He was floating in a sea of ghostly blue flames and a golden sky, but strangely, he did not feel any heat coming from it. On the contrary, it felt…soothing. “Where am I? Am I dead?”

An amused chuckle sounded from every direction “Not quite. Though you might wish you were, soon enough.”

Rowan whirled around, trying to find who the strange voice belonged to. He could only see the titanic blue flames. “What exactly do you mean?”

A reply came from every direction: “It was not a threat from me. It is just a fact. You will learn, soon.”

After a brief pause, it continued: “Though I must admit, I am quite surprised that his cruelty can go this far. All those mountains of corpses is not enough for a being like him, it seems. Their plans really make them blind to their own…lesser behaviors.”

Rowan had no idea what the voice was talking about. “What being? And what plans are you talking about?”

The voice sounded like it was sighing. “Even if I gave you the answer, your mortal mind can’t comprehend it. Well at least for now. That is why I am here to give you a message. Your first trial is over but you cannot live idly by. Your ascension must continue as soon as possible, lest you want your body to be consumed by the divine fragment and burn away any being near you.”

The voice grew even more serious “Grow your Soulscape, inherit more fragments and I will appear again to guide you. For now, refer to the soul map I transferred when you venture into your next ascension. That is all for now. It is time for you to wake up.”

Rowan wanted to ask more questions but before he could say anything, the world suddenly shifted and went dark. He could hear faint sounds of people talking in whispers near him. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times. The room he was in was bathe in bright lights and there were several projected monitors across one side of the room. Shifting a bit, he tried to sit up slowly. Before he could settle fully, there was gasp and he could hear his mom’s voice “Rowan!” He saw his mom rushing towards him and before he could greet her, the words died on his lips as he was embraced in a crushing hug.

“Little Star. Oh I missed you so much. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there”

Hugging her back, Rowan whispered “I missed you too mom. And it wasn’t anyone’s fault. So don’t blame yourself.”

After a few moments, his mother pulled back and inspected him with a warm smile. Chucking, she cupped his face in her hands and said softly : “My little star looks even brighter now. How are you feeling? Any discomfort? Headache from your ability? Are you hungry? Of course you must be, silly me.”

At that moment, his sister headed towards them and put a hand on their mom’s shoulder. “Mom, relax on the questions. Let the kid collect himself.”

Looking at him, Talia grinned a little. “Welcome back. How was your holiday trip?”

Grumbling, Rowan replied: “Fabulous. Got my arm and leg bitten off by a giant worm and burned alive before ending up here.”

The grin from his sister’s face slowly disappeared and her eyes went wide. The room went completely silent. His mom was staring at him in horror.

After a few seconds, Talia broke the silence and asked in a strange tone: “Your…joking. Right?”

Shaking his head, he replied : “No I’m not. But I’ll tell you all about it later, when Instructor Carol is present. I’m sure she has to submit a report on what happened. And when we are in a more…suitable place.”

Rowan knew that talking about what happened in the open would be a bad idea. Most from the military were probably curious about how he survived a Solo Warp. If word got out and one of the Great Clan learned of it, he would be in big trouble.

His mother squeezed his shoulder gently and offered a reassuring smile. “Of course, Little Star. You can tell us when you're ready. For now, all your vitals seem to be stable. Can you check if there is any discomfort while walking or standing?”

Standing up, he confirmed that there was nothing wrong with his body. Actually, he felt…stronger and lighter. Seeing him move without any problem, his mother nodded and added in a low tone: “That’s a relief. Now, there are many things we have to talk about but I have to finish some work. After that, we will go home together. It won’t take long. In the meantime, try catching up with your sister.” After that, his mom left the room with a wave.

After a while, Rowan turned to his sister and asked: “So, how long are you staying for this time?”

Talia looked at him for a while and shrugged. “I’ll be leaving tomorrow. I’ve already stayed here for too long. You know I can’t afford to slack off.”

Turning away, he sighed and asked in a hushed tone: “So, any progress? It’s been years already. Do—do you think he’s still alive?”

There was a brief moment of silence before a reply : “He is. I still haven’t gotten any relevant info on where he might be, but he is still definitely alive.”

Rowan did not ask why she was so sure about their father being alive. He knew she had her ways and the room was not a good place for such talks.

“Anyway, since you somehow completed your first challenge alone, there won’t be much need for you to join the upcoming expedition. Your body will hold out for around 2 or 3 years before the next Call.”

Rowan winced. “Uh, about that. I have to venture into the next challenge as soon as possible or I am gonna die in a really horrible way.”