"Tell ... when did I even ask about your class or skills? Or were you... telling you see the future? Or lived in it?"
The question hung in the air like a blade waiting to fall.
Junior’s blood ran cold.
’He’s getting closer to the truth.’
Each word from the lunatic’s mouth peeled back another layer of Junior’s defense.
Not through force. Not through threats. Through simple, terrifying observation.
The lunatic hadn’t asked about his class or skills. Not yet.
But Junior wanted to know why the lunatic was so obsessed with class and skills, so he asked.
And in doing so, he had handed the lunatic the truth on a silver platter.
’I need to get out. Now.’
Junior’s blind eyes darted toward the balcony. The faint breeze slipped through the cracked door, carrying the distant sounds of the academy.
If he fell from that height, he would die.
And if he died, he would regress. Turn back ti. Escape this nightmare.
He didn’t know whether death would send him to another tiline or simply rewind the clock. He didn’t care.
Either was better than staying here, being toyed with like a trapped animal.
Junior gritted his teeth as he moved.
His legs carried him toward the balcony before his mind could catch up. Three steps. Two. One.
His heart pounded against his ribs. Louder. Faster.
Then he jumped.
The wind rushed past his face. For one glorious mont, he was falling. Free. The ground was waiting below.
’I’m going to die.’
Relief flooded through him.
But then, suddenly, his fall stopped in midair.
Junior’s blind eyes widened. His body hung suspended like a puppet on invisible strings. Slowly, gently, he began to rise.
Soone was pulling him back with the wind elent.
"No—"
He tried to struggle, but the current was too strong. Too precise. He flew backward, helpless, until he landed inside his room.
-Thud.
The impact knocked the breath from his lungs.
Sunlight crept across the floor. It stopped at Junior’s feet, unwilling to go further.
"You were late."
The lunatic’s calm voice echoed.
Junior lay on the floor, gasping. But before he could respond, another voice answered.
"Ah, oh. Sorry."
Junior froze.
That voice... it was the sa voice. The sa tone. The sa cadence.
But it ca from a different direction.
The first lunatic sighed.
"Whatever. You’re here now."
Then a third identical voice said,
"You caught him? Sigh. I wanted to fight him fair and square."
Junior’s mind struggled to keep up.
’Three of them. There are three of them.’
The second voice asked,
"Where’s Frosty?"
The first voice answered, casual as ever,
"He’s playing."
They were talking about Junior while ignoring him. Discussing him like he wasn’t even there.
Junior lay on the cold floor, trembling.
’The one who challenged Elara... he was one of them too.’
Four of them. Four lunatics.
Junior made his decision.
He would die whatever it takes. Then he bit down on his tongue.
His teeth pressed into the soft flesh. One hard clamp and he would bleed out. Regress. Escape.
But before his teeth could fully embed into his tongue.
-SLAP.
A sharp sting exploded across his cheek. His jaw loosened. His head snapped to the side.
....
The three clones stood in a loose semicircle around Junior’s crumpled form.
The Wind Clone was the one who had slapped Junior. His hand was still raised, fingers slightly curled from the impact.
He stared down at Junior with sothing between annoyance and curiosity. So, Wind Clone asked,
"Do you want to die that much?"
Junior didn’t answer as he stayed silent.
The Space Clone tilted his head and said,
"I think he can regress by dying. Why else would he want to die that badly?"
The Black Lightning Clone nodded slowly,
"Indeed. To think this guy had such a prowess."
Before anyone else could speak, a fourth voice reached them.
"I, too, find it strange. When I first talked with Elara, he was shaking. So, I guess... he had already regressed once."
The Frostfla Clone said as he dusted off his sleeve. His mask was still in place. His blue eyes glead.
Seeing Frostfla clone arrive, the Wind Clone asked,
"You’re back so fast, did you win?"
Frostfla Clone gave a smug look and said,
"Naturally. She was no match for ."
The other clones nodded, unsurprised.
Then, as if moved by the sa invisible signal, all four turned their heads toward Junior.
Four pairs of eyes. Four identical voices. Four different expressions.
Junior felt shivers run down his spine.
Black Lightning Clone said slowly,
"Since we can’t kill him, how about turning him into a slave?"
The room fell into silence.
Then Space Clone nodded,
"That’s a great idea."
Wind Clone frowned,
"Hey... slave is a bit much. How about a mana contract?"
Frostfla Clone shook his head.
"No, Contracts can backfire if you’re not careful. Turning him into a slave is the safest option."
The four began to bicker back and forth. Words flew past Junior’s ears like blades he no longer bothered to dodge.
’They’re deciding my fate.’
Not through a trial. Not through a fight. Through a casual conversation. A whim.
Junior lay on the floor, his cheek still stinging, his tongue still whole, his heart still beating.
He couldn’t die. He couldn’t escape. For the first ti in centuries, Junior felt truly powerless.
But the words of these four lunatics amused him.
Junior started laughing.
"Hahahaha... want to turn into a slave? Dream on. Even if you turn into a slave, it’s useless. As long as I die, I go back in the past."
The four clones looked at each other.
The Wind Clone spoke first,
"I think I know our slave’s first command."
The Space Clone chuckled,
"Indeed. Never go back in ti beyond the point of the slave contract."
The Black Lightning Clone shook his head,
"Not just beyond the point. How about two days into the future? That way, even if he turns back ti, he’ll still be two days away from the slave contract."
Junior’s face turned pale.
"Damn you."
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