The water hit my feet. There was no feeling; even the grains of sand between my toes felt like nothing.

Intrigued, I kept going. Green eyes and pale skin reflected at me, becoming less blurry with each step. My body slowly became enveloped in the water, but I still felt nothing.

The grey water suddenly grew still, and so did I.

“Sorry, I can't let you go further, Kroven.”

A soft voice said as if in my ear.

Without moving, I found myself looking back at the beach. A woman with beautiful, long black hair stood gracefully in a dazzling white gown. Her pale skin and black hair matched mine.

My eyes landed on her face, but it was distorted like everything else. I quickly shut my eyes, thinking she would go away. When I opened them again, the woman was directly in front of me, her gracefulness never leaving.

She slowly circled me. My body held still, despite every attempt to move away. Her arms wrapped around me from behind. Her body was warm.

Her soft voice whispered in my ear once again.

“Isn't this strange? You don’t have anything.”

I tried to move my lips, but no luck.

The waves began to grow erratic, but paying them no mind, she continued.

“I wonder if this is what he meant.”

She let out a soft sigh, yet her distorted face never shifted.

“You might not need me now, but you will. You always do.”

I felt a light breeze brush across my face, and in an instant, I could move. I spun my entire body.

“I-”

She was gone. The only thing that remained was a bundle of flowers drifting in the wind. I felt my body grow cold. The sound of waves rushed into my ears.

My dream washed away like the ocean waves as my eyes began to flutter open.

My body felt soft. My face was cold from the breeze but slightly warm from the piercing radiance of the sunlight. My lungs expanded gently as the cold air entered like a steady stream. As they began to contract, the smell of roasted meat filled my nostrils.

The bells of the sanctum began to ring, alerting everyone that the freshly cooked meat was ready to be eaten. Slowly raising the upper half of my body, I pressed my hands against the soft blades of grass.

I can feel again.

Wait… why couldn't I feel before?

My mind tried to think back, but it felt as if a big, solid steel wall was blocking it.

My eyes eventually adjusted to the sight of the sanctum's tower and the evening sky; my stomach grumbled. I rose to my feet and then headed towards the sound of the bells.

After crossing through the open field, my eyes swept across the buildings. Eventually, they stopped at the sanctum. Its dark oak planks had clearly gained age over these past few years, and the proud belfry was missing quite a few shutters. You could clearly see one of the disciples from inside the dark oak tower ringing the bell.

“Kroven!” a young voice yelled from the old stone stairs that led to the doors of the sanctum.

His light brown hair sat over his eyes as if it were woven from straight-laced thread. His eyes were a natural grey; they reminded me of the so-called clay we read about, though I had never seen it myself. His smile was bright, although he was missing a few teeth from a fight he had gotten into a few days ago.

I waved to him, and he gestured with his right hand for me to hurry up. After a few seconds, I reached him.

“I wish you wouldn't yell so loud, Nesto,” I said, slightly annoyed.

“Sorry,” he replied excitedly.

“But Sister Allison and the other disciples brought you so much amazing food for your birthday. I can't help but be excited.”

“You would also get the same if you showed more interest in your studies, Nesto. And they did the same thing for Selina on her birthday,” I muttered.

“So I already know what they're teaching. It feels so pointless,” he replied grumpily.

“Surely that must be why,” I said, walking up the old stone stairs.

Nesto quickly followed suit.

“Come on, let's go eat some of that juicy lamb.”

I smiled at him. He nodded his head in agreement.

As we entered the sanctum, it was empty, quiet, and cold. The lathium lights flickered as the doors closed. The benches were clean, and it always smelled good—quite deceiving from its outside appearance.

“So creepy,” Nesto muttered, looking at the statue. Its missing head and creepy-looking wings were positioned at the end of the room.

“For someone who blessed us, he looks more demonic than holy.”

“SHH, don't badmouth Karoth, Nesto. You'll get in trouble again.”

I quickly looked around to make sure no one was around. After confirmation, I breathed a quick sigh of relief.

“You know what happens if someone hears you again, Nesto?” I said worriedly.

“You worry too much, Kroven. We are Disciples of Karoth,” Nesto replied, looking as proud as ever.

“In training. And we’re not special—we’re orphans. We don't have big names carrying us like other sanctums,” I replied, annoyed again.

The smell of cooked meat filled my nose once more. By the look on Nesto's face, it clearly reached him too.

“Let's go eat, and then you can lecture me.”

Nesto turned and started to walk to the dining room. I wasn't even lecturing him. I quickly turned and jogged up to him.

As Nesto reached the dining room door, he opened it and waved me in.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KROVEN.”

The room flooded with voices. I jumped back, surprised, not knowing how to react. Everyone surrounded the big wooden table, and light decorations of Karoth hung up to give it a celebratory feeling.

“What is this?” I mumbled.

“It's a surprise birthday party,” Nesto said, pushing me forward.

“A surprise birthday party?” I looked at him in confusion.

“I read about it in a book and thought it would be fun. Happy 15th birthday, Kroven,” Nesto replied proudly.

“Wait, you read a book?” I said in disbelief.

Nesto’s proud look quickly faded.

“If it wasn't your birthday, I would kill you,” Nesto said angrily.

“Okay, everyone, sit down and get ready to eat,” a tall woman said, walking by with her long black hair, amethyst eyes, and a nice, clean uniform, stating her presence.

“Happy birthday, Kroven,” Ms. Elena said, leaning down and hugging me.

“Thank you, Ms. Lena.”

As the head disciple of the sanctum, Ms. Lena should be strict and put the sanctum's reputation ahead of everyone else, but she's the opposite. She's the one who brought me into the sanctum and gave me a home when I was abandoned by the people who brought me into this world.

She then took my hand and brought me over to a table, picking up a nice, long piece of fur that definitely had to be expensive.

“Here, Kroven, a present just for you,” Ms. Lena said, smiling ear to ear.

“What is this?” I asked. Its soft fur was nicer than anything I’ve felt before.

“It's the fur of a velvurge,” she said, hesitant to let go.

I looked down and then back at her.

“Are you serious? These are crazy expensive.”

My hands gripped it tighter, feeling its extra softness.

“I am serious. This was not cheap. It cost me 4 Silver Karoth coins.”

“Thank you, Ms. Lena.”

I gave her a warm embrace. Not having gotten many gifts before, this was a treasure.

“Alright, go take a seat with everyone. I have a big announcement to make.”

She then walked away, heading to the head of the room. I sat down, putting the Velvurge’s fur on my lap.

“Everyone, sit down. I have an announcement to make.”

The once loud room was now dead silent, and Nesto practically jumped into the seat next to me, his mouth full of pastries that he then swallowed whole, almost choking. It took all of me not to start laughing.

“Alright, everyone. With Kroven now turning 15, all of you are now able to participate in lathium training and meditation, so no more just reading about it. You now get to actually use it.”

Excited shouts filled the room.

“Finally, I was so sick of listening to those boring lessons,” Nesto whispered.

“You didn't even listen to them to begin with,” I whispered back.

“But,” Ms. Lena continued, “these training lessons will be monitored since none of you can be trusted not to do something stupid. Your affinities are dangerous and can cause serious damage, and everything will be explained more tomorrow. But for now, we are here to celebrate Kroven’s 15th birthday.”

Sister Allison and a few more disciples came out with plates of food and laid them on the table. Different assortments of food were laid out: cabbage and carrots, buttered peas with onions, stewed root vegetables, honey cakes, and last but not least, lamb roasted with garlic and rosemary.

Ms. Lena was brought a shiny bell. She lifted it and rang it three times.

“Alright, everyone, enjoy.”

The dining room re-exploded into noise, everyone talking and grabbing food.

“These hot cakes are amazing,” Nesto said after stuffing quite a few into his mouth.

“So, Kroven, I can’t wait to see how well you do in our lesson—”