As soon as Rio stepped out of the library, his breathing became ragged, each step he took was in a daze without any notice of what's around him or who's been staring at him. He could faintly hear someone calling him from behind, but even that became a backdrop as the scenes of Shweta kept floating in his mind.
Suddenly, he collided with a young girl, who let out a startled shout. He turned to look at her, but her face seemed to blur as Shweta's image superimposed itself. The girl scolded him, "Hey, watch where you're going."
"Stop staring, seriously. What's wrong with you?" her voice seemed to merge with Shweta's.
Then, he heard a familiar voice from behind, calling him "Brother." He turned around to see Amelia approaching him, her face etched with concern. Unable to face her in this state, he summoned his mana and created a portal, disappearing from that place. He wanted to be alone now, away from everyone.
