After bidding farewell to a reluctant but understanding Sarah, Varian toured the defense academy one last time.
Sarah said she had other plans and would be moving out of the academy. She didn't reveal much and said it'd be a surprise.
Varian was curious, but he didn't pry.
The communication problem between them was solved by Boo. He gave her a new comm that wouldn't be tapped.
Varian's thoughts drifted as the ghost ship slowly moved through the vast campus.
The high-rise buildings made up of top-grade materials. The lecture complexes, the fighting chambers, the dorms, the mission hall…Varian recalled the short but important time he spent here.
And finally, the ghost ship stopped above a huge auditorium.
Looking at the familiar building that hosted the entrance ceremony as well as the tutor-pupil ceremony, Varian's mood fluctuated.
The first day of college, he was still practicing and hoping to progress in the murloc islands.
The him back then was completely driven by one goal—earn enough merit points and find Sia.
He was courageous but also reckless. He was a bit naive, and didn't know the ways of the world.
Not even in his wildest dreams did he imagine back then that his biggest enemy would end up being a Sovereign and two of them at that.
Had he known back, would he have backed out?
Of course he wouldn't. But the pressure he'd have borne would be too high.
The level 2 Varian was still trying to catch up with Narcis and to him, Charles was a year long goal.
He was alone from the beginning. He made no friends and due to Charles, no one was even willing to talk to him.
"Seth…" Varian exhaled lightly and muttered.
This man who lost his own family and swore vengeance—the soldier who was ready to give his all to train a pupil—he was Varian's turning point.
He encountered many dangers after meeting Seth.
The short but intense training from his tutor helped him.
But more than the training, Seth asking Sarah to take him on a mission was what really changed the trajectory of his life.
Despite the enormous danger and the seemingly certain impossibility of return, Vanish Dungeon turned out to be blessing in disguise.
He not only reached level 4, but also got 'ghost ship'.
Even without Vanish dungeon, he could've improved his strength though slowly.
But Ghost ship…to be honest, Varian attributed much of his freedom to it. The two main functions of the ship—stealth and speed—were his foundations.
Using its broken space sub-system, Boo created a teleportation formation—this was his last protection.
Varian dared to reveal his level to Evander and ask for apprenticeship only because he was sure of escaping with Boo's teleportation in case Evander wanted to capture him.
Once he was Evander's disciple, there was no turning back. Varian benefitted from a strong backing and lived the short time peacefully.
Unlike before, he didn't worry about Xander family's attack. Nor did he feel that he would be under the threat of investigation and become a lab rat.
Everything was taken care of by Evander and Richard.
Truth be told, Varian wanted to meet him. But even if he could sneak inside, there was a high possibility of moles inside Evander's residence. Their comms were also like tapped.
All in all, it was risky and he'd rather not do it.
'I'm sorry master. Guess you'll have to assume I'm dead for a while until you meet Sarah.'
His plan was to let Sarah meet with Evander and request for a private meeting. Then she could reveal the truth.
But right now, to the world, she was 'depressed' and was hellbent on practice. If she suddenly met with Evander, it'd raise suspicions.
So, Sarah had to put on the act for some time.
"Sarah and me, we both lied to her father quite a few times already." Varian chuckled as he recalled his first meeting with Evander.
It was ironic that the man who fined away his merit points on the very first day ended up being his master.
…It was even more ironic that his daughter ended up being his girlfriend.
And the most ironic was that ghost ship saved his life again. If not for it, he'd be really dead.
"Boo, thanks." Varian said sincerely.
"You realized how good I am?"
"…."
"Hey hey! Even though I'm not perfect, I almost am. Just a bit of my memory is missing and I act like a baby, other than that, I'm the best."
"…"
Varian's lips twitched and he shifted his focus outward. On a park—the park where Seth convinced him to be his pupil.
Right now, three cadets, by their uniform, two first years and a second year sat in the pavilion by the lake.
"Are you sure this isn't some bullshit?" The junior guy said with a frown.
"Yes, my brother is the most talented man in my family and even he is only level 4." The junior girl beside him added.
The senior rubbed his forehead and let out an awkward chuckle. "I can't lie about what happened in the Solar Banquet, can I? There's no doubt, he's peak level 5."
The girl looked at her senior in confusion. "But how…? You're in the top 10 of second year and yet you're only barely peak level 5."
"…." The senior stared at her to assess whether she's mocking him or was genuinely surprised.
"Ahahaha. Forgive her for her lack of tact." The junior guy stepped in to ease the tension and continued. "But peak level 5 as first year, I remember his aura during the beginning. Level 2.
Even though many people buy the official Ambrosia narrative, I don't get it."
"Hm. It feels off. I often wondered if there is something sketchy about it." The senior nodded.
"He's dead anyway. It doesn't matter." The girl shrugged causing the guys to nod.
"But even if he's alive, he was never part of this academy. Sure, he is in the same year as us, but he was never like a cadet. He was like…"
The senior trailed off as he felt a gust wind of from above.
"They're right. I was never part of this academy." Varian thought as ghost ship left the defense academy and went straight to the Academy of Sciences. "I never fit in. I can't have a normal life. Perhaps, this is one of the prices I have to pay."
He looked at the receding campus one last time. "I am just a visitor."
Soon, the ghost ship sneaked into the academy of sciences. Varian found Kyle and Maya.
Thankfully, they weren't depressed like last time. Or at least that's how they appeared.
They immersed themselves in work. It was their way of coping with bad news.
"Master, do you want to reveal yourself?" Boo asked curiously.
"No. I can reveal that I'm alive, but these guys…if they accidentally reveal it to anyone else, the spies by their side will definitely trouble them. They'll be sad, but also safe."
Varian did find a few 'moles' that were spying on Kyle. But he didn't act against them.
They were from Julius just to keep an eye out. As long as nothing extraordinary happened, these moles would just watch Kyle and Maya for sometime before halting.
The ghost ship then went straight to Varian's home. During the journey, Varian scrolled through the file of one man.
"Eric."
Most of his information was secretive and what he could find didn't answer his questions.
No matter how stupid a level 7 was, it was impossible to be so stupid as Eric.
Revealing his request during a banquet just like that—either he had screws lose in head or—
'I hope he's just gone crazy and not the other option.'