“Hmm…..”
As the girl lying on the bed squirmed with a humming sound, both Astron and the instructor immediately turned their attention to the girl.
“…”
Both of them closed their mouth as they watched the girl. Sylvie stirred, her eyelids fluttering as she regained consciousness.
The instructor decided to postpone whatever she had on her mind, giving Astron a pointed look before turning her attention to the awakening healer.
“Ah, you’re awake,” she said with a gentle smile, her previous deadpan expression replaced by a more amiable demeanor. “How are you feeling, Sylvie?”
Sylvie blinked a few times, disoriented, and then seemed to remember where she was. “I… I don’t know. What happened?”
Even though she had said those words, she seemed to have sensed the changes that had occurred both in her body and in her mind.
The instructor glanced at Astron briefly before answering, “You performed a miraculous healing on Astron. It seems your talents go beyond what I initially thought.”
Sylvie’s gaze shifted to Astron hearing those words, and there was a mix of emotions in her eyes—relief, surprise, and something else that was hard to pinpoint.
Even then, she kept looking at him intently as if he had done something bad.
And, with a hint of concern, she finally mustered the courage to ask, “Are you okay, Astron?”
Those words sounded simple and dumb at first glance, but for Sylvie, it was different. She had just witnessed the same boy before her almost losing his life.
She witnessed the severity of his wounds; she directly felt them.
So when she asked the question in such a manner, it was rather in the form of reaffirmation for yourself.
“…Yes…..” Astron managed to get the word out of his mouth and nodded his head. “Thanks to your efforts.” And he added.
But, the expression on his face was no strange to Sylvie. The same solemnity that he had was there, but he simply avoided her eyes.
And she could see the emotions underneath. Now that she had awakened her trait, she could see things in a lot more detail.
‘He is concerned?’
She asked herself. The palette of colors was now showing a concern, but she couldn’t understand it.
‘And, he is angry.’
Of course, there was a hint of anger splattered in his heart, probably due to what happened inside the dungeon.
The hatred was also there, comparably a lot stronger than before.
But, even then, there was no fear or any remorse in his heart, as if he didn’t regard his life.
‘Why?’
She wanted to ask.
‘Why don’t you value your life more?’
But she couldn’t since the instructor stepped in.
“How do you feel, Sylvie? Do you sense anything different in your body?”
The instructor observed the silent exchange between Sylvie and Astron, and then, with a gentle smile, she turned her attention back to the healer.
Sylvie took a moment to assess herself. Her hand instinctively went to her chest as if checking for something unfamiliar. There was a subtle shift in her expression, a realization dawning in her eyes.
“I… I don’t know. It’s strange,” Sylvie confessed, her voice carrying a mix of wonder and uncertainty. “I felt this… warmth when I was healing Astron. It’s like my power was different, stronger.”
The instructor nodded knowingly. “Awakening your trait can bring about changes. It seems your potential runs deeper than you might have thought. The situation probably triggered the condition of your trait.”
With her words, the instructor slowly rose from her seat.
“Now that I have confirmed about your safety, I shall take my leave.” the instructor announced, her gaze shifting between Sylvie and Astron. “It’s crucial that the higher-ups are informed about this development.”
She moved towards the door, her movements graceful and purposeful. “Continue to monitor any changes in your condition, Sylvie. Astron, if you experience anything unusual, don’t hesitate to seek help from the academy’s medical facilities.”
With those parting words, the instructor exited the room, leaving the two all alone, though a subtle smile was on her lips.
TOK!
As the door was closed, the room fell silent.
Both of them didn’t talk as they just stayed in silence. Of course, the awkwardness was only for Sylvie since Astron seemed to be pondering about something.
But, even in that awkwardness, Sylvie couldn’t forget what she had seen just an hour ago in the dungeon.
That scene was engraved in her mind.
‘Why?’
Sylvie couldn’t bear the silence any longer. The question burned in her mind, and the feelings she was trying to suppress leaked out and pushed her to break the quiet tension.
“Astron, why were you in such a state?” she finally asked, her voice carrying a mix of curiosity and anger. “What happened in dungeon B-3? Why were you so badly injured?”
Because she was reminded of that time, she felt angry at this guy before him.
Her eyes searched his face, trying to find answers and perhaps a glimpse into the thoughts that seemed to weigh heavily on him.
‘Just why?’
The healing had been a success, but the aftermath left Sylvie with more questions than before.
This person’s past, his feelings, his hatred and anger, the people targeting him in the dungeon…. countless things that were not normal.
“Don’t you know?” The answer came not long after—an answer just like him.
‘Again, a question as an answer.’
This habit of his always made her irritated because it felt like he avoided answering about himself.
‘It is okay to talk about other people’s past, but it is not okay to talk about yours….Tch!’
She remembered when he simply intruded on her personal space at that time, saying mean things.
But when she asked or when any people asked, he always avoided it.
“If I knew, would I ask?” she retorted, adopting Astron’s style. A stoic expression remained on his face, seemingly unaffected by the role reversal. “You might,” he replied casually, prompting Sylvie to question his evasion tactics.
“But, if I asked while knowing what happened, doesn’t that mean I want to hear it from your mouth?” Sylvie countered. Astron’s response was a simple yet frustrating “That’s right.”
“Then, shouldn’t you answer?” Sylvie pressed further, refusing to let him sidestep the conversation. Astron’s question of “Why?” echoed in the room, leaving Sylvie exasperated.
“Why? What do you mean by why?” she exclaimed, her frustration boiling over. The tension between them reached its peak, the unspoken weight of the recent events hanging heavily in the air.
“Why does it matter?” Astron replied with an air of nonchalance, his gaze fixed on the door. The approaching footsteps hinted at the arrival of others, and his trait [Perceptive Insight] allowed him to discern the possible identities. “Two girls,” he thought.
Sylvie’s frustration deepened. “Why does it matter? Because… because maybe I can help you!” she exclaimed, her voice tinged with a mix of concern and anger. But before she could express more, Astron turned his face to her.
“Help, huh…..This is so like you.” Astron’s voice held a hint of both sadness and bitterness. His purple eyes, for a brief moment, revealed a myriad of emotions, a fleeting glimpse into the complex tapestry of his thoughts and feelings. “But, Sylvie, you know what?” But before Sylvie could delve deeper, he shifted his gaze downward, focusing on his own hands.
“Some people are bound to walk their paths alone,” Astron muttered, his voice carrying a weight that seemed to echo with the gravity of his words. “Because they lost their chance to walk with someone.”
His expression remained unreadable, a mask that concealed the intricacies of his inner world, but even then, Sylvie could see the guilt taking over him.
‘Who is that someone?’
CRACK!
But, before she could ponder about it any longer, the door swung wide open, revealing Sylvie’s friends who had rushed in.
“Sylvie, are you okay?” Jasmine immediately jumped to Sylvie, coming to her side. Concern was etched on her face. “I just heard that you collapsed in the dungeon. Did something happen?”
With the appearance of her friend, Sylvie was overwhelmed for a second.
Don’t worry, Jasmine. Everything is okay now,” Sylvie assured her, attempting to project a sense of calmness. “They had a bit of an incident in the dungeon, and I went to save someone, but I’m fine now.”
Hearing this, Jasmine backed away for a second, squinting Sylvie from back with her eyes.
“It seems you are really fine.” She hummed herself and nodded her head as she looked at the Sylvie from head to toe. Jasmine’s eyes widened with curiosity. “Wait, you went to save other students? What happened? Are they okay?”
Sylvie hesitated for a moment whether she wanted to explain what she had seen there or not, but then she decided not to.
“It was not many, just one student.”
“Hmm….Do you know him?”
“It was Astron.”
“Huh? Astron?”
“Yes.”
“I see….Then, what happened to him?”
“He’s… well, he was here a moment ago.” Sylvie turned her gaze toward the bed, only to find it empty.
Confusion flickered across her face.
“Where did he go?” Jasmine asked, her eyes scanning the room.
Sylvie shook her head. “I don’t know. He was just here.”
Jasmine furrowed her brow, a sense of concern clouding her features. “He was here? What happened to him? And why did you go to save him in the first place?”
Sylvie hesitated again, grappling with the decision of how much to reveal. “There was an incident in the dungeon. I found him injured, severely injured. I couldn’t just leave him there, so I tried to heal him.”
Jasmine’s eyes widened in surprise. “He was injured? How bad was it?”
Sylvie nodded solemnly. “Really bad. His arm was severed, and he had multiple injuries. I thought he was going to die.”
“Severed arm? That sounds horrific. But you healed him?”
Sylvie nodded again. “It was… strange. I felt a different power in me like I could do more than I thought. And I did heal him. It was like a miracle.”
At that exact second, another girl who had been there looked at Sylvie with a mix of awe and confusion. “A miracle? What do you mean?” Danielle said, with her eyes wide open.
Sylvie struggled to find the right words. “I don’t know how to explain it. Something just clicked, and I could heal him in ways I never thought possible. But then, he left without saying much.”
Hearing those words, the girl’s expression behind Sylvie’s body turned vicious for a second, and Sylvie didn’t miss it this time.
‘Huh?’
Different from before, she could now see it clearly. Something inside Danielle was obscuring her vision, masking the vicious feelings underneath.
‘What is this?’
It was something that she hadn’t noticed before, but now that she noticed, she couldn’t shake the unease growing in her heart.
‘Why is she?’
For the first time in her life, Sylvie realized her trait was never undeceivable, and that would be the start of one of the biggest deviations in the game.