CHAPTER 44: THEY CALLED ME OUT, BUT I HAD NO NAME

On the day news broke of Dean Hellmaine’s dismissal...

Professor Memphis couldn’t sit still. She taught like she was on autopilot, her thoughts drifting far away—only to return, again and again, to him. The Academy’s halls buzzed with whispers.

"Professor Memphis looks so down..."

"They say Dean Hellmaine saw something he shouldn’t have..."

"It won’t be easy for her now. They seemed like... the perfect pair."

But no. They weren’t a couple. Never had been. Yet they were closer than anyone knew.

Five years ago, Memphis graduated alongside Elise il Ataraxia. Together, they applied to the Grand Archives—the most prestigious place any scholar could dream of. But standing in their way was him.

Dean Hellmaine. A young man with an icy gaze and flawless posture. Barely twenty-five, yet already a legend within the Archives. And a nightmare for rookies.

"Dean? That lunatic genius? Nobody knows how someone so young ended up as an examiner. He cuts down candidates without mercy."

"You girls drew the short straw. The Archives tolerate him only because he’s too brilliant to argue with."

On exam day, Memphis’s heart pounded. Everyone whispered that failure was inevitable. And yet, against all odds, they passed.

He saw something in them. Whether by luck or raw potential, Dean gave them a chance.

He became their mentor. Taught them to wield grimoires, guided them in High Magic. He was strict, sometimes cruel—but always fair. And then, somehow, he became something more. A friend. A believer.

Once, the three of them were sorting grimoires near the archive shelves.

"Dear Memphis and Elise," he began. "What goal drives you in life?"

"Hmm... I suppose it’s simple," Elise replied. "To be a pillar for my family. Without them, I wouldn’t be here."

"Well said, Elise. I expected no less. You remind me of a classmate who used to spend her nights reading those sappy romance novels."

"Ahh! A stab straight to the chest, Professor!"

"And you, Memphis?"

"...Peace, maybe. I know it sounds shameful to say, but... I want to go with the flow."

Dean looked at her with a warm smile. Even simple days brought her joy.

"And you, Professor? What’s your

goal?"

Dean paused.

"My goal...?"

A year passed—and he left.

"I can’t stay any longer. My place isn’t within the archive walls. My heart belongs to teaching."

And just like that, he vanished. But not without blessing their paths. The girls were left with bittersweet emptiness.

Years later, when Memphis was offered a position as a professor at the Royal Academy of Magic, she couldn’t believe it.

"What?! Of course, say yes!" Elise cheered.

"I... I’m no Archmage... Who would I even teach? Elise, you’re the perfect candidate..."

"Don’t be ridiculous. If they gave you a chance, then you’re exactly who they need."

Memphis broke the mold. The first professor in decades without an Archmage rank. Her rare talent in the Destruction element had caught even the Almighty Crystal’s attention.

"The Crystal chose you. You’re the teacher of a new era. And as your friend, I’m truly proud of you, Memphis. I’ll be waiting for good news!"

Elise remained in the Archives. But the bond between them never faded.

Then, after all those years, Memphis saw Dean again—at the Academy.

But he was no longer the cold examiner. No longer the shut-in genius. Before her stood a man with fire in his eyes, a sharp tongue, and a sincere love for his craft.

From that day, they were equals. No longer mentor and student. Colleagues. Comrades.

Yet Memphis’s heart trembled. And on the day it all collapsed, she realized—some parts of her had never changed.

When the last student left the classroom and silence settled, Memphis was alone.

She trembled—not from fear, but from emptiness. Slowly, with shaking hands, she reached into her bag.

A thin envelope, worn and delicate. On it, just two words:

From Dean.

This letter was all that remained. The last thread connecting her to the one who always walked against the current, while others stayed silent.

She stared at the seal for a long time.

"I told you so many times... Don’t go against the Crystal. Nothing good will come of it."

But her fingers broke the seal. She opened the letter.

"Dear Memphis,

First of all, I’m sorry. I know—you would’ve asked me again: Why go against everything? But this time... I had a choice. And I made it.

Thank you. For everything. For your sharp tongue, your stubbornness, your honesty. The days spent near you were real. And because of those days... I can’t stay silent anymore.

The Crystal is not what it seems. You felt it too—didn’t you? Those monsters... their appearances, their connection to the Crystal’s behavior... it’s all tied together.

The Academy has become a facade. I can no longer be part of it. My path—it’s not theirs. Even if I walk alone, I will keep moving forward.

I’m not asking you to understand. But if you choose to... you can come with me.

Always yours, Dean Hellmaine"

The ink vanished before her eyes. She gripped the letter tightly, head bowed.

Dean never bowed to those above. He stared into the face of the system—and kept walking.

Her path was different. Memphis wasn’t like him. She wasn’t born to fight the world. She wanted to teach. To live in peace. To hold on to what she had.

And the closer she tried to get to him—the farther he drifted. Like a star you can see, but never touch.

He didn’t belong to this time. Not to this world.

He rejected the world before he could even be a part of it.

"Solid move, Dean... That’s your style."

She whispered into the silence:

"No... I’m not ready. I’m not that strong. Only you could challenge the world itself.

Forgive me. And... may your path be bright, Dean."

The present day.

Memphis cut the lesson short. She stormed into our classroom like a hurricane—her steps quick, her gaze heavy.

"Atheron. Lirael. Come with me."

For a brief moment, her eyes lingered on me. A sharp, searching look—as if, just then, she saw in my face someone she’d already lost.

Dean.

Once, he had said to her:

"You ask why Atheron’s so restless? But is that a bad thing? He’s one of those who will never submit. Unlike the others, he’s exceptional. That’s his strength."

Memphis never forgot those words. She believed that Dean saw something more in me.

In the corridor, her voice was restrained, but no less urgent.

"Your sister, Lady Elise, is waiting at the main gate. It’s urgent. You need to hear this."

Lirael went pale. Her heart knotted in her chest. What now?

At the Academy’s steps, Elise waited. Tall, radiant, with the same beauty mark on her cheek and silvery hair tinged green—a woman both admired and feared.

"Sister!" Lirael ran to her.

They embraced. But in their eyes—no joy. No relief.

"I came as fast as I could... Lirael, Atheron... have you heard the news?"

"Yes... Grandfather... he passed. Have you visited his grave already?"

Elise fell silent. Her face went pale.

"No... Then you don’t know. It’s not about him. I... don’t even know how to say this..."

Something in me froze. Elise wouldn’t have come here without a serious reason.

"Our family... Our entire estate... is gone. It no longer exists."

The world went silent. Those words made no sense.

"W-what..? What do you mean—gone? How is that even possible, sister?" Lirael could barely breathe.

"An explosion. Witnesses near the Chromcord highlands said they heard a rumble. Birds fled in panic. When I arrived... there was nothing left. You need to see it for yourselves."

The Academy let us leave without question.

When we arrived...

Before us lay emptiness. The place where the Ataraxia estate once stood was now... nothing.

Soft, fresh grass. But no mansion. No people. No river. No walls. As if time itself had rewound.

Lirael fell to her knees. Her shoulders trembled. Her lips moved, but no words came.

"B-but... where? Why is everything gone..? It’s like... like someone tore our home out of reality..."

Elise stood firm, her fist clenched near her chest, holding back the rage surging inside her.

"I don’t know who did this. But when I arrived—it was already too late. Everything was gone."

"No... Mom... Dad... Grandma... Meliora..." Lirael’s voice cracked, and her hands fell into the grass.

Elise knelt beside her, gently cupping her face.

"Listen to me. They may have vanished... but I don’t believe they’re dead. Something tells me they’re still alive. I swear, I’ll uncover the truth. I’ll find out where they went...!"

"Sister..."

Lirael lowered her head. Slowly, she turned to me.

Emptiness. Helplessness.

"Atheron... Tell me... Why us? Why is this happening to us?"