Voom—!
The space shifted, forming a small portal through which several figures emerged.
“We’re back…!”
“…It’s really the Academy!”
“I can’t believe it… Am I dreaming?”
As they stepped into the familiar surroundings, several of the cadets couldn’t hide their emotions. Though it didn’t reach the point of tears, one could see the noticeable longing on their faces as they stepped into the familiar environment.
It had truly been quite a while. Finally, they were back home.
At least, this was how they felt at first.
“Wait, are we really back?”
In the midst of their cheers, they suddenly took notice of the Academy’s condition, their expressions quickly changing to one of bewilderment.
“What is this…?”
“Did we really return? …Or are we still in the Kasha?”
To their shock and confusion, the Academy they had returned to was nothing like the one they had left behind.
If one could describe the current spectacle, it’d be ‘Ruins’.
‘This place is in total ruins…’
Leon thought while looking around him. The buildings were battered, chunks missing, and some collapsed to the ground. Vegetation was torn up, and shards of glass littered the area, adding to the chaos.
That wasn’t all.
As Leon surveyed his surroundings, he spotted several Professors and guards in the distance, all moving with haste.
‘Hurry up! We need help there!”
‘Quick!’
Their voices were faint given the distance, but he could hear it all.
And yet, that wasn’t the most surprising part.
Far from it.
“Look! Take a look at the sky!”
When someone pointed it out, several of the cadets’ eyes widened in shock. They gazed up at a section of the sky, completely grayed out, resembling the eerie sky of the Kasha from before.
Thankfully, the gray patch in the sky wasn’t very large; it only covered a specific area. Leon immediately recognized the direction it covered.
‘It’s coming from the same direction where the Mirror Crack is…’
His face grew grim and when he turned to look at Julien, he found whatever word that was about to come out of his mouth get caught in his throat.
What in the…
“Are you okay?”
Leon nudged Julien on the arm but received no response.
Taking a closer look at him, Leon’s face changed subtly. This… How could he not be shocked?
Julien wasn’t the type to show his emotions. Most of the time, he tended to bury his feelings deep within him, even if he felt extreme fear.
He only tended to show them when he found himself unable to. Usually, they’d be situations that were extremely dire, or when he absolutely couldn’t hold his laugh.
This was what Leon knew and understood about Julien after spending so much time with him.
It was how it was supposed to be, and yet…
‘What happened?’
Julien’s expression was one of clear surprise, mixed with what Leon could only describe as faint traces of fear.
Fear?
“Julien?”
His face was pale, his lips dry, and his pupils were constricted.
Even in the most dire of situations Leon had never seen Julien like this. What in the world was happenin—
“Uh?”
And then he snapped out of it.
As if his soul had just returned to his body, Julien trembled, his pupils shifting before their eyes finally met.
Leon took the chance to speak to him. He wanted to understand what was going on.
“Did something happ—”
“I’m fine.”
But Julien cut him off, his voice sounding somewhat hoarse.
“…I’m okay.”
He repeated as if that would make Leon buy his words.
It didn’t.
“Ah, we’re back?”
As if only realizing now that they were back in the Academy, Julien looked around before nodding.
“That was a lot faster than I expected. Not bad.”
Julien was doing his best to conceal whatever was troubling him, and right as he did, the Chancellor stepped out of the portal. She then dismissed everyone present.
But just before dismissing, she said something along the lines of, ‘Class will resume in a week’s time. Take the time to rest. We’re currently lacking in staff so there might be a potential delay.’
She didn’t explain any further.
…She didn’t need to. Everyone clearly understood this wasn’t something that they were supposed to know.
In the end, everyone quickly left for their room or to head back home. Given the situation, they allowed the cadets to leave the premises.
In fact, they encouraged it.
“I’ll head back first.”
Julien quickly excused himself, and Leon watched him with a grim expression until he eventually disappeared from sight.
He remained standing on the spot for an unknown period of time until he eventually pulled his gaze away.
He didn’t understand the reason behind Julien’s weird actions, but he didn’t pry further. This was his private situation.
If Julien didn’t tell him, then it meant it was none of his business.
At least, for now.
‘I should get back too.’
Glancing at the time and seeing it was already five in the afternoon, Leon began making his way back toward the dormitories.
The walk back wasn’t long. It was about a five-minute walk.
Along the way, he would look at the state of the Academy. It was a mess.
The park Leon usually passed through on his way to the dormitories was a stark contrast to what it once was. Many trees were broken or split in half, benches were overturned, and many of the flowers were crushed. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire
It was a sight that fully displayed just how serious the situation at the Academy had been.
‘Just what on earth happened? Surely the Mirror Cracks destabilization can’t be this bad, right?’
It wasn’t like this hadn’t happened in the past.
It was just that he had never heard of one this powerful before. This was especially concerning given how the Mirror Crack found at the Academy was one of the weakest.
How bad was the situation in other places where the Mirror Cracks were filled with powerful monsters?
“…There’s a lot of powerful people in Bremmer so that might be safe, but I’m not sure about the other places.”
Some places might even be sacrificed.
In any case, Leon quickly shook away those thoughts and managed to get into his room as he closed the door behind him and sat down on his desk. Perched next to the desk was a small mirror where he could see his own reflection.
He was just about to lean back on the chair when his entire body froze.
Ba.. Thump!
A steady, powerful pulse throbbed in his mind, echoing the rhythmic beat of a heart.
Leon found himself unable to move.
Ba.. Thump!
The pulse throbbed once more, jarring Leon as he instinctively gripped the armrests, his fingers digging in so fiercely that the wood cracked beneath his grip.
Bang!
‘What’s going on—!?’
Panic started to set in Leon’s mind.
This was the first time something like this had happened, and he found himself losing control of his body.
“What sort of—Uha?!”
The shock intensified as Leon lifted his gaze, his eyes locking onto his reflection. Deep, dark lines marred his face, stretching down to his chest, where a faint, eerie glow bled through the fabric of his shirt.
Leon started to hyperventilate, the panic taking over his mind.
He tried to stay rational, but he couldn’t. He had lost full control of his body and he just found himself trembling on the spot.
‘What’s going on? What is happening?!’
Leon wanted to scream, but his voice refused to leave.
He wanted to run, but his legs refused to budge.
He wanted to…
Voom!
A blinding surge of light erupted from Leon’s chest, filling the room with an intense glow that consumed everything in its path.
Leon found himself flying back as a result of the light, crashing against the bed behind him.
Bang—
“Ukh…!”
His back ached from the impact, but Leon barely registered the pain. As the light slowly receded, he discovered he could move again, and an overwhelming sense of relief washed over him.
“Yes… haa… I can finally… haa…”
His words halted then.
Lifting his head slightly, his eyes paused on the levitating object before him.
Bathed in a soft white glow, a black chalice hovered just inches from his face, drifting slowly in the air.
Leon hurriedly lowered his head to stare at his chest, and it was then that his eyes widened massively.
“Ah…”
Drip. Drip.
As a dripping sound filled the room, the color red stained the floor, pooling around his feet as Leon found himself looking down at his chest, or what was missing of it.
Staring at the gaping hole in his chest and then raising his head to look at the chalice in front of him, Leon suddenly felt his legs buckle beneath him.
Thud.
Falling to his knees, he stared wide-eyed at the chalice in the air.
How could…
In his shock, the chalice drifted gently downward, coming to rest just beneath his face. Leon’s eyes fixed on the crimson liquid filling the cup, its crimson-red hue resembling his own blood.
No, that was his blood…
Within the liquid, his reflection stared back at him—or at least, what he thought was his reflection.
As Leon stared into the reflection, another figure slowly began to overlap with his own. The image was hazy, impossible to fully make out, but he could see their mouth move.
Leon’s mind was hazy, and in a situation where he should’ve already been dead, he was still conscious.
Leon focused on the figure’s mouth within the chalice, barely managing to make out its words. He wasn’t even sure he read correctly, but it almost felt like it was saying, ‘Drink…’
Drink?
Leon’s mind was very hazy.
With all the blood loss, he could barely stay conscious.
His mind raced, but given the weight of his situation, Leon found himself leaning forward, his lips brushing the cold rim of the chalice.
The last thing he remembered before passing out was the iron-like taste, flooding his tongue and lingering in every corner of his mouth.
Everything after that felt like a long dream.
One that he couldn’t recall any details about.
No, that was a lie.
He did remember something, but it was just faint. It was more like several voices, one that sounded like a conversation between him and someone else.
The figure within the reflection…
It went like;
‘You… who are you? What… What is going on?’
‘…Who am I?’
Replying to him was another voice. One that was filled with hesitation, confusion even. As though they had just woken up from a long and terrible dream.
‘Right, I don’t even really know myself. It’s been so long.’
‘What…’
‘Noel.’
So he called himself.
‘That’s your name?’
‘Yes, that’s my name.’
‘I am Noel.’
‘Noel Rowe.’
***
End of Volume [4] – Part 1/2