Arun appeared in a white room—or rather, a white place.
He didn't know what to make of it. Everything around him was white—the sky, the land, the horizon. In this strange void, his flesh-and-blood form looked out of place.
Not that he had time to ponder unimportant things.
He had more pressing matters to handle.
For example—
Why the hell, I am selected for a trial?
Just a moment ago, he was enjoying his sweet vacation. He had plans to travel around town, race on the highway, spend the night at a bar, and maybe enjoy the company of one or two ladies.
But instead of all that—he was here.
In a dreadful, empty place.
There wasn't even food here.
He suspected there wasn't even air to breathe.
[Aspirant, prepare for the trial.]
Arun sighed. "Maya, oh dear goddess, can I get a hint about this trial? Like Why i am here what I have to do and who destroyed my peaceful life!!!?"
Not that he expected the spell to answer him.
There were countless theories about 'Maya', the entity that displayed runes and important information about one's self and relics. Some believed it was a sentient being, while others thought it was an emotionless and monotonous program, like a machine running without purpose.
Well…
Whatever 'Maya' was, it was not his time to judge instead Arun had to figure out his situation on his own.
He recalled a popular drama series where the protagonist explained the workings of a trial in a serious manner.
So, Arun followed in his footsteps.
First, he focused on himself.
What were his traits? His purpose? His role in the universe?
As he did so—
Suddenly, runes appeared before him.
---
Name: Arun Winslow
Enlightenment: _
Rank: _
Relic:_
Servant: _
Attributes:
- [Mark of Origin]
- [Scholar]
Abilities:_
---
"Well… these runes look lonely."
Although Arun couldn't read the ancient symbols, but he could instinctively understand their meaning.
That was one of the services Maya Spell provided to every Aspirant.
Dismissing the runes, he started walking across the flat, shining white land. It was a shame—it didn't even reflect his face.
He walked for a while, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Something—anything—different, just to distract himself from the blinding monotony of this place.
To his misfortune, he found nothing.
"Anybody home?" he called out.
There was no response. Not even an echo.
With a sigh, he sat down, sprawling on the ground.
Summoning his runes again, he checked his attributes.
- [Mark of Origin]– You have come into contact with the remnant power of Origin, where everything began and will eventually end.
- [Scholar] – You possess an inexhaustible thirst for knowledge, urging you to uncover the origins of all things—whether an extraordinary relic of the past or a simple object on a table.
"Now what?"
After sitting in silence for a while, doing nothing, Arun stood up and began walking again.
One step.
Two steps.
A dozen steps.
Then, a question entered his mind.
"What time is it?"
"Where am I?"
Oh, right. He was in some kind of trial by 'Maya'.
There was a real world out there. A world where his sister was waiting.
His sister…
What was her name?
Annu.
Yes, Annu.
And the girl next door… Hadn't he been thinking of taking her for a ride around town?
Then—what was he doing here?
Oh, right. The trial.
"What is a trial?"
Arun walked, jumped, ran, sat down, thought about life. He did everything he could in this endless span of white land.
Countless times, he changed direction. Countless times, he scratched his skin, using his blood to write on the ground.
But no matter what he did, everything reverted to how it was.
He scratched, rubbed, and trailed along the horizon—helpless and alone.
Today, like usual, he talked to nothingness.
"You know, there's a place called Earth, where humans live. Most of the land is infested by foreign apocalyptic creatures. Some are large, some are small, and some… are cute."
"Oh, but don't be fooled by their appearance. Every single one of them is insane."
"So am I."
"Oh yeah, people out there eat, drink, and breathe like mortals. I came from there."
"...Wait."
"I don't eat, drink, or breathe here. That means I'm not one of them. Was I always here? Alone? Helpless? Did I imagine all that stuff just to ease my boredom?"
"Then… who am I?"
He brought his hand to his mouth and sank his teeth deep into his flesh.
A chunk of it tore away, falling to the ground. Blood dripped menacingly onto the white land.
A drop of blood hit the ground.
It should have stayed there. Should have sunk into the endless white.
But instead—it moved.
Then—
The crimson droplets trembled—then slithered together, forming a pulsing mass. It quivered, swelling, stretching, reshaping itself into a smooth, blood-red sphere.
Arun hesitated before touching it.
A shiver crawled up his spine.
Then—boom.
It exploded like fireworks, exhaling shimmering runes in a cascading downpour.
Ignoring the pain, Arun stared.
It was 'different'.
The first real change in this endless, unyielding white void.
A faint song played in the background—soft, ethereal. Each melody represented a single rune, floating around him in patterns too intricate to grasp.
He sat there, blinking, studying, comprehending—trying to decipher the meaning behind them.
Time passed.
How much, he didn't know.
When the runes finally faded, Arun found himself humming.
A song.
A song he didn't remember learning.
"My thoughts are drifting in the starry sky~
Searching for an anchor in the endless night~"
As the melody escaped his lips, a shiver ran through him.
"What was that?" he muttered.
Where had he heard it before?
Had someone sung it to him?
A house. A home. A place where such things existed.
Where was it?
Did he lose it? Did he leave it behind? Or was it just a in his mind?
His name—his name—what was it?
"Who am I?"
The boy walked along the endless white road, beneath the eternal milky sky.
Lost.
Confused.
Not knowing what he was searching for.
Though he didn't find his answers—
He found the Rune spheres
And he learned from them.
One by one.
And as he did—
More and more spheres bloomed around him, each containing a different type of rune.