The castle was still burning. The world had just gotten a few rays of sunlight, but now it was once again drowned in an eternal eclipse. The huge opaline barrier across the kingdom's premises was being repaired. As one gazed at the clouds, they could see the epic scale of the war between two rapidly moving lights—a white light of raining spears and an emerald light resisting and fighting back.
On the ground beside the castle gate where the huge cross once stood, John screamed in agony as a beautiful, angelic girl stabbed him. His arms and legs were twisted, riddled with holes from the knife strikes as he begged for mercy.
Sebastian looked at Sythris and used his stick—which slightly elongated itself—to slash at her. An arc of something ethereal flowed toward Sythris. Without looking, Sythris knew she was going to die. The arc of light passed through the air, cutting through everything in its path.
Sythris closed her eyes and prayed in her mind, 'Please let them escape... Oh, Goddess Priessa, if you are up there watching, please help them.'
Whether Goddess Priessa was truly watching or if she was merely a myth, no one could tell, but Sebastian's attack suddenly stopped.
Sythris waited, but the blow never landed.
A woman suddenly appeared, standing right before Sythris. She was very tall, and Sythris could only see her back. Her outfit looked somewhat unnatural. In one hand she held a long white spear, and in her other arm was another woman, unconscious. Sythris was in a half-unconscious state, yet that figure felt strangely familiar to her.
The tall woman had blocked the attack.
"Sebastian..."
"Help... please... stop her..."
Sebastian heard John calling out to him. Looking back, Sebastian tapped his stick on the ground twice to launch an attack. Multiple arcs of light emerged from different directions, targeting the girl.
The girl stabbing John suddenly shifted, effectively dodging every attack. Then, like a dutiful executioner, she resumed stabbing John as he shouted and screamed, his wounds multiplying as blood flowed continuously.
Sebastian didn't continue his assault; instead, his gaze shifted toward the newly arrived woman. She seemed entirely out of place in her revealing dress and robes. She had a hint of maturity in her eyes, and her long hair flowed all the way down her back. Sebastian then looked at the unconscious woman being held in the figure's arm. As he looked at her, he muttered, "Matriarch?"
Sythris's ears perked up, even though she couldn't move anymore, as Sebastian spoke in an emotionless voice, "Hurry... and please leave... the eclipse is going to end."
The tall woman with long hair said, "You aren't going anywhere with me here. And Sythris is my student. Don't you dare think about harming her."
Sythris's heart suddenly churned as she realized the Matriarch must be the leader of the academy that had been ruined.
Finally, with great difficulty, she looked at the woman in the tall figure's arms. Realization slowly dawned upon her: it was none other than her master. Master? Suddenly, she shivered inwardly as an even more terrible understanding struck her. Why had she forgotten her master?
So the tall woman is the Headmistress of the academy?
The tall woman looked back down at Sythris and said, "You have grown up, Sythris."
Sythris offered no response, barely able to look at the face of the figure in the tall woman's arms.
That face...
Suddenly, along with realization, something else shattered in her mind. Like glass breaking, she realized the truth of who the person before her was—and who the tall woman was. The woman who had been carried by Veer some time ago was none other than her own master.
She gently called out, "Master..." before passing out.
...
A memory...
A dream of that day.
The day the academy fell.
Sythris looked around to see the academy students being attacked from all sides. Where was she? Her eyes dimmed as she realized how weak she was. She clenched her fist and muttered, "Barely the peak of a Silver Knight?"
She watched carefully. She saw a beautiful figure using her own fighting style to combat the attackers. Why? As she closely examined the face... she was stunned as it was none other than Caria. She was using fire and ice flames to render them powerless.
"How..how could Caria kill them?"
"They..they are... the academy teachers!"
Sythris shivered as she began chasing after Caria. She drew her twin swords and thrust them toward Caria. Caria, having just finished slicing off the hands of a screaming teacher, felt the attack incoming. She shifted nimbly and dodged the strike. Sythris gasped, gritting her teeth in anger and sadness as her swords spiraled crazily toward Caria.
Caria looked at Sythris, stomped her foot, and leapt into the air. Sythris's momentum carried her forward, allowing Caria to land behind her. Sythris turned around, dismantling her own attack, just as Caria landed a sharp kick to her stomach.
Sythris watched Caria as she was sent flying back.
She felt her consciousness fading as someone grabbed her and began to run. She couldn't see the person's face, but Caria shouted from behind, "Kerinnnnnn! If you don't stop, you will be a traitor to this kingdom!"
As Sythris's consciousness drifted away, Kerin shouted back, "I don't give a fuck about you or your kingdom!"
Her memory abruptly cut to a different scene. Her head screamed with fear as she saw two figures standing a short distance away. She briefly saw Veer standing there beside Kerin. Veer was clad in standard silver armor with his hair fluttering in the wind, his hand resting on his hilt as his cape whipped wildly behind him.
Where was this place? She couldn't remember. But all around them, she could see a mountain of puppets as terror surged inside her. It looked like a graveyard of puppets.
Kerin looked so different from his usual happy, useless, joking self. Spinning his sword in his hand, he spoke in a disturbed voice, "Veer, looks like they really want to kill you this time."
Veer didn't respond, unsheathing his katana.
Veer's presence became overwhelmingly immense. Sythris muttered, "The level of a Grey Knight..."
His long hair flowed down as he drew his blade. He seemed so unfamiliar compared to the Veer she knew. He assumed a stance as the surrounding air billowed.
Someone was approaching from the opposite side. Sythris's heart thumped. What was this—a dream, an illusion, or reality?
Looking ahead, Sythris saw a man wearing glasses and a round leather hat. It was Sebastian. Sebastian looked at her first, causing her to tremble. His gaze seemed to pierce right through her as he muttered, "How wonderful... indeed..."
Sebastian then turned his attention to Kerin and said, "Interesting. So you were the one helping this rat."
Veer glanced at Kerin and muttered, "Kerin, Sythris is watching. Escape with her. This isn't your fight."
"Damn it, Veer... you're underestimating me!"
"I'll show this bastard the true power of the Sacred Clan!"
"What are you staring at, you bastard? Calling me 'interesting'? In the name of the King, what have you done?! An academy of a hundred years was completely destroyed by you bastards!"
Sythris couldn't understand what was happening. Why did they feel so unfamiliar to her? She heard approaching footsteps and looked across. Another figure was walking toward them. It was a man—no, it wasn't a man. What was it? Dark wings sprouted from his back, and he had no face. Why was there a black crown floating above his head?
The faceless creature stepped toward Veer. As a mouth opened across his featureless face, his voice echoed eerily, "Veerstrax, the time has come for you to die..."
Veer shook his head and uttered, "Faceless child... you have the wrong person..."
Sythris felt that Veer's words and tone were entirely unfamiliar. Was this the real Veer?
The faceless man laughed eerily, "Wrong person? Veerstrax, what happened to you? Can't you recognize me? Or are you just pretending?"
Was this evil, dark-winged, faceless creature someone Veer used to be close with?
Sythris didn't know what to do.
"Kerin, get the fuck out of here. Save Sythris and go help your mother..."
Kerin gritted his teeth and barked, "Don't you dare die, you fucker! Otherwise, I'll drag your ass back from hell myself!"
Sythris witnessed a transcendent scene as Kerin suddenly grabbed her and whisked her away. Veer's sword swung in crisscrossing arcs of light as he uttered, "Star Crescent..."
He moved like a wisp of wind, completely invisible to the naked eye.
Hundreds upon hundreds of dazzling specks of light burst forth as the faceless man exploded into a shower of colors. The image burned itself deeply into Sythris's mind as her consciousness faded once again.
Her memory shifted and buzzed once more, revealing two faces: one belonged to her Headmistress, and the other to her teacher.
Her teacher said, "Let's seal this child's memories of us, as today's events are constantly triggered whenever she sees us."
"She was deeply traumatized by that scene. Every time she remembers, she enters a strange state and can't stop screaming. There is no other way."
"Okay."
"Let's just hope that old man was able to save the boy, at least."
"Hmm. But the academy is gone... Master, if only you hadn't been away... All the professors were killed. I only survived because I was looking out for Sythris."
"Has the Realm Trinity spell been cast...?"
"Yes. Those bastards... they've decided to erase today's memories from all of these students."
"If it's already happening, why can't we just do the same for Sythris? If she remembers at any point, it will shatter her."
"We can't. Her physique and soul are special. She will fall into a loop of eternal torment if the Trinity spell reaches her."
Sythris could barely hear their voices.
"Who is that boy, anyway...? Damn it, so many have died... What does the King even want, colluding with Breavan and that dark puppeteer?"
"I... I am afraid he really is the son of the late Lord Starweaver."
"What? Really? Then that old man who fought the King's shadow... who was he?"
"I'm not sure about him. Perhaps a servant of HIM."
"I see. I'm not sure what they will do with the boy, but we need to take Sythris away. We will have to tamper with her memories a bit."