In the fragrant, steamy atmosphere of her bath, with the sound of running water from the faucet, Zela soaked in the cool water. She let the soft soap bubbles surround her body. With her back against the tub, she looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought about her past.
"What does this man want?"
As a top student at the university, she wasn't so afraid of what happened that she would cower and not face it. She simply wanted to be in a safe place. She slowly closed her eyes, calmed her mind, and thought about the events that had passed.
...A flood of memories rushed into her mind. The sound of running on the ground. A small girl who fell countless times but still managed to get back up. A young woman who trained to the point of coughing up blood without letting anyone see. A young man whom she didn't know if he was her brother or not, but she was always by his side, like an older student.
"...It doesn't matter who you were in the past. You are who you are. You are Asman... the cheerful one."
"That's true... I kept thinking that... maybe the me from the past wasn't even a child..." Asman said.
Zela lay on her soft bed, covered in pure white sheets. She stared at the ceiling. The shadows of people outside appeared on the wall. Zela was still thinking about something deep inside. It wasn't just about Asman; she was still thinking about everyone and the stories of the past.
"I'm so cruel... I let you all go on your journey... while I suddenly changed my path."
She thought of Resway, the cold young man who was warm on the inside; Asman, the cheerful, cute, and teasing young man; Chass, the determined girl who was easily flustered; and Chenya, the shy girl who was serious at all the wrong times.
...Tears began to fall without warning. Her flushed face tried to blink, hoping the tears would stop, but she decided to close her eyes and fall asleep.
(Ten days had passed since the students had temporarily left, either going home, taking on special jobs during the holidays, or just going on vacation.)
[Ichivor University]
Many buildings were empty. It was desolate and vacant. On the other side of the campus, in Sector 10, the special classrooms were also empty of any professors or students.
View Wanler, a young man with dark, wavy, and heavy-looking hair, wore his student uniform with a short, flowing cape. He was walking along a beautiful building adorned with vases, statues, and many carvings. On the walls were photos of past professors or other memorable people. He glanced at them for a moment.
The sound of footsteps hitting the ground was heard. A young woman was running at full speed, as if she were running away from something. It was chasing her, and she was running away, but it wasn't close enough to be seen. View turned to the source of the sound. In a flash, she ran into him, and both of them fell to the ground.
"Ouch! ...That hurts!" she said.
She had hit him so hard that his shoulder hurt. Her glasses had fallen off, and she couldn't see him clearly.
"I'm so sorry!" She crawled over to him, feeling the ground for her glasses.
"Are you hurt anywhere? I'm so sorry."
Her face was flushed with embarrassment and guilt. He saw that she was cute and pitiful. View got up and picked up her glasses from the ground. He slowly walked over, knelt down, and put them on her. Although the glasses were slightly broken, she could see clearly now. She quickly grabbed View's hand, holding it tightly.
"Thank you so much..."
"It's okay. Are you okay? Why do you seem so rushed?"
he asked, smiling slightly, curious about her.
Her cheeks went crimson. She was so shy she could avoid his gaze at any moment.
"I... I was running away from the straw dummies!"
...Straw dummies were simple creations that looked like ordinary works of art, but not here. They had their own behaviors and feelings. High-level mages gave them life. All they could do was sit, lie down, and guard certain buildings. On top of that, they could even talk to each other using sign language.
"Oh my god... how did she get past them? They make students hallucinate and get so scared they pass out... after that, they just carry them outside."
She was so startled that she flinched. She looked left and right, terrified, and ran to hide behind him.
"You've probably never been here before, have you?"
He smiled gently, with a hint of fondness for her.
"This is a special building. Normal students never come here. The straw dummies think we're evil, so they get especially aggressive."
He walked along the building, which was adorned with many beautiful works of art on the walls. The lower floor was a grand hall where sculptures and other works were beautifully and spectacularly displayed. She simply followed him as he walked.
"It's so beautiful... I've been at the university for two years and have never seen anything like this."
Her eyes widened in awe, stunned by the charm of this secret, restricted building.
"Judging by your personality and attitude... you just came in because you were curious, right?"
he said, glancing at her.
"Yes, I really did come in just out of curiosity," she said with determination, yet a hint of pressure. He looked at her briefly, as if thinking something deeply.
"My name is Liria. I'm a second-year student from Sector 9."
She placed her hands on her chest in a respectful and polite gesture.
"...You're... Miss Liria? Oh my god, is it really you?!"
His eyes widened, and he quickly turned to face her, placing both hands on her shoulders in shock.
Liria, a second-year student, was the student council president of Sector 9. Everyone talked about her. Even at a young age, she was a student with power. He glanced over and saw a man on the other side of the walkway. He was sitting on the edge of the balcony, his hair fluttering in the wind. In his hand, he held a sword, his fingers smoothly tracing the blade.
"Hey! Lonner... what are you doing here?"
he shouted to the man on the other side. Liria was slightly shocked by Lonner's change. Lonner slowly turned to them and gave a faint smile. He waved at them both. They walked over to him on the other side.
"My group... has disbanded. It's so annoying!" Lonner said quietly, his voice cold and filled with a profound sense of frustration. View and Liria stood silently in front of him, not daring to speak.
"I should have gone with that Bakvik guy... but it's too late now. That train broke down and stopped temporarily."
Lonner was completely different from before. He had once been cheerful and a little naive, with a good attitude. Now he was cold, quick to anger, and aggressive. He was like ice melting a little more each day.
"It's okay... In a few months, the seniors in the group will graduate. Think of it as a good memory you had with them,"
he said. Lonner gave him a brief side-eye, his cold eyes filled with deep feelings he didn't want to express. Liria slowly stepped forward. Lonner looked up at her slightly. She said,
"It's okay... Mr. Lonner, you still have us... you have me and everyone else. We second-year students are always here for each other."
She slowly extended her left hand to Lonner for a handshake, as if to renew their friendship. Lonner hesitated for a moment. Suddenly, View took Liria's hand and flipped it over, placing his left hand on top of hers. They both smiled knowingly. Lonner's deep-seated feelings still gnawed at his heart, but he chose to smile and place his hand on top of theirs.
Stay tuned for the next episode....