Chapter 190
"And that concludes the first lecture," Professor Devereaux announced with a clap of her hands. Her lesson on Arcane History had delved into the annals of the Hestia Empire's past, providing the students with a comprehensive understanding of their realm's origins and development.
As the class concluded, my thoughts turned to the upcoming courses – Beast Mastery and, after that, the inaugural lecture in Runecrafting. I packed my belongings and left the classroom, noticing that a few curious eyes followed my exit.
Outside, Blaze's question echoed in my mind. "What are we going to do?"
I pondered the answer. While I wasn't entirely certain of the path ahead, one thing was clear: I needed to grow stronger than I was now. If not for Aron's unexpected intervention, my fate might have been much darker.
...
[Greenhouse]
"Students, are you excited for our second lecture?" the instructor inquired as he gathered us into a half-circle.
"Last time, I demonstrated the power of the Convergence Amulet, and many of you seemed to grasp the significance of bonding with our familiars," he continued, his eyes scanning the assembled students. His gaze lingered momentarily on two individuals, myself and Aron, who stood near the rear of the classroom.
"Now, today, we're going to delve deeper into the intricacies of familiars and the bond that ties them to their mages," the instructor explained as he walked among the rows of students. "Who's eager to volunteer this time first?" he asked.
""I am.""
Huh? I looked to my back and saw Aron looking at me the same way I did.
""Let him do it.""
Huh? Once again our voices overlapped, making it seem like we were in sync.
"Very well, come to the front," the instructor beckoned me. I walked to the front of the class, feeling the gaze of my fellow students and Aron on my back.
"Now, I want you to connect to your bond like last time. If I remember correctly, you were a bit dizzy, right? Let's try to hold the connection for longer this time," he said as he placed the convergence Amulet around my neck.
Blaze perched on my shoulder, and I still didn't understand how his skill worked for me, but I was grateful that it did.
I closed my eyes and allowed the mana to flow through the Amulet. Slowly, everything began to feel like it was fading away.
It was like falling into a void for a second.
I opened my eyes, finding myself in a strange place that was difficult to describe. It resembled the outer world, but everything here was just a shadow.
I took a step forward, realizing that the room was filled with a lot of shadowy figures. I could tell they were people by their shadows, but what interested me the most was...
I approached a small, 4'9" humanoid shadow figure, and as I reached out to touch it, my hand passed right through its chest.
It was bizarre. Did anything I do here affect the person outside in the real world?
"..."I tried to speak, but my words didn't seem to have any sound in this place. It felt like I had lost my ability to communicate here, in what I could only describe as the Void.
Stepping forward, I passed through the shadow completely, as if I had become part of it.
This was getting crazier by the second. I slowly made my way towards the door and consciously tried to grab the knob, only to fail as my hand passed right through it. Wait, my hand? It struck me suddenly.
My hand had taken on a dark color, like the other shadows around me. I hadn't noticed this before, but now I was just like those other shadowy figures.
Nonetheless, I took a step back and then ran with a bit of force towards the door, and just like before, I passed right through it.
What the actual Fuck??!
What lay outside was beyond baffling. The world seemed even more chaotic than one could ever imagine.
As I stood in the midst of this surreal and crumbling world, it felt like the very fabric of reality was unraveling before my eyes. The once vibrant colors had drained away, leaving behind a desolate and monochromatic landscape. Above me, the sky appeared as if it were being torn apart, its pieces drifting away like scattered clouds.
And then, there was that eye. At least, I thought I saw an eye for a brief moment. It was immense, its presence both awe-inspiring and unsettling. Yet, as I blinked, the eye vanished into thin air.
Maybe my mind is playing tricks because of change in the surroundings-
Thud!
And I lost it, I don't know why but this small walk takes a lot....like a lot of mana from my core.
With a sudden thud, I was yanked out of the Void and thrust back into reality. The transition was disorienting, and as my eyes fluttered open, I found myself face to face with Aron.
"Huh?" I couldn't help but let out a startled exclamation, my sudden appearance clearly taking the half-masked prince by surprise.
"How long was I out?" I inquired as soon as I regained my senses.
"Ten seconds," Blaze replied. Only ten seconds? It seemed that time within the Void operated differently than in the real world.
'Void?' Blaze asked, seemingly puzzled by my reference.
I decided to explain it later and turned my attention to the surroundings. However, my musings were interrupted by Professor Harris.
"You again?" he sighed, addressing me. Then, he turned to Aron and questioned, "And Prince, what was that?"
Aron, apparently unfazed by the situation, got up and calmly returned to his spot without offering an explanation.
'What was that?' I asked Blaze.
'He just pushed everyone aside and ran up to you the moment you fell down... weird,' Blaze replied, adding another layer of mystery to Aron's actions.
"I am sorry, maybe—" I began to apologize but was abruptly interrupted when Professor Harris seized my arm and pulled me to my feet, his demeanor quite stern.
"You should maybe train yourself a bit more; your mana core is weak," he stated bluntly, catching me off guard. Had he always been this straightforward?
"Okay," I responded, sensing that perhaps he was slightly irritated.
"Hehe," a soft giggle emanated from my left. I turned to see a short girl chuckling to herself. Her gaze seemed distant, as if she wasn't looking at anything in particular.
"Hey, shh," the girl beside her whispered, nudging her with her elbow to snap her out of her trance.
Since I currently had no mana, I could hear their hushed conversation.
'She said she felt something ticklish in her chest,' Blaze informed me, providing some context to the giggling girl's behavior.....chest?
I couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle as it all made sense now, especially when I took another look at her overall shape and size.
Truly a weird skill.
'What are you laughing about? She's not that bad... Wait, did you find something interesting?' Blaze inquired.
The way the Void worked was different, or maybe this was how it actually functioned, but it hadn't been thoroughly explored from the perspective of a shadow magic caster. There wasn't a well-defined theory on how it worked, but this newfound experience was fascinating.
I entered the Void, or rather, my shadow did. It was mana-consuming to maintain the connection between me, Blaze, and my shadow through the Amulet. But I couldn't help but wonder why it was only my shadow that could interact with the physical world. Shouldn't I be able to use this as a physical skill? Perhaps it had been altered when I became a beast.
One thing was clear, though. I could touch the girl-I meant the person in the Void, and it affected her in the real world.
The timing was a bit off, like time moved slower here and faster in the Void. Nevertheless, this skill had more potential than I initially thought.
This certainly sheds light on the basics behind the shadow step, as it's not just an illogical occurrence; there's a valid reason behind it. However, it's worth noting that I wasn't exactly shadow-stepping, as my physical body remained stationary in the real world.
"First Prince, you seem quite eager," Professor Harris remarked as he beckoned for Aron to approach. Aron, on the other hand, seemed to cast a sidelong glance in my direction. It was hard to discern whether he was angry or worried. With a hint of annoyance, he fastened the Amulet himself, clicking his tongue in response to Harris.
"Now, Your Highness, go ahead and connect with your familiar," Professor Harris instructed Aron while keeping a close watch on him.
Aron followed the instruction, closing his eyes briefly. As he did, I observed a subtle change. A gentle, silver glow enveloped him, which was quite distinct from the void I had experienced.
'Your void or whatever it is doesn't change anything on the outside. You don't even move at all,' Blaze commented.
The glow gradually subsided, and Aron remained standing there as Professor Harris removed the Amulet. The professor then inquired, "What did you experience, Your Highness?"
Aron's gaze fell upon the white-backed Fenrir as he replied, "The agility of this mongrel." With that, he turned and returned to his previous spot.
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