Housing (1/2)

//This novel is gonna be a bit slow paced. Mainly because it's a slice of life novel but no worries, it does pick up eventually.

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The only reason Calven woke up so early, or at least much earlier than he himself wanted, was because of the heavy weight pressing down on his chest. It was this, combined with the overwhelming scent of tuna that forced the youth to open his eyes, dark red hues once again greeting the world.

"Arrrghhh!! ARHGG!"

(("That....is one big bird.")) Was Calven's first thought as he watched a large, midnight colored raven amble it's way over his bare chest.

Standing at roughly 60cm from head to tail, the winged creature was truly a magnificent looking animal, at least in Calven's opinion. With feathers black enough to completely blend into the depths of the night, a sharp and well cleaned beak, and overly large talons that had been carefully clipped, it was easily one of the coolest yet far less dangerous birds he had seen in his lifetime. Intelligent eyes stared at him, void like hues gazing into Calven's own as if it was able to see directly into his very soul. When it flapped it's wings, the span of it reached to the every edges of the bed, sending gusts of wind directly into the youths face.

"AAHHGGH!"

Calven winced a little as the raven pecked his chest a little, jabbing him through the blanket before using it's enormous wings to fly off of his upper torso and onto the floor below. Letting out one last squawk in the youths general direction, the bird waddled out of the room, the plumage on its tail swinging as it rounded the corner.

"Tha....wa somethin," Calven croaked out, slowly rising up from the bed, tossing the blankets away from him.

Releasing a yawn, Calven stretched out his limbs, simultaneously loosening himself and checking up on the status of his new body. Before he had fallen asleep, he felt as if a mere walk could potentially kill him, his legs barely holding up his stick figure of a vessel, threatening to topple at every step.

Not much of that had actually changed.

Aside from a small betterment of his own leg muscles and some reduction in pain surrounding his windpipes, Calven's crippled figure hadn't gotten any healthier. Given how close to death the body had been, it wasn't too big of a surprise, but it still irritated the black haired youth to no end. He hated feeling so weak and helpless, especially when taking into account his own peculiar situation, one in which he was completely in the dark about nearly everything that was transpiring around him. While there was definitely some slight improvements to his physique, it wasn't at a rate that he could easily accept.

Hobbling onto his bare feet, Calven ignored the creaks and cracks coming from lower half of his body as he began a trek around the massive rooms interior.

The day prior, far too many events were playing around him to get a proper look at everything. Now that it was an entirely new day and Calven was feeling more rested and clear-headed, he took the time to carefully inspect every aspect of the room from top to bottom, leaving no corner unturned. Having woken up in that very vicinity, it was the best place to start searching for answers as to what could have possibly happened to him. Even if he turned up nothing in the end, rummaging through the previous Calven's things would give him far more insight on things then if he just let it all be. As far as he was concerned, irrelevant information and details was always better than nothing at all.

Unfortunately though, aside from mysterious trinkets and weird artifacts he assumed to be magical in nature, nothing that turned up ended in Calven's favor.

While there was plenty of things that could POTENTIALLY point him in some type of direction, everything he found was useless to him in that immediate moment. Unable to decipher the horrendous looking text on the sheets of paper he would come across and not even bothering to fiddle with the unfamiliar gadgets, it felt like Calven was just grasping at straws.

Though he had wanted to put it off for while longer, it seemed that the only way to get any viable piece of knowledge, the black haired teen would have to converse with the Original's parents.

(("What a Hitsuki,")) Calven complained internally as he closed the bottom most dresser of the nightstand. (("Not really much else to do except rip off the healing strip I suppose."))

After giving the space a second rummage, taking the some time to regain the stamina lost from his relatively brief exploration, and steeling his own mindset, the former adventurer made his way towards the door. He wasn't sure what lay beyond the wooden frames and, without his old weapons and tools at his disposal, he needed to proceed with the utmost caution lest it end up just like his very last dungeon run. The very thought of dying twice in such a short time span didn't sit well with him a Calven wasn't too keen on seeing what would happen if he bit the dust this time around.

Placing a firm hand on the doors edge, the black haired youth slowly peeked out, moving his head just enough to get a good glimpse of the situation on the other side.

After assuring that his own safety was somewhat reasonable, he began a careful trot forward, his head and swiveling in multiple directions. Senses on high alert, Calven made sure that nothing escaped his red eyed gaze, scouting for any potential dangers. From what he was seeing so far though, there didn't seem to be anyone around but himself, not even the parents of the Original.

The layout of the infrastructure was actually quite simple, yet it was massive, or at least bigger than what the youth had been expecting.

Outside of the bedroom Calven had been occupying was a lengthy hallway, a stretch of carpeted floor that lead to what appeared to be yet another bedroom, it's door kept slightly ajar. About halfway down the corridor, positioned on the left was yet another room, though the youth wasn't close enough to see the inside of it. Off to the right, a flight of stairs lead downwards to what Calven assumed to be the ground floor. A bright white wooden banister ran along the path up the staircase and a part of the hallway, adding some decor to the so far bland establishment. Beyond the steps, the youth could see some marbling, yet another door, and passageways and rooms off to the side, further expanding on just how vast the premises actually were.

(("A place this size can't be cheap,")) Calven murmured internally as he gradually padded along. (("It has to cost AT LEAST a few hundred thousand Chrysos. Anything less would be a blunder on the sellers part."))

Poking his head from around the corner, the curious teenager took a look into the interior of the room he had seen on his left.

It was dark.

That was the first noticeable thing about it. There wasn't any significant source of light anywhere to be found within it's confines. The only reason Calven was able to even see anything to begin with was due to the light flooding in from the outside. Even that light wasn't from any sort of magic stone or object but the the sunlight pouring in through windows. If there was a way to suddenly make light without the use of any magic, Calven certainly wasn't aware of it as he entered the room.

(("Sure would be nice to have a Yellow Gem right about now,")) Calven lamented, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the surrounding darkness. (("Or even a torch. Or Myla. Though she'd probably be more likely to set the place on fire."))

A tidal wave of emotion came crashing over the youth at the thought of his deceased guild mate, however it was just as quickly pushed to the side. He had to take care of himself for the time being before worrying about the others. Calven was more than aware of how dangerous extreme emotions could be in unknown situations and he wasn't about to make a mistake he had already learned from.

Shifting his focus back to the present, the young adventurer gazed around. Using his hand, he felt along the wall, using it as a crutch to keep his shaky legs from collapsing in on themselves.

Click!

Calven's hand slipped over what felt like some sort of switch, his palm pressing into it. A bright light materialized into existence instantaneously, the exact moment the button had been pressed. Momentarily stunned, the black haired male hand shot towards his waist, hands curling around nothing but air, senses back to full alertness as he attempted to pinpoint the new enemy via his other senses, eyes tightly shut.

(("Light Spirit?! Flash Troll?!")) Calven quickly ran through the possibilities in his head, doing his best to pinpoint what was attacking. (("No, I'd already be dead by now. A trap? A spell?"))

Seconds passed with nothing happening around him, not a single scent or sound detected. Those moments turned into minutes as the youth kept his eyes squeezed tight, his head darting from side to side, trying to identify something, anything in his near vicinity. It was only when nothing eventful actually happened that Calven began to relax, one of his eyes peeking open slightly to check the condition of the room. Upon noticing that he was indeed alone within the given territory, he let out a sigh of relief and fully relaxed his posture, freely opening both eyes. He remained vigilant but was no longer worried about any immediate assault from unknown assailants.

Calven glanced briefly at the ceiling where the newly formed light was emanating from, a powerful radiant explosion of clear yellow that lit up the entire room. He couldn't stare at it for too long due how spotty it made his vision, but he managed to see enough to get a good indicator on what was causing the glow.

"So...thas what....was," He croaked out, making another go at speech. His vocal chords immediately protested against the action but he waved it off for the most part. (("That's one weird looking contraption."))

Calven's hand brushed the wall, his curiosity changing from the source of the light to what exactly had made the light pop on in the first place. Normally when dealing with Yellow Gems, the stone would glow the moment it detected someone's presence, and would proceed to remain lit until someone covered it or the stone couldn't detect anyone in it's vicinity. Never before in his entire life had Calven ever came across a Yellow Gem that could turned on and off by a mere switch on the wall. To say the least, the young explorer found the concept fascinating, a contraption that went beyond his own understanding of magic and the laws governing it.

Click!

The light switched off, sending the room back into complete darkness.

Click!

Light spread through the room faster than Calven could even register it. Completely different from the gradual increase of a normal Gem.

Click!

Off.

Click!

Back to on.

Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!

Rapid clicking filled the air as the black haired youth freely played with the switch, switching the light on and off. He changed the pace and length at which he would flick it, completely mesmerized by the way the light bended to the will of the up and down switching. A smile spread across his face as he clicked the buttons over and over again, relentlessly going at it, forgetting his predicament for the briefest of moments. It was only after minutes of turning the light on and off that Calven stopped fooling around, leaving the light on.