Twilight Bridge: Immersion (Volume 1)

Chapter 11: The Edge

●  23rd day of the Sixth Month, year 666 - Realm of Light: Rulid Village, Norlangarth.

~KLANG!!

Jaden seemed to hear a bell from far away. Just when he treated it as a sound in his dreams, Jaden's shoulder just felt like it was being nudged by someone, so he nudged his head into the blanket and grumbled. "Uuh, another 10 minutes"
"No way. It's already time to wake up." a voice that seemed like it belonged to a young female.
"3 minutes.. just 3 minutes will do.."
Just as his shoulders continued to shake, a slight sense of disorientation caused Jaden to lose his sleepiness. At that moment, the bed loving boy realized that where he is now is neither reality nor a dream, and he poked his face out from the wool blanket. He widened his eyes slightly and exchanged looks with Renee, who was in a neat nun habit. This apprentice Sister lowered her head and looked at Jaden. "It's 5.30. The kids have all woken up and washed up. If you don't hurry, you won't be able to make it for Worship."
"Okay, I'll come over.."  Jaden replied.
He left aside the warm bed and the peaceful rest without regrets and sat up.
He looked around, and it's just like his memory from the previous night. This is the guest room in the second floor of the Bellyn church. In other words, his body went through the virtual world that was created by mysterious advanced technology. Such an amazing experience doesn't look like it'll end anytime soon.

"Eh, what?"

On noticing him slowing down, Renee gave a surprised expression.
On seeing this, Jaden hurriedly shook his head. "It, it's nothing. I'll get changed and come over. It's the worship hall on the first level, right?"
"Uhm, even if you're a guest or a lost child of Cedivar, you have to pray to the goddess Shiva as long as you stay in the church. Every single cup of water is a blessing of god's grace, and we have to be grateful to this. That's what Sister told us."

She'll continue rattling on and on if this keeps up, Jaden thought, and hurriedly got off the bed.
He flipped a shirt, preparing to take off the pajamas he borrowed, and Renee let out a frantic sound, "It it'll start in 20 minutes. Don't be late! You must wash your face in the well's water out there!"

~Patapata..

She walked out of the room and quickly closed the door before vanishing from his sight.
This reaction is obviously not something an NPC can, Jaden thought as he took off his shirt and brought the Initial Equipment lying on the chair, the blue short-sleeved tunic to his head. He brought it up to his nose and sniffed at it, only to find that there's no sweat.
As expected, microorganisms and other things like that can't be replicated, he theorized. Maybe defects like stains or holes are controlled by the durability value called «Life Force».

Jaden continued to think as he changed his clothes, and then walked out of the room. He walked down the stairs and out of the back door beside the kitchen. The beautiful sunrise was already on his head.
Renee said that it's still not six yet, Jaden wondered. But, how do the residents in this planetoid tell the time? I can't see anything like a clock, whether it's in the cafeteria or the living room.
He lowered his head and stepped onto the stone path. He soon saw a well chiseled out from stone. The kids seemed to have used it already as the surrounding moss patch was already wet. He opened the lid, threw the wooden basket with the rope attached down, and a nice 'kalakalapon' sound could be heard. He pulled the rope and lifted up a full pail of transparent well water into the tray beside him.
Jaden scooped up the icy cold well water with his hand to wash his face, and also drank a mouthful of it. At that moment, his sleepiness was shaken away completely.
I think I slept before 9 yesterday, and even though I woke up early, I should have slept for 8 hours, thinking about this, Jaden sank into deep thought again.

A few minutes later, a familiar profile with flax-colored hair appeared from the direction of the disappearing morning glow. Then, the clock tower behind the church chimed a simple yet elegant melody.
"Ahh, I see!" Jaden muttered.
On hearing that, Jaden rose his head.
"Morning, Jaden. What do you mean by 'I see'?"
"Morning, Eugene. Well, it's just that I found that every melody of the bell's different for every hour. In other words, the villagers here uses this to tell the time." he snapped his fingers together.
"Of course, that's how it is. The songs of praise for the «Light of Solus» are divided into 12 rhythms. At every half point, there'll be a chime. Unfortunately, the sound can't reach the
Ifrit Cedar, so I can only check the time through the height of Solus."
"I see, so that means there are no clocks in this world." Jaden carelessly let out these words, and Eugene tilted his head slightly.
"Clock? What's that?"
This is bad. Don't tell me such a term doesn't exist here?, Jaden gave off cold sweat inside his heart and tried to explain.
"Erm, a clock is a tool that's a round plate with numbers on it and has rotating needles to point the time.."
On hearing that, Eugene chuckled as he looked away. Jaden followed his line of sight and finally saw the clock tower of the church. In the window that's designed as a coin-shaped chamber, bells of all sizes were all shining inside. However, even though the bells were ringing, no one could be seen there.
"That bell, does it ring?" Jaden asked.
"Really, Jaden, how can you forget about that?" Eugene said with a stunned yet delighted voice, coughed midway through, and continued. "There's no need for anyone to go ring it. This is the only Divine Instrument in the village. Every day, it will regularly ring hymns of praises without missing by a second. Of course, it's not just Bellyn village that has this. Other villages and towns all have them, but, it's not just that it is the only Divine Instrument."
The energetic Eugene trailed off, which was very rare, and finally lost his voice at the end, which caused Jaden to frown.
However, Eugene didn't look like he wanted to continue discussing about this as he clapped his hands lightly and said "Now, I have something I have to do. What plans do you have today, Jaden?"
"Well" Jaden stuttered. "If possible, let me help you out today, Eugene."
Eugene grinned and nodded. "Of course I'll gladly bring you along. I thought you'd say so too. Look, I brought money for buns enough for two." As he said that Jaden and Eugene walked away together.