CHAPTER 48: The Towering Veil

Against the backdrop of the glistening night sky, several hundred meters away, Alex could see the dark silhouette of a ship.

'If there's a ship here, could that mean I'm still at the Senseless Coast?' Alex remembered that he was now able to speak, so he made a conscious effort to think in his mind, avoiding the broadcast of his every thought or emotion.

Alex looked to the side of the ship and realized that the water there reflected the saturated hues of the sky above, creating a fantastical and absorbing image unsuitable for the eyes of mere mortal humans.

It was then that as Alex admired the tranquil scene he suddenly realized that since he had awakened he hadn't been attentive to his surroundings. Had he been more observant, he would have instantly spotted The Weatherer.

Incidentally, now that Alex realized all that, all the stimuli that he hadn't been aware of crashed into him.

He raised his nose and sniffed the air. 'I can smell...salt, sea salt.'

A month ago, this revelation would have been a cause of great celebration for Alex, as it would have been a sign of how close to the sea he was. However, after all the time that had passed, the only emotion he could manage to dredge up was indifference, which, in a way, couldn't even be classified as an emotion.

The past month had wrought significant changes within Alex, starting with his battle against the beast, to the extreme measures he had taken to triumph and endure the aftermath. However, the final straw which broke the camel's back was his horrendous experience with the pool of ivory blood.

All those past experiences had combined to leave a deep scarring impression on him.

With a sigh, Alex dismissed the scent and shifted his focus onto other senses.

*WHOOSH*

'The waves crashing against the shore,'

Suddenly, a memory came into focus which prompted Alex to quickly look down, leading to the realization that he was now clothed. 'Wasn't I naked before I sank into the pool?'

Alex abruptly began noticing minute details that had previously escaped his attention.

Immediately after that realization, Alex discovered that he could once again do the thing that set him apart from normal humans and marked him as a Ranked—sense his Hani.

For the first time since he appeared here Alex actually felt some emotion other than surprise or indifference. It was a deep and boundless sense of relief that permeated his being.

The relief he felt was almost enough to overshadow the horror and agony of the past month. However, nothing would ever be able to banish the dark memories, and Alex would have to put a smile on his face and learn to live with them.

But that discovery wasn't for Alex to make at this moment.

'Good.' Alex peered within his body and managed a slight smile. 'That's some good news.'

However, a frown replaced the smile immediately afterward.

'That door. What exactly is it, and how is it possible for it to take away my powers like that?'

The frown on Alex's face deepened. 'And if it could take them away that easily, how and why am I even alive right now?'

Alex tried to reason it out, but no matter how hard he pondered, he couldn't put forward a plausible theory.

"Sigh." Alex let out a deep, tortured sigh, then ran his hands down his exhausted looking face. "The Senseless Coast, what exactly is that place?"

The question hung in the air, with neither of the two instructors bothering to answer it.

Alex once again sighed and lightly pinched his forehead.

"So many questi..."

Suddenly, Alex stopped and slowly lowered his hands. "No, it's not possible!"

His wide eyed gaze then turned to his right arm.

"Gasp!"

Alex shakily raised his right arm as his mouth hung agape.

'My arm,' a tear rolled down Alex's cheek. 'It's healed!'

Instead of the rough, ivory colored bone that he had expected to see, what Alex actually saw was a perfectly normal looking arm.

No hideously disfigured arm that was literally only bone, but an arm which looked healthy with nothing strange about it.

'Wait, is my body back to normal?' Alex thought excitedly.

As soon as Alex saw how robust and unharmed his arm looked, he immediately examined the rest of his body.

Several seconds later, Alex closed his eyes and after taking a deep, calming breath, let his frantic thoughts run wild.

'Did anything I went through this past month actually happen?'

Contrary to his vivid and detailed memories, from his body's current state, to the clothes he wore, everything pointed to his memories being false.

'But that isn't possible,' Alex thought with a shake of his head. 'These memories are too graphic to possibly be fake. I just can't believe it.'

"Ahhm."

Suddenly, the sound of a cleared throat broke through Alex's complicated thoughts.

Alex slowly opened his eyes and looked up.

"Are you done with your contemplations?" Instructor Romguy stood there with a frown on his face. "If you are then let's go. We're busy people and have other things to do and more important people to meet."

Alex absentmindedly started nodding his head, but abruptly stopped. He then looked directly into Instructor Romguy's eyes.

"Before we go, I have one more question."

Instructor Romguy's eyes twitched. "What gave you the idea that I have to answer your...oooff."

Instructor Romguy grunted loudly, then immediately turned and angrily glared at the other instructor.

She pulled her elbow away from his rib then returned his glare with a pointed look.

The longer she looked at him, the more the anger in his eyes faded, before he eventually sighed and shook his head in exasperation.

"Fine," Instructor Romguy turned back to Alex. "What's your question?"

Alex exhaled and closed his eyes for a few seconds before reopening them.

"Where are we, the Senseless Coast?"

Alex held his breath as he waited for an answer.

"No." Instructor Romguy said with a shake of his head. "We're on an unremarkable strip of sand."

Alex instantly let out the breath he had been holding. 'Then where could this possibly...?'

"But.." Instructor Romguy smirked slightly, "...that doesn't mean we're that far away from it."

Alex's eyes widened and his head immediately turned left and right. "Then where is it?"

"Huhu."

Suddenly, the female instructor started chuckling, and the smirk on Instructor Romguy's face widened.

"Look behind yourself."

Alex got a confused expression on his face, but something about the looks on the instructors faces pushed him to turn around.

*WHOOSH*

There was no exchange of words between Alex and the two instructors for the next few minutes, leaving the crashing of the waves as the only sound which could be perceived.

"So," Instructor Romguy said after a few minutes, "I hope you're satisfied now?"

Alex slowly nodded his head without really hearing what the man said, he was much too absorbed by the breathtaking sight in front of his eyes.

"That's huge."

No more than ten meters behind Alex stood a breathtaking and imposing veil, the color of the dark night sky. The veil stretched as far as Alex could see, and towered above him, reaching high into the air, leaving a question of where it ended and the night sky began, that's how similar they looked.

The more Alex observed it, the more it reminded him of the oasis. The appearance of the veil was a strong reminder to Alex of the darkness he had expressed during the first week of his one month of hell.

However, the most terrifying thing about the place was that the more Alex observed the towering veil, the more the pressure he felt on his shoulders. To Alex, the sensation was reminiscent of what he had felt whenever he looked at the bleeding door.

A shiver ran down Alex's spine, causing him to unconsciously rub his arms.

"We've given you enough time." The female instructor said after a few more minutes had passed. "Time to head to The Weatherer."

Her words snapped Alex out of his shocked stupor, and he immediately turned around to see her walking away.

"Wait, I have a lot more questions now."

Instructor Romguy also turned around. "Sadly we can not answer any more of your questions."

He then looked over his shoulder at the kneeling Alex. "Now, are you following us willingly, or do I have to make you?"

Alex stared into his eyes and immediately knew from the serious expression in them that he wasn't playing around anymore.

Without another word, Alex stood up.

"Good choice." Instructor Romguy nodded his head then began walking.

With sluggish steps Alex followed after the two instructors, but every few seconds he turned around and stared at the distancing veil.

"Stop looking back." Instructor Romguy called over his shoulder. "All the answers are right in front of you."

Alex turned away from the veil and looked at the swiftly approaching ship.

"So I'll find the answers I seek on that ship?"

The female instructor glanced at him long enough to nod her head. "Yes."

Alex turned and stared at the veil one last time before he turned away and resolutely looked ahead.

"Then that's where I need to be."