Free Web NovelChapter 26: The Two Surprises
Silas remained awake for several hours after Cher left.
Their conversation had been strange from beginning to end, veering between hostility and uneasy understanding, yet beneath all of it lay pieces of information far too valuable to ignore.
For one, he had learned that Cher was a mage from a prestigious clan. He still had no idea what an L-Enhancer truly was, but instinct told him that it stood far above a G-Enhancer.
Then there was the badge, the dragon bone badge.
For reasons he could not explain, he found himself recalling the ominous connection between the name he carried and dragons.
Above all else, however, his greatest gain had been learning about the Meditation classes. The knowledge settled a burden that had weighed heavily on his heart. The knowledge didn’t erase his fear, but it gave him something he had lacked: hope.
That night, Silas slept peacefully. The lingering fear left behind by the Shadowheart finally seemed to loosen its grip.
The next morning, he was cleared for discharge. According to the doctors, the exhaustion caused by completely depleting his Mana had subsided, and there was no reason to keep him under observation.
Silas wasn’t surprised. Every time he pushed his Mana beyond its limits, he ended up collapsing into deep sleep. The only issue came when the doctors questioned the changes within his mutated body.
"I was told it’s normal for these things to take time to develop," he answered casually, offering the first excuse that came to mind. Fortunately, none of them pressed the matter further.
As soon as he stepped out of the infirmary, he spotted Cher. She had been discharged as well. Standing only a few steps away, she paused, turned around, and met his gaze. And neither of them spoke.
After a long moment, Cher gave him a slight nod. And Silas returned it. Then they walked away in opposite directions.
"Will I still have the same dorm... or did they relocate me?"
Only halfway back did the question occur to him. Three days ago, his dormitory had been engulfed in flames during the attack. Yet the dean had never mentioned transferring him elsewhere.
After some thought, Silas decided to see the damage for himself. If the place was as ruined as he remembered, he could always seek help afterwards.
However, upon arriving, he was met by two surprises.
"Silas! Bro, you’re finally back!"
The first surprise was Darius.
The young man appeared to have been camping outside Silas’s dorm. There was an actual tent set up in the corridor, along with enough supplies to suggest he had settled in for the long haul.
"Are you okay? Does anything hurt? Do you feel dizzy? Did the doctors miss something?"
Darius immediately launched into a barrage of questions, circling Silas as though searching for hidden injuries.
"Hey, calm down. I’m fine."
Eventually, Silas raised a hand to stop him.
"Let’s go inside. I want to check the dorm and see..."
His voice trailed off as the second surprise stood right before him. He distinctly remembered scorched walls and flames pouring from his dorm. Now, however, the dorm looked immaculate and perfectly fine.
The walls appeared newly constructed, cleaner and brighter than before, as though the damage had never existed.
Frowning, Silas opened the door and stepped inside. Then he froze.
"This..."
Everything was exactly where it belonged. Nothing was out of place.
"They did an amazing job repairing it, right?" Darius said with a grin.
Silas stared blankly before his gaze drifted toward the tent outside. And realisation struck him like a bolt of lightning.
"Don’t tell me you camped out there for three days."
Darius scratched the back of his head, and his sheepish smile answered the question before words could. Silas shook his head, and warmth stirred within his chest.
’Screw that. Why did you have to hide your background from me, idiot?’
He glanced around the room. Even the burned couch and curtains had been replaced with identical ones.
"Pack your things," Silas said, nodding toward the door. "Let’s get something to eat."
Darius hurried to gather his belongings while Silas headed into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, grabbed two ready-made bowls of noodles, and heated them in the microwave.
A few minutes later, the two sat on the restored couch. Silas noticed that his belt and daggers had been neatly placed on a nearby table.
’At least the dean knew better than to take what wasn’t his.’
The meal quickly turned into another one-sided conversation. As Darius talked, Silas listened.
Excited by his friend’s return, Darius recounted everything that had happened over the past few days. News of the attack had spread throughout their year, causing panic and unrest.
Then the conversation shifted to Leopard.
"He gathered everyone the next day," Darius said. "Gave this huge speech about how we couldn’t let something like that happen again. He promised to petition the dean to strengthen security around the dorms. Then he advised everyone to focus entirely on the fighting class and avoid wasting time elsewhere. He said getting stronger was everything that mattered to Enhancers."
’Fighting class? A speech?’
Silas kept his expression neutral.
’That guy really doesn’t miss an opportunity.’
Darius, oblivious to his thoughts, continued.
"Classes officially started yesterday. I followed Leopard’s advice and only enrolled in the fighting class."
He looked at Silas earnestly.
"I really think you should do the same."
Silas paused, glancing at his friend. He could easily tell that the concern in Darius’s voice was genuine.
’Tsk. If only you’d been this honest with me before.’
"I’ll see what the other classes have to offer," Silas plainly replied.
Darius opened his mouth to argue.
"And I’ll consider taking the fighting class."
’Like hell I will.’
Relief immediately washed over Darius’s face. He finished the rest of his meal before standing up.
"I already skipped yesterday’s class," he said. "It’s still only eleven. Classes started about an hour ago, so I should head over."
Silas followed him to the door, eager to reclaim a little peace and quiet.
"Take the rest of the day off," Darius said. "Tomorrow, I’ll wait for you outside the fighting class."
"Sure," Silas lied smoothly. "I’ll try to make it."
Darius paused, giving Silas a scare. Instead of launching into another lecture, he placed a hand on Silas’s shoulder.
"It feels great having you back."
Then he turned and left. Silas watched him go before letting out a long sigh.
"The classes have started..."
His gaze shifted toward the academy-issued wristwatch resting nearby.
"Let’s see what the available classes schedule looks like."
Before anything else, he fastened his belt around his waist and attached his daggers. Running his fingers over each handle, he recalled how the Shadowheart had wielded them in ways Silas had never imagined possible. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"I’ll use you far better than that bastard ever did."
Ever since his conversation with Cher, his state of mind had changed. Even now, remembering those movements sent chills crawling across Silas’s skin. Yet beneath the lingering fear, another emotion had begun to take root: envy. If that monster could wield his weapons that way, then one day, so would he.
After putting on the new wristwatch, he activated its interface and settled onto the couch.
"Let’s see..."
His eyes moved across the list of available classes.
"The fighting class..."
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"One class straight into the trash."
Despite Darius’s insistence, Silas never seriously considered enrolling. Logically, it was probably the correct choice.
"I just survived an assassination attempt," he muttered. "The less my enemies know about me, the better."
That was one reason. He had no intention of revealing his abilities to an audience.
Besides, conventional combat training offered little benefit to someone with his Raven ability. What he needed was specialised practice, and the private training room inside his dorm suited that purpose perfectly.
There was also one final reason: Leopard had recommended it. And for reasons Silas no longer bothered to question, he had absolutely no desire to do anything Leopard suggested.
"Yet... he still has a point." Silas’ eyes lingered over the corner training room: "In the Enhancer world, power is everything. I need to grow stronger."
Then he returned his gaze to settle upon the hologram appearing on top of his watch.
"And the first step in doing that is by regaining full control over my Time Mind World."
