The Beginning After The End (Beckoning Fates Book 3) (18 page)

“Meh, I already have a couple LPAs I made lying around in my dorm
anyway.
 
Might as well put them to
use.”
 
She adjusts her oversized
backpack and we head over to grab lunch.

“Wow… you could probably ace this class in your sleep.”
 
I shake my head as I pick up a tray and
grab some food.

“Kyu!”
 
‘Get more meat, Papa!’
Sylvie hops on top of my head in protest when I pick up some vegetables.

“Ok ok.”
 
I go back and pick up
a few more pieces of meat when Emily looks at me with a weird expression on her
face.

“Can you understand what your bond is saying?”
 
She lifts her glasses up in place as she
looks up at Sylvie.

“Can’t all bonds?”
 
I ask.

“No, not at all actually.
 
They
can understand their emotions to a certain extent but not… verbal cues.”
 
Her eyes squint as she takes a closer look
at Sylv.

Pushing her head back with my finger on her forehead, I respond.
 
“That’s what I meant.
 
I only feel my bond complaining and I
just inferred that it was because I picked up vegetables.
 
You’re overthinking things again,
Emily.”
 

“Yeah I guess you’re right.
 
She’s cute though.”
 
She just
shrugs and picks up more food for herself.

“Ah!
 
There you are, Art!
 
Director Goodsky wants…Oh, hello.”
 
Elijah stops in his tracks as he
realizes that I’m with a friend.

“Hey, Elijah.
 
This is
Emily.
 
Emily, Elijah.”
 
I say with my mouth half full with a
piece of stewed beef.

“Nice to meet you! Emily smiles and sticks out the hand she wasn’t carrying
her food tray with.

“A pleasure to meet you.”
 
Elijah responds as he shakes her hand, a look of curiosity on his
face.
  

“Anyways, Art.
 
You need to…uh…
head over to your training room.
 
Director Goodsky, remember?”
 
He gives me a look saying that it’s urgent.

“Oh… wait, now?”
 
I look at my
food.

“Yes.
 
Now.”
 
He gently pushes me towards the door
while making me scarf down as much food as I can.
 
Sylvie swept a big portion of the meat
with her tongue as we placed the tray next to the trash bin.

“You two get acquainted!
 
I’ll
be leaving first!” I wave at my friends as they wave back.

I remember Director Goodsky telling me where my private training was while
I was in the hospital room.
 
Supposedly, the mana density was supposed to be a lot higher there,
making it easier to train.
 

“I wonder what Director Goodsky wants.
 
I should give her a mouthful about class today.”
 
I say to no one in particular as Sylvie
and I make our way towards the room.

All of the rooms were underneath the library where a staff member had to
lead you to the rooms.
 
Usually
upperclassmen were allowed to borrow a room for a couple of hours to train in
but I was lucky to have a private one all to myself.

There were two entrances in the library building
;
one to the actual library, the other to a sort of waiting room to all of the
training facilities.
 
Opening the
entrance to the waiting room, I walk slowly past some upperclassmen before
arriving at the front desk.
 
“Hi, my
name is Arthur Leywin.”
 
I didn’t
exactly know what Director Goodsky wanted so I hoped that the lady at the front
desk would know what to do once I told her my name.

“Ah yes!
 
Today is your first
time visiting the room, correct?”
 
The lady had a very refined suit, reminding me of a concierge
at some fancy hotel.
 

“Yes.”
 
I nod in response as she
bends down and opens a drawer.

“Please place both your palms on this stone.
 
Make sure all of the tips of your
fingers are flat on it.”
 
She holds
out in both hands a flat tablet with various inscriptions etched onto it.

Doing as told, I feel a brief numbing sensation spread over my hands as she
activates the tablet.

“Perfect!
 
I’ll show you to your
room.
 
Please follow me.”
 
Leading me to a room in the back where a
scarred man about two meters tall held a spear guarded the door, the front desk
lady ushered me forward.

The room that the scarred man guarded was actually some sort of elevator
put together by various gears, which I assumed were powered by either mana
cores or some other mana-producing ore.
 

“Wow.
 
This is my first time
riding in something like this.”
 
I
say in awe, reminiscing the last time I rode in an elevator.
 

“Fufu, yes.
 
Not many of these
exist yet.
 
A genius artificer that
is currently a professor here named Gideon built this device.
 
I’m sure you’ve heard of him?”
 
She says while admiring the elevator
herself.

“More than heard of him.
 
He’s
actually one of my professors.
 
With
the way he teaches his class, I wish he wasn’t such a genius” I give her a wink
making her giggle.

“Here we are!
 
Make sure to
remember how to get to your room.
 
Since I’ve registered you to your room, you are allowed to come in any
time you wish.”
 
She says while
guiding me through the halls.

“That scary scarred man won’t stop me?”
 
I ask, pointing up with my sheathed
sword.

“Hoho, no.
 
He won’t stop
you.
 
Ah!
 
We’ve arrived.”
 
We reached the end of the hall where
there was a large double door without any handles.

“This door seems different from all of the other ones.”
 
I turn my head back as I compared.

“Yes.
 
Director Goodsky seems to
place quite a bit of precedence in your training.”
 
She gave me a charming smile.

“Yet, she doesn’t even bother to tell my class who their new professor
was.”
 
I mutter under my breath.

“Excuse me?” The lady tilts her head in confusion.

“It’s nothing.
 
So how do I open
this?”
 
I respond while Sylvie jumps
off my head and excitedly hops in place in front of the double doors.

“If you place either of your palms against the door, it will open
automatically.
 
If you need any
further assistance, there is a communication device inside where you can
contact me.
 
If you are hungry, I
can also send someone over to bring you some food.”
 
She bows while waiting for me to open
the door.

“Thank you.
 
What was your
name?”
 
I turn my head, my hand
raised, as I was about to open the door.

“Please call me Chloe.
 
I wish
you a fruitful training session.”
 
She says, her head still down.

“Got it.
 
Thanks again
Chloe.”
 
I turn back and place my
right hand on the double doors.
 
With a loud engine-like noise, the area I place my palm glows as streams
of light branch out.
 
Eventually,
the light dims and the door slides open to reveal a room very different from
what I imagined.

I turn my head back but Chloe was already gone.
 
Sylvie runs off before I can even take a
step forward and as I look inside the room, the sudden brightness compared to
the dim hall makes me squint.
 
My
vision soon adjusts and, as I lower my hand, my eyes spot a familiar figure,
fidgeting in place as Sylvie scurries up her leg.

I don’t know if it was from the sparkling brightness inside the room or the
fact that this room looked more like a huge natural wonder rather than a
training facility but my childhood friend looked stunning.
 
Tessia, who was cuddling her cheek
against Sylvie on her shoulder, was wearing a very loose, white training robe.

“H-hi.”
 
Tessia says with her
head lowered and eyes looking up at me.
 

I step forward as the door closes behind me.
 
The floor underneath me was a field of
grass and there was a rather big pond with a waterfall as well as huge boulders
and trees, making me feel as if this was a dream. Snapping out of my momentary
daze, I scratch my head with the hand that wasn’t holding Dawn’s Ballad.

“Hey, Tess.”
 
I give her an
awkward smile.

“S-should we get started?”
 
Tessia puts Sylvie down on the ground before she shyly starts removing
her robe.

“W-wait, what?
 
Get started in
what?”
 
I almost trip backwards as I
see her bare shoulders.

“The assimilation!
 
Grandpa told
me that it works better if you help me through bare skin!”
 
Her face is bright red as I realize she
had her breasts covered in some gauze.
 

Ah right... the assimilation…

Wait, what?
 

Freaking Gramps, what are you making your granddaughter do!

“Gramps told you that?
 
Y-you
don’t
need to take off your clothes for the assimilation,
stupid!
 
He was messing with
you!”
 
I cover my eyes with my hand.

Calm down Arthur.
 
She’s just a
13-year-old.
 
Looking at her like
this is a crime!

“S-shut up!
 
How was I supposed
to UGH…
”
Tess falls to her knees before she’s able to
lift her robe again.
 

I run as fast as my injured body would let me as I put Dawn’s Ballad back
into my dimension ring.
 
Kneeling
down next to her, I place my palm on her warm, pale back.
 
Her robe was down, revealing everything
the waist up with the exception of her breast and a portion of her back, which
were covered by the gauze.
 
As I
feel her body tremble in pain, I couldn’t help but notice how frail her body
looked.
 
I guess because I knew how
strong of a mage she was; I forgot that she was still just a girl, physically
at least.

Taking off the seal on my wrist, I will mana into my childhood friend.
 
Using all four elements, I control the
mana to spread throughout her body, counteracting the mana coming from the
Elderwood Guardian’s beast will.
 
What Gramps did while I was assimilating was just easing my pain, but by
using a balanced mixture of mana from all four elements, I was able to
essentially help her body fight against the beast will.

I never tested this but it was based on the same principles I used to help
awaken Lilia and my sister.

Her ragged breathing soon calmed down, her trembling gone as she was
panting from the relief.
 
As I
gently lifted her robe over her frail body, I walked over to the pond and
splashed my face with its cold water.

I needed to calm myself down.

After a few moments, I feel my heartbeat slowing down but react again when
I hear Tess making her way to me, Sylvie trotting behind her.