Another week had passed.
Caelum was still nowhere to be seen.
Some whispered his name like a warning, others like a legend. Even the teachers could only offer confused glances and hollow words. He had vanished without a trace.
Aria clenched her fists in the gymnasium, her breath ragged as she struck the training dummy again and again.
Each time someone mentioned Caelum, a strange unease tightened in her chest. Why did she feel this way?
The sensation—it was the same as the day he felled that demon in the forest. The same as when she'd first noticed him in the back of class, quietly sketching in his notebook, eyes distant. Or when she'd seen him standing alone atop the clock tower, staring at the horizon like he longed for something.
Like he was running from something.
Or chasing something.
With no regard for his own safety.
He never smiled.
Never flinched.
Never asked for anything.
It was like he didn't care. Like everything he saw was... muted. A world sketched in monotone by a tired artist.
He had always felt estranged from the world around him—like he didn't belong.
That was what she'd thought when they first met. His gaze lacked the light of youth, his presence quiet, almost haunting. His lack of expression at failure.
Even when he gave Candice the credit for helping slay that Fenrir, despite clearly doing most of the work—he never asked for recognition.
Never lingered.
He had a magnetic aura about him. The kind that draws you in—
Only to warn you not to get too close.
Like a Phoenix engulfed in its own fire.
And yet…
She had felt it.
The pain beneath his presence. The mourning that clung to his mana like ash. Resentment. Longing. Anger. Sadness.
All condensed into his trait.
He hadn't stood out much.
But something inside him was dangerous—
A storm barely held at bay.
Maybe that's why she noticed him, despite his efforts to remain invisible.
********
Meanwhile, Candice sat cross-legged in a dark corner of the library, fingers flipping through an old archive file.
An article from seven years ago.
"House Veris—eradicated.
The entire bloodline wiped clean from the continent. Purged by House Arteries."
The official narrative?
Collusion with demons.
But something didn't add up.
"He went berserk when he saw the Arteries' banners," Candice murmured, her voice low.
Leon, standing beside her, leaned in. "You think he's here for revenge?"
She hesitated. "Maybe. But there's more."
She flipped the page. A redacted letter. A vague mention of an incident involving forbidden research—too vague to be conclusive.
"If his house really fell… and he learned all of his current combat techniques on his own," she continued, "then his talent is beyond monstrous."
Leon folded his arms. "Planning revenge for seven years… That's terrifying. But why would House Arteries target Veris to begin with?"
Candice didn't answer. Her eyes lingered on the signature at the bottom of the file. A name crossed out in red ink.
************
Aria slammed her training sword against the dummy, breaking it in half.
She exhaled.
Why couldn't she stop thinking about him?
She remembered the way he stood before that demon—unflinching. The way he moved—like he had nothing to lose.
How he had saved her while being injured.
She hated that she owed him.
And now… he was gone.
*******
In the mindspace—
-Swoosh!
-Clang!
Steel clashed against steel.
Caelum was locked in his 200th match against the replica of himself.
Every move was brutal in its precision.
Every step—measured.
Every breath—calculated.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
He studied every swing, every twitch of his double's blade.
Morning runs.
Afternoon drills.
Evening duels.
This was his routine in this subconscious purgatory. His real body lay dormant, but here, in this limitless space, he honed everything.
He had discovered that the replica wouldn't kill him—so long as he maintained awareness. That gave him an edge.
A tiny one.
But an edge nonetheless.
Still, he had questions.
Why did I awaken this trait? Why now? Why did he come to this space?
He remembered what the headmaster said after their battle—"Knight of Ruin."
A disaster-class trait.
Something born of great loss.
Something cursed.
His memories blurred. His breath slowed. His blade trembled.
Am I becoming what this world expects me to be…?
[Trait [Knight of Ruin] assimilation, 8%]
[Skill unlocked: Beast Aura]
[Skill unlocked: Analytical Vision]
[Synthesis complete: [Understanding] + [Analytical Vision]
"Nothing makes sense anymore. This wasn't part of the story."
******
Back at the Academy -
Leon was hitting a dummy. He struck it with great precision.
He kept getting reminded of Caelum. The mysterious boy.
Why did he feel a connection to him? Like they were the same.
It happened back when he was 14 years old. When he was declared to be the light that will stop the demons. A fate so tiring to bear.
Hitting the dummy again he switched his blade to his other hand.
He then thought to a memory, one from a week ago. He hadn't felt a pressure like that one before.
-Opression
Pure oppression. That's what he felt from Caelum. But also the aura of a Knight.
"Chivalry was what they called it?"
He stopped and looked at the sky.
"Maybe he also...."
******
Back in the mindspace—
Caelum stood tall, sweat dripping from his brow.
His replica was silent.
Waiting.
He tightened his grip on the hilt.
[Flash] still wasn't perfect. The timing was off. The flow—unnatural.
But he was close.
He took a deep breath.
Emptied his mind.
And moved.
Flash.
His body vanished—reappearing behind the replica in an instant.
A graze. But a clean one.
He exhaled.
Again.
Flash
And Again.
Flash.
And Again.
Flash.
Like thunder with no sound.
Like lightning without light.
He then flashed two times consecutively. Connecting two attacks like a chain of lightning.
"I..."
He stammered, it was unbelievable. He finally did it!
"I connected two flashes into a chain!"
**********
Somewhere in the distance, he heard the headmaster's voice.
"Boy, your friends are searching for you. I think it's best you wake up now.
Caelum smiled faintly.
"Sorry headmaster, but I don't have any friends, and I don't think I will be able to leave anytime soon."
Right. He was alone in this world.