CHAPTER 219: CHAPTER 219: GOLDEN [2]

I sighed, prying my eyes off the two figures in the distance and turned.

"Is something wrong?"

Alexander mirrored my movements and asked.

"No, it’s nothing. I was just wondering what I’d do now that i have all this free time."

With class suddenly cancelled, i suddenly had a lot of time on my hands, and this wasn’t originally supposed to be.

The reason i decided to go for class in the first place was to fill up my time, but now none of that matters. All that stuff about a student’s duty from before was bullshit.

Scratching the back of my head, i side glanced at Alexander next to me a little listlessly. At some point he had pulled out his communicator and eas staring absentmindedly at the screen.

"Do you have any plans?"

My voice snapped Alexander out of the screen as he blinked hos eyes and turned to face me.

"Mmh. I’ve got something to do actually. There’s somewhere i have to be." He sighed slightly, slipping his communicator back into his pocket and shifted on his feet.

"Oh..."

For a moment, i was unconsciously tempted to ask what exactly that was, but i held back my tongue instead and silently acknowledged.

Plus if it were really anything i had to know, he’d probably tell me, I guess. Probably....

I don’t know. I wasn’t sure. Alexander and i still weren’t that close, and i had enough of my own problems in the meantime for now.

Alexander seemed a bit hesitant and apologetic as he stared at me. He probably felt like he’d be leaving me behind or something. Frankly, i didn’t care, but obviously i didn’t say it out loud.

"What about you?"

Hmmm...with nothing else to do for now, i guess I’ll do ’that’. I shrugged internally.

"I think I’ll hit the library or something."

***

"What the hell was up with that damned reaction?"

Alexander...that bastard looked at me like the world had ended when i told him I’d be heading to the Library. What was that supposed to mean?

It’s just the library, dammit. And aren’t i allowed privilege to use it as a Cadet? It’s also my right! Wasn’t that reaction over exaggerated?

My thoughts were fuming as i stumped through the bookshelves of the library, the tip of my fingers tracing across the thick spined of large and small textbooks.

Eventually, my expression soured.

"This...this is dizzying."

There were so many books. The library was thick with the smell of ink and paper in the air.

The tall shelves were overwhelming. It had to be mentioned that the library of Aegis was nothing short of a grandeur.

Roles and columns of bookshelves aligned, forming a whole maze of knowledge.

My visit to the library wasn’t just impromptu.

I needed information.

Knowledge.

I realised i was thoroughly lacking in that aspect after everything that had happened to me recently.

"Excuse me, is there anywhere someone could find specific books or subjects about Curses, Skills, and Stigmas?"

Ultimately, i decided to directly ask the librarian for guidance.

It was my first time in the Academy Library and i absolutely had no idea where to begin.

A young teenage girl with big, round and innocent eyes stared at me from behind her pair of lens — the librarian.

She raised her head which was stuffed full in the textbook in her hands and met my gaze.

"Down the east aisle. First turn left. The first section you come across. You’ll find what you’re looking for there."

She was succinct.

But.

"Than—!"

The moment my lips parted to reply, a sudden, sharp groan tore from mouth. It felt like a hot rod pierced through my eyes as the world in my vision suddenly punctuated, diluting and saturating with oily layers of bright colour that stacked like an impressionist painting.

A barrage of visual information assaulted my mind at once and a searing heat spread through my eyes as if they were doused in boiling oil.

"Kuek!"

"Huh? Hey, are you okay?!"

[Eyes of Discerning]...!

The Skill was acting up again. A split moment of searing pain flashing through my eyes briefly as my vision flipped.

"...Y-yeah. Yeah, I’m fine, thanks."

My voice sounded like a hiss and i sucked in a breath as i lowered my head into my hand.

I sighed and raised back my head, forcing a strained smile.

"Thank you. The first left turn down the east aisle, right?"

"Y-yeah..."

Without a word more, i took off, leaving behind the perplexed face of the librarian while feeling like someone had stabbed a hot rod through my throbbing eyes. It made my head woozy and i nearly stumbled over my steps.

Pressing a hand to my forehead over my eyes, i sighed.

The skill bugging out right now was sudden, i hadn’t expected it at all — in fact i had totally forgot about it and even left my glasses back at my room earlier today cuz i wasn’t used to them.

It’s not like it would matter now though. The glasses were mundane and prescribed to me recently to temporarily help with my vision after nearly melting my eyes from trying to stare into Meta... the System’s core—

The moment i had that thought, my feets halted and i came to a stop — frozen in place. A cold, chilling sense of horror like realisation gripped at my heart and my eyes widened, causing my forehead to throb.

A cold shuddering ran fown my back, causing my shoulder to tremble as my expression contorted slightly.

Wait.

"Haa..."

Now that i think about it, didn’t the new skill start acting up right after i tried staring at the System with it? As a result i nearly had my eyes incinerated or blown off, but yes, I’m pretty certain it started to behave strangely just after then.

Could that really be...?

I haven’t had Eyes of Discerning for long, and it hasn’t even been up to three days since recieving it as a reward, so i probably assumed the skill was originally bugged right from the start.

Eyes of Discerning was already a powerful and mysterious Skill, so perhaps the strange behaviour was just one amongst its many mysteries.

Either that, or i thought the System it’s was bugged.

That was more scarier to even imagine.

I gathered my thoughts and inhaled deeply — i could feel the librarian perplexed and focused gaze on my back from behind, and so as to not look even more suspicious than i already was, i moved my feet and continue working casually as though nothing happened as my thoughts spun.

I’ve already assumed the System was bugged, but the more i think about it, the more unlikely it seems.

Up until now, only the Eyes of Discerning Skill has been acting up this way on its own. One would think that if the System was bugged, wouldn’t other of it features be tweaking? Like other Skills activating on their own or not working as they’re supposed to?

And how come it only started just now?

Then that made my second assumption...more likely.

’This is a warning...’ Meta’s cold and familiar words from before echoed chillingly in my mind like a serpentines hiss, causing me discomfort.

As my fingers absentmindedly traced the thick spines of the books neatly sorted along the shelves, my expression became heavy, a grand sense of dissonance spiralling in my gut feeling.

My instincts were speaking to me, much loudly now.

Could this really have something to do with me using the Skill on the system?

I found a nearby chair and table and decided to take a sit to properly sort through my thoughts.

It made more sense the more i thought about it.

’Now that i remember...when i tried looking into the system, some irregular characters came up. But...huh?’

I suddenly had a small headache assault my head right then. Grabbing, my head i winced.

But.

’I can’t remember.’

My eyes widened, the tips of my fingers trembled against the smooth surface of the wooden table.

’I.... can’t seem to recall what exactly i saw?’

What did i see...?

No, did i see anything?

If i did see something, how come it’s only now I’m trying to think of it?

Why am i just trying to remember? It’s been almost two days...

My memory rewinded back to the moment i stared into the system with Eyes of Discerning, but strangely enough, i couldn’t recall anything else other than the bloodcurdling pain that assaulted my eyes.

What was even more was that, the more i struggled to remember, the more harder and fainter my memory became, and the more painful the headache i felt worsened. Suddenly everything in my perception felt vague and distant, like looking through a foggy lense.

It was similar to the same kind of feeling you get when feeling deja vu... That uncomfortable sense of dissonance and irregularity...that was what my mind and thoughts currently felt like, including my memory of that time.

It was to the point, i really began to doubt if i ever actually did see anything.

But i was certain i did, more than sure.

It didn’t make sense after all.

I could still remember Meta’s could warning and tye blinding pain.

But what i saw...

What was it again?

Dammit.

I groaned, grabbing my head.

Just what did i see?

’This damned System...’