15: Painful Awakening

Upon leaving the interview room and after partially revealing information about his aspect, Grey returned to his room and lay down on the soft and comforting bed waiting for him.

As he fell into the sweet embrace of sleep, a burst of colors invaded his vision, dragging him into a whirlwind of shifting and confusing images.

***

The next morning, when Grey awoke from that disorienting dream, he struggled to get out of bed, staggering and clutching the edges for support. He summoned his spear, Odyssey, and used it as an improvised cane while he tried to move.

His mind was in chaos. Fragments of the dream intertwined with reality, creating a sense of disorder. The colors around him seemed to shift erratically: whites turned to blacks, browns became greens. Everything appeared distorted, as if reality itself were being shaken by an invisible force.

'What's happening? Why is everything changing color?'

A growing burning sensation rose from his stomach, mixing with a wave of nausea that threatened to spill over. His chest throbbed with a stabbing pain, as if his heart were struggling to pump blood.

With unsteady steps, he made his way to the bathroom. A groan escaped his lips as a splash of green bile hit the floor. His eyes clenched shut, marked by tension and strain.

'It hurts... It hurts... It hurts so much!'

He clutched his chest with one hand while stripping off his clothes in an attempt to relieve the intense heat he felt. The headache was so severe that his mind seemed to throb, threatening to make him lose consciousness.

As he removed his shirt, he glanced at his body. At first, he observed it superficially, but then he stopped, horrified. The veins were bulging under his skin, which was turning increasingly darker. The gem at the center of his chest pulsed ominously, and the waves of darkness surrounding it seemed to be absorbed by his transcendent memory.

His nails were becoming sharper, his fangs more pronounced, and small scales emerged on his arms and legs.

'What the hell is happening to me?! Aaggh!!'

After what felt like endless minutes of agony, Grey collapsed on the cold bathroom floor, exhausted and in pain from the changes in his body and mind. The darkness on his skin began to fade, consumed by the radiant blue tear-shaped gem. Slowly, his nails returned to normal, and his fangs retracted. His body returned to a balanced state between darkness and light.

***

Three hours later.

9 AM.

Grey opened his eyes with difficulty, his mind still muddled and clouded by the pain. He desperately searched for something to hold onto; his trembling hands found the wall as he struggled to stand, trying to orient himself.

'What... what just happened to me?'

Memories of the pain and the distortion of his surroundings flooded back with an intensity that nearly overwhelmed him. With shaky steps and labored breathing, he approached the mirror, leaning against the wall.

Nothing seemed wrong.

He touched his arms with erratic movements, looking for any abnormal changes in his body while examining himself in the mirror.

The gem in his chest appeared as beautiful and clear as the first time he summoned it, showing no signs of having changed after being surrounded by the ugly darkness a few hours ago.

His body retained the balance of black and white that it had since his nightmare. He remembered how his fangs and nails had begun to change and hurriedly opened his mouth.

His fangs had disappeared, and his nails were normal. Nothing abnormal seemed to be happening at that moment.

"Did that... did all that really happen?" he murmured, his voice trembling with confusion. He wondered if it had been a dream or if it had truly happened. A shiver ran down his spine, making his body tremble at the thought that it could happen again at any moment.

***

An entire hour passed before Grey could recover from the initial shock and calm his mind and body enough to walk normally.

He returned to his bed, exhausted and fatigued. His eyes closed, and he entered his soul sea.

He found himself on a moldable platform of darkness, the black sea extending like the night sky and the clouds a red even more intense than the first time he entered.

His core appeared more sinister, further obscuring the light hidden behind its ugly darkness.

'Could it be that I... Was I being corrupted?'

The thought made his body tremble, and a deep fear arose within him.

The soul sea seemed to reflect his current state, changing with his mental and physical condition. Initially, after the difficulties of his first nightmare, the clouds were a lighter crimson, and the light behind his dark core was more noticeable. Now, the clouds were becoming increasingly crimson, and the core's light was fading, reflecting his unstable and uncontrolled state.

'I have to fix this… it could happen at any moment.'

Another shiver ran down his spine, but this time he didn't tremble.

'I need to find a way to fix this. I can't... I can't go through that again.'

He left his soul sea and dressed in fresh clothes, ready to head to the academy's facilities, determined to investigate more about his aspect and look for any records of someone with a similar condition.

As he left his room, Grey checked his communicator to locate the academy's facilities that might have records on aspects or relevant information. He also searched for personal facilities where he could train and experiment further with his aspect and its two forms.

Among the academy's numerous facilities, he identified two that would be especially useful: the library, which contained records on cases related to the awakened and a vast amount of information on aspects, and a private training room, ideal for practicing his aspect and exploring the powers of Odyssey.

The halls were filled with people who always gave him a bold look as they spoke beside him or gossiped about meaningless or trivial things. Before, he might have been curious about mundane topics like those, but now he had more important things to do.

He quickened his pace, ignoring everyone passing by.

It wasn't long before, guided by the GPS on his communicator, he reached the library. He opened the tall wooden doors with a clear goal in mind: to find what he needed.

******

Note: So, what do you all think? Maybe I'll give him three more chapters at most at the academy, and then I'll send him to the dream realm, but I need to build it up a bit more so his behavior in the dream realm doesn't seem too abrupt, and also explore the periphery of his soul sea and its changing activity.

P.S. Don't forget the power stones and collection; it really helps the fic get recommended more. Thanks for reading!