In front of Vese's District 3, rumors had circulated for generations that this place was cursed by the actions of humans. It wasn't a curse from magic or a supernatural being, but one born solely from certain groups of people.
Bakvik leaned his back against a wall. He stood relaxed on an old wooden box, his face filled with a cold, emotionless expression. But deep down, many feelings were hidden in his eyes. In front of him was a public park. The scene was like a corner of happiness in a district that many people looked down upon. A group of children and the teenagers he had recently met were laughing and talking joyfully.
"I saw a new restaurant open... It's very cheap, and the owner is so kind..."
Many children were running around, having fun. Some held balloons. Apart from them, a group of girls sat playing in the distance in a gentle, innocent way. And a group of teenagers was practicing soccer. Everyone was smiling and looked serious at the same time. Suddenly, a young man accidentally kicked the ball, and it flew directly towards Bakvik, who was sitting quietly.
..His friends' eyes widened in shock. They saw Bakvik's cold face and his hands full of wounds. But Bakvik used his hand to catch the ball as it flew towards him with surprising accuracy. Bakvik gave a small smile and threw the soccer ball back to the young man without saying anything. The young man caught it with a smile.
"Thank you...!"
Bakvik returned to his original position, still looking straight ahead.
...Later, Bakvik almost fell asleep, his back still resting against the wall. He didn't completely close his eyes, but the groups of children in front of him had all gone home. Only the teenagers were left, still practicing soccer, and the kids were running around the old grassland.
"Bakvik... Bakvik... wake up..."
A woman's voice called out to him. The voice was very familiar. He slowly opened his eyes.
...He found Sela sitting next to him. She sat with her arms crossed tightly, and her fingertips touched her own cheek as she looked at the children having fun.
"I'm glad you're okay... Thank you for saving my life..."
Bakvik opened his eyes slightly. He heard what she said but didn't reply, simply listening intently. Bakvik turned to her with a sluggish look.
"What was it... what you encountered?"
"A vengeful mage... and they hold a grudge against the university," Sela turned to Bakvik slightly. Her eyes were filled with faint tears, like glistening ice crystals. She wasn't crying, but she had too many feelings in her heart to hold back. "They're targeting... the strong, top students..."
Bakvik's eyes widened in shock.
"Oh my god, you're in danger... I never knew about this before..."
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... someone at my level should have been able to fight them... but I almost got you killed too..."
Her eyes trembled, and her words were cracked, as if she was carrying too much on her shoulders. he Cruel Truth
"Sela..." Bakvik said her name in a deep voice. He looked at the group of teenagers and children in front of him, at the many people walking around, and at Vese's District 3, which was his home now.
"Your level doesn't matter... look at your hands, they're so rough. You've never had a good rest, have you?"
Bakvik's words made her eyes widen slightly, as if there was something deep in her heart. Bakvik's eyes changed. He raised his left hand, which was covered in wounds, and looked at it.
"...I've come to accept this cruel truth... If we don't work together, we'll have to rely on ourselves... I'm not even close to you; I barely know you... but what can I do? You've already made some good memories for me."
...In the hazy memory, like a flashback from someone's past, everything was white. The sound of footsteps thundered. A shallow breath. A young woman ran with all her might, but no matter how many times she ran, no matter how many times she trained, she always fell. But she still struggled to get back up. "I will never give up..."
Sela turned to him, her face filled with a warm smile and her eyes filled with confidence. Tears were still welling up in her eyes. Her face was flushed.
"...Let's try together... until we get to Ichivor."
Bakvik tilted his head slightly, leaning against the wall. He closed his eyes gently, as if letting himself feel light again.
"Of course... We're already amazing."
Sela still looked straight ahead at what seemed to be the light of Vese's District 3. She looked at the teenagers, the children, and all the people who were happy. But suddenly, Bakvik stood up. He looked ahead at a young man happily playing with his small dog. Sela looked at Bakvik, intrigued. Bakvik turned to her with a face full of smiles. He held out his hand to her.
"If you only look... time will pass by meaninglessly..."
She was momentarily startled, but then she smiled immediately. She placed her delicate hand in Bakvik's. He held her hand tightly. They ran into the happy field like other teenagers. It was as if they had peeled off the dark shells from their hearts and were returning to a pure, innocent time, simply because they didn't want it to be wasted.
A New Journey
..The steam train roared. This terrifying machine was a strange creature to the people of the past who didn't know technology.
"The warehouse we went to five years ago... that's where we're going. "
Drest was sitting with his back against the train. In his hand, he held an old, torn piece of paper.
Nesvan, in a bright but mysterious white coat with a black one underneath, stood with his arms crossed next to Drest. Nesvan's eyes were cold and filled with exhaustion. He glanced at the scenery the train was offering him.
"Lanta... is a place... that I love the most and hate the most."
"Come on, we won't run into... Konji."
Drest gave Nesvan a playful, mischievous side-eye.
Nesvan closed his eyes slightly, a small smile on the corner of his lips.
"Just thinking of his name... makes me want to punch him so badly."
The high-speed steam train passed by many different landscapes. Whether it was a forest, a grassland, a village, a small town, or a vast, dry land like a desert, the steam train had finally arrived in the land called Lanta.
It was like another world of Rectas. Everything was filled with rough, hard ground. The lake was only a thing of the past; now it was a deep and huge hill. And the boulders were as big as mountains. Yet, there were still more people here than half the population of Rectas. In a faraway, different part of the world, there were many cities with different ways of life. The area of this land was bigger than any other place, as if it were a continent within a continent.
On the other side, people in the past said that far beyond the horizon was a green land, filled with pure nature.
Nesvan and Drest were still on the steam train. Drest held a notebook and looked at it seriously.
"Do you think other people will meet them... like we did?"
"You mean at the university, right?"
Nesvan said in a deep, hoarse voice.
Drest wrote something in his notebook with determination, even though the train was shaking.
"Both the people at the university and the people who are involved."
Nesvan sighed softly.
"Don't worry... Professor Klars will definitely deal with them, I think... As for the students who might leave the land... Konji will protect them. Konji was originally a member of the Outgoing Group anyway."
"Whoa!... I underestimated them, haha." Drest smiled faintly, his face filled with some deep emotion, as if there were many feelings inside him.
Nesvan closed his eyes gently. He thought of something deep down. It was both hard and fragile. He saw a picture of a young man smiling at him in a memory that was pure white.
"As for you... how are you doing
Stay tuned for the next episode....