As soon as I got back to school, I took a deep breath. How did they keep the air so fresh? Was it magic? Or technology? I looked around at the various gizmos that filled the halls, some stationary, others moving about.
Next, I had to undergo a series of checks for "security" and to prevent espionage. I was taken to the familiar white room, where I was re-evaluated due to the addition of Sophia to my har...., Ahem!, avatars.
Although, come to think of it, she's always been there, hasn't she? She was just hidden before, so technically, she was my first avatar, not Emma. Although, to be honest, I don't really care about that stuff. What were we talking about before? Oh, yes, after the tests, my ranking was moved to 49, which is shocking, I know. I bet you're thinking how there could be 48 people who are ranked higher than me, when I have a level 69 avatar.
I went to check the names myself to see the people who dared to stand in my way to the top. My eyes bulged out upon seeing three names I never expected to see .
9. DIANA WOODS
11. DAVID VON STARKE
20. NARAIA SKYDANCER
"I think I'm seeing things," I said. "Yo Jenna, punch me."
WHAM!
My vision went white for a minute, and I was brought back to consciousness by a familiar laughter.
"Shocked to see us?" Diana said, smiling as David continued to laugh.
"Yeah," I said, standing up from the ground. "Although I was suspicious of you both, I never really expected something like this."
"When did you start being suspicious of us?" Diana asked, sounding genuinely curious.
"Recently," I replied. "When my sister died, I heard David whispering the word 'fragment' into your ear. Combined with my recent knowledge, I began to get suspicious."
"So, you guys have always been students here?" I asked.
"Yup," they replied, simultaneously.
"Why'd you guys come to the branch, then?" I asked.
"Oh, that," David began. "I just got here two years ago. Diana has been here far longer. She was given a mission to watch over you, and I was asked to tag along, since I already knew you.
"Why would the school want to watch over me?" I asked, confusion and wariness evident in my tone.
"Well, most organizations tend to give their support to a certain fragment who they think will be the final one. You and your sister were a special case, so the school took an interest in you. Sophia here was originally meant to be your sister's watcher, but due to her carelessness, she died," a voice cut in from the side.
"What the—Hey, lady! Would it kill you to stop poking your nose into matters that don't concern you?" David shouted.
The person who had appeared was none other than the student council member of the branch school, Lily.
"Let me guess," I began. "You were also..."
"No," she said. "I was originally meant to replace Sophia, but after your sister's death, I was told to assist these incompetent children."
"H-hey, my mom said..." Diana started to interject.
"No one's talking about your imaginary boobs, Diana," Lily cut in "How about now, Damian? Do you think we can..."
"No!" I said, firmly. "Come to think of it, how come you're not on the list?" I asked, curiously.
Lily pushed out her chest proudly. "Of course," she said, "that's because I'm a second-year student."
"Hmm," I replied, raising an eyebrow as I turned to look at Diana and David.
"Why are you looking at us?" David asked. "Not everyone is lucky to be a fragment like you "
Apparently, one had to be at least level 40 to be a second-year student, and both David and Diana were stuck at level 39. From what I'd learned, other people gained levels by training, studying magic or cultivation. Only fragments could gain levels by killing other people, and one could also gain levels by killing a fragment, but that would earn them the ire of other fragments who would have to wait a long time for the birth of another fragment. Every ten levels, most people would encounter a bottleneck, which was what David and Diana were experiencing now.
Lily was more talented and had broken to level 43 with the help of a certain cultivation method she found on one of her trips making her a second-year student.
"By the way, where's Sophia?" Lily asked, smiling in anticipation. "I want to see the look on her face when she sees my level."
"She's level 69," I said, dropping the bombshell. Lily's face went blank, and she seemed to float away like a leaf carried by the wind. I could almost imagine what was going through her mind.
For those of you who haven't guessed, keeping my avatars or puppets materialized continuously drains my mana, so most of the time, they're unsummoned.
When my avatars are unsummoned, they're taken into a world full of life and beauty. There are animals and plant life everywhere, and the whole place seems to hum with energy. It's nothing like the dark void that most people imagine. I need to increase my mana capacity and find a way to regenerate my mana faster though, so I can keep my avatars materialized for longer periods of time.
SIGH
I let out a tired sigh. "So many things to do," I thought to myself.
"Last question," I said. "I don't think you guys came here just for a reunion. What's the main reason for coming?"
"Oh, you're quite observant," Diana replied. "We were given a new mission to act as your protectors. No institution would want their fragment to..."
"Absolutely not!" I interrupted.
"What?!" she asked, clearly taken aback.
"I can accept ladies, but I don't want guys as my avatars," I began, before catching myself. "Ahem... What I mean is..."
Then, against my will, my eyes involuntarily glanced at Diana's chest.
BAM! BOOM! BAM!
I won't describe the aftermath of that moment, but let's just say I sat there miserably as Diana launched into a lecture on how she was still young and had room to mature.