NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44: Failed attempt
Xane felt the cold floor beneath him.
As he opened his eyes, he saw the metal ceiling filled with white scribbles.
He stared at those lines for a moment when he remembered the first incident and rolled onto his stomach.
To avoid looking at those lines, he just focused on the clear floor. Right now, he just did not want to think about the disaster of the projection plane.
He rubbed his head as he felt a poking pain on the side of his head.
It was like someone was squeezing his head from both sides. Not only that, he also felt mentally drained, as if someone had sapped all his energy.
Just then, he heard footsteps. He turned his head and saw Xenor walking toward him with a wide grin.
Xane pushed himself to sit up while massaging his head to ease the pain.
Xenor asked in a serious tone, "Did you succeed?"
Xane looked up and shook his head. "I did not find any suitable world, sir."
Xenor nodded. "Well, it's not the worst case. At least you found some worlds. Also, don't worry about the pain. It will go away with some sleep."
Xane looked up and asked, "Sir, is there any way to check the world element purity from afar?"
Xenor shook his head. "Nope, you need to be at a certain distance to notice any difference."
Xane clicked his tongue in frustration. He took a deep breath and asked, "Sir, when can I enter the projection plane again?"
Instead of answering, Xenor stared at him in silence. It was like he was looking at some kind of rare specimen.
Xane controlled himself and just stared into his mentor's eyes.
This snapped Xenor out, and he waved his hand. "Rest for today and come early tomorrow morning."
Xane asked in confusion, "Can I come early?"
Xenor smiled at him. "Viyron, don't take this the same as your classroom. Keep in mind, you are my student. As my student, you can enter certain parts of the lab whenever you want.
"Also, in a day or two, a couple of surviving seniors will also join us. Once you form the mark, I will assign you your experiment room in the lab."
Xane stared at Xenor and nodded his head. He was not sure whether it was academy protocol or his mentor's generosity, but he was thankful nonetheless.
Xenor waved to him. "Viyron, how about we conclude for today? I don't think you are in a condition to continue."
Xane rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Sure, sir. I feel like my eyes are going to shut at any moment."
Xenor laughed. "Haha, it happens. By the way, if possible, I recommend you eat the special meal. That beast meat also helps in mental recovery."
Xane nodded to Xenor as both of them walked to the platform.
Not long after, they were back in the office.
The moment they stepped off the platform, the heavy shelf moved back above it. It hid everything, making it a normal office again.
Xenor walked back to his seat and took out a big red metal piece. When Xane saw Xenor's fingers dancing on the metal piece, he realized it must be a special ID.
He was not in the mood to stay here any longer, so he just grabbed the two books Xenor had recommended and bowed to his mentor. "Thank you for the instruction, sir."
Xenor nodded to him and said, "Just follow the same direction you entered from."
Xane wasted no more time and walked back to the white lab and then to the metal corridor.
Soon, he climbed out of the casket and back to the cemetery.
To his surprise, he saw a couple of other students standing before the cemetery.
It looked like a few of the hex masters had also selected their students.
All of them just stared at him, but none dared to approach.
As he walked out, a few even moved a step or two back. Well, it was not that surprising.
After all, who would want to meet the person who just walked out of some spooky casket? Also, he was not in the mood to mingle with anyone.
He calmly walked out through the metal gate. Just like before, the dread-filled environment instantly changed into a lively city full of people.
As he walked through the city, he noticed a couple of red-robed hex masters mingling with the people.
It was clear that all the people in the city were extra respectful toward the hex masters.
It was like hex masters were some sort of nobles in their eyes. But it was not to the point of them blindly following the hex masters' orders.
Zayn complained to Xane. [Dude, can we just go back?]
<Oh, so you were alive. With how quiet you were so far, I thought you were still passed out.>
[Sigh! Xane, please, not now. I want to sleep.]
Xane nodded his head and started walking toward the center, but then paused in realization. <Wait, Zayn, even you get affected by the projection plane?>
Zayn stayed silent for a couple of seconds and then sighed. [Shit, so there are things in this world that could interact with those inside.]
Xane nodded his head. <Yup, that looks like the case.>
[But hey, I think the projection plane could be a special case. I was there with you.]
Xane rubbed his forehead. <But, how could that cause you mental fatigue? I thought the one inside the head is unaffected by outside influence.>
From the moment Xane switched body control with Zayn, he was noting all sorts of differences between how he felt inside his head to the time when he was in control.
One of those differences was that even though both of them shared pain and physical tiredness, for some reason, it was not the case with mental tiredness.
He said in a low tone, <Zayn, I never feel tired whenever you control the body. Don't tell me that's not the case with you.>
[No, I feel the same. But hey, maybe what we are feeling is not related to the mind at all. It might be because of strain on our souls or something related to the soul.]
<Is that even possible?>
[I don't know, dude, but how about we discuss all this after a nap? My mind is just now in the right place. We also have to think about the grey world. I don't think any of those worlds even had bronze purity. This time it was a complete waste.]
Xane nodded his head and started walking toward the center of the plaza.