William’s vision snapped back after a brief dizzy spell. He blinked, disoriented, seeing that he was back inside his tent. The familiar fabric of the canvas, the sll of leather and dampness... everything indicated he had returned. He sat up with difficulty, his muscles still numb.
"Angel?" he called, his voice hoarse. "Are you here? Answer ."
"Yes, William," responded that monotonous voice which nonetheless conveyed great tranquility. "Everything happened again... just as always. A force expelled you from that world, but this ti it didn’t hold back. I was expelled with you, as if it no longer had any interest in keeping there."
William let out a sigh of relief.
"That’s good... that place is too dangerous, and every ti I’m forced to leave, I’m afraid you’ll get trapped forever. While you were trapped... could you see anything that happened? What do you think of the Scarab Knight?"
"I saw nothing," Angel replied, a hint of sha perceptible despite her monotone voice. "While all that was happening, I was completely incommunicado... as if I didn’t exist. But upon returning, I felt that connection we had before again. And now... I can see your mories. Everything you experienced there, I’ve been able to experience through you."
"Really? How is that possible?"
"I don’t know for certain," she replied. "But I feel that going to that world strengthens . Since I evolved, I hadn’t been able to progress... but this last trip was different. I feel stronger; I can perceive at a greater distance... for example, now I can clearly sense the four mages traveling with us. And finally, I can estimate their true strength."
William’s eyes widened in surprise.
"You can really see their stats? Tell then... how strong is Aurus?"
"Aurus has 280 spiritual power," Angel said without hesitation. "2 points in strength, 1.8 in agility, and 225 in vitality. He’s the strongest of the four, no doubt."
"And the others?"
"Agis is right behind him. He has 260 spiritual power, 5 in strength, 5 in agility, and 258 in vitality. He’s more balanced, almost like a magical warrior. The other two elders... are much weaker; they don’t even reach 200 in spiritual power."
William nodded, processing the information. Then he rembered sothing else that bothered him.
"And the Kraken? Can you sense it?"
"No," Angel replied, sowhat frustrated. "I can’t see the old mories prior to this last connection; anything before our last trip to that world is unknown to . But... there’s sothing else. Now I feel the mana inside you. I can perceive it flowing... I can even manipulate it slightly. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to help you as before, but I promise I’ll try my best."
William smiled. He was about to say sothing more when the tent flap burst open. Lía entered, surprised to find him standing.
"William!" she exclaid, rushing towards him.
He imdiately stood, still wrapped in bandages around his torso, and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.
"What’s wrong? Any news?"
"We’re getting close to the academy now," she replied. "I ca to see if you were awake yet... or, if not, to ask for help transporting you. I didn’t want you to be left behind."
William was touched by her consideration.
"Thanks, Lía... but I’m fine. I just need to move carefully. Co on, we need to get ready to leave." Even though he was fully healed, he didn’t want to show off too much and cause more problems than he already had, ending up like a lab rat.
Together they began to pack. William helped her put her things in a trunk while he used his old bag. This ti, he made no effort to hide his sword. After so many ambushes, he didn’t feel comfortable without it at hand, so he fastened it securely to his back.
As he organized his belongings, he noticed that the small pouch Aurus had given him was still intact. Until now, he hadn’t opened it, thinking that rummaging through it would be disrespectful. But curiosity got the better of him. He opened it cautiously... and his eyes lit up.
Inside, stacked like an enchanted treasure, were hundreds of small mana stones. They emitted a faint bluish glow, as if each contained a fragnt of the night sky. The internal space of the pouch was approximately two by one ter at its base, and one ter in height. It wasn’t enormous, but it was ideal for concealing wealth.
William smiled, grateful. He said nothing to Lía, simply finishing putting away his things. She had already closed her trunk too, and together they left the tent. William carried the heavy trunk despite his bandages, refusing to appear weak.
Once on deck, he paused, seeing all the survivors lined up, observing the island approaching at great speed. The ship glided over the water like an enraged beast, pouncing on its prey.
"This is... too fast," William whispered, feeling the wind whipping his face. He calculated ntally. "We must be going over 250 kiloters per hour. It’s as if the ship has woken up."
Feeling that sothing was not right, he gestured for Lía to follow him and headed towards the helm, where Captain Thenerev was speaking with his sailors.
"Old man, you really are tough!" Renno exclaid upon seeing him. "You’re already walking after that beating. If they told you were a knight and not a mage, I’d believe them without hesitation."
Laughter erupted among the sailors, but William couldn’t help but notice that everyone was wearing their combat armor and sharp weapons. The atmosphere was tense.
"Captain... what’s going on? Why are you so prepared?"
Thenerev looked around before responding in a grave voice:
"You’re quite astute, child. We’ve detected signs that we’re being pursued. I asked the mages for permission to activate the ship’s ’escape mode.’ If they catch us... they’ll kill us without a second thought."
"We’re being pursued? By whom? I don’t see anything..."
"These ships have magical tracking runes," Thenerev explained. "We detected a sound transmission. It’s getting closer and closer... and its frequency is increasing. It’s certain we’ve been discovered."
William clenched his teeth.
"Do you think they’ll attack us?"
"Unless they have a complete fleet, a big pair of balls, and a strong desire to die, I don’t think so. We’re about to reach Black Rock Academy. And if they have an ounce of common sense... they won’t dare launch an assault against it."
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