After reaching his training spot, Ethan started swinging his newly acquired wooden sword-like branch.
At first, he simply copied whatever he remembered from watching movies back on Earth. The way heroes stood and the way they swung their swords.
His stance was awkward, and his swings were unbalanced. Sometimes he nearly lost his footing and almost fell down.
If someone had seen him, they might have laughed or thought that he was a clown or a retard.
Still, he didn't stop. As time passed, something slowly began to change.
His movements became less stiff. And His grip improved. The branch also started cutting through the air in a more controlled way.
"Why do I feel like I was born to swing a sword?" He paused for a moment.
"Of course, I'm exaggerating. I just started swinging it two or three hours ago. I can't suddenly decide I'm going to become some great swordsman, right?"
"But still… it did feel somewhat natural.
He remembered the three basic sword moves from Earth.
Cut. Slash. And thrust.
He knew parrying was also important, but for now, he decided to focus on mastering these three moves. He stood in one place and began repeating a simple horizontal cut.
Again. And again. And again...
Each time he swung, he felt something slightly wrong. He did not know what it was, but he definitely felt it.
"I'll try it a hundred times. If not a hundred, then a thousand."
Three hours passed with him doing the same horizontal cut over and over. His arms started to ache, and sweat covered his body. His breathing is also becoming heavier.
But still… "It's not perfect yet."
Eventually, hunger forced him to stop.
He picked up his bow and arrow and went into the woods to hunt. This time, he stayed near the safer areas. He wasn't foolish enough to repeat what happened with the warthog again.
He managed to catch two rabbits and returned to his training place; he slowly cleaned them, roasted them over a small fire, and ate quietly.
After finishing his meal, he stood up again. And started doing the horizontal cut.
From that day onward, this became his routine.
Every morning, before the sun rose, Ethan would wake up and go to his training spot. He would finish his physical exercises first. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and running.
After that, he would practice his sword. When he got hungry, he would hunt small animals in the forest, bring them back, cook them, eat, and continue training.
Day after day passed like this.
Slowly, he became more comfortable with the wooden sword. His movements became smoother, and his cuts also became sharper.
He practiced in every direction—horizontal, vertical, and diagonal.
During this time something mysterious actually happened every single time the wooden branch got broken.
Ethan would find a new branch that looked like a sword exactly at the same place where he found the previous one.
He even thought, "Just what the hell is going on?"
"Am I getting favored by the universe, or is someone following me?"
The next time the branch broke, he didn't go to the orphanage; instead, he stayed at the place to see who is actually doing this, but to his disappointment, no one appeared.
The branch appeared out of thin air and lay there.
He does not know whether he should cry or laugh at his situation; he just thought, "Well, I can't find out how this is happening, but let me make the most of it."
Finally, after he perfected, or at least what he believed was perfected, the three basic sword moves. He went to see Sister Mary.
She was in the laundry room, helping a few other women who worked in the orphanage.
When Ethan entered, she looked up at him. "What are you doing here, Blue? Do you need something?"
"Actually, Sister Mary, I need some answers."
Mary glanced at the other women and then looked back at him. "Do you want to speak in private, or is it fine to talk here?"
"It doesn't matter, Sister Mary. You told me I would awaken in five or six months, right?"
"Yes."
"It's almost been six months, but I still haven't awakened. Do you know why? And also… how does someone awaken?"
Mary sighed softly. "I thought you would ask me about this sooner than this. Come with me."
She led him outside into the yard. They stood under a tree where it was quiet.
"You see, Blue," she began, "we don't actually know when you were born. I only calculated your age based on the time when I first found you."
"So I can't tell you the exact day or time you will awaken."
"So it's not fixed?" Ethan asked.
"No. Awakening usually happens when a person reaches adulthood. But the exact moment? That is beyond our control."
"What about my second question?"
Mary hesitated slightly.
"There is a place called the Temple of Awakening. It is not located in towns or cities. As far as I know, there is no such place in our entire kingdom, or maybe not on the entire planet."
"Then how do people go there?"
"It's simple," she said. "When the time is right, the temple summons the person by itself."
"You mean… I'll be teleported there?"
"Yes. You will be teleported to the temple, go through your awakening, and then return."
Ethan nodded slowly. "Thank you, Sister Mary."
She gently ruffled his hair. "Silly boy. Why are you thanking me for such a small thing? Didn't you call me, sister? Isn't it a sister's job to guide her younger brother?"
Hearing that, Ethan felt something tighten in his chest.
In his previous life, he never had siblings. His parents had died early, and the rest of his relatives only came to take whatever his parents had left behind.
He had always been alone. So when Mary casually called him her younger brother, it meant more than anything for him.
But he didn't show it on his face.
Two days later, at night, Ethan was sleeping. He was having a dream of his lifetime.
In his dream, he was getting married to a famous actress. He even imagined having children and living a peaceful life with her.
Then suddenly—
His body completely disappeared from the bed. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in his room. But instead, standing in a place surrounded by clouds.
Everything around him—above, below, even the ground he stood on—was made of clouds. Right in front of him stood a majestic temple.
It was nothing like the temples he had seen on Earth. The structure was built from sandstone-colored marble, and deep and artistic carvings and patterns ran across its surface.
A massive dome rose above it, making the building look both ancient and powerful.
For a moment, Ethan thought he had died. "Did I just die and go to heaven?"
Suddenly, a mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
"Welcome to the Temple of Awakening. Enter the temple to awaken."
Ethan looked around. "Where are you? Who said that?"
There was no answer.
He slowly walked toward the massive door. Standing in front of the door, he felt like an ant.
"Do you really expect me to push something this big?" he muttered.
He placed his hand on the door. Immediately, the door opened on its own.
"So much for being dramatic," he said sarcastically.
He cautiously stepped inside. But the moment he entered, he froze. Because He wasn't alone there. Hundreds of people were already inside the temple.
And even as he looked around, more people kept appearing through the entrance. "Where are they even coming from? I didn't see anyone outside. Is this magic again?"
Ethan moved quietly to a corner and started observing. In the center of the temple, a huge crystal floated above the ground.
Names were being called one by one. And each person whose name was called would step forward and place their hand on the crystal.
After that, an invisible layer would surround them, hiding what was happening inside. "At least they care about privacy," Ethan thought.
Even though there were hundreds of people, the process moved quickly. In about two hours, most of them had already awakened and disappeared.
Ethan assumed that they finished their awakening and were teleported back after finishing.
Time passed.
Only fifteen people remained ahead of him. "Am I going to be the last one?"
As if answering his thoughts, the line became shorter and shorter. Finally, he was the only one left. The entire temple became silent. Then a voice echoed again.
"Ethan Hart."
He took a deep breath. "This was it."
Ethan slowly walked toward the floating crystal. The temple was completely silent now. No footsteps. voices. or other people. It was only him and the crystal in front of him.
When he reached the crystal, an invisible layer suddenly formed behind him, sealing the space. He turned slightly and looked back.
"It's not like someone is standing outside trying to peek at me," he muttered. "What's even the point of creating this barrier if there's no one left in the temple?"
Before he could complain further, the same mechanical voice echoed inside his head.
"Place your hand on the crystal."
Ethan stared at it for a second.
"Straight to the point, huh?"
He raised his hand and placed his palm on the surface.
The moment his skin touched it—
Something changed.
A strange energy rushed out from the crystal. and entered through his palm and shot up his arm. His entire body stiffened.
The energy spread through his chest and to his entire body. It moved through him like flowing water, yet it felt sharp at the same time.
His mind and soul. It didn't feel violent.
But it felt invasive.
Ethan suddenly had the strange feeling that he was completely exposed. As if every secret inside him had been stripped away. His memories from his life on earth up to this point.
Everything.
It was as if the crystal were reading him from beginning to end.
"I feel… naked," he whispered. The energy continued scanning him.
Minutes passed. Ethan frowned slightly.
"Why is this taking so long?" He wasn't exactly impatient.
But compared to the others before him, this was taking much longer. Most of them finished quickly, not even half the time.
The barrier would form, and within moments, it would disappear along with the person inside.
But for him, nothing.
No light, power surge. announcing anything. The energy that entered his body also returned back to the crystal.
He slowly opened his eyes and glanced around the space inside the barrier.
Still nothing.
"No response from the crystal or mechanical voice. And obviously no sign of awakening."
"Uh…"
Still silence.
He looked at the crystal again. "Don't tell me…" A small frown formed on his face.
"Did I break it?"