9.2

It was a universally known fact that whenever one was enjoying himself that time would flow faster than perceived. And when everything felt mundane and lifeless, each second would feel like an eternity that would never pass by.

These statements perfectly applied to John for most of his life, the time he spent with his newfound family, the Harvests, the hero’s party, with Evie, all of which ended had time moved faster than he could blink his eye. As for the times that he recalled to his banishment, what happened with Raina on that fated night in the unknown town, his trial before A’vetheas, Alwin’s betrayal…

Today however, was different. It was a mix of both of those statements.

Time passed quickly for John Sarvod…

He spent the rest of the night with the hero’s party—with Randolph being the only one who is absent due to his uncontrolled drinking—discussing what riddle on the billboard he saw earlier today meant.

John had fetched his notes and shared them with four members of the hero’s party, asked them for their opinions so that all of them could be more prepared when the event takes place.

Gobbert—who retuned after sending Randolph back—said the three pillars might refer to one of underground dungeons that the empire had sealed away from public, and that students of the academy would be teleported there to clear the traps and monsters of the dungeons.

Helen and Scywell both came to the conclusion that it meant that they would be teleported to an undiscovered vault that was somewhere outside Dezarith Empire’s grounds. And that it was the students’ duty to recover lost relics by solving the puzzles laid by those who created the vault itself.

Angeline did gave a few names to where the venue might be, but the more she studied the riddle, the more uncertain she became with the answers she gave previously. Like John, she thought that the second line of the riddle was one that cast the most doubts in her mind.

Under such circumstances, passage of time is a falsetto of hope.

This part of the riddle was one where not even with their collected experience and knowledge could have deciphered. Time, which was known to everyone for its everyday utility, could not have posed more of a mystery to them when they tried to unravel its specific meaning in regards to the riddle.

…but it also felt like the moment he was waiting for would never come.

Putting the matter of solving the riddle aside. John was in fact, restless the throughout the night, he could not focus despite being the one who brought up the topic of the riddle to his friends. The later the clock moved its two hands by the wall, the more he felt like his logical mind was forsaking him.

The reason for his worries?

The day was to end in less than two hours but Evie had not returned to the academy. Granted what she promised him the during the Ball of Paragons meant that her return to Moxnet Academy is inevitable, John can’t help but to worry.

John’s body gave off a low burn the further the stayed up in the night keeping up with his friends while he patiently waited for Evie to reveal herself.

Alcohol never made him drunk as much as it tired him, in a sense, he was tolerant to it, but his consciousness began to fuzz the longer he stayed awake tonight. Regardless, John gave his all to keep himself up,the very least he could to do was to see through Evie’s return himself.

When the clock sounded with eleven strikes, his friends, Scywell, Helen, Gobbert, and Angeline had decided that it was best that they returned to their respective rooms. They had been out the whole day attending matters in the capital, Registoria, their energy was all spent.

The liveliness in the pub dwindled the closer the clock moved to indicate midnight, what was a lively place hours prior had become quiet the moment the Scywell and the rest left. Contrary to the first day where everyone busied to make acquaintances and friends whatnot, residents of East Wing was surprisingly disciplined and followed a strict schedule of their own. In fact, it was rare to see anyone loitering in the common room on the first floor past midnight.

John who still waited for Evie in the pub on his own, decided that he would do that in his room instead. It was not that she didn’t know where his room was, in fact, she was the one who asked him about it and visited him daily just to spend time chatting with him.

She’s so proactive once I got to know her, to think she ran away from me on the first day just because she was shy is just hilarious.

John gave a lethargic yawn as he entered his room, his eyes sunken in their sockets. The lethargy from his sword training finally caught up to him, if he knew that the dragon girl will be retuning to Monext late, he might have stopped an hour earlier and saved his energy.

“No use complaining now…” he sighed to himself as he locked the door to his room behind him.

John proceeded to throw himself on his bed and slid into the blankets as he looked the semi-opened doors by the balcony of his room, expecting the silver haired maiden to come greet him any time soon.

Tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok.

The clock’s soft ticking that he normally do not perceive entered his ear as a cool breeze lifted the silk curtains to his room. Bathed by the cool spring wind, his heaty body returned to normal, his breathing became shallow, it became harder for John to keep his heavy eyelids open.

A second went by, then a minute, then, he was no longer sure.

His view of the clock became blurry, but he still could make out the rough outlines.

It isn’t midnight yet… he weakly thought to himself. She should be… She promised, she won’t break her promise.

Like any night owl, staying up hours pass midnight was something that John could do through sheer will. Back in A’vetheas, it was often for him to burn the midnight oil whenever he had urgent work, regardless of how many days were left in the deadline, it was his practice to complete them as soon as possible.

“Evie…”

There was even that one time that he did not sleep for two days straight and kept himself awake with [Heal] just because he wanted to test the limits of his body—though it was quickly shut down by Queen Veissa when Raina reported it to the Queen out of concern for his well-being.

However, it was different this time. The tiredness of his body overwhelmed his consciousness like a tidal wave, even if he had the energy to use [Heal] on himself, there was nothing going to stop John from falling into deep slumber.

This weariness that so suddenly surfaced from within him was stronger than any emotion he felt up to now, it was like the activation of a long forgotten magic spell that was cast on him. They were like shackles that his very soul bore from a time before A’vetheas, from a life that he had long forgotten.

Dong, dong, dong…

Soft strikes of the clock from the pub made their way to John’s room. When the twelfth strike was over, John had long succumbed to his exhaustion.

…

Where is she?

The young boy thought to himself as his scanned his surroundings, his hand clutched onto a short sword that was unbefitting for someone of his young age, blood trickled from the tip of his weapon as he stumbled his way through the ruins of a collapsed building.

His heart thumped in anticipation of what he was about to find, his eyes were already puffy from the realization that the person he was looking for was already…

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A lump formed at his throat as he repeated that ominous thought. The nerves to his spine pierced at him for not taking action sooner, for not acting more decisively. It was his fault that…

I have [Heal], I have [Heal], I have [Heal]. The reason I can use this spell was because I wanted to help, that’s why I can use it. Even if she… [Heal] won’t fail me...

The grip he had on his weapon became loose with each trudging step he took in the rummage that was caused from his fight with the inhuman being, against his close friend who turned out no more than selfish manipulator who used him just like everyone else.

The boy had even used the magic that he had kept secret from everyone to just repel that horrible monster, magic that he purposely failed to develop in fear that the world would come to hate him. If not for that horrible person, that demon, that incarnation of depair…

Alas, he failed to protect what was precious to him.

A tear tickled down his cheek as he moved through what was left of the Sarvod’s main estate. He hated this place, he hated everyone who lived here, he hated his parents that forbade him from living here with them when all he wanted was their approval, he hated that as the eldest child of the Sarvod family he had to play the role of a subservient child to maintain the status quo of his family.

But none of them deserve to die. Not his parents that he detested with a passion, not the countless relatives that gathered in his house today.

The bodies of those who once lived in the main estate were vaporized long before he fought with the demon. In some way, he was relieved that he would not see their bodies given that a single thought back to them brought about empty words that made his stomach churn sickly.

They never understood. Dad, mom…always, wanted me to do what they wanted they never cared what I thought, what I felt… Everyone saw me as nothing but a tool to be used…

It was not that this was news to him. From the day that he was born, he knew that it was inevitable that he would be used for his potential. The boy, had naively thought that if he had hid away his shrewd mind and played the part of an obedient child, a clueless fool, that somehow his fears of being used and hurt by the very people he craved acceptance from would be nothing but a baseless fear of his own.

Reality however, only solidified the inevitable. His pretense of being none the wiser only made the people around him despise and isolate him. The boy’s so called ‘family’ never once supported him, they may have showeredd him with compliments in front of others, they may spoke greatly about his capabilities and boast them to the world, but when there were no prying eyes, he was their performing monkey, their trophy to be shown, and any slight disagreement or hesitation in doing to what his parents wanted would end up with him receiving painful ‘lessons’…

Before those thoughts consumed him and spiraled him into another series of self-loathing, he pressed on and went to the spot where he saw her body dropped onto.

He was searching for someone. Someone who lived with him as a caretaker, as a servant, as his support, someone who despite the boy’s arrogant, cynical self was able to come to giving him the love and affection that he so desired from his forsaken family.

Someone who answered the boy’s silent plead for help in the cruel world he lived in.

And so, he dug at the spot where her body had fallen to earlier, his two arms moved relentlessly through the rummage of the collapsed building with his dirt covered body.

“Please… Please be alive. You said you won’t leave… You said you would always be by my side…” his voice choked and tears trickled down his cheeks. “Y-you promised, you said you would be with me as long I wanted you to…”

His fingers came to a halt when he saw the girl he had been searching for.

Soft cheeks, white hair.

Trails of blood was all over her maid uniform that she wore, her skin that was once fair was now stiff just like her body.

She was no doubt, dead.

How could she not be when her neck was twisted to an unusual angle, it was bent into a horrible sight that her head might have been better off decapitated. And to have that kind face of hers rendered into no more than a cruel act of violence… The boy’s head felt dizzy, blood drained from his cheeks, his dark eyes became heavy, ready to break down anytime soon, but with the remaining courage he had in him, he held it all in.

It’s alright, it’s alright…this will work, it has to.

He stretched out a shaky hand and placed by her bruised cheeks like she always requested from him, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath while firmly holding the image of his maid while she was still alive and rid of any injuries.

“[Heal]!”

He shouted, and the blue aura appeared from his palm to cover the girl’s body. In no time, her pale face returned to the rosy color that she had, her broken neck repaired itself, the wounds and scars on her body all disappeared. Her appearance returned to what it was supposed to be, but that was all his magic could do, his maid has yet to awaken from her eternal slumber

“…”

The boy’s face became grim, his grip on the girl’s shirt tightened.

“[Heal]!” the boy used his magic once more but there was no change, she saw no signs of waking up, her beautiful scarlet eyes did not open to greet him. With no movements in her chest, it was evident that her soul had left her body, he was too late in saving her.

“I-I…” his hands twitched in the air.

For all the cruelty and heartbreak that he was subjected to in his life by the people around him, this was something that he cannot allow to happen. If she had truly become dead…t-then he might as well be.

“[Revival]! [Return Soul]!” he shouted but was only greeted with an eerie silence. “No, no, no this can’t be… She can’t be dead… After all, I have this power…” the boy’s hopeless voice cracked as he stared at his two hands, they were the only hope he had left.

They were small hands, smaller than any boy of his age should have, aside from the occasional crafts that he would make with his precious maid and his magic prowess, these small hands amounted to nothing. And now, even his magic failed him when he needed them the most.

As a part of the secret that he bore, the boy was strong and gifted in magic, if he had a strong desire to do anything, this magic will manifest itself. Since it was a type of magic that did not involve using his mana pool directly, it was categorized as taboo, for only those who bore an innate chaos are able to use such magic.

It was none other than, forbidden magic.

Though mana was the core of any magic spell, there were many cases that an individual would end up using their emotions, their minds, their desires, even their very bodies as a process of successfully casting their magic. Though often conflated with demon magic and labeled in tandem, as many demons were known to use it with more success, forbidden magic are able to yield good results a fraction of what their counterparts could do. However, they are in fact much, much, more unstable than traditional magic cast from using mana.

In cases of forbidden magic such as sacrificial magic, where the user would sacrifice a part of their bodies, or their minds in order to cast their spells. Many have attempted to do so, but most failed when their attempts ended up with them costing their own lives.

For the boy, he was able to channel his sheer will into his magic casting and suffered no drawbacks of using forbidden magic, it was truly a miracle that he mental state allowed him to do so. But fearing he himself might end up becoming a demon and be consumed by the very power that he was born with, his lack of practice with this forbidden magic failed to revive his most precious.

The boy blamed himself for allow that monster to get close to him, he blamed himself for not putting an end to the problem when he first saw the signs.

“It’s my fault, it’s my fault, I should have listened to you… I am sorry, I am sorry…” he buried his face onto his two palms before he screamed in pain for his inability. “I’ve caused this… I should have…”

It was because of him she died, it was because of his inability to stand firm on his ground that she suffered such a cruel death, if only he was more assertive, stronger willed, more decisive, used his forbidden magic against the person who tried to manipulate him…

All of this could have been prevented.

And now, as he healed her body, restored its lost vigor, it was far too late, her soul was permanently lost from his grasp and could never return to the physical realm.

“I-I haven’t once said…hic…I haven’t even told you, d-despite everything I said… I-I…”

A lump formed at the base of his throat. He wanted to confess the feelings that he had for her, but only his mouth moved and no sound was made. His feelings of affection that he bore swelled in his heart.

I am sorry. I can’t bring myself to say that w-when y-you are…

He craned his head towards her, rubbed his cheeks onto hers for the last time. As though a stray kitten was trying to wake their dead parent, the boy kept nudging his tear filled face against her.

She was why he endured his meaningless of life, she was why he had not gave in to the insanity the world edged him to, the world that wanted to break his will so badly. She was his hope for a better future. She, someone who only had the status of being his servant, was able come to love him more than anyone in his life.

“I d-don’t want to live in a world without you…” the boy tired forcing a smile but his tears flowed like a river, his heart was tender at the sight of her snow-white face, her button nose, her shoulder length hair, her…

His hands clutched on to hers, his gentle lips found her forehead, “I, John Sarvod, don’t want to live in a world without…”

John’s eyes burst open, his torso jolted into an upwards position.

I-I…

He moved his hands to his face and wiped away the tears and snot, his shaken heart still thumped loudly as though the scene of the dream was still ongoing before his very eyes.

“Calm down, John…” he said to himself. “It’s just a dream.”

His eyes moved to observe his room on their own, taking in the morning light to soothe his throbbing heart.

It hurts…

John moved his hand to his chest and pressed inwards strongly to subdue the inexplainable pain, each heartbeat felt like it was about to rip his heart into pieces.

I… Was that…

The girl from his dream was someone important to him, but only now he was starting to remember. Why now? Why was he seeing memories of a distant past when all he wanted was to move on with his life, to move on from A’vetheas?

All John wanted was to live a simple life, one where he was appreciated for who he was, one without the unnecessary complexity of what fate had in store for him. But the more he tried, the harder the world fought against him, and now, the remnant of his life prior to A’vetheas were coming back to him piece by piece…

He was not able to understand what happened in his dream but there was one thing he knew.

A name.

The name of the maid girl in his dream.

“Kahnira.”