CHAPTER 114: RETURNING [1]

Viola stepped out of her private accommodations.

Her villa was a luxurious place, far more than most could ever dream of. It had everything she could possibly want: a personal training room, a full kitchen and even a maid on call if she so wished.

And more importantly, it stood just beside the academy’s main campus.

She had been allotted this particular villa because of her being one of the first five to enter the orientation hall on the first day.

The villa was comfort wrapped in privilege and yet, she couldn’t enjoy a single moment of it because her mind was drowning in worry for two people who meant the world to her.

One bound to her by blood, her cousin, Seraphina and the other, connected not by birth but no less her brother, Rael.

The more Viola tried to act as if nothing bothered her, the heavier it all weighed on her.

It was a loop with no end, the harder she tried to escape her thoughts, the more they circled back.

So she did what she always did, she buried herself in books and training.

In her free hours, she wandered the libraries, yes, libraries, plural, because the academy had more than a few.

She had spent her very first day here doing nothing but searching through that vast campus, trying to find the right one. The one quiet corner where the noise in her mind might finally fade.

But today was different, she woke up earlier than usual, ate her meal in a hurry and left the villa.

For the first time since arriving at the academy, she didn’t go toward the library.

Instead, she walked toward the entrance to the Forest of Unmasked

because today the exam was ending.

Her siblings were returning.

Viola made her way through the accommodations area, her pace quick but steady. The crowd thickened as she approached the teleportation grounds, a vast, open field etched with a massive magic circle.

A tall barricade surrounded the entire formation, keeping the onlookers at bay.

This was the Summoning Circle which would bring back every student who had survived the exam.

Her heart thumped with worry.

I hope he is okay.

She couldn’t help but think because she had heard too many stories about the forest, the horrors hidden within and the trials that broke even the strongest.

The survival rate in the forest was barely fifty percent.

That was the whole reason why she had worked herself to the bone, pushing harder than anyone, to climb the ranks until she reached D-Rank.

If she had known back then that Rael would be chosen too... she never would have done it.

She would have avoided ranking up and entered that cursed forest beside him to keep an eye on him... and to make sure he got out safely.

But now, all she could do was pray that he was okay.

She looked around, hoping to distract herself from the spiraling thoughts.

A few dragons and demons stood some distance away, waiting just like her, probably for their own friends or family to return.

But Viola didn’t approach them.

She didn’t even consider it.

"Arrogant assholes," she muttered under her breath.

She had met demons and dragons before, of course.

Back then, they had always been courteous and polite. But most of them had been adults and she had been the Princess of the Astravore family, daughter of an SS-Rank powerhouse.

Now, as just another student, she finally saw them for what they truly were and she understood, perhaps for the first time, that politeness had always been because of her father.

The dragons were proud beings who viewed humans as nothing more than insects and the demons were even worse because they didn’t care about anyone.

She had tried speaking to a few of them at the beginning and in return all she received were a few disdainful "How dare you talk to me?" and from others... nothing at all.

After that, Viola stopped trying and avoided conversation altogether.

Just then, her gaze caught on a human boy standing some distance away. His deep orange hair shimmered softly and his golden eyes were fixed on the teleportation circle calmly.

He was the only other human who hadn’t entered the forest.

Until now, Viola had believed herself to be the strongest among those who had stayed behind, a D-Rank, after all.

But hidden among them all this time... was him.

Arthur Drakenheart.

She hadn’t even known he existed. She hadn’t felt his mana, hadn’t sensed a single ripple of his power, not even during the entire journey through the Sky Cruise.

Only when he wasn’t among those sent into the forest did she finally understand.

He was D-Rank too.

She had never even heard the name Drakenheart but from the way he carried himself, he looked every bit the noble.

And yet... there was no record of any noble house by that name.

The only reason she even knew who he was from the day accommodations were assigned, when the instructors called out each student’s name.

That was the first time she had heard it.

But Viola had no intention of speaking to him either.

The first time she had tried, he hadn’t even looked at her properly before saying,

"How dare you talk to me, woman?"

That had been more than enough.

Since then, she hadn’t spared him a single word or even a glance.

When will they arrive?

Her eyes drifted back to the magic circle.

The time was almost up.

They should be back by now... right?

As if right on cue, the magic circle started glowing brightly, before some faint silhouette started appearing above it.

Her heart started pounding more wildly.

And then she saw them.

Rael and Seraphina, standing side by side within the glow.

Only then did her breath return, her pulse beginning to slow.

They’re fine.

—

Author’s Note:

If you’re enjoying the story so far, don’t forget to drop some Power Stones to support it!