With a swift motion, I struck at the entity, my sword cutting through the air with force and precision.
"Swish!"
The impact I expected never came.
My blade was stopped by something invisible, a barrier that seemed to materialize before the sword even got close.
The force of the block reverberated through my arms, sending a shockwave that nearly made me stagger.
I widened my eyes, gasping for breath.
'This isn't normal.'
Every fiber of my being screamed that this being was not something I could face in an ordinary way.
But it didn't matter.
I wasn't going to back down.
Taking a deep breath, I adjusted my grip and attacked again, this time with even more strength.
"Clang!"
My blade was repelled once more, the invisible barrier remaining unyielding. Frustration flared like a burning fire within me.
It felt like trying to cut through a wall of pure iron.
"Tsk!"
"Damn it!"
I gathered my determination once more, ignoring the growing heaviness in my arms and the exhaustion pulsing through my legs.
I refused to give up. I attacked again.
"Bang!"
But again, nothing.
The barrier didn't even tremble. It was like fighting against the air itself, an intangible and invincible opponent. With every strike, the reality became clearer: I wasn't a match for this.
"How… do you know Evan and me?"
My breathing was heavy, but I didn't dare look away from the entity.
"What do you want?"
The figure didn't respond.
She watched me as if my efforts were a fleeting curiosity, something unworthy of a real reaction. That enraged me even more.
But before I could act again, she moved her hand.
An overwhelming force struck me like an invisible wave.
"Bzzt!"
"Argh...!"
My legs buckled, my breathing became shallow, and my hands trembled until the sword fell to the ground with a dull thud.
"Why… why are you doing this?"
The figure leaned slightly forward, her voice now lower, almost a whisper.
"Because your steps and his are connected in ways you do not yet understand."
My vision blurred, but even so, I continued to glare at her.
"You don't know anything about me!"
She didn't respond immediately.
She only observed me, her gaze laden with something I hated...
"Don't… don't you dare pity me..."
"Frustration, pain, the relentless search… You think the emptiness you feel will be filled with answers..."
"STOP!"
I shouted.
"Shut up."
I knew she was right.
The sleepless nights, the guilt of not being able to do anything when my father died, the weight of trying to find an invisible enemy. It was all there, a heavy chain pulling me down every single day.
It was suffocating.
"What do you want from Evan?" I asked again, my voice wavering between anger and desperation as my mind struggled to comprehend what was happening.
The entity tilted her head slightly in Evan's direction, her eyes glowing as if they could see beyond everything he was.
"You guard him instinctively, but do you not perceive the weight he carries? Evan's destiny is an abyss. He walks a tightrope that will not hold his steps for long."
"What does that mean?"
"The death he will seek will be in vain."
She spoke as she began to move away from me.
"He will fight against chains he cannot break, and in the end, he will fail to protect you and the others."
Those words struck something deep within me.
My fists clenched tightly, even as the pressure around me began to ease.
The invisible force that held me slowly receded, but not without leaving its weight behind.
"You… you keep spouting nonsense..."
She didn't respond.
But her tone carried an almost cruel melancholy.
The entity's face remained unchanged, but there was something in her eyes that seemed to tighten, as if it were more of a statement than a prediction.
My chest tightened, and a bitter feeling overtook me.
"...."
Suddenly, the pressure disappeared entirely.
My body collapsed to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been severed.
My hands sank into the cold earth, and my breathing was heavy.
Even so, I lifted my head, determined not to yield.
"You… you're just spouting nonsense."
"You continue to struggle against chains you cannot see, seeking something you may never find. And Evan… he carries the burden of protecting what he does not yet understand."
Before I could respond, I felt my consciousness begin to fade.
"The one who walks beside you, whose eyes reveal an abyss of hidden truths about you, will be the same who, under the veil of betrayal, delivers the deepest wound."
My vision blurred, but before everything went dark, the entity's gaze was the last thing I saw.
There was no disdain, only something that felt like infinite sadness.
And then, darkness enveloped me completely.
Spectra Infirmary – 2:11 PM
It all began with emptiness.
There was no pain, no sound, no light—only the absolute silence of a disconnected mind.
Then, slowly, like a wave forming on the horizon, consciousness started to return.
First came the sounds, muffled, like murmurs beyond a distant wall.
Next, touch: soft sheets against my skin and a firm but not uncomfortable mattress beneath me.
My head throbbed, and a dull ache in my ribs made me wince.
I blinked once, then twice, trying to adjust to the blinding white light of the room.
I took a deep breath, my lungs protesting as though something had compressed them for hours.
Slowly, I sat up, cautious with my movements to avoid aggravating the pain.
My eyes scanned the room: an infirmary.
The familiar emblem of Spectra adorned the wall ahead, confirming my location.
"How did I end up here?" I murmured, my voice hoarse and scratchy, as if I hadn't used it in days.
Before I could piece my thoughts together, a familiar notification screen appeared before me, marking the arrival of messages from the system.
[System Mission: The Shadow Watcher]
You met the mission's conditions.
Rewards:
➤ Victory:
Special Ability: If you defeat the entity, you will have the option to choose a special ability to acquire.
➤ Defeat:
80 System Points: If defeated, you will receive 80 system points as consolation. This reflects the learning and experience gained from the battle, even in failure.
➤ Conditions:
Survival: You must survive the encounter with the entity, regardless of the result.
[80 System Points acquired for meeting the mission's requirements.]
[6 System Points acquired for Shadow Manipulation proficiency.]
[Current Points: 260.]
I sighed, reading the messages carefully.
The text confirmed what I had already suspected: I survived, but not through merit.
There was no victory in that mission, only a forced retreat with whatever little I had left.
'So that's it… surviving was enough for the system.' I thought as memories of the encounter came flooding back.
'That entity.'
I had distanced myself from the group because I knew I couldn't involve them in something that only concerned me.
It was a decision I made after much deliberation. But in the end, I did nothing but get crushed by a power I couldn't even comprehend.
'What the hell was I thinking?'
My thoughts were filled with frustration.
Hazy memories of the encounter surfaced—a mixture of desperation and helplessness.
The entity was unlike anything I had ever created.
I knew for sure: it wasn't part of the novel I wrote.
And yet, there was something familiar about her.
'How did she know about Evan? How did she know about his fate? And why did she seem so certain…?'
I tried to organize my thoughts, but they scattered like leaves in the wind.
Standing up, I wobbled slightly, feeling the lingering weakness in my body.
The soft light of the infirmary seemed to press against the corners of my vision, and the silence around me only amplified the chaos in my mind.
'The entity spoke as if the future were already written, as if destiny were inevitable. But whose future was she talking about? Evan's… or mine?'
I walked to the window, looking out over the grounds of Spectra.
Everything seemed so normal, so peaceful, that it was impossible to believe what had happened not long ago.
I touched the side of the window, letting the cold glass ground me back to reality.
'I need to get stronger. I could've actually died.'
With that thought, I turned slowly.
My eyes fell on the infirmary door.
'And I need answers. The sooner, the better.'
A variable I didn't know had emerged.
Thoughts of the entity and what she wanted from me would remain like a shadow, but there was something more urgent.
Something that, for now, was my priority.
What happened after I fainted?
====
As I looked around, my eyes locked onto a figure lying on one of the beds.
For a moment, a jolt of surprise overtook me, and my heart raced.
I didn't expect to find her here, just as vulnerable as I was.
Seraphina lay there, her expression serene, but the faint rise and fall of her chest was the only proof that she was okay.
The afternoon light streamed through the high infirmary windows, partially illuminating her face, while the soft shadows seemed to shape the scene with a nearly melancholic touch.
Suddenly, a calm voice broke the silence.
"Don't worry, she's just asleep."
I quickly turned toward the source of the sound, finding a woman approaching with steady but tranquil steps.
"I'm Dr. Livia," she said with a gentle smile.
The doctor was of average height, with her hair tied back in a simple bun that framed a warm and welcoming face.
She wore glasses, and her white coat bore the Spectra emblem along with a name tag displaying her title and specialty.
"Evan, you and Seraphina were brought here together, both unconscious. Can you tell me what happened?"
I swallowed hard, hesitating.
What I feared when I saw Seraphina in the infirmary was becoming a reality.
'So, Seraphina went after me and encountered that entity too? Is that why she's here? What happened to her?'
Once again, I had too many questions and no answers.
The truth about the entity and the mission the system had imposed on me was something I couldn't—or rather, didn't want to—share.
I opted for a half-truth, simple enough not to raise suspicion.
"I don't really remember," I said, avoiding direct eye contact.
"I just recall facing something… strong during the trial. It all happened so quickly..."
Dr. Livia observed me for a moment, her eyes scrutinizing every word.
After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, she nodded slowly.
"I see. Well, what's important is that both of you are okay now. Your friends were worried about you."
Her tone was firm yet reassuring, as if she knew I wasn't telling her everything but chose not to press the matter.
"You just need to rest. If you remember anything else, please let me know," she added, offering another smile before stepping away toward a nearby shelf.
I let out a relieved sigh, feeling the weight of the conversation ease slightly.
I walked back to the window, gazing outside.
The Spectra campus seemed calm under the afternoon sun, a stark contrast to the chaos of recent events.
My hands pressed against the cool glass as I took a deep breath, trying to organize my thoughts.
Spectra wasn't just a place of learning; it was a constant proving ground, and every choice seemed heavier than the last.
My eyes drifted back to Seraphina.
'If she's here, unconscious, and was found beside me, it's almost certain she went after me. What happened between her and the entity?'
"Tsk..." I clicked my tongue.
My mind spun with hypotheses and worries.
"You seem to care a lot about your friend," Dr. Livia commented, interrupting my train of thought.
Her tone was casual, but there was something in her observation that made me hesitate before responding.
"Yes, of course. She's important to me."
The response came out calmly, almost rehearsed, but internally, I reflected.
My concern wasn't about her safety at that moment but the questions she might ask when she woke up.
I thought Dr. Livia might suspect I was worried about something else if I didn't give that answer.
She smiled, seemingly satisfied with my reply, and stepped away again.
"I'll leave you two alone. If you need anything, I'll be in that room."
'Alone? Now we seem like a pair?'
The doctor left, and solitude returned to the infirmary, but my mind was far from at peace.
I opened the system interface to check my status.
[System Alert: Time remaining until full possession by the demon: 4 years.]
It was a message that always appeared whenever I opened the system.
But it was completely impossible to get used to it.
"Four years..."
My gaze remained fixed on the message, as if the words might change if I stared long enough.
"So that's all the time I have left?"
I sighed again, the weight of what was to come pressing down on my shoulders.
I had tried to ignore it, at least for a while, but that entity had come to brutally remind me how short my time was.
For a few moments, I stood still, staring into the empty horizon through the infirmary window.
The sun painted the sky in hues of orange and blue—a strange contrast to the whirlwind of thoughts and uncertainties haunting me.
I took a deep breath, trying to focus on something else.
And then I remembered.
"Right, the mission."
The abrupt reminder pulled me back to the mundane reality of the world—a world that didn't stop, even when everything inside me felt on the verge of collapse.
I was already late.
Mr. Hendricks was probably waiting for me, and despite the exhaustion weighing down every muscle in my body, there was something oddly comforting about doing something ordinary.
Even if it was temporary, it was still necessary. I just needed to hold on until Saturday.
With one last glance at Seraphina, still resting deeply, and a silent promise to find the answers I needed, I turned and walked out of the infirmary.
—————————————————————————————————
2:45 PM – Spectra Infirmary
The golden light of the afternoon sun streamed through the window, casting soft shadows on the infirmary walls.
Seraphina lay on the bed, her eyes open and fixed on the ceiling.
She wasn't asleep.
She had woken up long ago.
The stillness of the room contrasted sharply with the storm of thoughts swirling in her mind.
The entity, its cryptic words, and the dark implications about Evan haunted her like an incessant echo.
Her hand clenched into a fist as she recalled the moment she tried to face it.
Despite her strength and determination, Seraphina felt like an unarmed child standing before something beyond comprehension.
'He would do that? Die for us?'
The question echoed in her mind again, and she shifted uncomfortably in the bed.
Until now, Evan had just been another face at Spectra, a rival in training, an annoying presence.
But now...
The entity's words resurfaced.
"Under the veil of betrayal, he will deliver the cruelest blow."
How could someone willing to die for others also be accused of betrayal?
She frowned, a weight settling in her chest.
There was something about Evan, something she didn't understand.
The entity had mentioned an "intimate knowledge" he had about her. But what? And why?
"Sigh..."
Seraphina sighed, frustrated with herself and the situation.
Her gaze wandered across the infirmary until it rested for a moment on the bed beside her—Evan's bed.
It was empty.
"He actually left?"
The words slipped out in a whisper, and something inside her felt unsettled.
She recalled the moment she heard him speak—or at least thought she did—while pretending to be asleep.
"She's important to me."
The phrase replayed in her mind, as clear as before.
An odd sensation formed in her chest, as though something lightly pressed against her heart.
It was uncomfortable.
'Important? What did he mean by that?'
It was irritating and confusing.
Being considered important by someone she barely knew—and didn't particularly like—left her with a mix of conflicting emotions.
With a hand on her head, where a faint ache was beginning, she sighed again.
"That idiot..."
"Author's Note: Image"