Chapter 160 Volume IV - Chapter 5: Rector Melany's Office
Fuck, I want to stick my head in the ground like an ostrich. I'm... an idiot.
How was I supposed to know that the Academy designed the machines in the amusement park specifically for people who know how to use mana?
Idiot! Of course, you could have known, this isn't the previous world after all... If it was, why would people who can use mana come to the amusement park?!
Damn it...
"Aiden, look! You can see the whole academy."
When I was on a Ferris wheel that only opened once a day for every day, my preoccupation wasn't with looking outside, but with what sins I might have committed in my lifetime.
Amusement parks... shouldn't be so scary.
Finally, I let out a deep sigh, and the huge contraption stopped spinning, indicating that we had reached the top of the Ferris wheel. I looked over at Sue, who was staring outside, mesmerized. My eyes turned to where she was looking.
The height of the Ferris wheel was admirable. We could easily see from one end of the academy to the other, and the way all the students looked so tiny, the way the huge buildings felt like I could hold them in the palm of my hand... I have to admit, it was really beautiful. It was a strange, alluring sight with the lights turning off and on in places.
This Ferris wheel might have been the only ride in the amusement park that I really enjoyed.
So, I replied to Sue.
"It's nice, yes, but I know a much better place than this."
Sue suddenly turned to me.
"Where?"
Her eyes were sparkling, curiosity all over her face.
I smiled and put my index finger to my mouth.
"It would spoil the surprise if I told you. Let's go down first, that's our next destination anyway."
Sue pouted but said nothing. We continued to take in the view of the entire academy. The Ferris wheel started going down again, took one more turn and our time was up.
"So? Where to?"
I smiled as questions started to fill my head as we came down.
"Follow me."
I walked quickly toward the exit of the amusement park and Sue followed behind me, looking everywhere along the way. She did her best to guess our direction.
When we finally pulled up in front of the main building, she frowned.
"The main building?"
"Just follow."
We went inside, walked straight to the stairs, and started going up. When we reached the last floor where the students were, and Sue realized that I was still going up, she started to get nervous, even if she didn't stop following me.
"Isn't it forbidden for students from here, especially at night...?"
"Don't worry."
I kept walking confidently, a few guards glanced at me from the corner of their eyes, but no one said anything until I was close to the border. So, when I approached the stairs leading to the top floor, one of them approached us.
"Aiden Tenebra, I have permission."
The man stopped abruptly when I said my name. He raised his arm, checked his watch, and then went back to his place without a word.
Sue continued to stare at me with her mouth open.
"Y- I knew you were talented, but are you allowed to do something like this...?"
"Well, since the Academy owes me a bit and will continue to do so, let's just say I have different privileges than normal students."
Neither of us said anything else, though there was a look of obvious surprise on Sue's face.
It wasn't something I hadn't expected, after all, she was seeing a side of me she had never seen. And... I liked it a little bit.
We kept going up the floors in this way, and with each floor, we continued to go up. Sue became more and more agitated, she looked uncomfortable. She moved closer to me, but she didn't make a sound. When I entered a place that normal students would almost never dream of entering, Sue truly froze this time.
"This is the rector's office..."
"It's not a place I'm not allowed to enter. Just keep it a secret."
The first thing I did when I entered Melany's room was to ignore everything in the room and go into another room next to the office.
Sue slowly followed me into this room too. Her restlessness was at an all-time high and she was looking around nervously.
The room we entered was completely black. There was no light source, even the light reflected in through the door did not illuminate the room as if it was being absorbed. That's why we couldn't tell how big the room was.
"Aiden..."
"Shh."
I raised my hand and pulled slightly to the side. The moment I did, the door slammed shut, darkness surrounded us both and Sue let out a soft scream.
"A- Aiden? W- What's going on?"
"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?"
I ignored her and after a deep sigh, I spoke out loud.
"User, Melany Quie."
I followed it up with a jumbled password of about twenty digits, and then... the room suddenly lit up. The jet-black walls were suddenly painted white, revealing the enormous size of the room, but that didn't matter.
"Holographic link, the highest peak in the Portan Mountains."
Different colors suddenly began to swirl on the white walls. They stirred, then slowly it became clear what they were and a gentle breeze hit us in the face.
The walls were actually screens. One of the highest-level screens in the kingdom. This room was actually used for meetings, to see what was going on in the whole academy, to communicate quickly with anywhere in the kingdom, and all sorts of things like that.
The image, the simulation, the hologram... whatever it was called was so realistic that I couldn't tell if I was actually where I was watching or not. There was even an artificial wind blowing, even the ridges in the floor were simulated.
"W- Whoah..."
Sue finally realized where we were.
We were on one of the highest mountains in the kingdom, with an easy view of the academy and the nearest city. The sky was normally cloudy, but the clouds had been ignored in the simulation. If they hadn't been ignored, we would probably be able to touch them right now.
Still, it wasn't the clouds that mattered, but the view below us.
Just like I said, both the academy and the nearest city were perfectly visible. The lights of the cars driving on the highways, the lights that flickered on and off in the city, the civilization, and the lands it had yet to reach...
Everything was perfect.
"Look up."
Sue swallowed and looked up. The moment she did, her eyes once again widened. Thanks to the cloudless sky and the benefit of being away from the city, the whole sky was practically naked. We could see one of the spiral arms of the galaxy we were in, the stars, the moon, and even some nebulae.
It was truly breathtaking, perfect. The sky was so mystical, so mesmerizing that it was impossible to take eyes off it.
Sue just stared up. Slowly lowering herself to the ground, she swallowed and put her hands on her chest. She was listening to her heartbeat.
I smiled and lay down next to her, keeping my eyes on the sky, just like her.
"I told you I knew a better place."
Sue didn't say a word, and I continued.
"No matter how many different landscapes I look at around the world, I always find the sky more mesmerizing."
Even though it was a hologram, a simulation, it was nothing like the real thing. The technology here... It was really tremendous.
So, we didn't say anything until it was time for us to leave the room, we just kept lying there looking up. And I have to say, if there was one thing that I would really remember today, it would be this moment.
*******
When we arrived in front of the dormitory buildings, Sue put a big, satisfied smile on her face.
"Thanks, I had a lot of fun."
I smiled back.
"Me too."
"Will we meet again?"
"If we can, why not."
Sue nodded slightly, even more satisfied, looking triumphant. It was a bit funny, to be honest.
When it was finally time to actually leave, Sue paused for a moment. She took a deep breath, the smile on her face becoming awkward.
"Aiden..."
She opened her mouth and I waited, not knowing what she was going to say, but she closed her mouth without saying anything. She smiled again with a slightly disappointed expression and sighed.
"Never mind, it was nothing important anyway."
Well... okay?
"Okay... Bye, then."
I waved, keeping the smile on my face, and finally turned around and made my way to my own room at a normal walking pace.
I hesitated for a moment, unable to help myself, I turned around again and saw that Sue was still looking at me.
Again, a smile appeared on both our faces.
"See you, Sue."
"See you."
And with that, she too turned away. She still had that look of disappointment on her face when she left.
Well... It was a little scary.
Did I do something wrong? I don't understand...
It must be something to do with her, I hope. I mean, she said she had fun, didn't she? I had fun too, so it's all good!
'Aiden.'
I paused as Sith's serious voice echoed in my ears.
The fun I'd had today, the strange feeling of having just left Sue's side, was instantly gone. My smile faded, my mind cleared itself, giving way to calmness, and I continued walking slowly.
'Where is he hiding?'
'He's too far behind us, I don't think we can catch him even if we chase him this time.'
I clicked my tongue.
He learned his lesson already, he learns fast.
'He's just watching, he doesn't look like he's going to do anything stupid.'
Of course not. He has no purpose other than gathering information.
'Okay, we ignore it. If he gets close enough that you think we can catch him, let us know.'
When Sith nodded, I faked a sneeze to make my hesitation make sense, then kept walking as if nothing had happened. The boy who had been following me followed me to my room.
The fact that someone was following me back to my room was a bit scary, actually. Knowing that I was being watched and let it happen... Fortunately, by the time I entered my room, he had returned. Sith was floating in front of me with a monotonous expression on his face.
'You know who's after you, don't you?'
I let out a deep sigh as I lay back on my bed.
'Yes. I don't think he's going to do anything harmful for now. Maybe he's not even as bad as I think he is, but he has potential. Don't worry, I will never make the mistake of underestimating someone again.'
I narrowed my eyes, a new item had been added to the list of things I had to deal with.
I closed my eyes completely, let myself sink into the warmth of my bed, and let out a deep sigh.
It seems I will never be completely free...
My body slowly surrendered itself to sleep. Darkness enveloped my vision, sounds stopped, the feeling between me and my bed disappeared and my mind cleared.
This continued for a few minutes. However, after a short time... something different happened.
They came back, every one of these sensations. Space bent reality as if it was breaking. Time seemed to flow backward.
I found myself in a field full of flowers. I was lying on the ground in the middle of a plain that looked like I was in paradise. With a little girl next to me, lying on the ground just like me.
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