Julian stopped in his tracks. Even in his wild state, that statement caught his attention.
⏤ The... birth of envy?
A conscious thought managed to echo in his head. The headmaster stood in front of him, just a few meters ahead.
"After that girl died, she passed her [Envy] onto you, didn't she? Considering that you look so much like her at this moment, I'm speaking truthfully."
Julian blinked only once, his green eyes locked onto the headmaster. Everything was telling him to attack. But, at the same time, an insatiable curiosity overwhelmed him. The curiosity that he was born with, stayed with him.
"..."
"The nature of the [Sin]. It's different for every wielder."
"..."
"Every wielder, no, retainer, has one or more [Sin Cast]. A representation of themself, in the form of a [Cast]. Regardless of if you can use mana or not."
Julian continued staring at the headmaster, with the same, fierce expression. But a lot of questions raced through his head.
⏤ Why is he telling me this? Chaining up dragons, killing... he should be the enemy. But instead... he's...
"Enough talk."
Fwsh!
Dirt swept off the floor, as Julian lifted off the ground, soaring toward the headmaster.
"The first manifestation occurs during a moment of heightened emotional states. The second awakening, you have to go through an emotional state again. So this must be the second awakening, right?"
A memory that seemed to not belong to him came to him. With the artificial spirit holding one of his abilities, he would have to wait for the ability to manifest yet again.
"..."
"But… it seems you have nothing? Considering if you did, your irrational state of mind would have used it immediately. Hm. Everyone does go through the process differently."
Julian lunged at the man.
"Then I see there's no point in fighting you right now, after all."
Just as Julian's hand was about to reach the headmaster, he disappeared.
. . .
. .
.
Oscar rode his dragon of ice, soaring through the dust-filled skies of Anore.
***
"The docks are closed?" the disguised Oscar asked the man in charge of dismissing boats, specifically the one heading toward Anore.
"Yep. Unfortunate for you, but it was an order placed by the king, supposedly."
Oscar stared at the ocean, then back at the man, rightfully confused.
"Please, tell me more."
"Hm."
The man paused for a moment, deciding. He leaned onto the wooden railings.
"Reports say that a line of ships is blocking off the country from the southern shore. It seemed like some kind of enemy attack, but their allies, the Kingdom of Sar, made a public announcement about it saying that secret development was happening."
***
"Secret development my ass."
His enhanced senses allowed him to see about everything happening on the ground. It was nothing short of terror.
A small part of him wanted to drop straight into the battlefield, but he chose logic over emotional reasoning, reaching the palace.
!
His steed of ice landed gently, melting immediately after he hopped off of it. The palace, in all its glory, stood before him. He stormed it.
The hallways were extensive, stretching from room to room. He heard the faint noise of an orchestra playing in one room.
He busted through the door.
"Eek!"
A scream was let out. The orchestra stopped, along with the dancing.
"Wrong room."
He abruptly slammed the door shut.
⏤ Where... where is the king?!
He went from room to room.
⏤ It seems like everyone is... unaware of the war. Or maybe they are. But they couldn't care enough as it doesn't affect them!
Everyone seemed to be enjoying the luxuries of attending a stay at the palace.
He found the last door. Opening it with no hesitation.
The sun peeking through the curtains of the window illuminated only one spot of the book-filled, conference room. At the end of the room, centered in the middle, a desk sat.
Sitting there, Caelum stared at the papers intently. Gray hairs riddled his previously platinum-blonde hair.
"My king..."
The eyebags were prevalent.
"Oscar...? You're... finally back."
. . .
"It was so sudden. Although I knew our relations with Sar were not the best, I didn't think... I should've been more careful."
"Please relax, Caelum. It isn't your fault."
"How could I possibly relax!" Caelum's voice suddenly spiked.
It was just the two of them, sitting in that paper-scattered room. The only source of light was coming from the sun, though it was becoming dusk.
"..."
Caelum stared at the ground.
"This... blood-soaked reality... It's nothing I've ever experienced."
"The horrors of war."
"..."
A quietness enveloped the room. Whether it was comforting, or depressing, couldn't be determined.
Oscar broke that silence.
"Isalda. Ailmer. Jisvo... Alize. How are they doing?"
"Alize joined the medical branch of the army."
"What?! You let her do such a thing?"
"It was her own choice. She wanted to help in the war effort."
"..."
"Ailmer... he's actually been doing pretty good."
Caelum managed to let out a weak laugh, at the absurdity of it all.
"I would have never expected the guy to create a new military weapon for archers. The AHMC, he calls it."
"Ailmer... Hand Mana Cannon?"
"Guessed it first try. Nice. As the name says, it's a smaller variant of a hand cannon. The shape isn't the same, though. More stretched out."
"I see. What about Isalda and Jisvo..?"
"..."
"..."
A short silence filled the air, again.
"Jisvo went on an expedition into the island between us and Sar. On the search for an antidote."
"An antidote for who?"
"For... Isalda."
Oscar stood up from his seat.
"Wh-what happened to her?!"
"An unknown substance came into contact with her blood. It put her in a strange state.... Not a coma, since she's conscious. But, she's so weak to the point that she cant get out of her bed."
"You can't be... serious..."
"..."
"Take me to her. Is it life-threatening?"
"We haven't figured that out yet. But, most likely. If it came from an assassin from Sar, the purpose was to kill."
"... Just, let me see her. Please."