Chapter 41 - Waking Up

Although his vision remained fuzzy, and his consciousness was not completely waking up, Theodore seemed to hear the obscure voices of people arguing not far from him.

He tried to listen to the argument but could not remain focused, and the sound was so unclear that he could not figure out what they were saying.

After eavesdropping for some time, he could barely distinguish that one of the familiar voices belonged to his teacher, Nathan.

Theodore tried to open his eyes, only to find that his eyelids were so heavy that it was too difficult to open them.

He tried to move the other parts of his body, but the result was unsuccessful. He felt as if his body was out of energy. 

Helpless, Theodore could only continue lying down, trying to figure out his situation.

'Can there be more trials that I need to go through? Or was it because he was too tired and my body was exhausted?' Theodore distressingly contemplated his circumference.

Before Theodore had the time to sort out his thoughts for the answer, he heard one clear voice resounding in his mind.

"It seems that you finished the trial. I apologize for not noticing you earlier; I was busy discussing with someone. I will dispel my power and wake you up now." The familiar, playful sound contained a hint of apology; at the same time, it was intimate and had a sense of deja vu. 

'Had I heard this voice before?' Theodore wondered.

He tried hard to recall, but the result was futile; he could only give up in dejection.

He quickly came up with two possibilities. One was that he heard it in his future memory, and it was something unimportant. The other was that he heard it when he was younger.

Theodore considered, then quickly crossed out the first option.

If it was his future self, he did not even have the opportunity to reach the inheritance site. It was impossible to come across the voice here. 

Even if he did, he should remember it.

He also felt it was inconceivable that it was his younger self and that someone brought him here. 

Although Theodore felt it was abnormal for someone to bring him here to test when he was so young that he could not even speak or walk, he thought it was more likely than his first possibility.

'Perhaps it was just a similar sound I had heard somewhere.' Theodore tried to think of other feasibility.

When Theodore was considering, he sensed his body rapidly lighten up as if he was regaining his energy.

When Theodore felt he could move, he slowly attempted to open his eyes. He could only stop considering this issue for now; however, the doubt in his heart never disappeared.

...

Theodore slowly regained his vision.

He squinted his eyes before blinking repeatedly to get used to the light.

The screen that greeted him was not the worn-out ceiling but a familiar, solemn, magnificent hall room.

He glanced around in a daze with confusion in his eyes.

The memory of what he had done in the trial slowly emerged in his mind.

The first thought that came to him after recovering the recollection was not the consideration of whether he would pass the trial or not. Instead, he was more concerned about his experience there.

What disturbed Theodore the most was his personality. There were many actions and decisions that he felt he would not do.

The him in the trial was too naive and ignorant.

Theodore felt it odd to act like that, considering that he had gone through many battles and desperate situations in the future.

Even if he did not have the memory with him in the trial, his personality and nature should not change so drastically.

'It seemed that his future self did not affect him as much as he initially thought; or, is it because it was not really him...' Theodore was still confused and had many doubts regarding his future memory.

The trial he had just completed made Theodore tilt more of his judgment toward receiving the future memory rather than returning from the future. 

However, he was still unsure, and many suspicions were yet to be solved; he could only wait to explore and consider this topic more in the future.

Theodore then looked toward his teacher's figure and the two spiritual weapons.

Seemingly sensing a gaze on him, Nathan, who was investigating the formation, shifted his gaze to Theodore.

When Nathan saw that his disciple had awakened, he smiled and nodded to him. After scanning that Theodore was safe and unharmed, Nathan continued his investigation.

"..." Although he somewhat knew Nathan's personality, Theodore was still a little speechless at his teacher's reaction.

The two spiritual weapons, the Impending Doom and the Misty Blade, also excitedly buzzed like a child as if they were competing to say hello to Theodore.

Theodore waved his hand and smiled back in response. 

When he put his hand down, the familiar sound from the formation rang out again. It sounded throughout the hall that finding where the sound originated was difficult.

"Ahem," The formation's spirit voiced. After seeing that everyone was ignoring her, she felt uncomfortable and couldn't help but interject to let the others concentrate on her.

When the voice sounded, everyone shifted their attention, including Nathan, who had previously focused on researching the formation, waiting for what the formation's spirit would say.