Chapter 107: The Living

After the sudden eruption of flames, the black owl took flight. Past buildings, past roads, past trees it glided, its dark wings beating a silent rhythm. At last it found the mouth of a tunnel leading underground and slipped inside.

Winding through the many branches of the tunnel, it came upon an open door, from which a few voices echoed.

Once inside, the owl circled the room full of men and women. Then, changing course, it dove into a dark-red-haired demon seated on a chair, its Astral body sinking into him.

Garrick opened his eyes and looked at his subordinates. “They… I don’t even know what to make of this.”

A slim, black-haired man rolled his chair over to Garrick. “What are they doing, Boss?”

“Is it something suspicious?” a woman wearing a jacket asked.

“Yes, and no.” Garrick narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, placing his fingers over his lips. “I couldn’t tell whether any abilities were being activated, since it’s daytime, but still, they were just spectating the students and did nothing. The dragon caused a scene, but I don’t think it was intentional. It doesn’t benefit them either.”

A man perched on a couch, a katana resting beside him, looked at Garrick and asked, “So they really aren’t aiming for the artifact?”

“We can’t assume that yet,” the slim man stated, adjusting his glasses.

“Bolu is right.” Garrick nodded. “They’re an unpredictable bunch. Ones that possess abnormal powers, at that.”

“For you to say ‘abnormal’…” a bald demon raised his brows. “Did you see their skills personally, Boss?”

“Yeah. Setting aside the abilities that somehow destroyed kingdoms overnight, I saw Noa’s power a few days ago at a shop. I don’t know what class of skill it was, but I’m sure it’s above Unique-class.”

“Above Unique…?” the woman’s eyes widened. “And here I was thinking Unique was the highest.”

Leaning his head back on the chair, Garrick placed a palm over his eyes and sighed. “Let’s just put Crimvane on neutral for now. Then we’re left with some minor kingdoms, which aren’t a problem, and the three organizations.”

“That’s not all, Boss,” Bolu added.

“Huh?”

“We just received information that the academy is preparing for a trip to another island—a second event.” His carefree tone turned serious. “This also means that some kingdoms might come back.”

“Dammit…”

Bolu turned his chair around. “The Blackwake Consortium basically works for anyone who hires them, but we can’t be sure of their personal affairs. The Keepers pose as so-called protectors to win the civilians’ favor, which is one of the most powerful assets. And we still don’t know what the Gravers are after…”

“On that topic.” Garrick looked at a man through the gap in his fingers. “Didn’t Karishna and Oct go there?”

“They should be coming back by now,” the man replied.

“Is that so?”

***

Though the wall of Null Essence had shielded the students from the clumsy dragon’s rage, the professor who had leapt forward to stop Elina, along with the two students at the front, Astris and Heyla, were left unprotected.

Alicia, the most wounded of the three, was sent to the academy’s medics, and it was stated that she would be fine by the next day. Heyla had tried to shield herself but was injured as well, and she was sent to the medics too.

Fortunately, Astris suffered only minor injuries, which were healed with healing potions, and he was escorted back to his classroom along with the other students.

Lucion sat on a wooden bench beside the academy’s path, lost in thought.

I was able to see Riven, and it seems everything is going as it’s supposed to on his end… at least for now. Looks like the only option really is Vionette Crimvane after all.

His calm expression shifted, his eyes narrowing as a more disquieting question surfaced in his mind.

Elina is different… she’s not the Elina I know. The Elina I knew was a dragon rescued by Riven, a dragon obsessed with fire. She wasn’t very smart, and she loved food so much… but she was kind.

***

After the smoke settled, Lucion watched Elina look down at the collapsed Alicia and Heyla, both of them burnt. The guards rushed in and immediately began feeding healing potions to the fallen pair.

One guard looked at Elina and shouted, “You! Do not move until we give you permission!”

Elina glanced at Alicia and Heyla, then turned around without a care. “Whatever. My bad, I guess? Just give them some healing potions or something. They’ll be fine~”

“H-hey! We said not to move! Where are you goi—!”

She turned around, her amber eyes locking furiously onto his. “Want me to burn you down too—ack!”

Noa appeared behind her and landed a hard punch on her head, bringing tears to her eyes.

“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!”

“I said not to do too much damage, you dumb lizard!” Grabbing her by the back of her collar, he dragged her off across the building. “C’mon, Vio said we have to go to Sinia’s office.”

And just like that, they vanished from the scene, leaving the guards completely at a loss.

***

She didn’t even care when those two were hurt, and the look in her eyes told me that she really could’ve killed that guard… The events changing is one thing, but personality too?

Two arms reached out on either side of Lucion’s neck and wrapped around it. A moment later, a head came to rest on his shoulder, bringing with it a captivating fragrance.

‘This is a place to study, not a place to loaf around~’ Neiscris whispered into his ear.

Lucion slid his eyes towards her, then down at her hands, a defeated look on his face. Just when I was thinking about changes in personality.

“Can you leave me alone?”

She smiled happily. “No can do!”

“Then at least stop doing that.” He gestured at her arms. “People might think we’re in a relationship.”

Neiscris’s eyes narrowed like crescent moons, her pupils turning dull and glassy, and she whispered into his ear playfully, ‘I wouldn’t hate tha—’

“I said stop it!”

Pulling her arms away and straightening up, she pouted at him. “So cold…”

Lucion slid along the bench to the left, leaving some space and gesturing for her to sit. Without hesitation, she happily did.

Silence settled over them. No chatter of the academy, no thunderous explosion, no wild laughter; just him, her, and the wind.

A light thud broke the silence as Neiscris’s head fell onto his shoulder, a smile playing on her lips.

Did she fall asleep?

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Lucion muttered softly, staring into the clear sky.

“Go ahead.”

He hesitated for a moment before moving his lips. “Why… are you like this?”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t act like this towards others, right? So what’s so special about me?” A pained look crossed his features.

“You go live on your own! I was wrong! You’re no special child! You’re just a disgrace!”

Before answering, Neiscris laughed softly, the sound vibrating through his body from his shoulder.

“Hey,” she said, raising one hand towards his face, its pinky finger extended. “Aren’t I your friend?”

Her finger looked soft and smooth. He stared at the gleam of its nail, a faint glint of sunlight bouncing into one of his eyes.

Lucion turned his eyes towards her. “Why are you doing this? I came here because your mother forced me, but I still don’t know why she did so when I don’t have any praiseworthy talent. Now you’re acting like this.” He lowered his head, his gaze hazy. “I’m feeling more and more lost.”

“You know,” she said, wiggling her extended hand up and down, “it’s not good to leave a girl hanging like this.”

Perhaps out of guilt, he raised his hand and hooked her pinky with his own.

The smile on her face warmed. “Don’t ask why we’re doing this. We’re not magically engineered puppets. We have feelings. We’re real people, and people change. You have to change too, and keep moving forward.”

Lucion’s head flinched. Real people…?

“Cedric is a third-rate villain in…”

“Was she just an NPC?”

“One of the main heroines of the game.”

“He’s one of the hardest bosses in Fragments…”

Neiscris closed her eyes, her head still resting on Lucion’s shoulder. He leaned his head back, looking up at the canopy of leaves shading them.

I guess I was too naive…? I looked at people here the way I looked at them behind that screen. Even until recently, I only talked to Adrian as an NPC who was there to keep my boredom company.

Maybe because it felt like a game, watching murder inside the pocket dimension was easy. But Cedric’s death was real. That’s when I learned that consequences are permanent. So, I also…

He lowered his gaze to the girl resting her head on his shoulder.

“She’s Castil’s daughter, and the second major boss of the game, Neiscris.”

…should treat these people as real people.

“Hey, can I ask you for a favor?” Lucion asked, smiling.

***

The academy day had ended, and the students had returned to their assigned rooms.

That night, inside Adrian’s room, Lucion sat on a chair, elbows on his knees and hands clasped between them, looking at Adrian, who sat on the edge of his bed.

“So…?” Adrian muttered, nervous.

Lucion looked at him seriously. “...Yesterday, Emmy killed Cedric.”

“C’mon, don’t joke around and get to the point already.” Adrian waved his hand playfully.

“I’m not joking. Cedric is dead, and Emmy killed him.”

“Oh com—”

“I’m not joking.”

Adrian stopped, and for once, he actually thought it through. He looked into Lucion’s eyes, and they were, in fact, deadly serious. His own eyes widened slowly as his body instinctively shrank back.

“Wait… you really mean it?”

Lucion nodded.

“Wait, wait, wait! Let me process this first!” He placed both hands over his face and thought back again. After a few moments, he asked in a more serious voice, “You mean that girl I thought was the most normal—the same shy girl—killed someone? So what the academy said about Cedric going back to his family for an emergency was a lie?”

Lucion stared at the floor, his expression unreadable. “Yeah… With how quiet it is even after a murder, even right now, it feels like a dream to me.”

“Hold on a second.” Adrian snapped his head towards Lucion. “How do you know this…?”

“Because I saw it. I saw her kill him with my own eyes…”

He slowly explained everything that had happened that evening. The more Adrian listened, the more his image of the girl named Emmy crumbled.

“...What are you going to do now?” Adrian asked.

Lucion took a long breath, looked up at the ceiling, and exhaled before answering,

“I don’t know. Maybe we’ll find out why she did it or who she is, or maybe not.” He got up and walked towards the door. “It’s already late. I’m going now—”

Adrian leapt from his bed and clung onto Lucion. “Wait! Please don’t leave!”

“What?”

“J-just stay the night with me tonight!” His eyes began to fill with tears. “I even talked to her casually! W-what if she comes in at night and stabs me too?!”

Pushing Adrian away, Lucion shut the door behind him. “Quit being a crybaby and go to sleep!”

The next two days are the weekend. I need to prepare for the event that’ll be held in four days, too.

***

Two days later—

Noa sat on a chair in the royal garden of Gergrain, happily enjoying his morning meal. Then, from the shadow of a tree, a black-clad woman emerged and knelt before him.

“Mmm? Aren’t you one of the guys we gave to Viselle?” Noa asked, turning towards her. “What’s the problem?”

“My Lord…” the woman gulped. “Lady Lina has gone missing. She’s nowhere to be seen.”

Noa closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and went on enjoying his meal. “Just leave her be. She can handle her own stuff.”

The woman got up, an uncertain look on her face. “...Yes, My Lord.”

The answer was simple, even arrogant, but she had felt it: a bloodlust and uncontrolled rage that pressed against her as she delivered her report.

Looking at Noa, the woman smiled fondly. You really do protect her the most, My Lord.

***

It was a small, fragile peach tree that had once wandered the world in pursuit of greater success. Now it had grown tall enough for its petals to fall in an endless loop.

The peach tree stood in a plain field dotted with few other trees, the only one of its kind. On one of its large branches, a pink energy began to gather.

Slowly, it took the shape of a breathtaking woman. Her long white hair cascaded down the branch like a waterfall, its tinged pink catching the never-ending sunlight of this dimension. Upon her head sat two elegant, deer-like antlers, along with long, fluffy white deer ears.

Spending my whole life reaching the pinnacle of swordsmanship… just to end up like this. I really am a fool.

She looked at the portal connecting this dimension to the world called Mythara. From it, a boy stepped through and began training as usual.

He’s here again, she thought, leaning her back against the trunk. What is he even training so hard for? Is this already the eighth day?

She had watched him train for more than a few days now. She was surprised he had even found this place, but she had decided to let him be, since he only trained and left.

Just like any other day, after running laps around the plain field and drilling with his sword and spellcasting, Lucion packed up his bags and began heading back.

Is he thinking of coming—

Lucion was the same as every day she had seen him, but today was not the same.

Just a few seconds after Lucion left through the portal, a new set of legs stepped through from the other side. The girl’s pink twin-tails swayed in the air like the peach tree’s falling petals, and her bright blue eyes mirrored the clear sky that never changed.

Looking over the horizon, Lina muttered, “Where is this?”