CHAPTER 63

A DIFFERENT DREAM

  Sierra was relentless in pulling the boy's ear, causing Rudolf to step in and attempt to calm her down with his words. However, his eloquence didn't suit his knightly demeanour, and Sierra continued to resist.

Hans, who had been observing the scene, spoke up, "Granny, I need your help to master this mana discharge." However, she initially remained silent, knowing that he had been severely injured before.

Hans pleaded, "Please, let me recover on my own. I need to own this." After some hesitation, she reluctantly agreed, and after ensuring that Hans was at his best, he attempted the mana discharge once again.

  This time, it wasn't as difficult as before, and his body didn't feel the weight of the dense mana as much. With a loud sound, the storm of mana surged forward, targeting Rudolf. Despite the backlash, Hans successfully pushed his grandfather away for the first time in his life.

  In a moment of excitement, he jumped up, only to be met with a sharp pain when he landed. Gritting his teeth, he determined not to faint from the agony. He knew that the mana discharge was a potent weapon, capable of even pushing back Rudolf.

  Rudolf, for his part, was more surprised than excited by his child's growth. He had never imagined that Hans would possess such powerful spells that could make him take a step back, let alone several. The shock of the confrontation was evident on his face.

  Their child was growing stronger by the day, just like their first one. If anyone had suggested that Sam had shrunk himself and was now attempting to become the strongest mage, Rudolf would have believed it.

  Vanessa applauded Hans's feat, while Sierra watched him with concern. She had watched the entire event through ManaVision, and though it was true that Hans wasn't as badly injured as before, he wasn't entirely fine either. She swallowed her worries, not wanting to dampen her child's spirits.

  After just four hours, Hans had made a full recovery. He always had a remarkable ability to bounce back quickly from any injury, and this talent had only grown since coming to Concordia. It was almost as if someone was secretly nurturing him with potions, though in reality, she knew that no such thing was happening.

  As the off days of the week drew to a close, it was time for Hans to bid farewell to his family and return to the dorms. Chris was in the hall, chatting with others when Hans approached him. As soon as the others saw Hans, they made their excuses and left the two friends alone.

Chris, as usual, put a hand on Hans's shoulder and they returned to their room. Hans's beaming expression was a dead giveaway that he had some exciting news to share, so Chris humoured him and asked, "What's got you so happy?"

Hans giggled,

I mastered the mana discharge!

Chris raised an eyebrow sceptically,

Buddy, that's really elementary. Many of our classmates have done it in just a day.

But Hans was quick to defend himself, saying confidently,

Mine is different.

  Hans chuckled to himself and left Chris to ponder over the mystery of his "different" mana discharge. It had been a tiring day for him, so he went to bed early, hoping to catch up on some much-needed rest.

  But at some point during the night, he opened his eyes to find himself in an unfamiliar place. The sky above him was a dazzling array of colours, shining with an otherworldly brilliance.

  As he tried to take in his surroundings, everything was almost too bright for him to handle, causing him to squint for a moment. And then, he heard a voice – a voice that was far more melodious than Vanessa's. It seemed to be coming from somewhere far off, yet the words were crystal clear.

"Why do you have to go? I will never forgive you. I will destroy everything that you cherish".

  Hans struggled to move, trying to free himself from something that he can't see, but found his body rooted to the spot. The girl's voice continued to echo in his ears, sending shivers down his spine. He strained his eyes to see where the voice was coming from and what he saw left him breathless.

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  Before him, stood the most enchanting girl he had ever laid eyes on. Her long, lustrous hair flowed in the wind, creating a mesmerizing dance around her. Her eyes, a bright shade of red, shimmered with unshed tears, adding to her ethereal beauty.

  As Hans continued to gaze at her, he couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart. Who was she? And why was she crying? Despite his best efforts to move closer, he remained stuck in place, his body as immobile as a statue.

  The mysterious girl continued to weep, and as Hans looked around, he realized that they were surrounded by a vast field of sunflowers. But in the distance, there stood a looming structure, a tombstone of sorts, that seemed to be the cause of the girl's sorrow.

  Hans couldn't help but wonder whose grave it was, but as he tried to read the inscription, he found that the name had been scratched out. It was then that he noticed the girl's ears, pointed and long, like those of an elf. But her hair was as black as midnight, a rare sight, not known for an elf.

As Hans pondered over the girl's identity, he suddenly felt her attention shift towards him, her once sad demeanour turning colder and more hostile.

Who dares to come here? She demanded, her voice carrying a sharp edge that made Hans realize that he was not welcome there.

  Hans felt a chill run down his spine as the girl's voice echoed in his mind. He couldn't shake off the feeling of fear that had settled in his bones. As he stirred in his sleep, he found himself abruptly waking up in his bed, gasping for air and yelling at the girl.

  His sudden outburst jolted his roommate Chris awake. At first, Chris was ready to give Hans a piece of his mind, but the sight of his friend's shivering and gasping for breath made him realize that something was seriously wrong. Hans frantically looked around for the girl in the field, but all he saw was Chris staring back at him with a concerned expression.

  A sharp pain pounded in Hans's head, reminding him that he was back in reality. The sensation was so intense that he blacked out again, leaving Chris no choice but to call for help. The dorm manager quickly arrived and together they carried Hans to the infirmary, hoping that the medical staff could find a way to calm him

  As Hans slowly regained consciousness, he found himself surrounded by familiar faces. His sister Vanessa sat by his side, holding his hand tightly, while Chris and surprisingly Delimira were there as well. Despite the throbbing pain in his head, Hans managed to weakly reassure his sister, "I am alright, don't worry."

Vanessa's voice quavered with emotion, on the brink of breaking down into tears. Her words stumbled out in a stuttering cadence.

Do you not understand how much you mean to me?

  Hans lowered his eyes apologetically as he listened to Vanessa, fully aware that she had become practically devoted to him. He combed through his memories of their time together, but he couldn't recall a single moment when she hadn't put his well-being before her own.

Vanessa, who had lost everything in her life, had found solace and comfort in acting as Hans's guardian. Her voice was filled with sadness as she asked him,

Then why do you keep doing this?

  Although Hans wanted to speak up, he knew deep down that this time it was not his fault. It felt surreal, almost like the Elven massacre he had witnessed on the Ghost Isles. He recalled the image of a weeping girl standing before a tomb, a symbol of someone's tragic demise. The thought struck him that if he were to die, many people would feel the same despair, including his dear sister.

Taking hold of her hand, he said,

"I can't promise that I won't end up here again, sis, but rest assured, I won't leave this world before you do". He resolved never to want his loved ones to experience the same pain and sorrow as that girl in my dream.

  Sierra and Rudolf watched from a distance as Hans appeared to be physically unharmed. Sensing that there was no need to cause a commotion, they continued with their work as usual. Once Vanessa regained her composure, Hans turned to Delimira and asked about what he had seen in his dream.

"Ms Winters, do you happen to know any elves with black hair?" he inquired.

"Why do you ask?" Delimira responded, trying to confirm something.

"It's the second time I've dreamt of one," Hans explained.

He vividly remembered the dream where he had taken over someone's body and watched as they mercilessly slaughtered elves, including the black-haired one. However, he wasn't willing to share the gruesome details with the others.

"And with red eyes too, right?" Delimira asked, confirming her suspicion.

Excitedly, Hans asked,

So you do know?

Delimira responded,

It's a fairy tale about elves. According to the legend, the first elven king to unite the elves, King Clandor, had the blood of the Elven gods, which caused his eyes to turn red and his hair to turn black.

Hans asked,

So is it something special, or is it just about appearance?

Delimira replied,

Were you not paying attention? It's about the blood of the Elven gods. The ability to control unrecorded mana. He was believed to be a space mana user, but that's only hearsay.

Hans then asked,

Do you happen to have a picture of him?

Delimira became annoyed. It was early in the morning, and she had come to the hospital to check on Hans, but he was only interested in old elven legends. She retorted, "Why would I carry his picture with me?"

Hans went silent, realizing that she had a point. Delimira then asked him,

Why are you dreaming about old elven legends?

Hans replied instantly,

The heck I know.

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