Smoke was rising from a pot behind the counter, food trays were filled and everywhere on the lunch tables.
I frowned. It was all as if everyone had just suddenly left this area.
I walked further into the cafeteria and placed my hand on a tray. It was hot.
My frown deepened. The cafeteria was completely empty but there was evidence that people were here just a few seconds ago.
Some cuttlery was even on the ground like it had fallen from someone's hands.
*Tick*
*Tock*
The sound of the clock ticking was unnerving.
The pot boiled over behind the counter, staining the floor.
I left the cafeteria and looked around in the hall.
This was really strange.
The academy was eerily silent, like a haunted house.
I only noticed now, the hall was filled with books on the ground. Lockers were left open and clearly messed with, bags lined the hallway.
It was all disorderly. There was no rhyme or reason as to how these bags were positioned. It didn't look like a struggle happened.
*Psh*
Taking a step, the sound of my footsteps echoed in the hall.
I took another step.
My eyes stretched wide, my back straightened as sweat formed on my neck.
*Psh*
The sound of my footstep only echoed now.
Taking a deep breath, I moved forward while avoiding the bags as I headed toward the lecture hall. If no one was here, they would definitely be there.
The walk to the lecture hall was empty.
No insects were in the grass, no wind was blowing. The grass was extremely still, like a statue coloring the dirt. I brushed my hand against it, and it moved like normal.
The door to the lecture hall was now in front of me, but I couldn't hear anyone inside.
Slowly opening the door, a thought surfaced in my mind as I gulped.
'If no one is here as well, what should I do?'
Looking inside, my thought was proven right.
Once more, no one.
I went to some desks in the front, things were thrown around in a chaotic fashion just like in the hall and cafeteria.
My heart sank a bit.
A few notebooks were left open on the desk infront of me. I flipped through a few quickly, but nothing seemed out of place.
I closed the book, looking at the back end of the lecture hall, toward the desk that red-haired girl had been talking to her books in.
Something felt amiss around there.
Her books were still there, half-opened.
I proceeded to her desk, two books lay flat on it.
The first few lines on the first book looked like gibberish. No matter how hard I tried to remember, no language seemed even closely similar.
I threw the book to the side, grabbing the other one.
This one was written in the continent's main language, I could understand it. The book was a fairy tale one.
For some reason, the layout of this book and even the weight felt very similar to the first one.
I started comparing the two books to each other. They were strangely like a picture perfect copy of the other one, if not for the difference in language of course.
*BANG!*
My body jolted at the sudden sound. The lecture hall door had been shut.
A shiver ran down my spine.
Was I not the only one here?
I let go of the two books in my han-
What?
There was only one book.
The desk had nothing on it now, except for a single book. The book that was in a gibberish language had disappeared.
I looked around, on the floor, underneath the desk, yet the book was nowhere.
The book I could understand was still very much existent. I reached for it once more.
"Argh!" I immediately took my hand back as my mana started twitching violently.
The twitching stopped as my hand settled on my chest.
"...What was that about?" I asked, to no one in particular.
The pain felt like a warning, like my mana didn't want me holding this book.
But I had to check the book. What if it's contents had changed? What if this is another book but just with the same cover?
Steeling myself, I extended my hand toward the book.
My mana smashed itself against my mana core in retaliation. My body started shaking and it felt like I would fall at any moment if I lost my focus.
I couldn't afford to leave this book, it was my only clue.
The air suddenly tightened around my body. It felt like I was pushing my hand through lava.
Seconds stretched into minutes. My mana raged against my core, yet no matter how hard my mana hit the walls of my core, no matter how hard my body shook, I never felt any 'injury'.
My hand was now just an inch away from the book.
Finally, I held it firmly in my hand.
The mana ceased its movement and the pressure lifted.
The fairy tale spoke of a dragon that lived at the edge of the world, where time itself moved slowly.
The dragon desired nothing but quiet. Yet humans came to challenge it, seeking glory.
Each time, the dragon struck them down effortlessly, its fire absolute, its claws unyielding.
Until a certain group came.
The leader was a young man, adorned in shining armor, a sword that seemed to capture the light of the sun in his hands.
He spoke of justice, of good and evil, and of consequence.
The dragon laughed. It had never sought humans to kill, they were the ones who came to hunt it.
The fight began, and the humans lost miserably. Not a single scratch marred on the dragon's scales. At first, it debated sparing them. But the young man sent it into a rage with his words. Fires blazed everywhere. Even the dragon's treasures weren't spared.
After a few days, more humans came to challenge the dragon.
It dealt with them swiftly and mercilessly. None escaped its grasp.
Another party came the day after.
And the day after that.
And the day after.
After many years, the dragon noticed something strange.
Though centuries passed, the faces of the humans never changed. Even their actions mirrored the past.
But each time they came back, a piece of them seemed... different. A scar gone, a memory missing, a word forgotten. Yet they always returned.
Wounded, slower, weaker, but the humans always returned.
The dragon watched, fascinated. How much time would they endure? How far would they go?
Their relentless tenacity stirred intrigue in the dragon.
At last, it asked them: "Why do you keep returning knowing you cannot defeat me?"
The humans looked at one another, puzzled.
"Return from where?"
The story ended there.
All pages that followed were blank.
Except one.
It read: "Every time the clock was wound back, something small was left behind."
I sighed and closed the book.
The situation was just way too bizarre, and the book offered no help.
Was an evacuation order issued and I didn't receive it? Could it be that I am currently under an illusion spell?
My focus went to my mana. If this was an illusion, my mana should at least respond differently from how it did inside my room.
My awareness brushed against the mana, it didn't react.
My eyes shined, 'This must be an illusion spell.'
*Puck*
My mana suddenly twitched.
My body stopped in place.
It reacted in the same way as before, but delayed.
Unless the person who had cast the spell inspected my mana thoroughly to understand how it works, this wouldn't be an illusion.
I shook my head. That wouldn't be possible.
'The door closed shut, and the book disappeared. It's like someone didn't want me reading that book so they took it.'
Going to the lecture hall door, I started investigating.
The door knob had no signs of anyone touching it, and there wasn't any trace of mana in the air.
The outside was also completely devoid of any trace of life.
I definitely wasn't alone. Where could that person have gone?
But where would he take a book filled with gibberish?
The library might be a good place to go to.
If I can find information about where everyone went, or about what type of phenomenon this is, that might help me.
No. I should first go to the student council room. If there was an order of evacuation, that would be the best place to look.
I decided on the next area I was going to. Walking through the hall, my thoughts started to wander with the silence.
'No one was here when I passed, yet the door closed. A person definitely is here, but I see no trace of them.'
*Tick*
*Tock*
The sounds of the cafeteria clock reverberated in the empty hallway.
*Ti-*
This time, the sound cut in the middle. My eyes shot to the clock hands. One of them had stopped mid swing.
I approached it slowly, my mind racing.
"Kil-"
"Wh- acti- mea-!"
"Damia-"
Whispers echoed in my ears. My heart fell deep into my stomach. I looked to the direction of the sounds. It was the cafeteria.
Shadows belonging to no one floated on the cafeteria floor.
Rushing inside, I tried to touch them or whatever they were.
If this was a spell, leaving a trace might help me escape.
*BANG!*
The door behind me slammed shut.
Everything blurred.
Sounds exploded in my ears. Conversations, scream, laughter. None coherent, but loud enough to cause my ears to bleed.
Human figures appeared, sitting in the cafeteria.
My head started spinning as I approached one of them.
My hand grabbed at the figure.
It passed through.
Everything went dark.
*RING*
I opened my eyes.
My eyes opened wide at the sight infront of me.
It was my room.