Both Raze and Dame had reached the large double doors that led into the academy from the back. It had been a long time since Raze felt this way, but he could tell he was a little nervous.
The palms of his hands were a little sweaty, and his heart was beating slightly louder than it usually would. The main reason was the conversation he had with Dame just before the two of them arrived.
The two needed to be on the same wavelength to get their story straight. If there was anyone as sharp as Himmy, it would mean a lot of trouble for both of them. However, when asked about it, Dame casually replied, “It’s okay, I’ll deal with it.”
Taking a deep breath, Raze stepped forward and pushed at the door. It was a little heavy. In fact, he realized that the floor was very heavy, but he seemed to remember Gunther and Pincer opening it with ease. It had only budged slightly, and Raze was using all his strength.
“Here, let me help a bit,” Dame said as he placed his hands above Raze’s and pushed. The door felt as light as a feather and moved to open. It was a reminder of the difference between the two of them.
“Hey, stop! Who are you two?” Immediately, one of the several guards working for the academy had noticed the door opening.
Entering inside, Dame raised his hands, and Raze decided to do the same as he entered.
“I am a student here!” Raze shouted to them. “Would you please call Gunther and tell him that the students from the last assessment are here?”
The guards exchanged side-eye glances as if they were deciding what to do. As they contemplated it further, it would have been impossible for anyone to enter through the back entrance.
The cliff went off into a valley of mist that seemed to stretch endlessly until it reached some mountains. Eventually, one of the guards in a higher position nodded slightly and gestured with his hand. The other guard went off to find Gunther.
Raze had specifically asked for Gunther because he thought, based on their few interactions, he was the least likely to try and cover things up. Raze could already imagine a disaster happening – someone from the main clans attempting to conceal the misdeeds of the disciples and finish the job they couldn’t. There was also something interesting said between him and Mada during their final confrontation, the fact that they were brothers, and one was extremely jealous of the other.
A short while later, Gunther arrived. Originally, he seemed quite displeased, wearing his usual frowning face with folded arms. He was somewhat kicking the floor as he walked, like a child who had just been scolded.
When his eyes caught sight of the white-haired boy, his eyes almost lit up, and he rushed over to Raze, causing dust to stir up underneath his feet. Almost immediately, Raze took a step back as Gunther inspected him from head to toe.
“Judging by that reaction, it really is you, but I searched everywhere for you. How are you…”
“Alive?” Raze said. His eyes shifted to the other guards who were listening in to their conversation. As if he understood what Raze was getting at, Gunther decided to change his tone.
“Why don’t we talk somewhere else? We can head to the main building,” Gunther suggested. “And maybe we can talk a bit about your new friend who’s with you as well.”
Judging by the reaction and everything Gunther was doing, Raze felt like he had made the right call so far.
The two passed several other buildings, including the other living areas, and avoided the other students. They needed to get back into the academy first. They continued until they reached the main building, an incredibly wide structure with three tiers and dark blue tiles hinting at gold accents. It was the most luxurious-looking building in the area compared to the rest.
Heading inside, more guards saw them, but upon seeing Gunther, they ignored him until they eventually reached a small room. It was large but incredibly empty, with just a desk inside.
“This is my private office that they have given me,” Gunther explained. “But I don’t plan to stay at the academy for long, so I didn’t move anything in here. I would tell the two of you to take a seat, but as you can see, I have no chairs.”
Gunther sat in the only chair on the other side of the table. Both Raze and Dame moved closer inward.
“Alright, Raze, you have to tell me, how in Pagna are you still alive? How are you here, and what happened to you?” Gunther asked. 𝑂𝗏𝓵xt.𝓬𝓞𝓜
Raze had thought about what to say in his head, considering all the possibilities of how things worked out. In the end, he made a choice; his matters were his own to deal with.
“I fell off the cliff edge,” Raze answered. “I was chasing after one of the hop bunnies, and it was injured. It leaped off the cliff, and I reached out to grab it, but I lost my footing and fell down. I don’t know how, but I managed to survive the fall with few injuries. Down there is where I met him, Pink.”
Dame immediately turned his head and tapped Raze’s shin with his leg. Of course, they couldn’t use his real name, but Pink? What kind of name was that? It was all due to Raze’s annoyance at the lack of planning coming into this. If Raze was the one doing all the talking, he would give a nickname of whatever he wanted.
“Pink was in the mist as well. He had been living and surviving there for a while. The area is impossible to see even a meter ahead, but Pink had managed to find sources of water and food through the mist and shared them. When we were both well, we decided to venture up the cliff, no matter how long it took.”
Raze was hoping for a few things. Based on the state of the cave and the words written by the previous Dark Faction leader, the current Dark Faction knew next to nothing about what resided on the other side of the cliff. They didn’t know how deep it was or whether there was a way up or not. Nor would they bother to check if their claims were true or not.
“So, if you were down there, does that mean you were a student as well, from a previous assessment, Pink?” Gunther asked.
Dame nodded his head in response, still not quite used to the new nickname that had been given to him.
“That’s correct, although trouble had occurred, and I was unable to take the assessment. I had actually fallen into the cliff side before the first assessment even began. So, I was unable to make my presence known. But I am the last and only disciple of the Noctis Clan.”
Instantly, Gunther froze. It was a bigger reaction than when he had seen the return of Raze.
‘What is this Noctis Clan, and did he say last disciple? What kind of lie did he just tell!’
“Are you able to perform the Noctis Clan’s techniques?” Gunther asked.
“I am… but don’t worry, I don’t plan to use those skills unless absolutely necessary. I just wish to get through the academy,” Dame answered.
Gunther was constantly nodding, as if he agreed that this was the right choice. But it just led Raze to have many more questions about Dame. How did he know about a Clan in the Dark Faction that no one would have questions about?
Why did he have to be careful about it as well? And was that really enough to convince Gunther? Raze knew he was lax, but to be this lax… was this a man who truly didn’t care about his job?
“Alright,” Gunther said, clapping his hands. “I’ve decided that the two of you will join the academy. I’m sure everyone will be surprised by both of you coming here, but Raze, I do have a bit of a warning for you. I looked into your background a bit. I felt bad about what happened and was wondering if I could help out your family in any way,” Gunther explained.
“I found out about your family’s death. I’m sorry about that. When prying though, I found out in your town there were several deaths that were taking place. I should tell you that you aren’t the first this has happened to. I heard a case next to the city of mine where the same thing was taking place.”
“I just wanted to inform you that those who didn’t die or managed to escape like you, in the end, they ended up dead no matter where they were.”
Raze had heard in his town there were no survivors, and it was the reason why he had been made into a prime suspect in the case. The deaths were also the reason why Alter had headed to the town in the first place.
Now he was hearing that this matter had happened in other places.
‘Is there really a link to the original body and these deaths? If there was a way to talk to him, it would be great, or maybe even the sister might know something’
“In the academy, I would say you were in one of the safest places, but perhaps not. A particular person is… I don’t know what they’re doing. For you and the other No-names that came in, they are either looking out for you or trying to get you. So be careful of everyone you meet in the academy.”
Standing up, Gunther seemed to be done with the conversation.
“Alright, let’s get ready for your return to the Academy.”
Return, it was a word Raze felt like he had heard a little too much recently.