Chapter 87: Blessing Or Curse?
The next day, before the sun had yet to rise.
Darkness still clung to the academy grounds, the only light coming from the distant glow of the city beyond the walls and the faint shimmer of the protective barrier overhead.
Inside the Vice Principal’s office, Seraphina sat alone, the soft glow of the room’s light casting long shadows across the stacks of paperwork before her.
She frowned as she read the document in her hands.
It was the medical report of three students.
Apparently, three students who had been sparring with each other had gone mad in the middle of the forest.
Their absence had not drawn immediate attention. They were Class C’s students, after all.
But it was not usual for them to miss a day without explanation.
But a day later, their class instructor noticed their continued absence and made inquiries.
After some investigation, the instructor finally found them.
If he were to use one word to describe what he saw, it would be... "inhuman."
They were laughing. They had been laughing for hours, perhaps days.
Their faces were pale, their eyes bloodshot, their voices hoarse from screaming.
Tears streamed down their cheeks, but the tears were no longer water.
They were blood.
After learning of the incident, Seraphina had ordered a full search for any possible intruder or spell.
She had also forbidden access to the forest training grounds until she found a definitive answer.
And last night, she had received the report on the three students’ condition.
The report was more than ten pages long, filled with medical jargon, mana analysis, and psychological evaluations.
But the final conclusion was simple: cause unknown.
It was not a mana spell. It was not a miasma spell. It was a totally different energy, one that targeted only the students’ minds, or to be pierce their emotions.
The report noted that the energy did not behave like an attack. It was not aggressive, not corrosive, not destructive.
It simply resonated with the students’ emotions.
Seraphina paused and raised an eyebrow.
The word "resonance" had significant value in this world.
It was the foundation of the State of Resonant, the rarest and most powerful state a class holder could achieve.
To think that an unknown energy, neither mana nor miasma, existed and was capable of resonating with others’ emotions.
Seraphina felt a chill run down her spine. One had to fear the unknown. It was the oldest instinct, and it rarely lied.
Of course, Seraphina did not fully trust the report.
It was a preliminary conclusion, based on limited data and incomplete analysis. But it was all they had for now.
This was not something she could hide from others, especially not from the Council.
The Council had a right to know about any potential threat to the academy.
But the problem was, once she told them, they would try to take the three students away.
Only the gods knew how the Council would treat them once they had their hands on these students.
Seraphina clenched her fist, feeling a rare flash of frustration.
The Council’s goals and ideals were good. Their methods, however, were another matter entirely.
As Seraphina contemplated what to do, her mobile rang. She glanced at the screen. It was the doctor overseeing the three students.
She lifted the mobile and answered the call. The doctor’s excited yet uncertain voice rang out.
"V-Vice Principal, you should come and take a look."
Seraphina was confused, but she stood up and moved toward the medical dormitory.
The morning air was cool against her skin as she walked, the first rays of sunlight beginning to peek over the horizon.
Students who were exercising or jogging greeted her as she passed. She nodded softly, ignoring the fanatic gazes that followed her.
She was used to them by now.
Soon, she arrived at the medical dormitory. She entered the room where the students were being kept and found the doctor examining them. Then she asked,
"So, what is it?"
The doctor turned to her; his face flushed with excitement.
"The unknown energy has disappeared from their bodies. Completely. There is no trace of it left."
Seraphina listened as the doctor continued, detailing the findings.
"In short..."
Seraphina said, cutting through the excited rambling,
"You are saying that the unknown energy disappeared from them, and their mana ranks increased by two minor stages."
The doctor nodded eagerly and continued,
"Not only that. Their aptitude with mana has also increased."
"Their chances of reaching [Gold] are now ninety percent. And their chances of reaching [Mythril] are twenty to thirty percent."
"They literally became geniuses overnight."
Seraphina nodded, showing no surprise on her face. But internally, she was processing the implications.
One had to know that the normal chances of reaching [Gold] were sixty percent. The chances of reaching [Mythril] were five to ten percent.
Those were the averages, drawn from decades of data across multiple generations.
Although [Mythril] rankers were rare in the mainlands, at the borderlines, they were not as uncommon.
The ones who held the most authority in the borderlands were [Adamant] rankers.
Unless a calamity occurred that [Mythril] rankers could not control, they rarely came to the mainlands.
That was why every district had at least one [Mythril] ranker guarding them.
Even so, each major city typically had five to ten [Mythril] rankers stationed within its walls.
Finding three students with a twenty to thirty percent chance of reaching [Mythril] was quite a shock.
Seraphina felt a headache forming behind her eyes.
’Seriously, what kind of power does that unknown energy contain?
’To be able to turn ordinary students into geniuses overnight, is it truly a blessing in disguise?’
While the doctor was all smiles, another doctor, older and more reserved, commented from the corner of the room.
"Do not get overexcited. We have yet to find the origin of that unknown energy."
"And we have yet to determine whether this is a... blessing or a curse."
Seraphina nodded approvingly, agreeing with his words.
Caution was warranted. Unknown energies did not appear out of nowhere.
Something had caused this. And until they knew what that ’something’ was, celebrating was premature.
---
On the other side of the academy, at the main entrance, Luke and Mira stood facing each other.
The morning light was brighter here, casting long shadows across the stone path leading to the gates.
A few early risers passed by, glancing at the couple but not stopping.
Mira hesitated, her voice soft,
"Are you really leaving?"
Luke gave a helpless smile.
"Sorry, Mira. Although I really want to experience academy life with you, I can’t. I really can’t."
Although he said those words aloud, only Mira could hear them. His Telepathy skill ensured that.
[Telepathy (A)]
He continued, his voice steady but heavy.
"Many things are going differently from my past life. The more time I waste here, the more things will go out of control."
After seeing Seris, the girl with the Sovereign’s destiny, Luke had changed his plans.
He had sped up his plans and contingency preparations.
He could not afford to wait any longer.
Mira was silent for a few seconds, processing his words. Then she asked,
"What is your plan now?"
Luke’s eyes sharpened as he answered,
"I will join the Council. Under an alias. Along with Kira Crimson."
Mira raised an eyebrow,
"Kira... you mean that vamp—?"
She did not finish the word, but Luke understood as he nodded.
Mira immediately asked,
"You said her enemies were the vampire high-bloods. What if they tell the Council about her?"
Luke smiled, calm and assured.
"You do not have to worry about that. I have already made preparations."
"I created a fake identity for her. And three days from now, Kira Crimson will be killed by a new Council agent."
Mira’s eyes widened as she realized the implication.
’A fake death.’
Kira would disappear, and a new identity would take her place. It was risky, but it might work.
Then she asked one more question, her voice tinged with worry.
"What if the Council finds out you cannot use your elements?"
Luke took one step forward. His hand stretched out, his fingers gently touching Mira’s cheek.
"You do not have to worry about that either. I will be careful."
His thumb brushed against her skin, soft and reassuring.
"And do not miss me too much,"
He said softly and continued,
"We will meet again at the tournament in five months. I hope that by then, you will surprise me."
Mira smiled, her eyes glistening. She nodded.
Luke took another step forward. His hand ran down from her cheek to her chin, and he raised her face gently.
Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.
Mira’s eyes widened as her first kiss was stolen away.
Then the culprit, Luke, stepped back, watching her shocked expression and finding it very endearingly adorable.
A small smile played on his lips as he said,
"Later."
He turned and walked through the academy gates, his figure growing smaller as he moved toward the city beyond.
Mira stood frozen, her fingers touching her lips, her heart pounding.
The morning sun rose higher, casting warm light across the empty path where he had stood.
Mira, who was still touching her lips, shook her head and muttered softly,
"He’s going to pay for that."