Chapter 346
A Flash from the Past (2)
The girl quickly rolled off Natsuki's lap as she stood, her movements rushed as she looked around frantically. Her eyes darted from place to place before she suddenly paused, her gaze landing on the group in front of her, who all had different reactions as they observed her.
Natsuki simply stood up as she asked, "are you OK?"
Yohan had his eyebrows raised as he watched her cute reaction, his eyes landing on her face as he suddenly noticed the shift. Her eyes constricted slightly, filled with a myriad of emotions. He could clearly see shock, surprise… fear? And deep within her eyes, swirling alongside other indescribable emotions, he saw a faint spark of… excitement?
As for IAM…
Who had been deadly silent thus far…
His emotions were clear as day.
They coursed through his very veins as his eyes grew even deeper than they already were. They didn't betray any of their owner's secrets as they stared directly into the face of the girl.
It was now that Yohan realised where the fear and caution he could see in her eyes were directed to.
It was actually towards IAM.
Yohan could feel the tension growing as he reached out, grabbing IAM's shoulder before quietly asking, "are you OK?"
IAM does not respond.
He couldn't.
As his eyes stared at the girl in front of him, he could almost hear the sound of a click of a camera as he experienced a flash from the past.
It was actually a very short and unimportant memory.
But it was one that was being inflated in importance at this moment.
…
His instincts screamed that this orb was more important than anything else they had fought for. This wasn't just a weapon. It was the centerpiece.
The heart of it all.
And there was no way the enemy would leave it unguarded.
He turned to retreat—
And nearly collided with something.
A face.
Right in front of him.
A short girl. And close… far too close. Her hood was up, shadowing most of her features, but her nose was nearly pressed against his chest.
His eyes went wide.
How hadn't he noticed her?
How had she gotten so near?
How had he not seen her?
Panic surged through him, but he tried to play it off.
"Uhhh…" he started, stiffly. "Sorry for bumping into you… I'll just, uh… be on my way."
He began to back away, trying to keep his voice casual.
She tilted her head slightly, and he could barely make out her heart-shaped lips.
"Oh. Okay."
Wait—what?
Was she buying it?
IAM stared at her, blinking.
Was she… actually that dumb?
Could he—
But of course, the universe didn't grant favors.
Not today.
"There's one here that's still alive!!"
She screamed at the top of her lungs.
IAM's body tensed—too late.
A sudden impact—a foot slammed into his face with brutal force, and he was sent flying, his body skidding across broken rubble and bloodstained concrete.
Pain exploded.
His skull rang like a bell.
He coughed violently, blood spurting from his mouth.
His vision blurred red, but in the corner of his eyes he could barely see the girl taking a few steps back before she seemed to disappear.
…
She had played such a little part.
Such a fleeting and unimportant part.
And yet…
Yet…
She was here.
Right in front of him.
This girl…
Her voice…
Those lips…
He was sure of it.
This girl was a member of the Circle of the Accursed.
A member of the Circle of the Accursed was actually deep into one of the most prestigious academy as she was even taking the trials to join the Student Council!
It was a terrifying thought, as one wondered just how deep the reach of this group truly was.
But that was the last thing on his mind.
She was there...
There as Mia, Kon, Leovico, Jasmine, Raj, Regina, Kepa and Althea all died.
She was right there!
She was a part of all that pain he had to experience.
Hatred. Anger. Disgust.
A myriad of dense emotions mixed together within him, pressing and clashing against each other until they formed something truly nasty as he radiated an intense killing intent, one that wasn't just felt but almost seen, like a pressure building around him.
So intense that the air around him seemed to subtly disperse from him as he took the first step towards the girl, his movement slow but heavy, carrying a weight that made it feel far louder than it should have been.
Natsuki was the first to notice his killing intent, her body tensing almost instantly, followed by Yohan who spoke up, his voice carrying both confusion and urgency, "IAM! What are you doing!?"
But he was utterly ignored as IAM shoved past Natsuki without hesitation… the girl didn't even resist… she didn't even resist as his hands gripped her neck, his fingers tightening with frightening ease, causing her to choke as he lifted her up into the air like she weighed nothing.
His voice was as thick as venom. "Why. Are. You. Here."
"gruuk.. ahh.. gukk."
Sounds like that could barely erupt from her throat, broken and strained, as her body reacted instinctively, her hands weakly grabbing at his wrist while the other two reacted in kind.
Natsuki raised her sword at him without hesitation, her stance firm and ready, while Yohan grabbed his arm, his grip tight as he felt a surge of panic rise within him. "IAM what are you doing!? This isn't like you! Chill out!"
Natsuki's voice was cold as she spoke very clearly, each word cold and sharp. "Was it not you that proclaimed that we should be working together? That we shouldn't harm one another? Now look at you… you look like a hypocrite… drop her now." The threat could easily be felt from her words as her intent was made known.
IAM could hear their words as he stared into the face of the girl who was struggling in his hands, his eyes slightly squinted as something dark flickered within them. He wanted to kill her. He wanted to torture her and find out every little detail, to drag every answer out of her no matter what it took… but alas… he couldn't.
He suddenly let go as she dropped like a bag of meat onto the ground, her body hitting hard as she immediately collapsed, while IAM used his strange ability to tuck away all his unnecessary emotions temporarily, forcing them down before they could spill over again.
IAM was angry… but he was not foolish. Too many eyes were watching, and he wouldn't accomplish anything by killing her here… she wouldn't really die as it was all an illusion… he would have to wait until he returned to the real world to do so.
Yohan sighed in relief as IAM just carried on staring, unmoving, before he crouched beside the girl who was massaging her throat, her breathing uneven, as he apologised, "I'm so sorry, he's not usually like this… I don't know what is wrong with him… are you OK?"
The girl didn't respond as she recovered from her coughing fit, her body still slightly hunched as she struggled to steady her breathing, before she slowly looked up at everyone… and as she did, one could clearly see that spark of excitement within her actually grow.
Yohan was confused.
Her very quiet and shy voice could be heard for the first time, soft and uneven as her voice cracked—whether due to what just happened or from not talking for a long time was unclear. "I..i… fine… sorry…"
Her eyes slowly lifted towards IAM, only to meet his enigmatic gaze staring directly into her. Her body trembled almost instantly before she quickly looked down, unable to hold it for more than a moment. Yohan frowned at IAM, clearly unsettled by the exchange, before he shifted his attention back to her and asked, "what happened? Why was you just laid out on the floor?"
Her eyes seemed to twitch slightly as she realised how close he was to her, and at his words. "I… I ran out of mana and… passed out."
"…"
"…"
"…"
Silence followed.
Her meek voice lingered in the air as one would begin to genuinely wonder if she was an idiot. It was very normal for someone to be running low on mana as they used their methods, especially in a situation like this, but it was also just as normal—expected even—for them to realise this and stop, to pull back and recover it through their avien before things got worse.
This was because it was extremely dangerous to completely run out of mana. There were threats all around at all times, and beyond that, forcing yourself to that point could cause your core and avien to go into shock, leaving you completely defenceless as your body shut down and you passed out until you recovered enough and your body stabilised.
So how had she let herself completely run out of mana to the point she actually passed out?
It was extremely foolish.
"we.. were you facing a deadly situation that required you to use so much mana?" Yohan asked as he tried to rationalise her words, his tone careful as if he was trying not to set her off any further.
She simply looked down and shook her head.
Yohan's lips twitched slightly at that response as he asked, "what is your name? I don't remember seeing you before the trials."
The girl began to twiddle with her thumbs, her fingers fidgeting with each other as a strange sense of desolation could suddenly be felt from her, like something quiet and heavy had settled around her. "w..what is th..the point.. you would… pro.. probably… forget anyways."
"ah…" Yohan was taken by surprise at her response, his expression softening slightly as he tried to reassure her. "don't worry… how could I possibly forget your name… you can tell me… I won't forget… I promise."
"…let…"
"what?"
"…eth.."
"what was that?"
"…e…"
"…huh?"
"Lethe." IAM suddenly said.
His voice sounded like a graveyard.
Lethe looked at him, her head lifting as one could clearly see the genuine surprise and excitement blooming within her, her eyes lighting up as she was just about to speak—
Before she suddenly stopped herself.
Yohan looked at IAM as he exclaimed, "ohhh leee—the, I see, I get it. I won't forget don't worry. It's Lethe."
Natsuki then looked at the girl as she asked, "are you by yourself?"
Lethe nodded.
"then you shall come with me." she stated plainly as Yohan helped her to stand up, his grip steady as he guided her upright, before he suddenly looked down and noticed something.
IAM, meanwhile, had thoughts swarming through his head as he pulled together the little information he knew about her. "your path is related to being invisible." IAM's voice was monotone as he held himself back, his gaze fixed yet restrained.
Due to her appearance, this trial had now taken the backseat in his mind as he would like to get it over and done with as soon as possible, his focus shifting entirely onto this Lethe…
When had she appeared? Was she still in contact with the Circle of the Accursed? Was she here as a spy? How had no one found her out yet? Wasn't there ascenders many times more powerful than him hidden within the academy? Does she know what happened to the others before they died?
Questions upon questions that wouldn't be answered until after the trial as she looked at IAM, about to respond before she was interrupted by Yohan's words.
"wait! Your badge says number one… that means you were the first person to be recommended into the Student Council!"
Those words that caused surprise to even Natsuki, her eyes shifting slightly as she processed the implication. She had actually bypassed everyone here and was the very first to be recommended.
It was quite ironic that someone with a path more focused on the concept of being invisible was actually the first one to be noticed for their talent.
Lethe just kept delivering surprises after surprises!