The next day, Ery returned to the Magus Academy, yet his path did not lead him toward the Twilight Hall as it usually did. Instead, he walked deeper into the academy grounds, toward a quieter and more secluded part of the estate where the presence of nature seed to soften even the weight of magic itself.
He soon arrived at a gently flowing river that wound through the academy like a ribbon of silver.
The surroundings were serene to the point of feeling almost unreal.
It was here that Ery found her.
Grand Magus Aurora stood at the edge of the river, lecturing a small group of students seated on smooth stone slabs. Her voice carried gently across the space, calm and composed, yet every word reached its audience with perfect clarity.
Ery did not interrupt. He persisted at a respectful distance, allowing the lesson to conclude in its own ti.
When the class was over and the students had bowed before dispersing, Ery approached forward and lowered himself into a deep, respectful gesture.
"Thank you master, i will forever be gratefull"
His voice carried sincerity, his posture unwavering. This was not rely a courtesy-it was a debt he genuinely felt.
He had co to express his gratitude for the Lotus Spring Fruit that the Oracle had given him, the very item that allowed him to save Klea's life when all hope had seed lost.
Aurora remained composed, her expression unchanged, as though she had long since seen this mont unfold.
"My foresight has its limitations, i happen to see this one more clearly..."
Her tone was casual, almost indifferent, yet her words carried a quiet weight. She turned her gaze fully toward him, her silver eyes settling with precision. "i see strom in your heart and mind..."
Ery did not deny it. There was a brief pause before he continued. "Master, I wish to know more about destiny... and being destiny breaker"
To his surprise, the Oracle's lips curved ever so slightly, forming a faint, knowing smile. Instead of answering imdiately, she lifted her hand and pointed toward the river.
"You seen this river Ery... destiny is flows like water within the river of ti... you as the destiny breaker is like a rock that lies on its path... it manage to break its flow but eventually it would rge one again to its previous
course"
Her words settled into the quiet space between them, accompanied only by the steady sound of flowing water.
As Ery listened, a subtle tension rose within him, tightening his chest. If what she portrayed was true, then it ant that no matter what he did, the course of events would eventually return to what it was ant to be.
The thought unsettled him.
The Oracle's prophecy had already warned him of dangers to those he loved, and the visions shown by his future self had only reinforced that dread.
Did it an Gwen could not be saved?
Would Klea once again fall into unavoidable danger?
And what of the destruction of Earth that his future self witnessed-was that
fate sothing that could not be escaped?
The questions pressed against his mind one after another, each more
suffocating than the last.
As if fully aware of the storm within him, Aurora lifted her hand once more and pointed further along the river, her faint smile returning.
"you get what i an...?"
Ery followed her gaze.
There, further downstream, stood the largest rock within sight. The current struck against it with force, splitting into two powerful streams that curved around its sides. Though most of the water eventually rged again beyond it, a smaller stream had broken away entirely, carving its own path through the
land.
The sight lingered in Ery's mind.
And then, clarity ca.
It was not that destiny could not be changed-it was that the force required to change it had to be overwhelming.
A small rock could only disrupt the flow temporarily.
But sothing greater... sothing immovable...
Could reshape it.
Could create an entirely new path.
Ery's gaze sharpened as realization settled deep within him.
To change fate, he would need more power.
More will.
More determination.
He would need to beco sothing far greater than he was now.
Not rely a stone in the river-
But a force capable of stopping it entirely.
Even if it ant becoming a dam that defied the very flow of destiny itself.
Aurora observed the shift in his expression, the quiet transformation that took place within him, and her smile deepened ever so slightly.
"I can't wait to see the changes you will create"
Ery lowered himself into a final bow, his gratitude now accompanied by a renewed and unwavering resolve.
Without another word, he turned and departed from the riverside, his path set as he made his way toward the Twilight Hall.
Ery's arrival did not go unnoticed.
The mont he stepped through its entrance, the atmosphere subtly shifted as the instructors and acolytes within quickly turned their attention toward him. Shinta was the first to react, straightening slightly before followed by the
others.
"Welco Elder"
Their voices carried both respect and a hint of excitent, as if his presence alone brought a certain weight to the hall.
Ery acknowledged them with a slight nod, his gaze already sweeping across the surroundings. It took him only a single glance to notice the changes.
The quality of the students had improved.
What stood before him was no longer a loosely gathered group of overlooked
youths, but a collection of disciplined and promising acolytes. Though they ca from half-blood and lower-grade factions-groups often dismissed within the academy-their stances were firm, their eyes sharp, and their auras
noticeably more refined.
They were talented.
Underrated, perhaps-but no longer unpolished.
As Ery observed them, his attention was drawn to a familiar yet unexpected
figure standing among the instructors.
The young magus Vic.
A hint of surprise flickered across Ery's expression, though it quickly softened into quiet approval.
Shinta, noticing his reaction, imdiately grew a little flustered. She stepped forward, clearly trying to justify her decision before he could question it, her words coming out slightly faster than usual as she explained how Vic's combined talents in formation and blacksmithing made him an ideal instructor
for the acolytes.
Ery listened, but only for a mont.
A soft chuckle escaped him, cutting through her hurried explanation.
That alone was enough.
Shinta paused, blinking, before realizing she had been overthinking it.
Vic stepped forward next, his posture straight as he gave a deep, respectful bow. There was both sincerity and a trace of unease in his expression as he spoke, apologizing for the delay in repairing the broken high-grade puppet.
He needed more ti.
Ery did not seem bothered in the slightest.
Without hesitation, he reached into his storage and procured a pouch, tossing
it toward Vic with a casual motion.
The faint clink of spirit stones could be heard from within.
An unspoken solution.
With that matter settled, the tension in the room eased, and Ery allowed
himself a rare mont of calm as he moved to sit with Shinta.
She prepared tea for him, just as she used to.
The familiar motions carried a quiet sense of nostalgia, as though ti had
montarily slowed within the walls of the hall. The soft sound of water pouring into the cup, the faint rise of steam, the subtle fragrance of the leaves-
it all felt grounding.
For a brief mont, the burdens of fate and conflict seed distant.
The two began to chat casually about the academy.
Shinta admitted that she had initially believed this role would only be
temporary, sothing to occupy her ti before moving on. Yet as ti passed, her perspective had changed.
What had once been a passing responsibility had turned into sothing far
more personal.
She had beco driven.
Driven by the students.
Driven by their potential.
And driven, most of all, by the resistance they faced.
The headmaster had been trying relentlessly to ensure that they could enter
the privileged halls, blocking every possible path.
It was no longer just a matter of teaching.
It had beco a quiet defiance.
"Do you need so help?" ery asked
Shinta reacted almost imdiately, shaking her head with a slight pout, her
expression tinged with embarrassnt.
"No.. no... asking help from one father.. whats a cliche..."
Ery could not help the faint smile that appeared on his face.
He was proud of her.
Her independence.
Her determination to stand on her own.
Yet beneath that pride, he understood sothing she did not fully acknowledge
-or perhaps chose not to.
There were limits to what one could achieve in the open.
Barriers that could not be overco through effort alone.
If Ery could prove the headmaster's connection to the Moonlight Syndicates, then half of her struggles would disappear instantly. The restrictions, the quiet suppression-it would all collapse under its own weight. The thought settled firmly in his mind, no longer just an idea, but a direction.
As the two continued their conversation, the calm atmosphere lingered for a
while longer.
Then-
Sothing shifted.
A presence stirred.
Faint, yet familiar.
Soone had finally erged from a seclusion.
Ery's lips curved slightly. His senior, Fjolnir had finally co out.
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