Drakvaris Dormitory is one of the dormitories in Aetheris Academy, where many intelligent and disciplined students reside. This school deliberately separates each student so they can continue to become disciplined individuals regardless of any other purposes.
Drakvaris Dormitory, the dormitory with a famous dragon mascot and marked as a dormitory filled with geniuses, solitary, firm, and disciplined individuals, makes many new students eager to enter this dorm.
Wein Arcveil still remains a mystery as to the cause of his transmigration and transfer, but he doesn't try to find any information about it. Leon is already better here than in his previous world.
"What do you want to say now?" Wein asked, putting the pocket watch into his pocket and then wearing the badge on his vest.
Sherlyn, who was still looking at the pocket watch, her eyes following the ticking hands, finally realized after Wein's slight voice reached her ears.
"I don't need to say it anymore, you seem to have felt the same thing," said Sherlyn.
They were on top of a place that could be considered quite secluded. Only a tree and a bench facing the lake were there. The place was quite open and spacious.
"So you've already felt it beforehand?" Wein asked. "Or even more than that?" he asked once again.
Sherlyn, with her usual flat expression, then opened her mouth. "I even saw the figure. He stared at me from a vent for more than a second, and that was enough to intimidate me."
Wein, who only felt the presence of the creature, began to think—the creature that stared directly and only spied on Wein was very different.
It felt like a distinction. Then he began connecting this to power, whether the difference in mana level made the figure bolder? Or was it just a coincidence?
And there was still more to investigate. Or this only indicated its target, and that became a mystery. Wein assumed Sherlyn was its first target, and he was the next after Sherlyn, because of how long the figure stared at her.
"What did that figure look like?" asked Wein.
"He covered his face with a mask, wore a cloak and hood to hide his head," Sherlyn replied flatly.
Wein watched Sherlyn, who was rather calm— even very calm. This also became a mysterious question because she didn't seem to feel the terror—or was she able to control that feeling?
Since the first time I met her, she indeed had a quiet, flat, and very calm personality. But this is too calm for the size of an unknown terror.
"You're quite calm, huh."
"You're only seeing the cover."
"So it's not what I thought?"
"I was truly terrified, and I can only express myself like this."
"You know, this will be hard if it's just the two of us. How about asking someone like the student council president?"
Sherlyn approached Wein Arcveil, staring at his face sharply and intently. "I heard the same rumor from a second-year student." She returned her gaze.
Wein blamed himself. "I guess I've been too reclusive to hear any rumors." He chuckled, then opened his eyes.
"So, what's the rumor about?"
"They're targeting nobles, that's all they said. And apparently, it has terrorized many high-ranking nobles and even killed them, and those who couldn't take it withdrew from this academy."
Is this... their goal? That's why this academy is still popular—because those who are not top-tier nobles won't feel this terror.
Then why does the academy hide this from the public? That's still a question. And is the academy involved in this? Or just watching and letting the nobles be destroyed?
Wein Arcveil, who couldn't accept it, felt that he was being trampled on. He even intended to immediately ask this to someone he knew as the headmaster of this school.
"I think he will target you. The Arcveil family was the first to donate hundreds of billions of Feynac."
Feynac is the currency of humans, which is also used as an international currency. But its usage is still equivalent to gold, and only nobles possess large amounts of money, while common people usually use silver, bronze, and gold.
In total, the Arcveil Family donated 790 billion Feynac and several kilograms of gold. But Wein was shocked after he discovered from a memory fragment that this was not even twenty-five percent of his family's finances.
Which means he came from an extremely wealthy family.
"I will ask about this. I think this conversation ends here." Wein concluded the discussion, still leaning back, and Sherlyn turned to look at the trees.
She realized that there was a figure watching the two of them, until finally Wein himself realized that he was being watched. He stood up and immediately pulled the revolver he carried.
Sherlyn pulled out her bow, and this time the mana released by the figure was strong enough that both of them felt it.
Wein, realizing it, responded by releasing his own mana with the purpose of intimidation and aimed at the trees with his gold and silver revolver.
The muzzle of the revolver was ready to fire bullets, then a golden glint stretched and touched the figure's face, making him disappear. Wein, who then reduced his mana output, began to lower his revolver.
He put the revolver back into the holster designed specifically for the revolver on his waist.
"We have to leave now. I've already observed that there's no one else here." Sherlyn dismissed her bow into magical storage. "We are in an unsafe area."
Wein followed Sherlyn, but they both realized they were being talked about through rumors. If many people saw them, it could strengthen the rumor and turn it into something more than a rumor.
Just by exchanging glances, they knew where to go, even though they had to take different paths.
"We'll meet again at the dorm," said Wein, then he coated himself with mana before leaving their location.
***
Memory—and Wein was almost separated because he forced himself to forget some of his memories. And now Leon was trying to restore that memory.
Leon tried to open the memory fragment to continue recovering the memories. A void room with changing red frames appeared in his view and started taking him to a nightmare world.
There he stared at a very large mirror, but some were scattered and very hard to remember—some burned, cracked, shattered, even some lying on the empty floor. The Void.
He tried to reach for the intact mirror. It went normally when he entered the intact mirror because Wein Arcveil still kept that memory, but it would be difficult if he tried to access the broken ones.
That would be difficult, and he insisted on doing it to continue reaching the next memory fragment.
In front of him, he would face a burning memory fragment—a broken and burning mirror surrounded by fire and lava slowly creeping over it.
I turned and glanced to the right, seeing light coming from the flames. From above, a mirror with memory fell into the fire, "Clang!!!" Damn!
My eyes narrowed, trying to see what was inside the memory reflection, but there was no result. Instead, fireflies appeared before my eyes.
They flew in great numbers, decorating my sight and moving around, causing uncontrollable dizziness. I tried to calm down, but it was useless.
My stomach started to feel nauseous, my legs trembled, and my eyelids forced themselves shut while I tried to keep them open.
This feeling was like I wanted to die again for the second time.
My heart beat as if it wanted to burst from my ribs...
My eyes couldn't focus forward...
My brain felt like it was spinning fast and endlessly...
Black vision as usual started to appear in every corner and side of my view. Gradually, the darkness crept closer to the other darkness. Covering my vision.
That blackness took over my sight after a few seconds. I couldn't do anything, holding on to another pain.
I could only surrender to what happened as if this body could never remember the broken memory—something it forever rejected.
"..."
"Wein! Grey!" she screamed loudly, but the voice was still faint within the roaring flames.
That voice! I was instantly aware, leaving the group and stopping at a place I felt safe from falling burning wood.
This fire blazed, devouring all the wood in the house, killing everyone inside and creating a nightmare for its victims—and I was the victim.
"Sherry!" I screamed! Once again, "Sherry!" My voice was loud enough amidst the burning wood debris.
"Sherry!" I kept shouting.
Still trying to find Sherry! No matter if I lost my voice and my throat bled or even destroyed here just to find Sherry.
"Grey? Wein!!!!" she screamed in pain after identifying that she heard me shouting. With my faint voice and even her smaller voice, I felt she wasn't too far away.
I didn't hear her anymore after that, but the wood—
Something fell beside me. I turned to look curiously and fearfully—it was a chandelier that fell ablaze.
My body refused to approach and search for Sherry, but forcefully this heart kept pushing the brain to send signals to my legs to step forward.
My right leg lifted and threw from the ground, stepping forward ignoring all the flames that scared me and stood like enemies I had to fight now.
But this would be easier—it couldn't attack, but my mental state was being tested here. How could I pass this fragile wood in front of me?
"Aaaaaa!!!! Wein! Help me!" she screamed, this time louder. After stepping about five steps, her voice became clearer. But whether it was her voice getting clearer or her scream too loud due to intense pain.
I lifted my leg, stepping in after gathering my mental and physical strength, which felt warm in this blazing fire.
My first step succeeded until the second and...
My step halted. I pulled myself back, "Ouch, my hand," I muttered in pain and rubbed my hand that got hit by falling fire from above, but I ignored what happened to me.
Turning forward, the path began to close. Burning wood debris fell, blocking the path ahead. My mind wanted to remove the wood, but it was held back.
Am I already insane? I held myself, wanting to scream. My hands really wanted to remove or even break the hot wood ahead.
I turned and looked up, found a gap not yet closed. Cautiously, I tried to touch the wood, the heat transmitted throughout my body as I reached with my fingers.
How could I climb up?
Sparks! Wait! Sawdust fell from above along with sparks that passed before me. I wasn't aware yet, but the sound of wood cracking and breaking began to echo in my ears.
I looked up, raising my hand to see between the sparks touching my lower hand.
"Damn!" I cursed, pushing my body backward away from the area marked by the hot wood debris.
The sparks became more intense after I pushed myself to a safer place—even though there was no real safe place in this fire.
"Sherry!" I made sure once again. Not long, a scream calling my name echoed clearly in my ears, but I couldn't do anything anymore.
Until dust and ash fell, carrying a piece of burning wood with a monster of orange color on it; the fire devoured everything as it landed.
It was too large, touching the ceramic floor and shattering it into pieces, as some wood had already weakened due to the burning duration.
"Wein! Help me!" she screamed for help. I tried to think and find a way, no matter what.
But the way was blocked, even the fire was blazing fiercely in front of me—something that truly became my eternal enemy.
"I'm coming!" I shouted, making an uncertain hope for her, even though I knew there was no way there, but kept trying to comfort myself.
"Let's get out before it gets worse." A hoarse voice breathing irregularly—clearly due to running out of stamina while running—he grabbed my hand and clenched it tightly, pulling it strongly.
I turned to look—it was... my coach. He wore a firefighter's helmet and pulled me out. I was dragged, shedding tears unconsciously falling on my cheeks.
"No! No!" I resisted, trying to return to accompany Sherry whose whereabouts were unclear.
"Sherry is still there!" I shouted, pulling my hand against the coach's grip, using my other hand to break his strong grip.
I truly felt the loss now. Even though I could use a mana boost, I was so weak. Not because my power was weak, but because mentally I wasn't strong enough to resist all this.
"Let me go—let me go now." Still trying to resist, but it meant nothing in front of that person. Until I really heard a voice from outside.
The same voice as my feelings—sadness, regret, anger, and all mixed together. And the outside voice...
Screams, cries, and rage that bombarded the situation just like the fire inside.
I... truly gave up...