Feiden and Vetsmon walked over from the medical ward, a cloud of depression hanging over them. I stood up and walked to meet them, placing a hand on Feiden’s shoulder.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“...Mira.”

“Mira…”

It took me a second to understand what he was implying. My heart sank.

“She… wasn’t there. Not in the Steed, not in the group that abandoned us. She’s… not here…”

“...”

The medical ward’s atmosphere grew oppressive as the screams of the soldiers faded away. I… didn’t know what to say.

She didn’t make it through the initial fight. If she had been with the other students, she probably would have stayed with us when we stopped to fight.

But now she was nowhere to be seen. Even if she survived the initial battle, since she wasn’t here, she was somewhere out there. And that only meant that she was already dead.

Feiden’s girlfriend was gone.

I wrapped him in a tight hug. I could only imagine how he felt. It wasn’t a feeling I ever wanted to experience.

Once we separated, I brought him over to a seat, guiding him to slump into the seat and simply being there.

Eventually, he asked.

“How’s Tana?”

“She’s in a coma right now. Should survive. How healthy she’ll be when she wakes back up, I’m not sure. But she’s at least alive.”

“Yo-… you were keeping her heart going for hours. Thankfully it worked out.”

“Yeah. Given the shit circumstances, we all did the best we could.”

A long sigh escaped my lips.

A few tears leaked from the corners of Feiden’s eyes, tracing rivulets down his cheeks.

……

…

Tana didn’t seem like she would wake up anytime soon. I had fears of neurological damage, but for now, we could only wait for her to come out of her coma.

We couldn’t really do anything except notify her parents and leave her in the Puppet Master’s hands as those unwounded in our class were teleported back to the Capitol.

Vetsmon couldn’t find the Templar assigned to him, but he still had his Writ, despite all that had happened. He went straight back to the Holy See to report to his parents.

Feiden went back to his parents with a promise that we would meet up soon. I didn’t want to leave him alone for that long, but he needed a familiar place to process things.

That left Umara and I to the Talerria Dukedom, the City of Joffrun.

Ikhor accompanied us to the mansion where the Duchess and Faey were waiting by the door. Worry was so palpable in Faey’s Aura it seemed to almost stain the entryway, seeping deep into the gray bricks.

Talexia silently walked over to her daughter and wrapped her in a crushing hug.

“Welcome home.”

“Thanks mom.”

Their greeting was warm but succinct. Umara walked over to Faey afterwards, wrapping her in a hug. Her face, tense, instantly melted into relief.

Talexia faced me for a few seconds before stepping forward and hugging me as well.

I was a bit shocked. I didn’t think we had gotten so close.

The hug was short and sweet, and I felt my eyebrows rising as we broke it off.

“I suddenly feel my spirits being rejuvenated. Few more seconds?”

“Tsk, cheeky boy. Leave the cuddly stuff for my daughter.”

“Heh, will do.”

We shared a smile before I went over to pick up Faey, poking her ribs with my fingers. She let out a peal of laughter.

“Ack! I’m not a kid!”

“Why are you ticklish then? Only kids are ticklish.”

“Liar! Put me down!”

“Haha.”

I laughed as we walked into the house, letting Faey down when the doors closed.

I pulled her in for a quick hug before she could run.

“It’s good to see you, kid.”

“Mm, you too. I heard something happened?”

“Eh, a few beasts attacked our base. But we’re fine. Your sister singlehandedly killed them all and flew us home.”

“Really?”

“I-I did not. Stop lying.”

I got a smack on the shoulder. Faey snickered.

We filed into the dining room after a little more talking. My stomach rumbled upon smelling food. I had forgotten entirely to eat with everything going on,

Dinner was already mostly made so we sat down at the table, occasionally exchanging a few words over some inconsequential topic. I didn’t really offer anything.

I supposed they noticed, since after an hour had passed, Talexia broke the silence.

“John? Are you okay?”

“Hm?”

“You haven’t eaten anything.”

I looked down, finding a full plate that I hadn’t touched at all.

I scratched my head.

“I… uhh… I don’t think I’m hungry. I think I just need some sleep. Is there an open room I could use?”

“Of course there is. Ikhor, if you could.”

“Mm. This way.”

Ikhor nodded and stood to lead me. Umara spoke up from behind me.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No no, that’s alright. I’m just gonna catch some sleep… don’t mind me.”

“... Alright.”

She muttered an acknowledgment as the two of us walked out, heading up to a guest room.

“Here you are. If there’s anything else, let one of the maids know.”

“Sure. Thank you.”

“Of course.”

I gave him one last smile before walking into the room, shutting the door and taking a few steps inside.

The room was completely silent, the thick door drowning out the already faint noises of life, yet it sounded like someone was screaming in my ears.

My stomach churned. I sprinted to the bathroom, spewing what little was actually in my stomach inside the toilet.

……

Ikhor descended back into the kitchen, Talexia asking.

“How is he?”

“... Vomiting.”

“...”

Silence reigned over the dinner table.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

What broke it was Umara’s sudden sobbing.

Faey watched as her sister broke down in her seat, sobbing almost uncontrollably.

She had a feeling something wasn’t right earlier, that John’s attempts at trying to lighten the mood earlier were just a mask for something far more serious.

Her family sat in silence, letting her process her emotions the best she could. When her tears finally seemed to dry up, she weakly stumbled up, pushing herself away from the table.

“I’m going to bed too.”

“Please let us know if you need anything.”

“...”

Umara didn’t respond and simply left the kitchen, leaving the remaining three at the table.

Faey spoke up.

“Can I ask what happened?”

“...I suppose you’ll hear about it soon enough.”

Talexia sighed.

“The base your sister was at was just destroyed.”

“…w-what?”

“Yes. One of the strongest Scourge beasts in existence attacked it earlier today, alongside an army of millions. Most of the soldiers stationed there were wiped out, along with over 90% of the Magisterium’s fourth year class.”

“...”

Faey sat in stunned silence, unable to comprehend it all.

Ikhor chimed in.

“John and your sister are only two of 23 students that managed to survive. Their entire squad made it as well, though one of them is in a coma and has yet to wake. The fact that they’re alive is a miracle. But I can’t imagine the stress for them. They’re just kids, and they had to face a monster like that…”

Ikhor went silent, recalling the image of Anarchy.

Simply gazing upon that entity was enough to drive one insane if they weren’t powerful enough to resist.

And its mere presence was enough to plunge the base into a homicidal frenzy.

John and Umara had both gazed upon it, succumbed to its insanity, and tried to kill each other, before getting pulled out of their stupor. Now, they would live to tell the tale, the image of Anarchy permanently branded into their psyches.

Not many people, even among the survivors, could claim such a thing. And they were just kids, not even out of school.

Ikhor just wished he could have done something about it. But at the time, getting as far away from them as possible was the best choice. That’s why he threw himself into battle with others on the opposite side of the base. The details of what transpired there was something perhaps only his wife would ever know about.

Yet, even now, he couldn't quite wrap his head around how they managed to escape its influence. Preliminary reports suggested that every single person who actually caught a glimpse of Anarchy was dead, which was most of those who had been on the wall. That mental coercion had disappeared once the stationed Authority 12 did something about it, but even that couldn’t cure those who had experienced the worst.

There was a reason the Four Kings on the Black Spider Repository didn’t have any pictures. It was because pictures couldn’t be captured, not by photo or eye.

It was only when the King projected their true form that people would go insane. Otherwise, they would only see an incomprehensible form that was harmless, though confusing, to gaze upon.

John and Umara had seen Anarchy’s true form, yet weren’t insane. Ikhor had seen them atop the wall with the others who had glimpsed Anarchy, and later saw the red tears of blood dried on their faces characteristic of those afflicted.

He wanted to know what happened, but the forces involved in that battle were beyond their own world. They might not even know, and he didn’t want to press the issue.

All he cared about was that they were alive. He couldn’t give a damn about anything else, because by all stretches of logic, he should have lost his daughter.

Ikhor looked up after snapping out of his own thought process, seeing his second daughter looking downtrodden.

He smiled a bit.

“I don’t want you to worry so much about what happened, Faey. Just be there for your sister. She will need family now more than ever.”

“Mm.”

“Good. Now, get ready for bed. Your mother and I have things to discuss.”

Ikhor sent Faey off.

After that, the night was spent spilling secrets that would likely never get uttered again.

……

…

“Any change?”

Talexia looked up from her desk at Ikhor, who sighed while sitting down across from her.

“No. Though our daughter made her way into his bed at some point.”

“Hm. They’ve been sleeping for a full day.”

“I don’t blame them. I only just woke up.”

Ikhor wiped his face.

The three of them, after going to sleep for the night, had been asleep for a while. Ikhor woke up some hours ago, but he was also an Authority 10.

John and Umara had yet to wake even after a full 24 hours. Despite that, Umara managed to slip her way into John’s bed.

Both parents hoped they would wake soon.

Unfortunately, the two only emerged after another half a day. It was almost lunchtime the next day when they walked down.

Their hair was completely disheveled, their eyes squinted and face covered in the markings of whatever they had been sleeping on. Umara was also on John’s back as they marched their way straight to the kitchen.

The family watched as they flipped on a water spout and started gobbling up everything that poured out like thirsting beggars.

When they eventually made it to the table where everyone sat, their front sides were drenched, but it didn’t seem like either of them cared as they stared blankly into space.

At that moment, Talexia slid a newspaper over to them.

“News got out. It’s the only thing the Kingdom is talking about now. Dozens of nobles have also gone to the Magisterium in outrage, though they’re getting shut down. The front page is… a summary of the outcome.”

John reached over as she explained, taking the newspaper and checking the front page with hazy golden eyes.

There in big bold letters were the words “The Calamity Class - 127 Students Massacred.” It went on to summarize how the fourth year Magisterium class was almost entirely wiped out, victims of the worst incursion in decades. It was almost like they didn’t care at all about the tens of thousands of soldiers who died as well.

Then again, no news sold better than that which freaked people out, and what better than covering the Kingdom’s future getting shattered? Soldiers died every day — though usually not in the numbers that they just did — it was basically expected. What wasn’t expected was for school kids to get massacred, and no journalist would pass up such sensational news.

As for details about the King of Anarchy appearing, it seemed like that was being completely suppressed. After all, almost everyone who had seen Anarchy was dead. And it seemed the top brass weren’t keen on scaring people more than necessary. A military base had fallen. The citizenry didn’t need to know why.

John passed the newspaper to Umara, having gleaned an idea of what was written with a quick skim.

He spoke as she looked over it.

“What’s graduation going to look like?”

Talexia looked up from her food and responded.

“Not sure. There are only 23 students to graduate now besides the third years, and since there are already talks of a memorial being put up, a graduation would really only serve as a kind of funeral. They’re still deciding what to do. Regardless, it won’t happen for another 10 days. For now there isn’t anything you two need to worry about. Perhaps except plans for the military, which I wanted to talk to you about, John.”

John lifted his head when Talexia asked.

“How would you feel about enlisting under the warlock corps?”

“... I suppose it would be a better fit than the knight corps.”

“Mm. There aren’t any divisions for summoners to go into or specialize in except Intelligence. But if you plan on doing any fighting, we can’t do that, so you’ll go through basic training alongside the warlocks. As for who takes you under their command, I can already feel the headache. There’s always a lot of competition for the Crowned Champion, but I have a feeling it’ll be worse with you.”

“...”

He didn’t respond, taking a moment to think.

Nobility had three interests: their assets, the Magisterium, and the military. It wasn’t wealth or influence that really defined a noble, but sheer power. A noble title was directly tied to the strength they personally wielded, and the only way to maintain that was by ensuring powerful successors as well.

Their assets granted them the resources to invest, the Magisterium provided a safe base to develop, and the military served as further tempering to bring a noble scion to the required level of power. Noble children were always cycling through the latter two, and being the nobles that they were, naturally didn’t go through normal channels. They got preferential treatment at every step; every noble worth their salt had been through the same path once. A noble’s social network was vast, and they would pull as many strings as they could to ensure their children had an advantage.

As for John? Despite being a commoner hailing from a completely unknown background, he would be treated rather similarly. His pioneering of the summoner class, being Crowned Champion, and having Umara’s parents willing to pull strings for him put him miles ahead of the ordinary enlisted — loads of people would be fighting to hold him under their command.

But that wasn’t what made things difficult. It was the fact that John didn’t have backing that would make things complicated. He was a popular candidate for subordination yet didn’t have any rights or decision-making power to himself. It wouldn’t be like Umara, who could just choose to be under her mother.

Of course, Talexia would have more of a say given John’s relationship with her daughter, but that would be limited. She would definitely have to fight for it, and the mere anticipation was already giving her a headache.

Of course, she wasn’t just fighting for him because he was Umara’s boyfriend. His performance during the tournament was shocking even to her. She had never seen his combat prowess before — nor had most people. The show he put on was eye opening and very very tempting.

Such lethality had never been seen before. It was pure killing power in the form of long metal tubes. However it worked, all of the big players in the military wanted it for themselves. Talexia wasn’t an exception.

And unfortunately, in a grim way, the competition would be even greater since the pot of Elites to choose from had been cut by over 90%.

Well, it would all have to wait until the issues regarding that event blew over.

As Talexia remained deep in her thoughts, John and Umara stood in unison and walked out of the kitchen.

She watched them with an odd face, not saying anything as they vanished into the upper floors.

She looked over at Ikhor.

“What was that about?”

“... I’m not sure.”

“Hm. By the way, did you see Anarchy?”

She asked inquisitively. Although they had gone through the same thing, Ikhor was reacting to it much differently. Sure he was also an Authority 10, but she didn’t want to disregard the differences so readily.

Sure enough, he shook his head.

“I didn’t dare look out to it. My body might be strong, but my mind doesn’t necessarily follow. Aura was never my strong suit, so I didn’t want to test the theory with Umara there. I just ran and resisted as long as I could.”

“Mm, a good choice. Something tells me that they’re going through something right now though.”

“Recovery, most likely.”

“That, or they’re preoccupied. They’re thinking about something. Chances are, it’s Anarchy.”

“... What can we do?”

Ikhor asked worriedly. They couldn’t do much about that, even at their level. It was a miracle that they weren’t going insane, but it seemed they also weren’t completely unaffected. Whatever it was, it felt like they could only wait.

Talexia was also frowning, her fingers rapping across the table.

“...I’ll call a friend. Perhaps he’ll be curious enough to indulge me.”

She tapped her Aerial with those words, sending a few messages before waiting patiently.

After a minute or so, she got a response. She clicked her tongue.

“We’ll have to wait, but he’ll come. I suppose I’m not the first to call him.”

“How long?”

“A day or two. For now, let’s just watch them. So long as their condition doesn’t get worse, we’ll be able to do something about it.”

She sighed, the two of them falling silent in contemplation.