After class, students were free to do anything as it was the first week of school. This arrangement allowed them to familiarize themselves with the place where they would spend most of their youth and early adulthood.
The decision to extend the school time was made because the war had not yet begun, but the signs of its approaching were evident. The kingdom took advantage of this period to strengthen and stabilize the future of the country.
Just as Sylph was about to leave, Dante stopped her. "Hey Sylph, could you teach me how to handle mana, if you don't mind?" She looked at him and nodded after considering something.
They headed toward Dante's apartment. After taking off their shoes, she asked him to sit on the floor.
"People are taught how to manipulate mana from birth. However, you lost your memory, so I will infuse my mana into you. Your body should reject it since it carries my signature, and you will feel it," she explained. As she finished speaking, she lightly placed her hand on his back.
Dante felt a cold sensation spreading through his body, but that was all he felt. When he opened his eyes, he was sweating profusely. Sylph seemed to be in a similar state, if not worse. "How much time has passed since we started?" he asked.
"About three hours," she answered without expression, getting up and walking towards the bathroom door. She threw him a glance that clearly warned him against any funny business.
After a while, she emerged from the bathroom, her hair still glistening with water droplets. She looked gorgeous, with slightly flushed cheeks and her gray, dull eyes giving her a statuesque appearance.
Dante snapped back from his daze and decided to take a shower as well. When he returned, Sylph was already gone.
Sitting on his sofa, he pondered something before shaking his head and walked toward his bed. The mental exhaustion quickly put him to sleep.
...
As before, Dante expected to be greeted by darkness and flickering lights. However, he was surprised to find himself in an entirely different world. His mouth hung open, and he forgot to breathe.
Before him stood completely shattered black pillars, seemingly standing despite their broken state. Strange fish-like creatures floated in the air, appearing to swim rather than fly.
Wondering if this was a dream, he pinched himself, only to realize that he couldn't feel pain since his reincarnation.
Realizing that he wouldn't wake up soon, he decided to explore this strange dream. After what felt like hours of walking, he started to feel annoyed. There was nothing but broken pillars and deformed giant flying fishes swimming through the air. They all seemed to be flying in the same direction, opposite to where he was walking.
The sky above was obscured by a cloud of dust, but the ground beneath him was clean as if the dust had never settled. He could almost see his blurred reflection.
Continuing to walk, a thought suddenly struck him: "The dust never lands, the flying creatures, the broken pillars at their base. It seems like everything is trying to escape and avoid touching the ground..."
This thought made him uneasy, wondering what could make all these things fear the ground when...
*ttinggg*
In the midst of his thoughts, he was interrupted by the sound of a small bell ringing once. It wasn't a loud bell ring but rather a gentle drop falling into water, a sound that could be clearly heard from afar.
All the giant floating creatures fell to the ground, their cries and screams of pain echoing in his ears. The pillars trembled violently.
Before Dante could make sense of what was happening, he witnessed something that left him utterly shocked, freezing him to his core. Every cell in
his body ceased all activity, and time seemed to come to a standstill. His eyes were filled with otherworldly sights that his mind couldn't comprehend, something that caused everything living to die.
All he could see were eyes defying reality, as if it was forbidden to gaze upon them. His eyes started bleeding, dilated to an extreme extent, while his mouth expelled copious amounts of blood.
He collapsed to the ground, rapidly succumbing to his impending death. But before he perished, he heard a gentle murmur from the being. It was a voice that his mortal mind couldn't comprehend, and his head exploded as brain matter scattered everywhere. Beneath him, a pool of blood formed, creating a macabre painting of red.
...
When he woke up, he found himself once again in the place consumed by darkness. The small candle-like white flame continued to burn, undisturbed.
As the flame flickered, Dante awakened, returning to reality. However, his eyes appeared lifeless, lacking any luster like those of a dead fish. They showed no signs of vitality, as if he were a reanimated corpse.
He was drenched in sweat, his mouth dry. Slowly, he walked to the sink and drank water, then splashed his face with water in the bathroom. All his movements seemed sluggish and devoid of energy.
He walked out of his room and made his way to the entrance of the academy. It was the middle of the night, and students were not allowed to wander outside without a valid reason. A skilled veteran guard in heavy armor stood guard at the entrance.
"Hey you, you're not allowed to..." the guard began, but his words trailed off as his entire being trembled with fear. When he looked into Dante's eyes, he felt something otherworldly, an urging to surrender his will and kneel before it. He felt as if his existence was a lie, as if he shouldn't be real.
Dante calmly walked past the guard and proceeded towards the train. At this time of day, no one was on board.
Arriving at the place where he and Sylph had been before, he slowly made his way into the forest.
...
In the forest, the hobgoblin was an advanced form of a goblin, serving as the leader of their village. He took priority in eating when food was found and was the first to toy with any captured humans. He ruled over the other goblins.
However, humans had come and destroyed his kingdom, killing his subordinates and freeing his slaves. Filled with fury and bloodlust, he had not been able to play with a goblin or human for a long time due to the actions of the humans.
In the middle of the night, feeling hunger, he forgot about his usual mealtime and sought prey to feast upon. As he roamed, he spotted a small, frail human walking alone. His mouth watered, and his lower body heated up. It had been a long time since he had played with a goblin or a human, thanks to what the humans had done to him.
He contemplated the most horrific and unspeakable things he could do to exact revenge when suddenly, he locked eyes with the little boy. Instantly, he froze, experiencing the same overwhelming sensation as the guard, only even more intensified.
His reaction was even more extreme as he immediately bowed his head to the ground, causing it to bleed. When he felt the boy's gaze upon him, something else occurred. He looked at his hands and saw tendrils growing from his flesh. His forearms thinned out as insect-like but incredibly sturdy chitin emerged from his limbs.
He felt immense pain, his eyes bleeding, and his mouth vomiting copious amounts of blood
...
*Roar!*
In the forest, a loud, inhuman scream echoed throughout the entire expanse.
...