Neo felt a powerful Intent crash into him as soon as the door opened.
The hair on his back stood, and his heart started to beat loudly.
The spacious office was brightly lit.
Charlotte, sitting behind the desk, smiled faintly.
She was not releasing her aura.
It was her Intent.
Like everyone else, she did not have good control over her Intent, and it allowed Neo to sense the true depth of her strength.
He felt as if he were standing in front of a sun.
Its scorching presence was pressing against his very soul.
‘So this is what an Exalted Demigod feels like.’
Neo’s feet refused to move.
Jack, unable to sense her Intent, took a step into the room and turned around.
“You coming?”
“Yeah.”
Neo shook off the powerful Intent holding him in place.
He entered the room.
“Welcome back, Neo, Jack.”
Charlotte’s voice was calm but commanding, resonating through the quiet space.
She looked at them.
“Come sit, have some tea.”
The duo nodded and followed her words, sitting on the plush chairs opposite her.
The scent of aged paper and herbs filled the room.
Two dolls appeared silently and began to prepare tea.
Jack’s eyes were on them.
His brow furrowed.
The dolls, or puppets depending on what someone called them, looked familiar.
“Did you see something you recognize?” Charlotte, the principal of Demigod Academy, asked.
“The dolls are similar to the Gatekeepers of Shadow World,” Jack answered.
“Is that so?”
Charlotte smiled.
She didn’t give any explanation for the similarity in the appearances of the dolls and the Gatekeepers.
The dolls served the tea.
Neo and Jack drank it.
As the tea entered their system, their minds became calm, and their recovery systems were boosted.
A soothing warmth spread through their bodies, easing tension and fatigue.
“It’s a herbal tea, good for recovery, rejuvenation, and healing. We got it from Teshima last week,” Charlotte said, her gaze focused on Neo.
Jack nodded absentmindedly, not knowing about Teshima.
Neo, however, seemed surprised as he set down his cup.
“Teshima? I thought it was still within the Blood Sea’s territory.”
“Yes, it was. But the Templars of Water and Poseidon Clan recovered it a few days ago.
“In fact, the news came out while you were inside the Shadow World.”
Neo froze.
Charlotte smiled, noticing his expression.
“It is a surprise, I must say. How do you know about Teshima?
“It was named yesterday, after the island was reclaimed from Blood Sea.”
‘Wow, fuck.’
He had thought Charlotte would ask him about the Shadow Trail.
Find adventures on empire
Instead, she was trying to see how much he knew about the future.
‘Seems like what I said to her stuck in her mind.’
After Elizabeth was injured by the Temple of Void, Neo had revealed to Charlotte he knew about the inevitable destruction of the world that should’ve occurred 300 years ago.
“I saw the news while we were on the way to the academy,” Neo said, attempting to sound casual.
“Is that so?”
Charlotte smiled.
She didn’t pursue the topic further.
The three drank the tea in silence.
Before long, Charlotte posed a question.
“Are you planning to reveal what happened in the Shadow Trail and what were the rewards?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
She placed her teacup down with a soft clink and took out a few documents from the polished mahogany desk.
After reviewing them briefly, she passed them to Neo and Jack.
“Sign them.”
“What is this?”
“The academy will protect you both if someone tries to force you for information about the Shadow Trial.
“It’s the permission for that,” Charlotte explained.
“The academy is okay with us keeping the information secret?” Jack asked, surprised.
He glanced between the papers and Charlotte’s calm expression.
“Yes, it is,” Charlotte said. “One of the preambles of the academy is to give the students freedom of choice.
“We won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Neo nodded.
He knew Charlotte wasn’t lying.
Even the Shadow Window where Christian and Lenora died was not a compulsory mission.
The academy had given them the choice to enter or, if they wanted, refuse.
“What if you guys go back on your words?” Jack asked sharply.
Charlotte raised her brow, surprised.
As far as she knew, Jack lacked confidence.
He was the last person she expected to question her.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Charlotte let out a soft chuckle, pleased by his growth.
“If I was the type to do that, I would’ve killed Neo already.”
“….!”
“….?”
Jack’s eyes shot wide open while Neo cocked his head slightly.
Charlotte looked at Neo, at his shadow to be exact.
“Protecting a Void Entity is grounds for execution. But as you can see, I have no intention of harming Neo Hargraves.”
“You can see what’s inside my Shadow Space?”
“I can. I have special eyes, after all.”
The old woman’s kind smile did not look kind anymore.
Neo scoffed.
He opened a tiny section of the Shadow Space over his hand.
The shadows converged over his palm, and a single eye peeked out.
Velkaria turned to Neo, then looked around, noticing the principal’s gaze.
‘What the fuck!?’
Jack flinched, hearing the voice.
Neo covered him in his aura to ease his pain.
Charlotte hastily created a barrier around the room, stopping the corruption from spreading to outside.
‘You bastard, you told me you would help me!’
‘Why did you bring me to a 2nd stage God!?’
‘If you are trying to kill me, then I’ll take you along—’
“She is not a god. Look closely.” Neo said, interrupting Velkaria.
The eye shifted its gaze toward the surprised Charlotte.
‘Oh.’
‘It’s a 5th Stage Awakener.’
Velkaria released a sigh of relief and continued,
‘What the fuck are you looking at, old hag?’
Neo made a weird expression, hearing the smugness in her voice.
He used Intent to deliver a telepathic message to Velkaria.
‘She is stronger than you.’
‘So what? She isn’t a God or an Angel, or a fucking monster like you. She can’t kill me—’
“She is stronger than me too.”
‘Eh?’