Chapter 255: 255: The Shadow That Walked Out II
---
Inside, his thoughts were not relaxed at all.
Nyx paused. It turned its head. It looked straight at John again, as if it had always known where he was.
A tiny pulse ran through the bond-thread, pleased and simple.
John’s chest tightened harder.
It recognized him.
It was about to walk toward him.
If it walked to him, everyone would connect them.
John acted before that could happen.
He made a small gesture with his hand, as if scratching his wrist.
In reality, he formed the smallest void slit he could, hidden inside his sleeve.
Not a ball. Not a pull. Not a weapon.
Just a quiet opening, barely wider than a coin.
He sent one silent command through the bond-thread.
Return.
Nyx moved instantly.
It did not run.
It did not panic.
It simply turned and walked toward the nearest shadow that felt like John.
That shadow was John’s sleeve.
Nyx stepped into the slit like it belonged there.
The slit closed.
The cold pressure vanished.
The air returned to normal.
The crowd blinked.
A boy’s voice rose. "It disappeared."
A girl whispered, "Where."
Someone else said, "It went into the ground."
Another student muttered, "This academy is cursed. I knew it."
Fizz floated close to John’s ear. "That was beautiful," he whispered. "You stole the bug like a thief stealing his own coin."
John did not answer. He continued walking.
He did not run.
He did not look back.
He did not speak.
He walked away like nothing special had happened.
Inside his chest, the bond-thread settled again, now shorter, now safe.
Nyx was back inside.
But the damage was done.
Because he had felt it.
Not just the crowd.
The watchers.
John did not know how he knew.
He just did.
The academy had eyes that did not belong to students.
Somewhere, someone important had noticed the Void ant.
Somewhere, someone had connected that feeling to "void magic."
Fizz whispered, voice less joking now. "Someone saw."
John did not move his face. "Yes."
Fizz’s whiskers trembled. "Snake."
John’s jaw tightened. "Maybe."
They reached a side corridor and turned into a quieter path, away from the fountain, away from crowds.
Only then did John stop.
He leaned against a wall where no one would see his hands shake.
He closed his eyes for one breath.
Nyx was back on the platform now, curled again like nothing had happened.
It did not look guilty. It looked satisfied.
Like a child who had wandered outside, seen the sun, and returned home proud of itself.
John opened his eyes.
Fizz stared at him. "You need to scold it."
John exhaled. "It is a newborn."
Fizz snapped, "Newborns are the worst criminals. They commit crimes and then look cute."
John almost smiled. Almost.
He did not.
Because fear sat under his ribs.
He whispered, "It opened its own void window."
Fizz blinked. "It can do that."
John nodded. "Yes."
Fizz’s mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. "That means it can leave whenever it wants."
John said quietly, "Unless I lock it."
Fizz stared. "Can you lock it?"
John did not answer immediately.
Because he did not know.
The system did not give him that answer yet.
It only gave warnings.
Fizz drifted closer, voice low. "We must be careful. If the wrong people want it, they will not ask politely."
John nodded once. "We hide it better."
Fizz sniffed. "Also we teach it manners."
John finally looked at Fizz. "You will teach it manners."
Fizz puffed. "Yes."
John said flatly, "That will make it worse."
Fizz looked offended. "I am a role model."
John did not argue. He pushed off the wall and started walking again.
They had class.
They had points to earn.
They had a shop to build.
They had enemies.
And now they had a newborn void ant that could walk out into the world just because it smelled mana and wanted to look.
They returned to the dorm later with careful steps and careful faces.
Ray was not there. Probably off pretending he did not care about rules.
John locked the door.
Then, only then, he opened a small viewing slit and let Nyx be seen for a moment.
Nyx crawled out onto the desk, calm and quiet.
Fizz leaned close and whispered, "Listen, vacuum bug."
Nyx turned its head.
Fizz continued, serious now. "Rule one. You do not leave the void unless John says so. Rule two. If you do leave, you do not walk toward crowds like you are shopping. Rule three. If you get caught, I will pretend I do not know you."
Nyx stared.
Its passive aura brushed Fizz again.
Fizz flinched. "Stop judging me."
John watched the ant and felt the bond-thread hum.
Nyx did not seem evil.
Nyx did not seem dangerous on purpose.
Nyx seemed curious.
And curiosity in a place like this was as risky as a knife in the wrong pocket.
John spoke softly, to Nyx, to himself, to the thin line that kept them safe.
"No more wandering," he said.
Nyx tapped the desk once with its head, like it understood.
Then it turned and walked back into the void slit without being asked, curling back into the platform’s center like a good secret.
John closed the slit.
Fizz exhaled loudly. "We survived."
John sat down on the bed and rubbed his face. "For now."
Fizz floated near him, suddenly gentle. "It is fine. We will manage. We always do."
John did not respond with comfort.
He responded with the truth. "Snake saw."
Fizz blinked. "You are sure."
John nodded slowly. "I felt eyes."
Fizz looked toward the ceiling as if he could see through stone. "Then we act normal. We smile. We study. We pretend we do not have a void ant baby."
John stared. "We do not smile."
Fizz corrected himself. "You do not smile. I smile. I am the face of the company."
John leaned back, closed his eyes for one breath, and decided he would not panic.
Not yet.
Because panic was loud.
Comments