Richard nodded at his revelation, causing Steven to drop his hands to the table and stare at the man before him, as though trying to catch him lying or something. But there was no deception in his words. Come to think of it, why would there even be a reason for him to lie to Steven anyway?

Richard, seeing the disbelief in Steven’s eyes, sighed. "Expected nothing less from a peasant," he spoke in a low tone, rolling up the sleeve of his left arm to show Steven his forearm, where there were two sigil markings etched into his skin.

Instinctively, Steven rolled his sleeve up to stare at the single mark there, and then he frowned.

"I am an Awakened... a fully Awakened," Richard made sure to stress that last detail. "Or in the world of the Awakened, we call people like me a Two-Sigil Awakened. You are just half-awakened."

Steven frowned. "Awakened, two sigil, half—what’s the difference really?"

Richard shook his head. "The difference is in strength." He picked up his glass and took a slow sip of his wine, letting his words linger and giving Steven time to form suspense-filled thoughts about what he meant.

"I don’t understand?"

"When your sigil first forms and you finish the Realm of Entry, you gain two things: power beyond human knowledge and control, which makes you an Awakened, and access to the Lobby," Richard began, raising his fingers as gestures for Steven to follow along. "The more realms one clears, the more sigils they obtain, each sigil holding a portion of the power their Sponsor possesses."

Steven frowned even further. "Then that’s good. I already have enough here," he gestured at the single sigil on his forearm. "One sigil is enough for me. I can live a rich life since my importance to society has increased, right?"

Richard sighed again, his face paling slightly at the thought of how peasants truly thought. Then he leaned forward. "You see, Steven, the curse of an Awakened—after being Marked—is not just because we have to go through realms to get stronger. No, that’s not all. It’s because of the sigils. Shadow Eaters are drawn to us."

"It’s like a responsibility placed in our hands by the same Sponsor that grants us these gifts. No one can call quits. Shadow Eaters will one day be drawn to you like bees to honey, and if they are too strong for you... that would end very badly."

"That’s basically life, Steven. Life will throw blows at you, and if you are not ready, it’s your fault. That’s why we all—no matter how much we hate the realms—have no choice but to keep getting stronger, so that we can protect all we love." At this moment, Richard paused, recalling a distant memory. Then he glanced at Steven, who was already absorbing the information. Smiling softly, he continued, "Apart from the need to grow stronger as an Awakened, half-awakened only live about two years if they don’t become fully Awakened."

"What?!" Steven gasped in shock.

Richard only nodded. "Yes. That’s why you have no choice but to strive for your first realm within the next two years, unless you want to start shriveling up and die, unfortunately."

Steven gulped, his eyes darting around the table to his food, which had all of a sudden grown to feel like a burden rather than something appetizing.

’I was really hoping to be able to just lie low after the realm. But it seems like being Marked means going through realms endlessly, until I either die chasing power or die from being unprepared for the unknown.’

This life was truly cruel, no doubt.

Richard, seeing the grim expression on his supposed mentee, felt a little bad, so he added something at the end. "Don’t worry, being fully Awakened provides a lot of major benefits. You can enter different factions as a high-ranking member, get money beyond imagination, properties, fast cars, and even women to your taste."

Steven feigned a smile. "The day I fall in love is the day you’ll know I’ve been possessed."

Richard laughed, picking up his glass of wine and drinking once again. After dropping the glass, he glanced over at Steven, who was now eating far more slowly than earlier.

"Get your fill. We’ll soon be heading out."

Steven paled slightly with curiosity. "Where to?" he asked.

Richard smiled before replying, "To the Sanctuary, of course."

---

A few minutes passed, and when Steven was done with his food, he and Richard left the cafeteria of the base and passed through a few corridors as they walked toward the exit.

When they reached the supposed exit, Steven and Richard suddenly found themselves in a brightly lit room—a room where the walls, flooring, and ceiling were pure white. There was only one way in, and no visible way out.

At first, Steven was confused about where they were, glancing around to find any landmarks, or at least something he could recognize.

Then what happened next stunned him.

The white room glowed intensely, and in the next moment, Steven and Richard were no longer there.

They instantly appeared in a much smaller space, a room that was similar yet subtly different, made entirely out of the same white substance as the previous room, but far smaller and featuring a distinct door made of polished wood, unlike the metallic one Steven had seen earlier.

It was all confusing at first to the young Awakened, but after careful consideration, he realized what had occurred.

"Teleportation," Steven stated the obvious.

Richard nodded. "Yes. We have an Awakened who can share his spatial ability through advanced technological materials. It makes traveling far easier and more secretive."

Steven nodded in understanding, finding the concept of portal jumps extremely interesting. Still, all he could do now was stay quiet and observe.

The two exited the room and were welcomed into a corridor where two security men stood on guard. They halted Richard and Steven and asked for identification. After Richard showed his ID, marking him as an Awakened, they allowed both of them to pass without further complaint.

Together, they walked through what seemed like a long passageway, and when they finally emerged, they arrived before an automatic door that opened upon their approach, leading into what resembled a hotel lobby.

A large wooden desk stood at the center of the room where a receptionist tended to her papers. Several security officers stood guard nearby. The polished wooden ceiling, the glossy flooring, and the expensive-looking paintings all screamed wealth.

Steven was mesmerized by everything he saw.

’Whoever owns this building really has good taste,’ he thought, following Richard to the counter.

Behind it stood a beautiful attendant, about her mid-twenties, dressed entirely in white—a shirt, with a blue cap resting over her red hair. Steven couldn’t see the rest of her outfit past the counter, but from what he could tell, she was genuinely hot.

"Military is your friend," she taunted, reading off his sweatshirt as he got closer.

Steven frowned. ’Curse you! Stupid clothes,’ he grumbled inwardly.

Richard paid no attention to their exchange. He simply showed his ID to the woman behind the counter. "As you can see, we’ll be in a hurry today, so we don’t have much time for chatting, Mrs. Hart."

Hart nodded, her eyes glancing down at the laptop resting on a shelf beneath the counter. She typed a few things, and while hammering at the keys, she didn’t miss the chance to tease Steven again.

"You should’ve really picked your size, twiggy."

Twiggy? Steven’s face reddened in embarrassment. "What the hell—" Before he could finish, Richard’s hands clamped down on Steven’s shoulders, restraining him.

"Okay, I’ve digitally uploaded everything onto his card," Mrs. Hart said, sliding a black card across the counter to Richard. The number 361 was etched onto it.

"Room 361, floor ten. You better hurry, Rich... twiggy." She winked at Steven, who shot her a murderous glare.

Before he could react again, Richard dragged him away, leading Steven toward an elevator at the far end of the hall.

Reaching it, Richard tapped the number ten, and soon enough the elevator doors slid open. The two entered quickly, and the elevator began its ascent.

Steven, meanwhile, cursed under his breath about the woman and her words. "I’m not that skinny... am I? No, I’ve improved. I had a fat lunch before coming here. She should’ve really seen me in the realm. Look at me now I’m fat as fuck!"

By the time he snapped out of his thoughts, he hadn’t even realized they’d reached their destination. It wasn’t until Richard slid the card through the scanner and the door opened that Steven became aware again.

"Hurry up, we don’t have much time," Richard insisted as he entered the room.

Steven narrowed his eyes. "Enough time for what?"

Richard sighed in frustration and turned back to him. "Your first class at the Sanctuary."