Chapter 65: Chapter 65: The Lie That Beca Truth
The morning sun rose slowly over Skygate Academy, casting a wide curtain of golden light across the entire campus. The stone pathways glowed faintly under its warmth, while the towering academy buildings reflected the soft brilliance of a new day.
Students had already gathered across the training grounds, far earlier than usual.
The upcoming examinations had changed everything.
Conversations were no longer light or careless. Groups of students spoke in low, focused tones, discussing techniques, strategies, and possible matchups. Even casual sparring had taken on a sharper edge—each strike asured, each movent calculated as if every duel carried real consequences.
For most—
This was just another stage of growth.
Another competition.
Another chance to rise.
But for Aether—
This was preparation for sothing far beyond the academy.
---
Inside one of the quieter training halls, far from the noise and attention of the main grounds, Aether stood alone.
The vast chamber echoed faintly with controlled bursts of heat.
Before him, the Fla Sovereign Pup moved with precise intent.
Its small body released thin streams of crimson fire that curved through the air like flowing ribbons. The flas traced intricate patterns across the stone floor, spiraling, folding, and tightening into controlled formations.
Each movent was deliberate.
Each fla carried purpose.
Aether’s gaze remained fixed, unblinking, analyzing every shift in the heat patterns and every fluctuation in control.
After a mont, he spoke.
"Focus more on the inner compression," Aether said in a calm but firm tone. "Your flas are stable, but they are still dispersing too much energy outward. If you keep losing heat at the edges, your attack power will never reach its peak."
The Fla Sovereign Pup let out a soft, determined sound, as if acknowledging the instruction.
Its flas flickered, then tightened once more, forming a denser spiral than before.
Aether watched carefully.
Better.
But still not perfect.
He exhaled slowly.
"There’s still a gap," he muttered quietly to himself. "Not just in power... but in control."
Then—
He stopped.
Mid-thought.
The Fla Sovereign Pup froze as well, its ears twitching sharply.
Aether’s gaze shifted toward the entrance of the training hall.
Soone was there.
He hadn’t heard footsteps.
Hadn’t sensed a clear presence.
But sothing—
Sothing subtle—
Had reached him first.
And in that exact mont—
A faint voice echoed deep within his mind.
"...Be careful. The one approaching you is not as simple as he appears."
Aether’s expression didn’t change.
But his focus sharpened instantly.
*So... he finally ca.*
---
A figure stepped into the training hall.
He looked ordinary.
Unremarkable.
A notebook rested casually in his hand, and a polite, almost harmless smile sat on his face.
"I hope I’m not interrupting anything important," the man said gently, his tone friendly and composed.
Aether turned fully toward him.
His response ca without hesitation.
"You are interrupting sothing important," Aether said calmly, his voice steady and direct. "So unless you have a very specific reason for being here, I suggest you keep your explanation short."
The man paused for a mont, then let out a soft chuckle.
"Well, I suppose I walked into that one," he replied with a light smile. "In that case, I’ll make this as brief as possible."
He stepped forward slowly, careful not to appear threatening, and stopped at a respectful distance.
"My na is Arven," he continued. "I work as a reporter, specializing in docunting unusual phenona—events that don’t quite fit into the normal understanding of the world."
His eyes briefly shifted toward the Fla Sovereign Pup, observing its controlled flas with clear interest.
"I must say, the level of control your beast is displaying is quite impressive. Not many students at this level can maintain such precision."
Aether did not react to the complint.
Instead, his gaze remained steady.
"What do you want from ?" Aether asked plainly.
Arven smiled faintly.
"I appreciate your directness," he said. "It makes conversations like this much easier."
He opened his notebook slowly.
"I’ve been investigating the ruins that recently disappeared," he continued. "From what I’ve gathered, you were among the final participants inside before everything collapsed."
Aether didn’t look surprised.
"I was there," he confird simply.
Arven nodded.
"Good. That ans I’ve co to the right person."
---
Arven’s tone remained relaxed.
Almost casual.
But there was sothing beneath it.
Sothing sharper.
"I’ve spoken to several other students who entered those ruins," Arven said as he began writing. "However, their accounts are... incomplete."
Aether said nothing.
"They all describe entering the ruins," Arven continued, "but none of them rember what happened afterward. According to them, they simply regained consciousness outside, with their strength increased."
He paused, then looked up.
"But you were among the last few inside," he added. "Which makes your experience slightly more... valuable."
Aether t his gaze.
"And what exactly are you trying to confirm?" Aether asked, his tone even.
Arven tilted his head slightly.
"I’m trying to understand what really happened inside those ruins," he replied. "So let
ask you directly—what do you rember?"
---
Aether did not answer imdiately.
Instead, he turned and began walking slowly toward the center of the hall, as if the question held no real importance.
The Fla Sovereign Pup followed closely.
"I rember entering the ruins, navigating through a few trials, and then losing consciousness," Aether said in a composed tone. "When I woke up, I was already outside, just like everyone else."
Arven watched him closely.
"Nothing else?" Arven asked, his voice slightly more probing now. "No unusual encounters? No final stage? No hidden chamber?"
Aether stopped.
Just briefly.
Then turned back.
"What final stage are you referring to?" Aether asked, his expression unchanged.
---
Inside him, her voice whispered again.
"Be careful with your answers. He is testing you, not questioning you."
Aether remained calm.
But now—
He was certain.
This man was not just a reporter.
---
Arven smiled slightly.
"That’s interesting," he said, writing sothing down. "Most people don’t react at all when I ntion a final stage."
Aether crossed his arms.
"Then perhaps you’re asking questions based on assumptions rather than facts," Aether replied calmly. "That would explain why your investigation isn’t progressing."
Arven chuckled.
"Or perhaps," he said, lifting his gaze again, "I’m asking questions that others don’t realize are important."
A brief silence followed.
Then Arven shifted his approach.
"Let
ask you sothing simpler," he said. "Did you gain anything from the ruins?"
Aether looked at him.
"Define ’gain,’" Aether replied.
"A weapon, an artifact, a relic—anything unusual," Arven clarified. "Sothing that shouldn’t normally exist."
Aether remained silent for a mont.
Then—
He spoke.
"Yes."
---
Arven’s eyes sharpened instantly.
"Oh?" he said, his tone carrying genuine interest now. "And what exactly did you gain?"
Aether began walking again, his voice calm and unhurried.
"I didn’t gain sothing," he said. "I saw sothing."
Arven’s attention intensified.
"You saw sothing?" he repeated. "Can you describe it?"
Aether stopped near the window, looking outside.
"There was sothing inside the ruins," Aether said slowly. "Sothing that didn’t belong there."
Arven’s grip on his notebook tightened slightly.
"What do you an by that?" he asked.
Aether continued.
"It wasn’t part of the trials," Aether said. "It didn’t attack. It didn’t interact with anything."
He paused briefly.
"But it was watching."
---
Arven stepped closer, his voice lowering slightly.
"What did it look like?" he asked.
Aether narrowed his eyes slightly, as if recalling sothing distant.
"It was difficult to see clearly," Aether said. "Its form wasn’t stable."
He turned his head slightly.
"But I rember certain details."
Arven leaned forward.
"Go on."
Aether spoke calmly.
"It had a humanoid shape," he said. "But its body was covered in shadows, making it impossible to distinguish exact features."
Arven remained silent.
"It had wings," Aether continued. "Two of them. Large. Dark. They didn’t look natural."
Arven’s expression stiffened slightly.
"And...?" he asked quietly.
"It also had a tail," Aether added. "Long, thin, with a distinct shape at the end."
He paused.
"Like a heart."
---
For the first ti—
Arven’s composure wavered.
"...That’s not possible," he muttered under his breath.
Aether turned toward him.
"What isn’t possible?" Aether asked.
Arven quickly regained his expression.
"Nothing," he said. "Just thinking out loud."
But his eyes—
Were no longer calm.
---
Aether continued, his tone steady.
"It didn’t move," Aether said. "It didn’t speak. It didn’t react to anything."
Arven asked quickly,
"Did anyone else notice it?"
Aether shook his head.
"Not that I could tell," he replied. "Everyone else seed focused on sothing else. It was as if... they couldn’t perceive it at all."
Arven fell silent.
His thoughts raced.
---
Aether stepped closer.
"Why are you asking all of this?" Aether asked.
Arven smiled again.
"As I said, I docunt unusual phenona," he replied.
Aether stared at him.
Then said calmly,
"Then you’re looking in the wrong place."
Arven tilted his head.
"What do you an?"
Aether’s voice remained steady.
"If what I saw was real," he said, "then it’s no longer inside those ruins."
---
Silence filled the room.
Arven closed his notebook slowly.
"You’ve been very helpful," he said.
He turned to leave.
Then stopped.
"One last question," Arven said.
Aether didn’t move.
Arven glanced back.
"Did it notice you?"
Aether t his gaze.
After a brief pause—
"I don’t know," Aether replied.
Arven studied him for a mont.
Then nodded.
"I understand."
And left.
---
The mont he was gone—
The pressure vanished.
Aether exhaled slowly.
"That was closer than I expected," he said quietly.
A faint voice echoed inside him.
"You handled it well," she said. "But be careful. That man is dangerous."
Aether nodded slightly.
"I know," he replied.
---
Outside—
Arven walked calmly.
But his thoughts burned.
"...Wings... tail... humanoid form..."
His eyes darkened.
"...So it really exists."
A faint smile appeared.
Cold.
Calculating.
"Interesting."
And with that—
A hunt had begun.
Reviews
All reviews (0)