His words carried a blend of relief, exasperation, and a tinge of melancholy.

Claude glanced around. Apart from the fine layer of dust that now coated every surface, the place looked eerily unchanged from how he had left it all those years ago.

"How long have I even been gone?" he muttered.

But before he could ponder further, a sharp pain lanced through his skull.

Claude grimaced, clutching his head. "Damn it… That fight drained every bit of my mental energy."

It was clear—he couldn't even muster the strength to cast a simple Tier 0 spell. The realisation left him weary. With nothing left to do but rest, he shook his head, resigned to his current state.

Dragging himself towards where he remembered his bedroom to be, Claude dropped onto the familiar, worn mattress. A cloud of dust erupted from the sheets, sending him into a coughing fit as the stale particles invaded his lungs.

Struggling to ignore the irritating haze, his mind began to drift, floating back to that strange world where he had spent so many years.

"I can't believe I was trapped there for over six years…" The thought left a heavy, morbid silence in the air. He had changed so much in that time, more than he could comprehend.

And yet, something else nagged at him. 'Then there's them… Gerard… I hope he found his way to the ruins by now. It should have been safe—I had practically cleared every hostile presence from the place when I last passed through.'

His thoughts then turned to Peter, Karl, Agnes, and the others.

What had become of them?

'I hope they're safe now… with that strange realm collapsed, at least they won't have to worry about any invasions—at least not for a while…'

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In a lush emerald forest outside of the village, Claude sat quietly in a small clearing, the firelight casting flickering shadows against the trees as a hare roasted over the crackling flames.

The savoury aroma filled the air, and as he took a bite of the tender meat, a contented sigh escaped his lips. "Finally… something to eat."

The chaos that had ensued ever since Claude's arrival in the city of Parsagadae had left him with little time for basic needs, and it wasn't until he had awoken that he was hit with a ravenous hunger.

Looking up at the pale blue sky, his eyes stung with the unfamiliar brightness. He squinted, rubbing his temples. "Hah…" he muttered. "It'll take some time to get used to this light again."

As he slowly chewed, his thoughts began to churn, trying to sort through the tangled threads of his next move.

"I can't seem to return to that world for some reason," he mused aloud, the memory of the bizarre tree that once connected him to the other realm coming to mind. "That strange tree seems quite content to ignore me now…"

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Frustration built in his chest. "So what am I supposed to do now?" he asked the open air, his voice thick with irritation.

As if on cue, a single word floated to the forefront of his mind.

Elysium.

He had seen it mentioned before, in Raymond's diary.

Reaching into his tunic, Claude pulled out the small, weathered book he always carried with him, its pages creased and worn from countless readings. Flipping through the familiar entries, he searched for those same words.

Elysium. Mage. Council.

The words seemed to stand out more clearly than ever, almost leaping off the page as he skimmed through the passages.

"Is Elysium some sort of mage organisation?" Claude wondered aloud. But even as he spoke, a sinking realisation struck him. "Even if it is… how am I supposed to find it?"

He rubbed his temples again, feeling a headache brewing as he realised he was essentially searching for a ghost. A needle in a haystack.

"And even if I do find it," he muttered, "who's to say they'll even accept me?"

The weight of his confusion pressed down on him, a familiar heaviness that threatened to suffocate him.

Then suddenly—

Neigh!

Claude froze his muscles tensing as he recognised the sound. A chill ran down his spine. "Don't tell me…" He shot to his feet, his senses sharpening as he scanned the forest's edge.

Emerging from the shadowed treeline, three monstrous figures loomed into view.

Their skin appeared flayed, their exposed muscles gleaming wetly in the light. Empty, hollow sockets stared out from where eyes should have been, and their towering forms easily dwarfed any grown man.

Memories of the past flooded Claude's mind, paralysing him. His fists clenched involuntarily.

'Not this time,' he thought bitterly. He wouldn't be helpless again. Not now. Not ever.

Neigh!

The creatures let out a collective, nightmarish scream, their grotesque bodies surging forward as they charged towards him in unison.

The forest floor trembled under the force of their movements.

Tat! Tat! Tat!

Claude exhaled slowly, shaking off the panic that threatened to overtake him. Tapping into his mental energy reserves, he forced himself to stay calm. His years of growth and hard-earned maturity guided him as he calculated the most efficient way to deal with the oncoming threat.

Three spears of water materialised in the air before him, glistening like polished glass. With a sharp flick of his hand, he launched them towards the centre creature, watching as the projectile pierced the beast's chest and sent it tumbling to the ground.

But the charge had been relentless, and the momentum of the others sent them barrelling towards him regardless.

Clicking his tongue in frustration, Claude summoned a rotating dome of water to surround himself, its surface spinning violently.

The moment the creatures collided with the barrier, their decaying flesh was ripped apart by the torrent, their bodies flung backwards and crashing into nearby trees.

But even with their flesh shredded, the creatures rose again, their vitality unsettling. The thick, green ichor that leaked from their wounds—a grotesque parody of blood—did little to slow them.

Claude's jaw tightened. He had no desire to drag this out much longer.

Condensing the moisture in the air, forming an enormous hand of water that shimmered like liquid crystal. He thrust the hand forward, crushing one of the beasts in its watery grasp.

The green fluid exploded outward, dissolving the vegetation around the clearing in a sizzling hiss. Yet, Claude remained unharmed, shielded by a protective screen of water.

His eyes narrowed. This was the most effective approach. Summoning the hand once more, he swiftly dispatched the remaining two creatures, their bodies crushed into oblivion as green liquid splattered across the forest.

Panting slightly, Claude surveyed the destruction around him.

Only now did the full weight of his power hit him. The strength he wielded now was far beyond what it had been before. He had avenged his teacher and those he had lost.

No longer did he have to run away. No longer would he have to shrink back in fear. No longer would he be helpless to protect those he wanted to save.

"Old man… I've avenged you. I've avenged everyone." His voice wavered slightly. "But this won't be the end. I'll keep going. I'll keep getting stronger. Never again will I be so helpless!"

A new fire burned within him, his resolve crystallising into something solid. His mind began to boil with plans for the future. There was no going back—only forward.

'The only thing I can do now is find a nearby city… maybe I can learn more about Elysium there.'

Shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight, Claude gazed up at the clear azure sky above him.

"I guess Littorbourg it is…"