Working with Mister Eric turned out to be far more rewarding than Ashen ever expected.
It turned out to be very interesting as well.
From the very start, Mister Eric had shown Ashen everything he needed to know about handling the store. He guided him patiently, teaching him how to work behind the counter and manage things properly.
Ashen had never done any of that before, but to Mister Eric's surprise, he learned fast.
During the first two days, he worked side by side with Mr Eric at the counter. On the third day, he learned how to arrange goods on the shelves. The next day after that, Mr Eric showed him how to handle new product deliveries.
By the end of the week, Ashen was ready. He knew the basics, and Mister Eric finally trusted him to take care of the store on his own.
That day, Ashen sat at the counter, resting his chin on one hand. There wasn't much to do except wait for customers to walk in.
He had also cleaned the small shed behind the store that Mister Eric had given him as a room. It wasn't large, but it was cosy and quiet, far better than sleeping outside.
Now that he had some free time, Ashen began to think about what to do next.
"Let's see," he muttered to himself. "I have a job now, and a place to sleep. I guess it's time to focus on awakening my energy."
He believed that if his energy awakened, his life would change completely.
More importantly, it would give him a stable starting point in his new identity: that of a Dimensional Crusader.
But how was he supposed to awaken his energy?
That question alone was harder than any job Mister Eric could ever give him.
He tried everything he could think of.
Meditation, breathing exercises, quiet sitting, imagining his energy flow, even copying what he remembered from fantasy stories, nothing worked.
At some point, while he was thinking too hard about it, a can fell off one of the shelves and hit the floor with a loud clang.
Ashen winced. "Ah, great," he sighed, standing up to pick it up.
He reached down, grabbed the can, and started to put it back on the shelf. But as he lifted it, it suddenly slipped from his hand again.
It rolled off his palm, falling toward the ground.
Before his mind even had time to react, his body did. His second hand shot out instantly and caught it just before it hit the floor.
Ashen blinked, staring at the can in his hand. Then he carefully placed it back on the shelf, this time with more care.
"Hold on a second…"
He froze. His hand was still resting on the shelf, his eyes wide as the realisation struck him.
"Who said awakening has to be something grand or spiritual?"
He muttered the words softly, almost whispering them to himself.
But before he could continue his train of thought, the door chime rang. Ding!
A customer had entered.
Ashen quickly hurried back to the counter, pushing his sudden idea to the back of his mind for the moment.
The customer, a middle-aged man walked slowly through the aisles, examining each shelf carefully before picking up a few items. He took his time, moving at a pace that began to test Ashen's patience.
Ashen couldn't help but tap his fingers on the counter, eager to get back to his thoughts about awakening.
Finally, the man came to the register with his goods.
Ashen scanned them, bagged them up, and told the total. The man paid, and even told Ashen to keep the change.
"Thank you," Ashen said, smiling slightly as the man left the store.
As soon as the door closed behind him, the quiet returned and Ashen's thoughts immediately went back to his earlier realisation.
Awakening.
He had always thought it was supposed to be something huge like a flash of light, a rumbling ground, a burst of power. But maybe he was wrong all along.
What if it wasn't about grandeur or power at all?
When that can fell earlier, Ashen's reflexes had taken over before his mind could think. His instincts acted faster than his thoughts.
Maybe that was what awakening really meant. Not something loud or dramatic, but a moment when instinct overcomes the mind.
"What if that's all it is?" he whispered to himself. "Just… a moment of pure reflex."
It sounded simple. But could it really be that simple?
Ashen decided to test it.
He sat down, closed his eyes, and tried to stop thinking altogether.
He focused on stillness, not moving, not imagining, not planning. Just sitting.
At first, his mind kept wandering. Thoughts appeared out of nowhere. Random ideas, useless memories, even things he hadn't thought about in years.
It was frustrating, but he kept trying.
Slowly, minute by minute, his mind began to quiet down. The noise faded. His breathing evened out. His awareness dimmed until it felt like he was floating between wakefulness and sleep.
He didn't know exactly when it happened, but suddenly, he wasn't thinking anymore.
His body felt light. His mind was blank, calm, silent, empty.
It was strange. His body was still there, but it didn't feel like it belonged to him.
It was the kind of feeling you get when your hand moves, but you don't remember telling it to.
Or when you drool in your sleep but don't realise it until later.
It was that strange half-dreaming state, awake, yet unaware; alive, yet detached.
Ashen let himself sink deeper into that state. He willed his thoughts to vanish, his senses to fade.
He felt it.
His consciousness began to drift downward, like it were falling through a dark spiral tunnel.
The space around him was dim but faintly glowing, as if the darkness itself had light hidden within it.
He didn't fight it. He let himself fall.
At the end of the spiral, a bright light shone, dazzling, pure, almost divine.
The moment Ashen saw it, an instinct rose within him. That light… I have to reach it.
He didn't think twice. He let himself fall faster, rushing toward the glow.
The closer he got, the brighter it became, until the light swallowed everything, the tunnel, his body, his thoughts.
When he finally crossed into it, the brightness hit him like a wave. It was blinding. His eyes burned, and he had to throw up his hands to shield them.
Everything went white.
The next thing he knew, Ashen was standing again, back behind the counter of the store.
He blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of what just happened.
Across from him stood a young woman, speaking words he couldn't quite hear. Her voice sounded distant, echoing like it came from underwater.
"Who are yo—!
Before he could finish, pain shot through his entire body.
A deep, searing pain that felt like his insides were being ripped apart.
"Argrgh—!"
Ashen doubled over, coughing violently. Thick streams of blood spilled from his mouth, splattering onto the counter.
His body trembled. His vision blurred.
Never had he felt pain of this level before!