There was a vast, expansive sea that Anon had yet to step foot in. Seth had already reached the shores on the other side of this sea.
This was the divide between a genius of the first world and one of the second.
Anon twisted his body and propped his back against the bed. Leaning his head back, he stared at the ceiling, and the darkness stared back.
He wasn't sure if his nightmares were scary or painful anymore, so the idea of falling asleep didn't bother him.
To fall asleep was to give up on achieving mastery over the staff.
It meant accepting his inferiority to the bottleneck on his spirit.
"Sometimes, one must bend and accept defeat."
A smile tugged at Anon's lips. "Fate's decree isn't absolute, but when acknowledged by destiny and inscribed, it becomes much harder to alter. Even worse, it feels as if it's already etched in stone by inevitability—that I won't reach the second world before entering the military academy."
"I'm speechless."
Huh?!
A voice resounded from the darkness.
It wasn't like before, where the dark spoke. This voice resounded from all directions, but it was spoken in a rough yet gentle tone.
The voice resonated loudly and deeply in Anon's mind, causing it to buzz violently.
"Inevitability is absolute." The voice said, "But that's for everyone else. Those with the name Xerxes are not powerless in the face of inevitability."
The bed that he propped himself against seemed to encompass his very being.
Anon felt a warm pair of hands wrap itself around him, causing him to groan with pleasure.
"True father?!" Anon's heart thumped erratically.
Despite his wounds twitching with movement, he managed to twist and turn to see the figure embracing him.
Anon was like a child in this being's embrace.
He was almost 6'0 in height, and yet, it was as if he was a toddler no taller than three feet.
The being... was invisible.
There did not seem to be anyone in the darkness besides Anon, and yet, Anon heard his voice and felt his warm touch.
"I wonder, who dared to do this to my Son? Do they not know who I am?" These words rung out.
"True father knows and still acts like he doesn't." Anon frowned whilst losing himself in the entity's embrace.
"Knows? Knows what exactly? My son is being bullied and he still doesn't reveal the identity of this bully." The entity paused for a moment before continuing, "It really wrings my heart. It hurts..."
Tsk…!
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Anon turned around and leaned his back against this creature's chest.
Folding his arms, Anon casually remarked, "You come in here all mysterious, speaking useless nothings, instead, why don't you help your son out a little."
"I mean, it's only fair. Others can use magic rituals thanks to their caring fathers and mothers, and my father, he wouldn't help me even if my heart was dug out by someone else."
"Hehe, who knows. Maybe I've already helped you."
The voice whispered, "To meditate is to enter a thoughtless state, but at times, you should embrace these chaotic thoughts. Even if one's path is fraught with danger, do not be frightened to take a step back and breathe in deeply."
"Yes, that step back might slow your pace down slightly, but it might also allow you to cross paths with a fortuitous encounter that you'd have previously run past, unknowingly."
The creature that Anon was leaning on suddenly became hard and cold once again. It had returned to being the frame of the bed.
"Always speaking in riddles," Anon said this with a frown, but his tone was light, and his heart was calm.
Maybe his physical state appeared chaotic, but inwardly, after meeting his true father, Anon's emotions were anything but chaotic.
In this way, he unknowingly entered a state of meditation as his will radiated from his glabella into the surroundings.
This will...
...
Some time back...
At that time, Nickyle chuckled aloud as he prepared to inform his father of the great many secrets that swirled around Anon.
Secrets that involved the great Constantin family.
In that moment, a pair of red eyes shone as an indifferent voice entered his ears.
"The world is so unfair." Seth said at the time, "I go through such lengths to protect Anon, and yet, he's so defensive towards me."
Nickyle frowned.
His heart trembled.
Since when did someone enter his room? More than that, how did he not even perceive it?
At this time, Nickyle was still arrogant, but it did not mean he was dumb.
Turning to Seth, his mind grew more chaotic under the pair of crimson orbs that quite literally shone in darkness.
Was this even possible?
They appeared as two blood stars that shone in the vibrant and chaotic void of outer space.
"S-Seth?!" Nickyle's frowned deepened. Although he unknowingly felt fear, he suppressed this feeling and scowled whilst saying, "I don't know how you entered, but you best leave now."
Seth was stronger than him by a long way. Still, he was the fastest genius of the six, so when Seth stepped towards him, he had already appeared in another corner of the room.
Just, as he materialized in that vicinity, Seth's arm gripped onto his neck.
"True dodge!"
Seth's hand went straight through Nickyle's body as the latter appeared by the room's door.
He wasn't stupid enough to face Seth head on.
To even keep up with him like this, it was obvious that Seth was hiding his strength when they had sparred. Nickyle's deduction speed was quite commendable as he unhesitatingly decided to retreat.
But he didn't even get to place his hand on the door's knob when Seth hugged him from behind.
"Why run away from me? Am I some smelly monster?"
Nibbling on Nickyle's earlobe, he bit down on it, causing Nickyle to bellow out in pain.
Blood spilled from Nickyle's wound but as these droplets of blood fell to the ground, mid-air, they paused, transforming into runic characters that etched themselves onto his skin.
"In the second world, my means are truly quite expansive." Seth chuckled...
Second world?!
Though Nickyle heard this, he was unable to dwell on it as other thoughts overwhelmed him.
He had way worse things to face.
Seth tossed him to the ground.
"I've long transcended these sins. To be tormented by them once again, it's such a pain in the ass." Seth chuckled, "Speaking of a pain in the ass..."
Nickyle's body spasmed and twitched on the ground as the runic symbols burned his skin and boiled his blood.
Seth's fingers twitched, releasing cracking sounds, "Nickyle, don't misunderstand, it's not you, but I just can't help but spoil that boy. Don't worry though, if it makes you feel even slightly better, though he's destined for great things, I'm sure you heard of fantasy stories before..."
"I'm one of those scary monstrosities that transcends the world's logic." Seth smirked, stooping, he ruffled Nickyle's hair, "Fate, destiny, and inevitability means nothing to us. Just like you, Anon will have a similar fate."
...
In dorm room three, it was silent.
The air was unusually cold and gave one a stuffy feeling.
Though there did not appear to be a soul within the room, the environment had a heavy sensation.
Staring into the darkness were a pair of dead fish-like eyes.
They said that the eyes were the windows to the soul.
And indeed, the death of the mind was the truest form of death.
Eyes wide, his body reacted on its own, attempting to bring his actions to a halt.
But this resistance did not stem from the runic characters.
His face was flushed as his body spasmed and twitched. The struggle for air transforming into a silent scream...
On the ground, a frothy fluid began to seep from the corners of his mouth
It mixed with the remnants of his breath, bubbling and foaming as it escaped from his mouth.
The froth, reminiscent of a tumultuous sea, pooled on the ground below as the cold aura contained behind the doors of death suddenly washed over his very being.
Nickyle released a final groan.
Whether it be from discomfort, or the pleasure that originated from death's frigid aura, it would remain an eternal mystery.
Even in death, Nickyle's eyes were no different from when he was alive.
He stared wide-eyed into the darkness.
Verily, his death was the truest.
Clap... Clap... Clap...
A pair of crimson orbs shone brilliantly in the room as Seth clapped, pleased by the scene.
"Good riddance." He chuckled aloud, "Oh my, this military zone will be an utter mess tomorrow."
Pausing, Seth continued, speaking towards Nickyle, "What did I say? Did I not promise to bless you with the truest form of death?"
"I broke your strength. Physically, you were fine, and yet, you suffered from a great sense of weakness."
"I broke your mind. Mentally, you weren't tormented by hallucinations, you had recovered, and yet, you were even more fragmented."
"I broke your existential self. Nothing could threaten your ego, after all, it is your ego that rose you back from the ashes. And yet, it is this same ego that crumbled to nothingness under my hands."
"I did not kill you... yet I did. It is I who bestowed upon you the truest form of death. For you, there's nothing after. Your soul's gone, your mind's gone, your very self is gone."
"You see, others still believe me not, but it is the truth... I lie not!"