Amantha

Chapter 16: Amantha

Isabella took a seat in the middle rows of the class for Grayson's lecture. Sitting in front was too daring for her. Sitting in the back was too eye-catching. Sitting in the middle would be best. Not like it makes any difference though.

She could feel a headache coming at the thought of watching Grayson's face for more than a hour.

Her headache began to thrum as Bianca, seated beside her, continued to chatter about something Isabella couldn't follow. Instead, her eyes flicked to the notification on her phone: an unread email from Grayson. She knew it wasn't good news.

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

Isabella looked up, startled. Dylan was casually slipping into the seat on her other side, his bag resting at his feet.

"Huh? Why are you in our class?" Bianca frowned. She was beginning to notice how this guy was popping up everywhere.

"Thought I'd see what the fuss is about with law lectures," Dylan said nonchalantly, leaning back in his chair like he owned the place.

Bianca rolled her eyes, mumbling something about stalkers before returning to her laptop.

Isabella, however, couldn't help but smile. Dylan's presence changed everything—suddenly, the lecture didn't feel as unbearable.

"Don't you have a part-time job?" she whispered.

"I switched shifts," Dylan said with a grin. "From now on, this lecture is part of my schedule. Save me a seat, will you?"

"You're ridiculous," Isabella muttered, shaking her head. But she couldn't hide the warmth in her eyes. Dylan always had a way of making things better.

Dylan grabbed her hand and scribbled something on her palm. When she read it, her heart softened—a simple "Feeling better?" accompanied by a smiley. She gave him a grateful look before snatching his hand in return. With a mischievous glint, she scrawled something on his palm.

His expression morphed from curious to amused as he looked at it—a crude drawing of a sleeping pig. Dylan smirked, lifting his hand as if to retaliate, but the entrance of Professor Grayson silenced the room.

Grayson entered the lecture hall with his usual air of authority. A thin man with neatly combed hair, polished black shoes, and glasses perched on his nose, he epitomized a dedicated academic. His eyes briefly flicked to Isabella before he began the lecture.

The class dragged on in predictable monotony. Isabella took notes diligently, while Dylan seemed completely uninterested, his focus drifting to his own assignments. Despite the mundane lecture, Isabella felt strangely at ease—Grayson's gaze wasn't suffocating with Dylan sitting beside her.

When the lecture finally ended, the tension in Isabella's shoulders eased. She hesitated for a moment before showing Dylan the email Grayson had sent her earlier. Another zero on her assignment. Another summons to his office.

"There's no need to go," Dylan said, his tone casual but laced with something mischievous.

"Why?" Isabella asked, confused.

Dylan smirked. "Let's wait outside. You'll see."

Bianca wanted to stay with Isabella, but Isabella waved her off with a promise to study together the next day. With everyone gone, Dylan led her to a spot behind a pillar near the law department, where they had a clear view of Grayson's office.

"What are we waiting for?" Isabella asked, her suspicion growing.

"You'll see," Dylan repeated, his smirk deepening.

Moments later, a commotion near the stairway drew their attention. Two students were helping Grayson down the steps, their arms supporting him as he hobbled along. His usually pale complexion was even paler, and a white cloth was tightly wrapped around his thigh, stained with blood.

Isabella's eyes widened. "What happened to him?"

Dylan's grin widened. "Not all campus dogs are vaccinated."

She gaped at him, realization dawning. "You didn't…"

Dylan winked, his expression as smug as ever. "Let's just say he won't be stepping into his office for a while. Consider it a… sick leave."

Isabella couldn't believe it. Dylan had somehow snuck a dog into Grayson's office, ensuring the man would be preoccupied with more pressing matters.

She would really have a few days of peace. And if the leave is too long, then the administration will have to appoint another professor temporarily. She could make a request to regrade her assignments then. Half of her problems were solved.

"Isabella." Both Isabella and Dylan turned around to see Aaron standing there.

"Oh Aaron. Hii." Isabella greeted him. Dylan didn't bother. He will deal with this pretty face too.

"You haven't contacted me today. So I thought I should come and check on you." Aaron said softly and smiled warmly. Dylan internally rolled his eyes. What a pretense.

"Thanks for your concern. There is nothing recently. Is there anything you want to say?" Isabella asked. Her emerald eyes deeply stared at him.

Isabella's question was very normal, but her stare was probing, making him uncomfortable. He avoided her question and instead shifted his attention to Dylan.

"Is this your friend?"

"He is. We have plans later." Isabella said, pointing that they have to leave now. Of course Aaron understood it and didn't block them any longer.

"Don't you want to discuss about Grayson with him?" Dylan asked after making sure Aaron wasn't behind them.

Isabella's expression hardened, a chill settling over her features. Even Dylan felt a twinge of unease—this was a side of her that rarely surfaced.

"I checked the CCTV outside the locker room this morning," she said, her voice low but seething. "A senior girl from our department entered the room after me. I asked around. She's Aaron's girlfriend."

She didn't know if Aaron knew about it or not. But it didn't matter anymore. She already decided not to trust him anymore.

Dylan nodded. No wonder she looked cold and distant. Aaron must be on her kill list now.

"I thought you left everything to me?" Dylan joked. He knew that Isabella was no damsel in distress and would always fight her way out. She was just a bit overwhelmed with her emotions previously.

"Hmph.. And let you brag about it for the rest of your life? No thanks." Isabella proudly replied.

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[Mythiopia]

Lawrence was irritated after reading countless history books in the library. He had even scoured the secret library he'd discovered as a child, hoping for something profound.

The secret library, however, was a disappointment. Lawrence had assumed its magically protected books would hold the secrets of the universe. Instead, most were trivial—handwriting practice books, basic math workbooks filled with mistakes, cook books, romance novels and other mundane records.

He had spent sleepless nights deciphering the texts, creating a dictionary to translate the language, only to realize it was all nonsense. Why someone had gone to such lengths to preserve this junk was beyond him.

Yawning, the king got up and browsed through the shelves behind his desk. His eyes landed on a thin book wedged between large, heavy tomes.He hadn't quite noticed it before.

Hoping for a quick read, he pulled it out, only to have a stack of letters spill from the folder disguised as a book cover. Carefully, he gathered the fragile papers, intrigued by their contents.

The letters, he discovered, were written between a husband and wife. Most were short and personal, discussing everyday topics like the flowers in the garden or favorite dishes. Yet, they revealed a deep longing, suggesting the couple was separated and missed each other terribly.

Lawrence's interest grew as he noticed mentions of peculiar incidents, ones absent from hundreds of history books he read through.

In one letter, the man lovingly scolded his wife not to play with stars. He asked her to play with some 'Sebastian' if she was bored. There were many Sebastians in the history, and the king didn't know who this Sebastian was. And playing with stars?

In another letter, the wife casually mentioned taming a fire tiger—a creature associated with the deity of fire in Heaven. How could this woman be powerful enough to subdue such a being?

Was she joking? Because if not, that only means that the woman can travel between realms.

The husband's tone in the letters contrasted with the wife's straightforwardness. While she described her days matter-of-factly, with a bit of childish tone, his words were emotional, filled with warmth and a hint of secrecy.

He often addressed her as "Love," "Dear," "Wife" or "Sweetheart," while referring to himself humbly as "Your husband." Lawrence was amused; he hadn't imagined people of the past being this romantic.

It wasn't until reading further that the wife's name, "Amantha," appeared.

"Amantha" Lawrence mumbled. He felt he heard this name somewhere. He was sure of that. But he couldn't recollect where.

And this husband. Who was he? Was he the gatekeeper? Is that why Amantha could travel between realms?

Many doubts and speculations ran in the king's head.

Since he was sure that he heard of Amantha before, he wanted find Draphior using her.