When I stepped through the gate, I found myself back where it all started—the auditorium. In front of were two people I didn’t expect to see: Alliah and the school principal. They were speaking to each other, and it seed rather friendly.
When they caught sight of , Alliah was the first to rush over. She jumped on , and considering my weakened state, we both collapsed to the ground. Even while we were on the floor, she didn’t let go. Her arms wrapped around so tightly that it was getting increasingly hard to breathe.
"I missed you so much!"
Alliah and I had been living together for only a few months, but in that ti, it seed she had grown attached to .
"I thought sothing might’ve happened to you."
Maybe the reason she thought that had to do with the destruction I saw on the island earlier.
"What happened on the island?" I decided to ask.
"From what I heard, the students got into an all-out fight, but most of the damage ca from the four people leading them." The answer didn’t co from Alliah; instead, it was the principal who spoke.
"The four leaders?" I asked, a little confused.
There were three faction leaders on the island, not four.
"Yes, four leaders," the principal said confidently, as if he had no doubts about what he was saying. "We thought sothing might’ve happened to you, and we were ready to count you as the only casualty. But then a girl spoke up. She claid she was with you when you disappeared near so runes."
That girl must’ve been Luna.
"So, did you manage to defeat the Basilisk?" the principal asked, staring deeply into my eyes as if he wanted to intimidate the truth out of .
I answered him without shifting my gaze.
"Yes, I did."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Well, that’s good. We’re happy to welco you into our school. Your entrance ceremony is in a week’s ti, where you will be placed in your class and receive all the necessary items you’ll need. I’m sure your guardian will explain everything you need to know."
He gave a polite bow and then exited the auditorium, with the n in black following closely behind him.
"I’m so happy you’re alive," Alliah said again. Her voice sounded like she wanted to cry, but as usual, she flipped the switch in a matter of seconds and regained her composure, even if it was just for now.
"Let’s go," she said, pulling to my feet and locking arms with in the sa instant. We walked quietly as we exited the school. Every couple of seconds, I could feel her eyes locking onto , as if she were just about ready to bombard with questions.
But she didn’t—at least not until we exited the school and entered her car waiting just outside the gate.
"So..." Here it was, the question she really wanted to ask. "Did anything interesting happen while you were on the island?"
"No, nothing noteworthy," I replied flatly, hoping she wouldn’t pry any further, but that was just a fleeting dream.
"You know, I was the healer who took care of so of the injured children that ca out of the gate. I can’t rember how many of them ca out screaming that a samurai wearing a golden mask attacked them for no reason. You know anything about that?"
She gave a stern look.
"No, I’m not surprised, though. There were a lot of crazy people on the island."
"Haah!" She let out a deep sigh. "Don’t worry; I made sure no harm would co to you..." She paused, her voice suddenly turning solemn. "There was this one kid... His body was so burned that they couldn’t even recognize him. I tried my best, but..."
The person she was talking about must’ve been Conner. I always found it strange how she cared about people she didn’t even know.
"I didn’t know him, but still, he was soone’s child, and now he’ll be disfigured for life. The others had broken arms and concussions, but this one was just too... too inhuman. I-I... Wa..." I could hear her struggling to get the words out until she finally cald herself and spoke more steadily.
"Was it you?"
This was why she was so worried; she was afraid I might’ve done sothing—sothing she couldn’t forgive. No, she would forgive , and that’s what scared her the most. Her attachnt to would cause her to overlook everything I did.
This was part of what made her such an indispensable weapon for . For whatever reason, she held a deep affection for . At first, the ti we spent together training and talking about nonsense seed to stem from a sense of duty or responsibility on her part. But over ti, I could see it morphing into sothing more.
Why was that?
To , she was nothing more than the girl I latched onto for my own survival—A tool I exploit at every turn for my own gain.
I gently touched her hand, which was tightening around the steering wheel.
"No, I never t such a person. I don’t know anything about how he got his injuries."
I had no intention of letting sothing so simple jeopardize my relationship with Alliah since I needed her—at least for now. The truth was best left hidden.
She released a deep sigh that sounded like she had been holding her breath or had forgotten to breathe.
"I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have asked. I know you would never do sothing like that."
She seed to calm down a bit afterward, and we changed the subject. Now that that was settled, there were questions I wanted to ask her myself.
"What do you know about the language called Ling-dei?"
She didn’t seem surprised at all by my question, almost as if she had expected it. She gave a slight chuckle before answering.
"I knew you would have questions. Everyone who’s ever t a dungeon boss always has questions. Let guess: the Basilisk was spouting off about gods and whatnot. He might’ve revealed which god granted you Favor."
I couldn’t believe that all of what she just said was a simple guess.
"That’s exactly what happened."
"Well, you’re going to learn about it sooner or later. But it’s not for to tell. You’ll learn all you need to know at the Hero Academy. The next four years are going to be brutal for you."
She didn’t even answer my question, and from the look on her face, I could tell she wouldn’t either. Not that I was in any shape to press her; it was taking a while to adjust to this new attribute.
My head was throbbing. But I didn’t mind; it was exactly as the Basilisk said—I could see everyone’s movents perfectly, to the point where I could predict them.
As Alliah and I spoke, it felt like I could read her emotions just from her body language alone—nothing went unnoticed by my gaze. Every breath she took, whether shallow or deep, how fast her heart was beating—everything. I had a feeling that if I mastered this skill, it could do even more.
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