Seraphina and Cael flew for an hour before they paused.
The landscape below had changed. The academy was long gone. The city was a distant mory.
Below them stretched jagged mountains and dark forests, untouched by civilization. The air grew thinner as they ascended, colder with each passing minute.
Seraphina descended. Cael followed.
They landed on a rocky mountain peak. The wind was stronger here, colder. It whipped against Cael’s face, carrying the sll of salt and distant rain.
A few scattered clouds drifted below them, painting the valley in shadows.
Cael looked around as he asked,
"Where are we?"
Seraphina slowly turned her head toward the horizon and answered,
"The borderlands."
Cael’s eyes widened. He had heard of this place. Everyone had.
The borderlands were where humanity fought against wraiths and vampires; the borderlands were considered the battlefield for supremacy.
It was a dangerous place, where one couldn’t expect what might happen in the next second.
Cael did not expect Seraphina to bring him here.
Then Seraphina spoke again, her voice quiet but sharp.
"Did your clone spar with Elara, the daughter of the city protector?"
Cael understood where the conversation was going. He had been careless. Too careless.
The rumors, the investigation, the eting of high-ranking officials. He was the cause of all this.
He had to admit it.
"Yes."
Seraphina nodded slowly and asked,
"Did you also cause the mana disruption in the student dormitory?"
Cael felt guilt weigh on his chest. He nodded nonetheless.
"Yes."
Seraphina’s voice turned cold. The temperature around them seed to drop.
"Look into my eyes and tell the truth."
Cael t her gaze.
"There is a limit to how much freedom I can give you,"
Seraphina said as she continued,
"If your answer does not match your irresponsible actions, then I have no choice but to hand you over to the council."
Cael’s heart sank; he knew she was just trying to get info out of him, and even if he didn’t say anything, she would not give him away to the council.
But... he had hit Seraphina’s bottom line.
The woman who had protected him, trained him, and covered for him.
Cael took a deep breath and said,
"Did you rember the dream I ntioned?"
Seraphina’s eyes narrowed as she said,
"Are you going to give that la excuse again?"
Cael shook his head quickly.
"No. No. What I want to say is that it was not just a dream. It was a ti-related skill. And soone used it on ."
Seraphina paused.
Her Wrong Eye did not activate.
That ant Cael was not lying.
Cael continued, his voice soft.
"I found the guy who used that skill on . I wanted to talk to him, but Elara was in the way."
Seraphina slowly pieced the information together. The sparring match. The kidnapping. The mana disruption. The timing.
Then she said,
"So, you kidnapped him."
"And the mana disruption was caused during your talks with that guy. Am I right?"
Cael nodded.
Seraphina’s expression shifted. Her coldness faded, replaced by sothing else. Concern. Realization.
"Wait," she said.
"That ans if you had not caused that ss before, the wraiths might have attacked the Golden Scale Academy?"
Cael thought for a mont. The calamity from Junior’s vision. The attack that would have happened. The deaths that would have followed.
"Yes," he said.
"Due to my actions, an [Origin] ranker was present. The wraiths might not dare to attack anymore."
Seraphina turned her head away, looking out at the darkening sky.
"I see."
Then she paused and asked,
"But why did you not tell this earlier?"
Cael’s voice was quiet.
"I was not certain."
Seraphina nodded. She stayed silent for a long mont, processing everything.
Then she asked,
"So, what are you going to do with the boy who has the ti elent?"
Cael answered without hesitation.
"He is my subordinate now."
Seraphina’s lips curled slightly. Not quite a smile. Sothing softer.
"Is that so?"
She began climbing higher up the peak. Cael followed. Their boots scraped against the rocky path. The wind howled around them, but neither spoke.
Soon, they arrived at the very top.
From Cael’s eyes, the view was breathtaking.
It looked like the sun was subrging into the ocean. The entire sea surface shone with golden light, waves of liquid fire stretching to the horizon.
The sky above was a mixture of light red and burning orange, clouds painted in shades of pink and red.
Seraphina softly comnted.
"It’s beautiful,"
Cael agreed,
"Yes. It is."
They stood there in silence, watching the sun disappear beneath the waves.
"Let’s go back."
Seraphina turned and leaped into the air. Before Cael could say anything, he felt himself floating beside her.
She was still carrying him with her mana.
The wind rushed past them as they ascended. Below, the golden ocean faded into darkness. The borderlands shrank behind them, swallowed by the night.
From this height, they could see Arhal City in the distance. Thousands of lights illuminated the streets and buildings, tiny sparks against the vast darkness.
The city looked peaceful from up here. Quiet and safe.
Seraphina flew in silence. Cael did not speak either.
Soon enough, they were back at the Golden Scale Academy. The gates stood open, welcoming them.
Students walked the pathways below.
Seraphina landed softly on the entrance. Cael touched down beside her.
Before leaving, she turned to face him.
"Before you do such reckless things again, remind beforehand."
Her voice was firm, but there was sothing beneath it. Concern, perhaps. Or exhaustion.
She wanted to add sothing else.
’Otherwise, my fragile mind cannot keep up with your crazy actions.’
But she did not say it. She turned and walked away, her footsteps fading into the night.
Cael watched her go.
Then he sighed.
He pulled out his device and checked his ssages. There were a few. Most were unimportant. Notifications about the selection tests.
Then he read one ssage that made his face change.
’Edwin was sparring with another academy student?’
User Comments
0 comments from readers