NOVGO.NET Chapter 43: Realisation
Chapter 43: Realisation
Atlas stood in the center of the room, holding the dark purple butterfly bangle up to the light. He turned the metal over in his gloved palm, scrutinizing the delicate engravings along the wings, trying to see if there was something familiar about it.
He searched his memory, trying to match the design to anyone he had encountered since arriving at the academy.
But after several moments of intense focus, nothing surfaced. He hadn’t seen anyone wearing a bracelet like this.
The design was intricate, far too delicate and feminine to be considered unisex, which meant the intruder was almost certainly female or had dropped a trophy belonging to one.
’I need to put this somewhere completely secure while I finish up,’ Atlas thought, looking around the room. ’If whoever trashed this place realizes they dropped it, they might come looking for it.’
Leaving it in a desk drawer or under his mattress was too risky. Then, an obvious solution struck him.
The safest vault he possessed was his own shadow — the spatial gateway leading directly into his Soul Forge, the same realm where Skull resided.
’Nothing in this world can touch it in there,’ he nodded to himself.
With a focused breath, Atlas channeled a faint pulse of shadow essence into his feet. His shadow on the stone floor deepened, turning into an ink-black, liquid vortex.
He knelt and dropped the metallic bangle into the dark patch. The butterfly bracelet sank beneath the surface without a sound, vanishing into his Soul Forge.
"Keep an eye on that, Skull," Atlas muttered softly.
The shadow vortex snapped back to a normal shadow on the ground, sealing the gateway.
Satisfied, Atlas dismissed Skull back into his soul space to rest and returned to the final phase of the cleanup. It was already pushing 4:00 PM.
Classes would be wrapping up soon, and his roommates would be heading back to the dorm, exhausted and looking to unwind.
The least he could do was provide them with a livable environment, even if their mattresses were still damp from the leaked garbage fluids.
Atlas picked up the heavy metal spray can of mana-purifying air freshener, stepping into the center of the room.
He began systematically treating the space, starting with the stone walls, sweeping the nozzle from top to bottom.
He moved to the dark corners and behind the wooden wardrobes, ensuring the mist reached every hidden crevice.
He sprayed beneath the bedframes, over the wooden desks, and finally saturated the new floor rug he had laid down to replace the ruined one.
Once the can was empty, Atlas set it aside. He unclipped his face shield, pulled off his heavy rubber gloves, and lowered his filter mask.
Taking a deep, tentative breath through his nose, he felt a wave of satisfaction. The foul stench of rot and trash was gone, replaced by the crisp, clean scent of crushed pine and winter rain from the mana infused spray can.
’That’s much better,’ he thought, letting out a long breath.
Right on cue, the heavy brass door handle clicked, and the wooden door swung inward.
Atlas spun on his heel to see Claus trudge into the room.
As usual, Claus looked utterly drained, his shoulders slumped and his dark-circled eyes half-closed as he dragged his boots across the floor.
"Man... the central cafeteria was completely packed," Claus muttered, his voice raspy as he rubbed his face. "Couldn’t even get close to the counter to buy food..."
The word cafeteria struck Atlas like a lightning bolt. His eyes widened as his memory jolted back to life.
’Oh, no. Emma.’
The realization hit him with full force. He had promised to meet her at the central cafeteria at exactly 3:00 PM, and in his obsession with investigating the room and cleaning up the mess, the time had completely slipped his mind.
’It’s already past 4:00 PM! Is she still waiting for me? Did she leave thinking I stood her up?’
Atlas glanced around the restored room.
The floor was spotless, the furniture was upright, and the four bulging black trash bags were lined up neatly near the entrance.
The only remaining issue was the damp mattresses, but replacing those required official authorization from the Head Maid anyway.
Seeing that his work here was done, Atlas stripped off his canvas cleaning coat and rubber boots in a flash.
He folded the protective gear tightly, grabbed his tunic, and stroled straight up to Claus, who was staring blankly at the wall like a sleepwalker.
"Claus, listen to me carefully," Atlas said urgently, clapping a hand on his roommate’s drooping shoulder to anchor his attention.
"I need you and the guys to take these four trash bags down to the courtyard bins and return the bucket and cleaning supplies to the reception desk. I’ll explain everything that happened here when I get back — I have an emergency I need to handle right now!"
Claus stood motionless for a second, looking at Atlas, then glancing sluggishly toward the stack of trash bags near the door. He let out a long, pathetic sigh.
"Sure... whatever..." Claus muffled, his head nodding weakly.
"Thanks, I owe you!" Atlas blurted out.
He didn’t waste another second. Atlas darted out of the room, his boots thundering down the stone hallway.
As he reached the lobby, he slowed down just long enough to call out to the junior maid behind the front desk, letting her know his roommates were bringing down the borrowed equipment, ensuring his paper trail remained clean.
Without waiting for her reply, Atlas burst through the heavy iron front doors of the dormitory and broke into a full sprint down the main tree-lined avenue, heading directly toward the central cafeteria district.
’Please still be there,’ Atlas thought, his legs pumping as he cut through the crowd of returning students.
’With her high spiritual perception traits as an Elementalist, Emma might actually be able to sense the lingering soul essence residue on that butterfly bangle... so in literal sense, I need her help.’