Episode-979
Chapter : 1957
He looked at the pile of ash that used to be the Collector.
"They made a mistake," Lloyd said. "They forgot to check the math."
He looked back at Airin.
"We aren't alone anymore," he said. "We have each other. And we have science."
He guided her toward the door, stepping carefully over the debris.
"Now," Lloyd said, his voice returning to its usual practical tone. "Let's get you to the infirmary. I need to treat those burns properly. And then... I think I owe you a very long explanation about why I have a cannon in my arm."
Airin laughed, a tired but happy sound. "And I think you owe me dinner. I did just save your life, after all."
"Fair point," Lloyd conceded. "Dinner it is. But nothing fancy. I know a place that makes terrible coffee, just the way we like it."
As they walked out of the shattered greenhouse and into the cool evening air, Lloyd felt a weight lift off his shoulders. The war wasn't over. The enemies were still out there. But for the first time since he arrived in this world, he didn't feel like he was fighting a losing battle.
He had his engineer back. And together, they were going to fix this broken world, one problem at a time.
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The dust inside the Crystal Greenhouse didn’t settle all at once. It hung in the air like a thick, grey curtain, turning the afternoon sunlight into hazy beams that cut across the wreckage. The smell was terrible—a mix of melted stone, burnt ozone from the lightning-fast plasma beam, and the sharp, coppery scent of blood.
Lloyd Ferrum stood in the middle of the destruction. His chest was heaving as he tried to pull air into his lungs. The adrenaline that had been pumping through his veins like rocket fuel was starting to fade, leaving behind a heavy, aching exhaustion. He looked down at his right arm. The massive, white-and-gold cannon had dissolved back into particles of light, leaving his normal human hand behind. His fingers were trembling slightly, not from fear, but from the sheer physical cost of channeling that much power.
He looked around at the ruin. The beautiful glass roof was gone, shattered into a million pieces that crunched under his boots every time he shifted his weight. The rare tropical plants were scorched or flattened. In the corner, where the enemy used to stand, there was only a black scorch mark on the wall and a pile of grey ash on the floor.
But Lloyd didn't care about the building. He didn't care about the mess. His eyes snapped instantly to the young woman sitting on the floor a few yards away.
Airin was leaning against the leg of a sturdy wooden table. Her face was pale, smeared with dirt and sweat. Her hands, which she held gently in her lap, were covered in small cuts from the glass shards she had used as a weapon. The front of her Academy uniform was singed black, a scary reminder of how close she had come to dying.
But she was alive. And more importantly, she was awake.
She was looking at her own hands with a strange expression. It wasn't fear. It wasn't panic. It was a look of deep, intense curiosity. She was looking at her palms as if she had never really seen them before.
Lloyd walked over to her. He moved carefully, stepping over jagged pieces of metal and stone. When he reached her, he knelt down on one knee, ignoring the glass that dug into his trousers.
"Airin," he said softly.
She looked up. Her eyes were bright and clear. The terror that had filled them just ten minutes ago was gone.
"I calculated it," she whispered, her voice raspy but steady. "I knew the refractive index of the glass. I knew the angle of your arm. I knew the speed of light."
She sounded like she was trying to convince herself that it had really happened.
"You did," Lloyd said. He reached out and gently took her wrist, checking her pulse. It was fast, but strong. "You did the math in the middle of a war zone. Do you have any idea how incredible that is?"
Airin let out a short, breathless laugh. "It wasn't incredible. It was necessary. I didn't want to die."
Chapter : 1958
Lloyd looked at her face. He was searching for something. He was looking for the ghost of his past wife, the woman from his old life on Earth. He was looking for Anastasia. And he saw her there, in the set of Airin's jaw and the intelligence in her eyes. But he also saw something else. He saw Airin. He saw the scholarship student who worked harder than anyone else. He saw the girl who was terrified of public speaking but brave enough to turn herself into a human mirror to kill a monster.
"You saved us," Lloyd said seriously. "If you hadn't reflected that shot, his shield would have eaten my attack. We would both be dead."
Airin looked at the scorch mark on the wall. "I didn't just want to be saved, Lloyd. I’m tired of being the person who needs saving."
Before Lloyd could answer, a loud booming sound echoed from the main entrance of the greenhouse. The heavy metal doors, which Lloyd had smashed open earlier, were pushed aside completely.
"Secure the perimeter!" a loud voice shouted. "Students, stay back! Do not enter!"
Dozens of heavy boots stomped onto the stone floor. A squad of Academy Guards rushed in, their swords drawn and their wands glowing with defensive magic. They spread out quickly, checking the corners for threats.
Behind them came the Headmaster, Valerius.
The old mage looked calm, but his eyes were sharp as knives. He swept into the room, his long robes trailing behind him over the debris. He took one look at the hole in the roof, the ash on the floor, and the shattered magical barrier, and he understood exactly what had happened.
He walked straight to Lloyd and Airin.
"Professor Ferrum," Valerius said, his voice deep and controlled. "I felt the disturbance from my office. The magical pressure in this area spiked to levels I haven't felt since the war."
Lloyd stood up, helping Airin to her feet. He kept a supporting arm around her waist, letting her lean on him.
"We had an intruder," Lloyd said. His voice switched instantly to his professional, cold tone. He was hiding the husband, bringing out the commander. "A high-level agent from the Seventh Circle. He was using a forbidden artifact to manipulate the local space."
Valerius’s eyes narrowed. "The Seventh Circle? Here? Inside the Academy walls?"
"He was waiting for her," Lloyd said, nodding at Airin. "He targeted her because of her unique magical core. He wanted to kidnap her."
The guards gasped. The idea that a student could be targeted inside the school was terrifying.
Valerius looked at Airin. He saw the burns on her clothes and the blood on her hands. But he also saw the way she was standing. She wasn't crying. She wasn't hysterical. She was standing tall, meeting the Headmaster’s gaze without flinching.
"And the intruder?" Valerius asked. "Where is he?"
Lloyd pointed to the pile of ash. "Disposed of."
Valerius raised an eyebrow. He looked from the ash to the hole in the wall, then back to Lloyd. "That is... a very thorough disposal."
He stepped closer to Airin. "Scholar Airin. Are you injured?"
"Just cuts and bruises, Headmaster," Airin said. Her voice was surprisingly strong. "And a burn. But I’m fine."
Valerius paused. He was a powerful mage, one of the best in the kingdom. He could sense things others couldn't. He looked at Airin closely, sensing the residual energy clinging to her skin. It felt hot. It felt bright.
"This energy..." Valerius murmured. "It feels like solar fire. Did Professor Ferrum cast a shield on you?"
Airin shook her head. "No, sir. I cast it on myself."
Valerius looked stunned. He looked at Lloyd for confirmation.
"She fought back," Lloyd said, a note of intense pride creeping into his voice. "She didn't just hide, Headmaster. She weaponized the light. She calculated the geometry of the room and used it to bypass the enemy's defenses. She is the one who landed the killing blow."
The guards lowered their weapons, staring at the small girl in shock. Even Valerius looked surprised.
"A student did this?" Valerius asked.
"Not just a student," Lloyd corrected him. "A Battle-Scholar."
The term hung in the air. It wasn't an official title. It was something Lloyd had just made up. But it fit perfectly.
Valerius nodded slowly. A look of deep respect crossed his face. "I see. It seems we have underestimated you, Airin."
"I think a lot of people have," Lloyd said darkly.