And finally, something specific to Chasles Academy – what led to the destruction of the Gloria Kingdom?"

"G...Gloria?" My voice came out a choked whisper. The name slammed into me, a cold fist that sent a wave of sweat prickling across my skin. "What... what do you mean?"

Lou frowned, confusion furrowing his brow. "Huh? Isn't it obvious?" He prodded the fire with a stick, embers swirling like miniature galaxies. "Since we're descendants of Gloria, uncovering the truth behind its destruction 500 years ago falls to us."

My breath hitched. "Descendants of Gloria?" I scrambled to my feet, eyes wide and frantic as they darted between Lou and the dancing flames. He remained seated, flinching back at my sudden burst of energy. "But... but isn't this Alaranta?"

Lou sighed, a hint of exasperation creeping into his voice. "Bug, come on. We Glorians changed the name after the fall. This land, our language... it's all Glorian. You usually pick up on things faster than this."

Lou's words hung heavy in the air. I couldn't muster a reply. My mind reeled, processing the bombshell he'd just dropped. Back on the hard floor, I stared blankly into the dancing flames, their warmth failing to penetrate the chill that had gripped me. Sweat beaded on my forehead, a persistent reminder of the turmoil within.

It all clicked. The language everyone spoke, some of the cultures, the people themselves – Glorian, not something alien to me. Even the strange artifact we found – a relic of a bygone era. My own birth – the doctors and my parents speaking in a tongue I shouldn't have understood. Even the faint trace of Mana…

This wasn't reincarnation. This was a much bleaker reality. My soul hadn't journeyed to another world; it had simply slumbered for centuries. But for how long, exactly? Surely, my death couldn't have triggered the fall of an entire kingdom? I knew I'd been a formidable shadow, protecting Gloria from unseen threats. Could it be... I died just before the kingdom's demise?

Steeling myself, I met Lou's gaze. His annoyance was clear, but there was a flicker of concern beneath the surface. "Lou," I began, my voice barely above a whisper. "Do you, by any chance, know anything about... Ash Wyvern?"

Lou's jaw slackened, his eyes bulging like a surprised goldfish. The cup he held clattered to the ground, shattering into a dozen splinters. Gone was his usual stoicism, replaced by a mask of raw shock. Did I just stumble upon the motherlode of secrets? Or perhaps I'd poked a slumbering beast?

He remained frozen for a heartbeat, then a violent tremor wracked his body. "H-how..." he stammered, his voice barely a whisper. "How do you know that name, Bug?"

I held his gaze, my expression a steely mirror of his own turmoil. Not a single word escaped my lips. The weight of my past hung heavy in the air, a silent challenge to the man before me.

My words hit Lou like a physical blow. "Ash Wyvern? Only a handful in Chasles Academy even know that name. It's buried deep, erased from history books and public records. Even the council…" His voice trailed off, replaced by a tremor in his hand as he pointed his sword at my throat. The memory of our first hostile encounter flashed before me.

"There's no way you could glean that name from a documentary," he pressed, his voice tight. "So how, Bug, how does an eight-year-old girl like you-"

I cut him off with a sigh, raising a hand to his blade. It stopped inches from my throat. "Lou," I said, my voice calm despite my racing heart, "haven't I surprised you enough already?"

His brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it," I continued, pushing the sword gently aside. He offered no resistance. "My early Awakening... the overwhelming Flow... the suffocating Aura... my fighting style... how I can handle any weapon thrown at me... even sensing Mana..." I listed each anomaly, my voice gaining strength. "Wouldn't a handful of those things raise an eyebrow, even for a god?"

Lou finally lowered his sword, his gaze unwavering. "I admit, you've challenged expectations," he conceded. "But still..."

"But still," I mimicked, frustration tinging my words. "Why do you keep limiting me by my age? Don't you see? There's more to me than meets the eye. Deep down, you know I hold secrets beyond your wildest imagination."

“So, why do you keep trying to complicate things, instead of taking the easy way for your own self? There is no logical reason behind that!”

He kept staring at me with his shaking eyes for a while, making me believe that he was trying his hardest to let what felt trivial for me – yet Godly for him – slide. And, in the end, he put his sword back in the scabbard, clicking his tongue as he slightly turned his head away.

Eight years. Eight agonizing years I'd waited for this moment. A single name – Ash Wyvern – had shattered Lou's composure like a fragile teacup. So, what would happen if he knew that the very Ash Wyvern was right before him? Now, running a hand through his hair, he finally turned to me, his eyes a stormy grey.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

He grabbed a twig and began sketching in the dirt. "Imagine this," he muttered, etching a crude stick figure with a crudely drawn, severed head, "is Ash Wyvern."

I nodded, a knot of anticipation tightening in my gut.

Next to the stick figure, he drew a bold "13." The Thirteen months? Was that what he meant?

"Ash Wyvern," Lou continued, his voice laced with a tremor of something akin to horror, "was a monster. Overpowered. It took the strongest team we had – the Thirteen Months – to bring him down. Trained their whole lives, wielding the most lethal weapons ever forged. Thirteen daggers, each crafted from a demon's claw."

He paused, searching my face. "You following, Bug?"

"Every word," I said, my voice tight with focus. My eyes never left his, devouring every detail of his story.

Lou let out a ragged sigh, etching crude buildings beside the stick figure and the number "13." "The Ash Wyvern," he rasped, "was a relentless force. Unmatched. Even the legendary Thirteen Months paid the ultimate price for their victory. Wiped out, every single one, before they could finish the job."

My jaw clenched. Telling him I knew all this was tempting, but the way Lou spat curses at Ash Wyvern... it was hard to hold back a grimace. After all, he was essentially cursing me.

He paused, his gaze flickering to mine. With a grim flourish, he drew an "X" through the buildings. "We never understood how, but every record recovered points to one chilling fact: the moment that freaky sucker died, Gloria crumbled into ash. Literally obliterated. And the power that annihilated the kingdom... it originated from thee Ash Wyvern himself."

This was news to me. My head snapped back, eyes wide. "One of his skills destroyed Gloria?" I signed, my voice tight. "But... how? You just said he died before the fall!"

Lou nodded, a haunted look in his eyes. "That's what the records claim. Upon his death, a surge of Mana erupted from his body, a torrent so potent it drained the life force from thousands of people. Earthquakes followed, tearing the land apart."

Cradling my chin, a cold realization settled in. The spell Lou described – "The Soulquake" – was undeniably one of my own techniques. Yet, the memory of unleashing it before my demise remained stubbornly blank. The last spell I cast with any clarity was the devastating blast that wiped out the Thirteen Months. Confusion gnawed at me. Whoever orchestrated my assassination wasn't merely content with ending my life; they craved my power. But who?

"As brutal as he might have been," Lou's voice cut through my thoughts, "it's inconceivable Ash Wyvern razed Gloria to the ground." He spat the name with venom, another subtle jab that sent a pang through me. "So, our real goal is to identify the mastermind behind his assassination and the subsequent misuse of his power. Today, however, feels like a significant step toward unraveling the mystery behind Gloria's fall. You see where I'm going with this, Bug?"

I lifted my head, my gaze narrowing at him. A silent challenge, daring him to elaborate when he clearly thought I was clueless. After a beat, he raised the retrieved collar with a pointed look. Understanding dawned on me, my eyes widening.

"You're suggesting," I signed, my voice trembling with newfound purpose, finger jabbing at the artifact, "that the woman we encountered and her organization might be connected to a five-hundred-year-old event?"

Lou tossed the collar aside, a grim nod accompanying the gesture. "Unlikely as it seems," he rumbled, a hint of desperation lacing his tone, "my gut tells me the same mastermind is behind both. Here's why: she wielded Mana, possessed a Mana artifact, collected souls... and that Marloth entity. It all feels connected somehow."

He stretched out on the ground, weariness finally claiming him. "Your watch starts first tonight," he mumbled, closing his eyes. "Technically, I should report to the Academy before any solo investigations. And you’ll definitely be summoned by the council once I report, you know too much after all. But knowing you, you'd pester me endlessly. So..."

"So?" I prodded, rolling my eyes and rising to my feet and sharpening my senses.

A sly grin tugged at Lou's lips, even beneath closed eyelids. "...tomorrow, we pay a visit to the ruins of Gloria."

Lou's snores filled the air, a stark contrast to the bomb he'd just dropped. Gloria's ruins? Were there remnants of my former life, my kingdom, out there in the treacherous beast territory all this time? My jaw hit the floor. Jeez, Lou, information overload much? My eyes would stay wide for a week! Next time, a little warning would be nice.

Despite the overwhelming revelation, a sliver of excitement snaked its way through me. Eight years I'd waited, eight years I'd felt like I was treading water. Now, the dam seemed to be bursting. My initial plan was to infiltrate the Academy and begin my own research, a path I'd envisioned for so long. But this... this head start, this chance to use Lou's resources... it was an opportunity too good to pass up.

A wry chuckle escaped my lips. Wasted eight years? Perhaps. But the relentless drive, the hunger that had defined my past life, seemed to be resurfacing in this one. Some things, it seemed, transcended reincarnation.

The next day stretched before me, a yawning chasm compared to the usual eight-hour nights. We wasted no time. Lou, a grim determination etched on his face, led the way towards our destination. Boredom gnawed at me as I shifted, my gaze falling to my clothes. Once comfortable, my blue tracksuit felt like a second skin stretched thin. My chest, unaccustomed to such restriction in my past life, strained against the fabric. Change, it seemed, wasn't just a concept for the world; it applied to me too.

The past two years had taken their toll. The tracksuit sported a few snags, souvenirs of countless scrapes and escapes. Even my concealing cloak, once a faithful companion, bore the scars of our journey. My aura, usually a tightly controlled hum, began to fluctuate a bit too much.

With a frustrated tsk, I shed the cloak. Salvaging the undamaged portion, I tossed the ragged remains aside. Lou, ever observant, swiveled his head. "Sudden interest in fashion?" he drawled, amusement glinting in his eyes.

I was already braiding the salvaged fabric into a makeshift bracer. "A girl has to maintain appearances, wouldn't you agree?" I signed, my gaze sweeping over my attire. "Makeup and frills aren't exactly my style, but some decent clothes would be nice."

Lou chuckled, a rare sound. "Well, a tomboy like you rocking cool clothes shouldn't be too difficult."

"Coming from a fashion disaster like yourself, that's hardly a ringing endorsement," I countered with a playful jab. "But hey, I'll take what I can get."

...

The grumbled insult of "arrogant bug" faded behind us as we pressed onwards.