Chapter 23: Above the Clouds
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That same night, above the clouds, floating above Starlight academy stood a massive floating island, with a singular majestic structure seated on it.
Its structure stretched high into the sky, crafted from polished white stone veined with glowing silver runes.
Massive pillars lined the entrance, each engraved with beautiful golden patterns.
And within its walls, at the highest point of the structure sat a room, shaped like an office.
The office was large enough to be called a house. A ground-to-ceiling window was placed at the far right side of the room, displaying the beautiful lights and structures of the academy below.
There was a large table at the far end of the room with countless documents laid out on its pristine surface.
Behind the large brown table sat a man with long grey hair tied into a ponytail, and a well carved grey beard.
His very presence seemed to be bending the air around him in such a way that if anybody was to step three meters close to him— they would be crushed instantly.
His head stayed lowered, buried in the countless documents laid out in front of him.
A sudden change in the air around him caused him to lift his gaze.
His bright yellow eyes glowed intensely, but then softened a moment later after sensing the presence of who had stepped in.
"I see you’re still bad at welcoming people," a soft female voice echoed in the room, followed by the sound of footsteps. Calm and graceful.
"And I see you still like to make an entrance, Rebecca!" He said calmly.
Rebecca smiled softly, as she walked closer to the table. Her luscious blue hair flowing down all the way to her back. Her blue eyes glowing mischievously.
"That is no way to greet an old friend, Orion." She released a playful smile. "Or should I call you director now."
"You can call me whatever you want," he waved off, as if trying to avoid a problem.
His eyes scanned her from top to bottom. His gaze lingered on the black dress that clung tightly to her well shaped body, displaying all her fine curves.
"What?" She kept her mischievous smile. "Not even going to offer me a seat, huh?"
"You know, for an old woman— you sure do like to show off your—"
The room suddenly grew colder, the air turning suffocating as Rebecca’s eyes glowed intensely.
"I would advise you to stop right there," she whispered dangerously. "I wouldn’t want to end up mistakenly destroying your precious island."
Orion stared at her silently, then sighed in resignation, raising both his hands.
"Tch!" Rebecca hissed. "As boring as ever I see."
She calmly took a seat on one of the soft cushioned chairs on the opposite side of the table.
"Why are you here, Rebecca?" Orion asked calmly.
"What, can’t I come see an old friend." She raised an eyebrow, and folded her arms.
"We both know that’s a lie," he said calmly. "You find me— boring."
Rebecca stared at Orion quietly, then released a slight chuckle.
"You’re not wrong," she smiled, wiping away an imaginary tear from her eye. "It’s about a student I saw today—"
Orion raised an eyebrow. His interest was suddenly piqued.
"He came into the training facilities today, I could clearly sense the essence of someone at E-Rank, yet his ID card displayed that he was an F-rank—"
She paused slightly allowing her words to settle in, then continued.
"Not only that, but he was able to defeat multiple E-Rank Resonant bots as well as D-ranks as well."
Orion stared at her, his expression unreadable, then he sighed softly. "So you came to tell me something that any talented student can do?"
"No," Rebecca disagreed. "You don’t understand. This boy doesn’t even have an ability, and he also posseses a Gray rank purity."
She paused.
"I did my research. First year student. Possibly the weakest in his grade with no talent whatsoever. Always bullied. Was declared missing two days ago, and now he is back all of a sudden."
A slight frown formed on her face. "Not only did his resonance core evolve, he now possesses the ability to fight multiple opponents, stronger than him.
She folded her arms. "And you say that’s normal?"
Orion exhaled, "Get to the point, Rebecca!"
"You said you noticed a massive amount of essence gathering in a single place—" she said. "It might have been him. Do you think he might’ve gone through a second awakening?"
Orion’s eyes widened.
"Do you even hear yourself. That has not happened in the last three centuries—"
She cut him off. "That doesn’t mean it isn’t impossible, right?"
Orion stared at her silently. A little part of him wanted to believe the words coming out of Rebecca’s mouth.
But at the same time, the theory she was proposing was an impossible phenomenon. It was only regarded as a myth. He had never seen it occur in his life— and he had lived a very long life.
"It might have been anything, Rebecca," he sighed. "A beast might have been experiencing a breakthrough, or maybe a student."
"Are you hearing yourself," a vein popped on Rebecca’s forehead. "I also sensed that essence. It was a forest clearing just a small distance away from the academy. There is no students or beasts, within the proximity of that occurrence that would’ve been able to produce such massive amounts of essence from just a breakthrough."
Orion stared at her silently, still hesitant to agree with her claims.
"Fine," she stood up abruptly. "I see nothing I say will convince you. I will still keep an eye on that student though."
She turned and walked towards the massive doors of the office.
Then, she paused halfway there and turned, her eyes glowing intensely.
"But if I end up being right," she declared coldly. "I, Rebecca Vexley, claim rights to take him in as my disciple."
Then, a bright blue light engulfed the room, and she disappeared.
Her whole presence could not be felt on the floating island. Hell, not even in the academy.
Orion sighed softly. "Just what sort of trouble is brewing in this academy?"
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