Heavy rain slammed against his window. Xeris Vaeth laid in his bed, slowly looking over. The night was dark, lightning lit up the sky for a moment. Xeris's expression remained unmoved.
So much had happened these last few days. Xeris could not help but to reflect – reconstructing every detail, as if replaying a calculation he refused to misremember.
…..
A bright and divine light enveloped everyone. With a loud cracking sound the world went dark for a few moments. Xeris felt like he was floating in space, his body was light and gravity seemed to have dissipated from reality.
Xeris had been attending class just moments before. It was his second year at university, he was 19 years old.
The campus had always felt enormous – now it was irrelevant.
Another loud sound echoed in his ears before the grand light was once again surrounding him. He hit the ground and his legs gave out. He heard the sound of others landing around him, looking up to see people falling through small pockets in the air.
These pockets would form momentarily and looked as if the world was being cut. There was no physical thing that was torn, it was space itself that was being opened.
These were all students who were from his school. The closest surrounding him were those he was just previously in lecture with.
Their shocked and confused expressions were being cast everywhere as they looked around at the inside of the building.
Looking up, Xeris saw that there was a man dressed in white elegant robes. He had a youthful face and a smug smile. From his palm, the bright divine light was being emitted.
To his left, an older looking man was on his knees with a wide-eyed and joyous expression. The old man exclaimed, "Lord Draven, you have done it! Using the Rank 8 Heavens Gift Myrr, you transported all of these people, just like your father!"
Draven stopped smiling, "Don't speak of my father to me. This is nothing to be proud of. This is nothing more than preparing for the future – to keep the face of our sect clean."
"Yes, of course." The old man lowered his head.
Draven lowered his hand, and the divine light ceased. When he spoke, it was loud and clear, "You stand in another world now. Your old one is gone."
Shock and murmurs spread throughout the students. Xeris continued staring coldly at the person speaking.
"You all are the chosen few; you all are special. Here you will be given special treatment and the highest care. You will be nurtured and will grow, far surpassing your imagination. For right now, please do not worry or fret. Everything will be explained in due time."
Draven stepped backward with a look of content.
A brazen young student stepped forward from the crowd. He laughed before saying, "You really expect us to believe you? What sort of prank is this? Let's say that this is a different world. What sort of coincidence would it be for you to know how to speak English?"
Draven lightly smiled, stepping forward again, "I am not speaking English, I am using a Myrr. This is called Understandment Myrr." He deactivated the Myrr speaking in his native tongue.
Reactivating Understandment Myrr, he spoke one final time, "You all will be separated into three groups, please hold your questions until then."
With this, Draven turned and left. The 2000 students remained in the large palace, looking at the interior of the building with the old man. They were instructed to make 3 groups.
During this time, people started losing their composure. Their earlier shock had started to wear off, and the reality of the situation had begun to sink in. Fearful gazes were everywhere, some people were crying and others were tapping their feet anxiously.
Only a few remained composed. Xeris was one of them.
This situation is inconvenient because of the position we are in. As of right now, we are nothing more than ants, our lives are held completely at the mercy of these people. But so what? Is there anything I can do right now to change this fact? No. I can only look for opportunities in the near future. My main priority is staying alive.
On the outside Xeris looked indifferent to the situation; however, his skin was tingling with both excitement and anticipation.
The three groups were formed, Xeris ended up in the group in the center. He did not move a single step to get there. Others had chosen to move to different groups, switching all around. But what was the point in that? They were simply acting out of anxiety.
Xeris could not help but think that these people were acting like animals right now. Oftentimes, when animals are placed in an environment that creates feelings of uneasiness or stress, the animals will pace back and forth, not going anywhere but feeling like they need to be doing something.
These people are trying to decide which group is the right choice, paying no attention to their actual environment. He noticed a girl who had also chosen to stay in the same spot, choosing not to move. However, he did not pay much attention to her; his priorities were on analyzing his surroundings.
Xeris had already deduced that the size of the building they were in was around 20,000 square feet. It was incredibly large, comfortably holding all 2000 students. He also noticed the lack of support structures, there were no support beams holding the roof anywhere in sight. The room gave a rich and luxurious feeling, white and elegant. Massive windows were on either side and toward the front. The doors used to enter were large but compared to the size of the wall, looked small.
At this point, a few more people entered the room. These people were dressed in a similar fashion as Draven, however far less elegant. It was clear that whoever Draven was, he far surpassed these people in rank.
Some were dressed wearing dark black robes while others wore white. It was explained to the students that these were cultivators who were working as heads of different institutions. These institutions were a branch of the main sect.
So they are called Halcyon Sect, huh? Meaning a time of peace and happiness? Based on their treatment of us so far, I can deduce that these people have some sort of standard or requirements that they need to follow.
Halcyon Sect was, in fact, a virtuous sect, acting out of righteousness and elegance. They worked to maintain the strong image that was portrayed by their name.
Soon, the first group of students was transported out of the room, led by an institution head wearing white robes. Xeris's group followed soon after, also following a white-robed institution head. The last institution head wore black and waited as Xeris's group left the building.
They were moved quickly, rushed onto oval-shaped buildings that were hovering in the air. Once all the students had been successfully accounted for, his building slowly rose. Xeris walked away from the crowd, looking for a quiet place to reside.
After leaving the main area, however, he walked into a room with a few people who were on the ground. They all had tears in their eyes. Some were sobbing, and others were praying.
"Please Lord, save us from this."
"God, please provide us with your guidance."
"Please, I want to go back."
Xeris heard these words and a small wrinkle formed on his nose, as if he smelled something that had gone bad. He went to turn and leave, but someone had noticed.
"What the hell is your problem?" a girl called out through stifled tears.
Xeris paused in his step, "That's quite the statement coming from someone who was just asking God for help."
The girl, who was slightly taken aback, responded, "I want to know why you were making that face just now. It was like you had just seen something awful."
Xeris sighed. A waste of time. He turned, but a hand caught his wrist.
"She asked you a question. You should answer," a man said coldly.
"I am not obligated to answer anyone." Xeris spoke, "However, if you are really that curious, I made that face because I was disgusted by your moronic behavior. You all claimed back on Earth that God already knew every person's future, that everyone's lives were written according to his plan." He paused, "Then what is the point in praying for things to change? Why change perfection? And now that we are no longer on Earth, what control would your god have?"
The man scoffed and released his grip. Xeris's gaze lingered on him like a blade, then he left without another word.
Religion. The greatest illusion mankind ever clung to.
When he was young, Xeris had tried. He had studied, questioned, and searched. Yet every answer dissolved into "faith." A hollow word. A shield for ignorance.
He had once envied the faithful, but that envy had rotted into pity.
People prayed not out of strength, but because they were powerless. They dressed their weakness in piety, then called it virtue.
Whether God existed or not was irrelevant. What mattered was reality. And reality was here, now, in this world.
How laughable. They begged to return to Earth, when in reality, this would be the most likely place from which their god would have come. Always claiming trust in God, yet questioning his decisions through prayer. Haha, I have no need for such foolish delusions.