Chapter 69: New Ability?
Ethan woke to the familiar scent of disinfectant.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at the white ceiling above him, his mind still struggling to piece together where he was. His body felt heavy, his limbs strangely weak, and there was a dull ache spreading through his head that made it difficult to think clearly.
Then he remembered the Rift, monster the guiding session and the ridiculous amount of spiritual energy that had poured into his Mental Sea before everything had gone black.
Ethan slowly pushed himself upright.
The moment he moved, the chair beside his bed scraped against the floor.
"You’re awake again."
Ethan turned his head and immediately saw Stella sitting beside him with her arms folded across her chest, an unimpressed expression on her face.
She looked at him for a moment before sighing.
"Honestly, Ethan, I’m starting to think you actually like coming to the infirmary. Is this becoming some kind of hobby for you?"
Ethan blinked at her.
Stella continued without giving him a chance to answer.
"Because I genuinely don’t understand you. Why are you always putting yourself in situations that could get you killed? Every time I see you, you’re either injured, unconscious."
Ethan opened his mouth to respond.
Nothing came out.
Not because he had nothing to say, but because the moment Stella’s voice reached his ears, a strange ringing suddenly started inside his head.
His brows furrowed.
It was faint at first, almost like a distant vibration, but within seconds it became louder.
Too loud.
Stella was still talking, but her voice seemed strangely amplified, as though she were speaking directly inside his skull instead of sitting beside his bed.
Ethan pressed a hand against his temple.
What the hell?
The ringing intensified.
His head began pounding harder, and he instinctively squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the noise.
Stella noticed immediately.
"Ethan?"
He didn’t answer.
The ringing continued for several seconds before, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it stopped.
Ethan slowly opened his eyes. The room was quiet again and he took a cautious breath.
Stella was staring at him.
"What?"
"You tell me."
Ethan frowned.
Stella leaned slightly closer, studying his face as though she were trying to determine whether he had suffered some kind of brain damage during the Rift.
"You looked like you were about to explode."
"I’m fine."
"You always say that."
"I am."
"You literally woke up in the infirmary."
Ethan had no answer to that.
Stella sighed and leaned back in her chair.
Before Ethan could think of something to say, the infirmary door suddenly opened.
A familiar voice rang through the room.
"Is he awake?"
Ethan turned toward the entrance.
Runt walked in first.
Behind him came several other Sentinels from the academy who had participated in the Rift mission, and Ethan’s eyes widened slightly when he saw what they were carrying.
Gift bags.
Boxes.
Small packages.
Even a ridiculous little card that clearly had GET WELL SOON written across it in bright letters.
Ethan stared.
Runt grinned the moment he saw him awake.
"You’re finally up!"
Several of the others immediately surrounded the bed, placing their gifts on the small table beside him.
"We brought you some things."
"Yeah, you scared the hell out of us."
"You really should stop fainting after saving everyone. It makes it difficult to celebrate properly."
Someone placed a neatly wrapped box beside Ethan.
Another Sentinel held out a small bag filled with snacks.
Ethan looked from one person to another, genuinely stunned.
He had never received this kind of treatment before.
Not from people he barely knew.
Not from people who had only recently started talking to him.
And certainly not because they were worried about him.
A strange warmth settled inside his chest.
"Why did you guys bring all this?"
Runt looked at him as though the answer should have been obvious.
"Because you saved us."
Ethan’s expression softened.
He didn’t know what to say to that.
However, something strange happened before he could respond.
The moment his gaze settled on the first Sentinel standing beside the bed, something appeared in his mind.
Ethan froze.
A brief image flashed through his consciousness.
A Guiding session.
The Sentinel’s spiritual pathways.
The approximate amount of time he could continue fighting before requiring Guiding again.
Even the particular way he responded best to Guiding.
Ethan’s eyes widened.
What the hell was that?
He looked away from the Sentinel.
The information disappeared.
Then his gaze accidentally landed on another Sentinel.
The same thing happened.
More information surfaced inside his mind as naturally as though he had always known it.
Their Guiding tolerance.
Their spiritual recovery rate.
How long they could remain stable before needing another Guide.
Even small preferences regarding how their Guiding sessions were most effective.
Ethan’s mouth slowly fell open.
Was this because of the spiritual energy he had absorbed?
Or had something changed inside him after the Rift?
He cautiously shifted his gaze again.
Another Sentinel.
More information.
Another.
More information.
Ethan’s heartbeat quickened.
He didn’t understand what was happening, but the information was so precise that there was no way he could have simply guessed it.
Then his eyes landed on Runt.
Everything changed.
The moment their eyes met, information flooded into Ethan’s mind far more clearly than it had with the others.
Last Guided: recently.
Spiritual stability: moderate.
Estimated Guiding interval:—
Ethan’s eyes widened.
Then another piece of information appeared.
His preferred Guiding approach: SEXUAL INTERCOURSE!
Ethan’s face immediately heated.
What the hell?!
He forced his eyes shut so quickly that Runt actually tilted his head in confusion. Ethan just brushed Runts questions with a smile.
Why was he even able to see that?
Ethan kept his eyes firmly shut for another few seconds, desperately hoping that whatever ridiculous information had appeared in his mind would somehow disappear if he refused to acknowledge it.
It didn’t.
Seriously, what the hell was happening to him?
Had the power he absorbed inside the Rift been too much? Was all that spiritual energy finally affecting his body in some strange way? He had already expected some kind of consequence after forcing so much energy into his Mental Sea, but this was completely different from anything he had imagined.
He could understand feeling exhausted.
He could even understand fainting.
But being able to look at a Sentinel and somehow know things about their Guiding nature that he had never been told, including things they probably wouldn’t willingly tell anyone, was something else entirely.
And why had the information about Runt been so ridiculously specific?
Ethan’s ears grew warm at the thought.
No.
He wasn’t thinking about that.
He absolutely refused to think about that.
He quickly turned his face away, hoping nobody would notice how suspiciously red his cheeks had become, only for Stella to finally let out a sigh.
"You’re fine enough to leave."
Ethan looked at her.
"Really?"
"Yes, really. You can go back to your normal activities, although I’d personally prefer it if your normal activities stopped involving almost getting yourself killed."
Ethan didn’t answer immediately.
He knew he wasn’t fine.
He was far from fine.
His body still felt strangely heavy, his head still carried a faint pressure, and whatever had happened to his senses inside the Rift was something he clearly couldn’t explain.
More importantly, he had no idea whether Stella even had an explanation for what he was experiencing.
If he told her that he could suddenly see information about a person’s Guiding abilities simply by looking at them, she might think he was hallucinating from exhaustion.
Or worse, she might decide he needed to stay in the infirmary for another few days.
Ethan had already spent enough time in that place.
There was no way he was voluntarily extending his stay.
"I’ll figure it out myself," he muttered quietly.
Stella raised an eyebrow. "Figure what out?"
"Nothing."
She stared at him for a moment, clearly unconvinced, but eventually decided not to question him.
Ethan climbed out of the bed, taking a moment to steady himself before picking up his things. Runt and a few of the other Sentinels who had come to visit him had already waited nearby, and when they noticed he was leaving, they immediately offered to escort him back to his dorm.
Ethan initially tried to refuse.
He really did.
But considering the fact that he had literally fainted after the Rift mission and had only just been cleared to leave the infirmary, they weren’t willing to listen.
So, with no other choice, Ethan allowed them to accompany him.
The walk back through the academy grounds was surprisingly peaceful. Ethan found himself enjoying the quiet more than he expected.
The others continued chatting among themselves, occasionally including him in their conversation, and although Ethan didn’t say much, he found himself smiling from time to time.
It was still strange.
Only a short while ago, he had been practically invisible to most of these people.
Now they were treating him like someone they genuinely cared about.
By the time they reached his dormitory, Ethan was already feeling a little more like himself.
He stopped at the entrance and turned toward them.
"Thanks for walking me back."
One of the Sentinels waved casually.
"Don’t mention it."
"Just rest properly."
"And don’t go disappearing into another dangerous place tomorrow."
Ethan gave him an innocent look.
"I make no promises."
They laughed, and Ethan shook his head before turning toward the entrance.
He had barely taken a step when Runt suddenly called out.
"Oh, Ethan."
Ethan turned around.
Runt was still standing with the others, but his expression had suddenly become slightly more serious.
"The Principal has been looking for you."