot something…my flames are not red…
Well they once were, from black to red to black again." Leo pointed his index finger up.
A tiny black flame appeared, like that of a candle.
"It used to hurt before, but since that dream I've been able to use it without pain" Leo thought.
Caesar looked interested in the flame.
"I wonder if I can do that with light." Caesar said.
"Give it a try won't you?" Leo told him.
Caesar nodded.
He closed his eyes for nearly ten seconds, his eyes gradually turned yellow.
As did a halo with one thorn appear on his head.
"Wish I had one too" Leo was infatuated with the halo.
Caesar raised a finger and imitated Leo.
He felt the aether flowing from the halo to his body; and from his body to his hand; from his hand to finger tips.
Sparks started to form on his hands, but the moment it moved to his finger tips.
[Fwish] It dispersed.
His halo looked drained out as it gradually lost its colour, then it dispersed as well.
"It's too hard to move it that precisely." Caesar sighed.
Leo moved the flame between each finger, then to the center of his palm.
He tried forming it into a ball, the flame swirled around with aether pouring in to it, then dispersed.
"Looks like some things are impossible for me too" Leo looked at his fingers.
"You seem to have more control than me." Caesar sulked a bit.
Then they both turned around.
The inside had become extremely noisy.
And from where they sat they could see why, someone was levitating;
It was Luka Merl.
He had a white halo with six thorns, and under it was another white halo with two thorns.
Eyes that glowed white, but lacked soul, and on each of his iris was a white halo with six triangular protrusions each.
His hair became white and translucent.
"This isn't the same boy from a while ago.
Who are you?!" Heimer was on guard, he even revealed his halo.
The boy looked at Heimer in the eyes.
A terrifying frown went across Luka's face, but no words were spoken.
Leo and Caesar stood at the door while the others backed up from Luka.
[Snap!] Luka snapped the fingers of his right hand, and a quill appeared.
With his left hand he inscribed something on air itself.
It was a language none could understand.
The letters on air glowed and a book broke through the space.
"Fear not, I am not here to harm you" Luka's voice rumbled through the air.
His voice sent waves of energy, falling all who stood there.
"Hmm?
How strange, you both are still standing." Luka tilted his head diagonally.
Heimer as well as Fiona seemed unfazed by his pressure.
"Fair enough, you have gained the right to watch me work." His voice had gone back to normal.
"Now answer, who are you!" Heimer's voice roared through the surroundings, shaking even the shelter itself.
His eyes glowed of gold and aura flowed all around his body.
"Bear me no malice, or stay shielded from the truth.
For you are in the presence of someone beyond you." Luka said with a voice that asserted dominance.
Dominance that affected even Heimer.
Heimer receded his aura and halo, his eyes slowly went back to normal.
"Undo what you did to the ones on the floor" Heimer asked with anger.
"Your murderous intent is much for one who I could waste in an instant.
Know this, you are beneath me.
As for the ones on the floor they're just asleep, they'll awaken later on." Luka now turned around.
He clicked his tongue and a chair and table appeared.
Without a care in the world he sat down,placed the book on the table, opened it and started writing.
Whistling a strange sound throughout the process.
Letter by letter; word by word; page by page, each was written with profound serenity.
He looked like nothing else in the world existed as he wrote all he wanted to write.
Time had passed, he was done.
He closed the book and wrote something on the cover.
Lukas's aura disappeared along with his crown and all he had summoned.
[Thud] He fell to the ground, something else had fallen with him.
Heimer took cautious steps to his body, he put his hand on his neck.
"He's still breathing…
He's just asleep" He mumbled his words.
Then he picked up the object that had fallen with him; it was the book.
Heimer looked at the cover and read what it said.
"The journal of the messenger."