13. Time walks backwards
13. Time walks backwards
“Walk backwards?”
“PAST SHOULD BE A PAST. PAST CAN’T BE A PRESENT ANYMORE.”
Is he pinpointing something?
“ONCE IT IS VIOLATED, SOMEONE WHO CLEARLY WITNESSED THE PAST AND EXPERIENCE IT AGAIN WILL TERRIBLY CHANGE THE FATE OF OTHERS…”
“Fate?” I mumbled. Is it really possible? I don’t believe it. But then, I suddenly felt a faint present of Augustia. Did that come from the owner of the barrier?
I looked up at the sky again, and I was surprised to see the gray sky slowly cracking.
“MY PARTNER AND I WILL FIGHT THAT FUSS.” I looked at him in awe. “ WHILE YOU LIVING IN THE PAST AGAIN, MAKE SURE TO LESSEN THAT PERSON’S FORCE ONCE YOU DETECTED THE CORE OF HIS POWER.”
“W-what!” I could clearly see the presence of an Augustia in this place but it is too faint for me to distinguish if that person is really the one who caused this. I couldn’t even trust myself that I could recognize the owner of this energy.
He floated above me and I heard the gust of wind again, it followed him as they flew in one direction. East wing. The direction of the gate. Is that person an outsider? Is he one of those persons present in the meeting?
As he clearly stated, Illeon's body absorbed me abruptly, causing me to feel dizzy for a moment. Darkness filled my vision. When I opened my eyes, an overturned bin greeted me, along with the same mess I encounter every early morning.
DAY 15… 5:30AM
I came back 15 days earlier. But that wasn’t the issue that shocked me, the same energy that I felt coming outside from the gate was even more tensed up and wasn’t faint at all. Seems it has full energy. Did something happen to that person before it came back to this time?
And there is a lot of time to choose from but why does it need to be today? This is the day of Illeon’s real birthday. No one clearly knew this day except for her biological parents. But no one had the guts to celebrate nor did the real Illeon wish to.
I sighed. Maybe this is just a coincidence. I followed the trace of the energy. Because my consciousness returned to my classroom, I felt that surging energy from upstairs, the roof deck. It came from above, but from the building across. So, I quickly ran down. Because it was too early, I took some shortcuts by jumping five staircases at a time to reach faster. I detected no one was near me, nor had anyone seen what I just did. Since there was a 20-meter distance between our building and the one across, I scanned the area; there were only a few students. So, I adjusted my running pace to a normal one before sprinting. It took me a minute to reach the first staircase.
Then, I felt that energy again. I hadn’t noticed this before, but a faint energy coming from outside was slowly approaching this place. It might be a potential threat, yet it was too far away. “With how dense the barrier is, it will still take time before it reaches this place.” For now, I need to know who the real source of this surging energy is. If it came from a true Augustia, it might be possible that it originated from me.
"WHO ARE YOU?" I suddenly stopped on the third floor. No one was there, but the voice was crystal clear, without any obstruction. "I CAN FEEL THE AUGUSTIA'S ENERGY ON YOU, BUT YOU'RE NOT AN AUGUSTIA." I looked at the closed door leading to the roof deck.
Behind that door was an Augustia. Given how clueless I was, it didn't seem he recognized me. "YOU MUST BE BORN FROM A TRAITOR. LIVING IN THIS PLACE MEANS ABANDONING THE AUGUSTIA'S ESSENCE! SUCH INSOLENCE!"
He didn't come down; instead, he just kept ranting. I opened the door, maintaining a poker face and an air of indifference. His energy was spectacular. However, he was clearly stalling for time. He hadn't moved from his spot; I could feel he was waiting for me to show myself.
"But then, he was wearing a mask, concealing his features, as I stepped onto the roof deck. He wore the same uniform as our campus, meaning he was also a student. However, no student was allowed to leave the school premises. This was a famous and prestigious isolated school where even powerful beings in the mortal realm entrusted their children for uninterrupted study, with no outside contact. Except for me and the other elites, of course. We had the privilege to leave the school whenever we wanted."
“You?” My forehead creased. With how he said it, he seems to know me. He might have infiltrated this place with complete knowledge of everyone here on campus. “The mean spoiled brat is an AUGUSTIA? IMPOSSIBLE.”
Saber came out from his left hand. I stared at it for a moment. The way he holds it is familiar. If my guess is right, he will infuse the Fallen Dribble energy onto it. I stepped one foot backwards.
He walked towards me. "You haven't appeared to me before, so you must be one of the onlookers. It's a pity you're so young to experience death."
Did he mean the guidance of the dead?
Just as I suspected, he jumped above me and infused his saber with Fallen Dribble energy. He truly hailed from Veridian Edge, a village known for its powerful saber warriors.
“Young for death?” I murmured and countered his saber with a thin piece of my hairpin and released the withdrawal of its energy. I was able to block his swords.
"Huh? You were able to block that?" He attacked me again. I tried to scan our surroundings, wondering if anyone could see us here. He then unleashed a powerful saber strike that pushed me back a step.
"Losing focus during a fight is a grave insult to me..." He landed on the ground and rested the dull side of his saber on his shoulder. "I ALSO DON'T WANT ANYONE TO SEE ME LIKE THIS, SO I'VE TAKEN THE NECESSARY MEASURES TO ENCLOSE US IN AN INVISIBLE BARRIER." He said, a hint of concern in his voice.
“That’s unusual of you.”
"Rather you. Onlookers should have remained hidden before you decided to fight. Concealing their identity is paramount... but then, you just brazenly intervened. Who are you? You're no mere onlooker, not with the surging energy emanating from you. And it amuses me that you managed to stop me with just a hairpin. A part of me is insulted, while another is burning with excitement."
I am officially recorded as dead. When an Augustia's soul meets death, the life record is permanently inscribed with their name. That record is kept by the palace scribes. Not only is the name of the deceased recorded, but the color of their soul is also marked red. However, my soul didn't pass into death. Instead, I was sent to this place, to this body. And according to traditional beliefs, I will be held accountable for my situation. I will be executed, and considering my past crimes—killing my friends—my soul will be completely obliterated in an instant.
"You're strange." That was all I could manage in response to his lengthy commentary before he attacked me again. He truly had the audacity to enjoy this.