Amira's eyes, which had been firmly fixed, wavered for the first time. Strong as her determination was, she couldn't help but melt at Alpeas's face.
Why wouldn't she? He had been with her since bedwetting days. 'I'm sorry I dragged you into all this mess,' she said, bowing her head and trying to contain the tears welling up in her eyes.
"I don't want to cause you pain, Director. The more respected a person is, the more important it is not to cover up their mistakes. And if things continue this way, the academy itself could..."
"Why don't I understand? No one here hates you. You are the future of this academy."
Alpeas looked at Amira with pity. To him, all the students gathered here were like the fruits of his labor. He felt sorry for causing them pain.
Lifting her head again, Amira looked at Alpeas with teary eyes. He had a benevolent smile like the one she had seen in her childhood.
"Can you trust me just this once? Once the matter with Shirone is resolved, I promise to handle everything transparently. Even if I face punishment, I will confront my beloved students with pride. I won't run away."
Warm tears ran down Amira's cheeks.
"Will you really come back? The person I respect so much..."
"Of course. There will be no deception in my punishment. I promise you with my lifelong honor."
Amira wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She could never cry in front of Alpeas. She wanted to show a more mature version of herself than when she was younger.
"Okay. Since you've said that, the student council will accept your opinion and reconsider the matter. Please don't do anything that could tarnish your honor."
Alpeas smiled happily. She had become a bright and intelligent student. The girl who used to run to him calling him 'Director Dondaeng-nim!' had grown up a lot.
'Erina, it seems like my life wasn't in vain.'
When the student council president made the decision, the protesters immediately dispersed. The conservatives who had occupied the entrance scattered, and the area in front of the building quickly became deserted.
Fermi, the only one left, scratched his head sheepishly.
"Ah, it was going well until the end, but it got messed up."
Alpeas laughed.
"Haha! It looks like this time things didn't go as you planned, Fermi."
"Well, I can't help it. Honestly, I think the director's intervention is a bit unfair."
"Isn't it time for you to graduate? You'll be twenty-two next year."
"I don't know. For now, there's no better opportunity to make money than this place."
"Oh, really?"
He knew at least that Fermi was the key figure behind the incident. But to him, Fermi was just a student who had grown a lot, and he couldn't help feeling proud.
'Besides, this is still fun. Well then.'
Without saying goodbye, Fermi waved and left. After today, he probably wouldn't visit the student council again. After all, peaceful places don't make money.
Eruki and Neid, heading towards the infirmary, remained silent. It was their first serious fight in five years, so the discomfort still lingered. However, Neid couldn't stand the tense atmosphere.
"Hey! How can you not say a word? You don't have to deceive me too, do you? You just want to look cool, right?"
"You're funny. What strategy are you discussing with the guy swimming butterfly in the sea of sorrows? Plus, if the information leaks, the other side will also come up with a means. Why don't you think more?"
"Yeah, I'm an idiot! You're so cool!"
Whether they got angry or cursed, the conversation flowed, and the discomfort disappeared. Eruki asked, looking concerned,
"By the way, how are you? As angry as you may be, do you really need to reveal your old personality?"
Neid also deeply regretted it and ruffled his hair.
"Ah, I don't know. Back then, I didn't have time to think about anything else. Anyway, we didn't fight, so it's fine."
"Well, it was so cool. You might have already forgotten."
"You're funny. In the end, did you calculate everything?"
"Haha, does it matter? Bow down to me."
Their conversation ended as the door of the infirmary opened. Amy was there to greet them. Eruki awkwardly scratched his head. It was still difficult to feel comfortable around Amy, unlike Neid.
"Well, it turned out this way. Anyway, since we protected Shirone..."
Tears welled up in Amy's eyes just as she was about to gloss over it.
"Thank you. Thank you, Eruki..."
Eruki put on a terrified expression.
"Tsk, it's okay."
Being weak to emotions, he hurried into the infirmary. However, another emotional figure besides him, Cerielle, was there with open arms waiting for him.
Eruki escaped from Cerielle's hug with boxing weaving techniques and ran towards Shirone.
'Ugh, this is why I don't like dealing with girls.'
Cerielle and Amy, who met at the door, hugged and started jumping around. With Neid joining them, they twirled around the infirmary.
"Wow! We survived! Shirone is saved now!"
In this rare cheerful atmosphere, a faint smile appeared on Eruki's lips. However, his inner feelings weren't as pleasant. They had only postponed Shirone's death on paper, and nothing had improved.
Shirone lay motionless as if asleep. The promise to be together after graduation remained fresh, but it didn't seem real that the person in question was dead.
'Come back. I'll wait for you, no matter how long it takes.'
***
Shirone regained sanity. More precisely, he went from madness to madness again. His mind was like a coin spinning rapidly between the North and South poles, alternating between normalcy and madness.
He felt himself going crazy a thousand times over. He desperately tried to cling to his mind that was about to flip, but overwhelming sensations pierced Shirone's essence and changed his disposition.
"You are an abandoned child. Your parents would have been fine with anyone but you. Was there ever a time when raising you wasn't difficult? They must have always regretted it, thinking they had taken you in for no reason. If they were your real parents, they wouldn't have thought like that."
"No! It can't be!"
"You must be an illegitimate child. Anyone in this world can be adopted. They are not your parents."
While Shirone's particles trembled, the sound of the soul's lament spread.
Ooooooo!
"Your nature is that of a despicable predator. With your superior abilities, you trample over everyone. Your power inevitably brings someone's failure. You are an unnecessary tumor in the world."
Ooooooo!
Shirone went mad again. He felt as if a nauseating smell was emanating from his mind.
What would he be reassembled into if the fusion ended like this? A demon? A monster? A devil? It was an unknown event.
The speed of madness accelerated even more. At the limit, the two tendencies began to coexist simultaneously in Shirone's head, spinning between extremes.
It was a new world.
In an unreachable mental state by any drug, Shirone finally found the only solution to maintain sanity.
It was the origin.
If the border of the cycle is called the limit, the origin is the starting point of the limit. But it contained possibilities that encompassed the entire world.
Some call it Stain. Some call it Spirit Zone. Some call it Tai Chi. But the wizards referred to it as such.
Infinity.
Shirone's eyes widened. The Spirit Zone was absorbed into his head, and the countless particles scattered at the speed of light began to restore into a mental body.
In the center of infinity, Shirone did not waver. The tormenting voices vanished, and the strength of his mental body tensed like a diamond.
The state of Vajrapani, which can be reached after thousands of agonies.
It was the Indestructible Diamond.
Shirone contemplated the exit with a radiant body. There was no more confusion. As he took a step forward, the warm and bright light of the exit pierced into his body and became one.
A small, transparent crystal orb floated in front of him. Within the sphere, which was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, was the sanctuary he had just been in, and a woman gazed at Shirone from there.
"You're finally leaving. Shirone."
"I'm sorry. But I want to return."
"You don't have to be sorry. Honestly, I thought you wouldn't make it. You deserved it."
He hadn't expected the woman to let him go so easily, making his departure even heavier. So, even though he knew it didn't matter anymore, Shirone couldn't help but ask.
"Don't you feel lonely?"
The woman blinked with a puzzled expression and immediately flashed a warm smile.
"Shirone, you are a very kind person. But gods do not feel loneliness. It just saddens me a little to see you go. Just a little."
"Thank you for reviving me. I really wanted to tell you that."
For a moment, the woman's expression turned serious.
"Remember, there's no second chance. As someone who has reached the realm of Vajrapani, you can no longer opt for my invitation."
Shirone nodded as if making a resolution and headed towards the exit. As his consciousness was dragged into another dimension, he felt a warm light.
"I've finally returned."
The woman's voice echoed in his fading consciousness.
[Please, give my regards to the director.]
Even with his blurry consciousness, Shirone felt curious. How did she know about Director Alpeas? But his thoughts didn't last long, and his spirit faded away, returning to his physical body.
***
On the tenth day after Shirone's death.
"Mmm."
Amy woke up from sleep, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She stretched her back as she sat up in the chair, making a loud noise. Her body was moving, but her brain still felt asleep from staying awake every night.
Looking around, her other friends hadn't woken up yet. After drinking some water and washing her face, Amy approached Shirone with a towel to wipe his face.
"Shirone. I'll be back later..."
Amy gasped, holding her breath. The sound of her heartbeats reached her eardrums. Chills ran down her spine, making her shoulders, neck, and face tremble.
Shirone opened his eyes.
"What?"
Amy called Neid and Eruki, who were sleeping on a blanket on the floor.
"Here, here... here, here..."
She couldn't speak. She felt her throat was blocked, but she had to make some noise. As a last resort, Amy took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and screamed.
"Kyaaaaaaaaa!"
Neid and Eruki jumped up at once at the deafening scream that nearly shook the infirmary.
"What! What's happening!"
***
Alpeas, a fourth-rank mage, couldn't help but be surprised to see Shirone with his eyes open. When he saw Shirone open his eyes, even he, a certified fourth-rank mage, couldn't help but be surprised.
Shirone was currently under a Slow Magic spell, so it should have taken him the entire night just to lift his eyelids. The only way to know if he was truly alive was to break the spell.
Alpeas placed his hand on Shirone's chest and reversed time. However, Shirone still showed no signs of movement. No one could guess what would happen next. They could only follow the will of the heavens.
"Ugh!"
At that moment, Shirone took a deep breath and lifted the upper part of his body. The anxious faces of the onlookers turned bright. On the other hand, Shirone was terrified, as if he had returned from hell.
"What? What happened?"
Shirone was startled by the sudden rush of air. The world he saw in slow motion was a colorful abstract painting. When the landscape returned to normal, he saw the faces of people. Behind Alpeas, Amy and her friends looked at him with tears in their eyes.