"Dead?" thought the girl in the witch hat, frowning, her wand tapping rhythmically against her temple. She sighed in frustration. What an utter waste.
Month—a whole month spent on this boy, and for what? School had already dismissed for the semester, yet she remained behind, tethered by unfinished business with the young man who now looked very much dead.
His entire body was charred beyond recognition. It was only thanks to a high-grade healing potion and a mid-tier restoration spell that he had survived the last fourteen days. But now? Now it was over. She had gained nothing. Not even confirmation if the person who sent him was a high-ranking agent of the Academy, as she had long suspected. He was maddening—infuriating beyond words.
It felt like a months had passed, though it had only been one month. She had tried every method of torture she knew—testing, experimenting, pushing boundaries. She had even used her blessing on him, despite him being unawakened.
Everyone in this world was born with the ability to absorb atmospheric ether. Even those unawakened had that much. But without awakening, ether couldn't be used—only felt. The ether channels and internal pool remained sealed, untouchable.
That was why her Helix Curse affected him with a hundredfold potency. He had no magical resistance; his body couldn't form one, as the only path for resistance was locked away. And yet, even with all that—he never screamed. Not once.
At one point, she wondered if he had lost his voice. She shrugged it off.
Right now, she threw her hat across the room in irritation. He seemed dead. He wasn't breathing. His body was frozen.
But…
She still felt something.
His body—it was still absorbing ether.
That wasn't possible unless he wasn't completely dead. That meant… his heart was still beating. But if that was the case—how was he no longer breathing?
She clicked her tongue, folded her arms, and took a deep breath.
"Fine. Die already," she muttered, extending her arm, wand gripped tightly.
And then—
Her ether flared.
"Flames of Ephenia," she whispered, her voice low and trembling.
"Incinerate."
In the next instant, a torrent of fire engulfed the suspended body before her.
Wzzzzzzzzzzz.
The flames devoured without mercy. The sound of bones cracking echoed through the chamber—unmistakably the result of immense heat and pressure.
He was finally gone.
Ding.
[User has now completed path]
[User's status: processing]
[User's status: processed]
[User's status: Dead]
[Ding]
[User's current memories will now be erased]
[User's soul will now be extracted and…&())@&]
[Error]
[User's status: Dead]
[User's status: D$%^&*(]
[User's status: Alive]
[Error]
[User's status: Dead%^&*()_]
[User's status: Alive]
[User's status: Dead]
[System has detected errors repeatedly]
[Analyzing cause...]
Ding!
[There seems to be an interference. Something is keeping the user alive.]
[System will now resort to alternatives to counter anomaly.]
[User's organs will now self-destruct to—]
[Error!]
[System breach detected]
[Error]
[System cannot stop external influence]
[Error]
[System will now @#$%^&()_(&^]
Ding.
[User has been blessed]
"WHAT?!" Anna screamed in shock as the flames were abruptly extinguished.
Something was wrong.
She could feel it. Every instinct screamed just one thing: run.
But she didn't.
She couldn't leave. Not without confirming he was truly dead.
"Luciphera's Blessing, Fifth Form: Absolute Control," she muttered. Instantly, the atmosphere turned glacial.
A massive shard of ice manifested midair.
Then—
Pummm!
It shot straight toward the young man's chest.
"Haaah… haaah… haaah," she panted, sweat dripping from her brow. "Damn… That took a lot of ether," she groaned, teeth clenched, her limbs trembling under the weight of near-total ether depletion.
"That should take him out… right?" she muttered.
The fog faded.
But then—
She saw it.
A palm.
Over her eyes.
BAM!
Darkness.
[It has been detected that user moves at will]
[Sentience still trapped within the realms of the subconscious]
[System settings are being altered]
[Extra's system >>>>>> Rebel's system]
[The dark one smiles at you]