When morning came, Evan found his mind crowded with new memories belonging to his other self. Beyond the vivid dream, he could now reach scattered fragments of memories and experiences. Most were hazy and of little use, since they dated from the original Evan's early childhood.
Even so, they gave him a clearer picture of his family's life with Reid. They had seemed genuinely happy. Their parents had rarely, if ever, argued, and the brothers had cared deeply for one another. By every measure, it was the perfect family. That happiness, however, hadn't lasted. From what he could piece together, their parents had died sometime during Reid's teenage years.
His mood was already low that morning. And why wouldn't it be, after being forced to watch the perfect childhood of an alternate version of himself? It was nothing more than a cruel reminder of his own miserable past. Life wasn't fair. He had accepted that long ago, but did it really need to rub it in his face?
He headed straight for the shower, hoping the cold water would help shake off the sleep. While the chilly spray ran over his shoulders, Evan pondered why he was here in the first place.
This world already had its own Evan, one who was well-adjusted and shared a strong bond with Reid. His brother would undoubtedly become an important figure in the future, perhaps even the world's savior. Nova Terra wasn't lacking a protagonist, so what was the point of Evan being here? Had the System dragged him into this world for its own amusement? Was it really so bored that it needed to meddle in someone else's life?
"Say, System, what exactly is your plan for me?" he muttered. "Are you expecting me to save the world or something?"
Silence. He figured the System was ignoring him, and then a blue screen flashed in front of his face.
[New Quest!]
[Objective: Reach the end of your journey and find your answer.]
Evan squinted at the new mission. "What's with the ridiculously vague wording?"
Reach the end of his journey and find his answer? What was that supposed to mean? Was he expected to simply live out his life until old age? Or was there some grand quest he was meant to complete? There wasn't even a reward listed.
"You're messing with me again, aren't you?"
The System did not respond.
Once he had showered, Evan pulled on a red flannel over a T-shirt and dark pants. Reid was busy cooking in the kitchen when he came out.
"Good morning," Reid said. "Did you sleep well?"
"Not bad," Evan replied and sat down at the dining table to watch Reid fry a few slices of bacon.
He wondered if Reid had always been the one to prepare their meals. Had this world's Evan ever learned to cook? How had they divided the chores? Surely Reid couldn't have been handling the cooking, the cleaning, and everything else by himself.
Once again, Evan regretted how little the memory transfer had given him. The answers he wanted weren't there. Maybe, once they returned from the Assessment Center, he could at least help by sweeping and mopping the apartment.
A few minutes later, Reid set two plates on the table. Fluffy scrambled eggs sat beside golden-brown toast slick with melted butter, and crisp bacon strips rested at the edge of the plate.
The two ate and made idle conversation, though Reid kept circling back to the same questions. Was Evan still sore? Were there any lingering issues? The answer, naturally, was no. Reid's Sacred Light had healed everything, down to the cut on Evan's eyelid that he had been certain would scar. It had sealed cleanly and left no trace.
Had Reuel always been this warm and attentive? Judging by the battles and missions in Chronicles of a Demon Hunter, he hadn't. Reuel had been cold and aloof, a man who spoke rarely and treated everything as business. Though he had mellowed considerably later in life, maybe living as a civilian with two loving parents had softened him even further.
Maybe too much, Evan thought as Reid gave him another once-over, searching for injuries.
After he finally shook off his overly concerned brother, the two left in Reid's company car. They needed to stop by the RCB branch to return it and retrieve Reid's motorcycle, which was still parked there.
The underground parking area was cool and dimly lit, with rows of pillars running deep under harsh fluorescent lights. Sedans and other company vehicles filled most of the marked spaces. When Reid parked near his motorcycle, they found a beautiful woman waiting beside it. Her ID badge read Lee Hye-jin.
"Hye-jin," Reid greeted as he stepped out of the car.
"Is that all you've got to say?" Hye-jin asked, crossing her arms. "You left me to deal with that A-rank Rift. Fine, I get it, even if it gave me nothing but trouble and a mountain of headaches. But then I hear you went charging into an Irregular Rift on your own. Are you out of your mind?"
"It was an emergency."
"And not only that, you didn't even reply to my messages!"
"Sorry about that. So many people have been calling and messaging me that I've been keeping my phone off."
Hye-jin scoffed. "Of course they have. There's no way the press wouldn't be on your heels after the stunt you pulled." She turned to Evan. "I heard you weren't hurt too badly. Good, or this blockhead would've lost his mind."
If only she knew. Reid had already lost it, and the boss had paid for it by being reduced to a pile of ash.
"Why are you here, anyway?" Reid asked. "I'm guessing you didn't come just to scold me."
"I was assigned to accompany you to the Assessment Center," Hye-jin said. "Another set of eyes, and someone to keep things under control. The media has surely tracked down which District you live in, and with you suspected of awakening, they'll swarm the Assessment Center here."
"Thanks for the help, then."
"Don't thank me. I'm only here because it's an order. I'm still angry with you, by the way."
"I'm really sorry. How about I buy you that lens filter set you've been eyeing?"
Hye-jin flushed. "H-how did you know about that?"
"You're not exactly subtle when you browse online camera shops on your phone during work."
She slapped a hand over Reid's mouth. "Shh! Shut it! Someone might hear you and get me in trouble."
Reid raised his hands in surrender, amusement plain on his face.
Pulling her hand away, Hye-jin cleared her throat. "All right, I'll forgive you this once. But I expect that gift to arrive by the end of this week."
"Your wish is my command."
"Anyway, let's not waste any more time." She slid into the driver's seat of the car they had just left. "What are you two standing there for? There are three of us. Of course we're taking the car."
"But my motorcycle is right here." Reid pointed at it.
"You can pick it up after the Assessment Center. Do you really want reporters swarming you before you've even set foot inside?"
"But that would be a waste of fuel..."
"Why do you care when it's government money? We're making the best use of taxpayer funds. Now get in!"
Reid gave up and climbed into the front passenger seat while Evan settled into the back. They pulled out of the RCB branch and drove straight to District 20's Assessment Center. The modern building rose ahead of them, its wide front of tinted glass topped by a large sign bearing the Bureau's emblem above the main entrance. Government vehicles lined the curb, and a line of visitors filed in and out of the doors.
In the crowd, Evan spotted a group carrying cameras and microphones marked with station logos. He wondered whether they had come for Reid specifically or were simply waiting on the next big story, hoping a rare S-rank candidate might hand them a headline. The tinted glass kept anyone from noticing their arrival.
Inside, the lobby opened into a space bustling with activity. Electronic displays on the walls updated appointment schedules and queue numbers, and rows of chairs filled the waiting area, most of them occupied by people of all ages. Reception counters lined one side, where employees assisted visitors.
Hye-jin led the group to the reception counters. "Lee Hye-jin, Rift Control Bureau. We're here for Reid Whitfield's scheduled assessment."
The receptionist typed into the computer. "Mr. Whitfield is already on today's schedule. Assessment Room Three. Please have a seat in the waiting area, and we'll call him when it's his turn."
"Understood. Thank you."
They found empty seats. Evan watched people come and go from the assessment rooms. One walked out with slumped shoulders and a heavy stride, and the next stepped out standing tall, grinning.
The first had likely landed an E-rank, and the second had probably scraped a D at least. Only a handful of people ever awakened, and many who came here were from the Outskirts, chasing even the slimmest chance. But awakening itself wasn't the real divide. Rank was, and many believed anything below D-rank rarely made a difference anyway.
When Reid's name was called at last, they rose and followed the examiner inside. At the heart of the spacious chamber stood a raised circular platform. Unlike the combat assessment areas Evan had imagined, there were no targets or training equipment. A single chair sat alone upon the platform.
It looked like a medical chair crossed with something out of a high-tech laboratory. A brushed steel frame supported padded armrests and a tall backrest, with thin metal bands and sensor pads embedded in the seat. Beneath it, soft blue light traced rings and symbols that converged under the chair and spread outward toward the surrounding equipment.
The machine looked nothing like the assessment devices in the fantasy stories Evan had read, where a person laid a hand on a crystal orb and learned their rank in an instant. Nova Terra's approach to ranking was far less simple. The System itself never assigned ranks to Awakeners, so the government had built its own method of assessment. The Awakener Affairs Bureau's current standard relied primarily on mana reserves, which it judged the most reliable measure of strength it had yet developed. Critics argued that mana reserves alone couldn't capture an Awakener's full potential. Others countered that nearly every powerful ability demanded vast stores of mana, which made reserves a practical enough measure.
Today's assessment would determine Reid's registered rank, though even that wasn't necessarily permanent. His performance during the licensing examination could still raise or lower it.
The examiner directed Reid to a desk where an Assessment Specialist sat typing at a computer. He wore a long white coat, and black-rimmed glasses sat beneath his drooping eyes. His thinning hair was slicked back above the beginnings of a receding hairline. Evan and Hye-jin took seats along the wall, in the area reserved for family members and companions accompanying the examinee.
The Specialist questioned Reid about everything from basic identity checks to the date of his awakening and a description of his ability.
"A Healer, huh?" the Assessment Specialist said. "If you're lucky and receive a high rank, you'll be set for life, Mr. Whitfield. Please take a seat on the chair. We'll begin by assessing your mana capacity and output."
Reid nodded and took the chair while an assistant fastened sensors to his body. The Specialist went to the control console ringing the chair and began typing.
"You might feel a slight jolt, but don't worry. It won't hurt," the Assessment Specialist said as he activated the machine.
Evan wondered how the machine would interpret Reid's power. The device was calibrated for mana, but Sacred Light was a different form of energy and logically shouldn't register at all. Yet Reid showed no sign of concern. Did he have a way to pass it off as ordinary mana?
Reid sat quietly as the scan progressed. The Assessment Specialist monitored the data and ended the scan, and an assistant removed the sensors before leading the group to the next room.
The secondary evaluation chamber was meant for practical demonstrations. A medical table stood at its center, and Evan's gaze locked onto it. A man in his forties lay strapped there, bare to the waist and dressed only in prison pants, his torso wrapped in blood-soaked bandages. He was unconscious, his head lolling and his mouth slack. Two guards stood nearby with rifles and extra weapons on their tactical gear.
"This is..." Reid trailed off, looking at the man strapped down.
"This will be your first patient, Mr. Whitfield," the Assessment Specialist said. "Please understand that, as a newly awakened Healer with no formal training, you will find few people willing to entrust themselves to your care. We've arranged for you to test your ability on this man instead. Don't worry about making mistakes, because you won't face any consequences whatever the outcome. He's a death row inmate who was injured in a prison altercation not long ago, and we judged him a suitable candidate for your initial evaluation."
Reid pursed his lips.
"Whenever you're ready," the Assessment Specialist said, tapping at his tablet.
Reid approached the table while Evan and Hye-jin stood near the wall. He peeled away the bandages and uncovered wounds that ranged from heavy blunt force trauma to deep gashes along the ribs. Even from a distance, Evan could tell there were likely internal injuries as well, though he wasn't a doctor and couldn't say for certain.
Reid laid a palm on the man's chest and drew on his Sacred Light. The glow bloomed outward from his hand, and torn flesh began to knit itself back together, sealing the deep lacerations from the inside out.
"Oooh." The Assessment Specialist's eyes lit up as his fingers flew across the tablet.
Before long every wound had closed, and Reid drew his hand back.
"That's very impressive, Mr. Whitfield. Now if you would please follow me," the Assessment Specialist said, and he led the group back to his desk in the first room. He typed at his computer for a moment before addressing Reid. "We'll need time to fully process your data, and the results won't come out for several days, but I can already tell you the rank you will most likely receive."
Before Reid could respond, the man continued. "Based on what I saw, you are very likely an A-rank Healer, Mr. Whitfield. Congratulations. As you may know, Healers of your level are quite rare, so you will be highly sought after."
Reid nodded.
"Your rank registration documents will be delivered within the next few days. Around the same time, you should also receive your admission letter from Central Awakener Academy. Once it arrives, please arrange to relocate to District 1 as soon as possible. Fortunately, the new semester has only just begun, so you won't have to join your Awakener classes halfway through."
"What?" Evan blurted out.