The Secret Store

A calm, mysterious voice spoke near William.

"Hello, William."

William looked toward the door where the voice came from and saw a man wearing glasses. His black hair was slicked back, and he wore a white shirt beneath a black open-front vest.

William smiled when he saw him and reached out to shake his hand. He spoke in a relaxed tone:

"How have you been, Victor Moonlight…"

According to the memories I've recovered, this guy is one of the geniuses in this academy… and a close friend of William. His sequence is the eighth. William muttered to himself softly.

Victor gave a calm smile and spoke in a laid-back voice:

"I'm alright. I've just been bored to death. I can't take being in my room for three days, staring at four damn walls."

William let out a small laugh and replied:

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Staying here too long could make anyone depressed."

As the two chatted, Sophia Ascot entered from the back wall, wearing a sweet smile on her lips.

"Are you two starting without me? You traitors."

Victor chuckled and answered smoothly:

"How could we start without the princess? Isn't that right, William?"

"That's right," William replied with a smile on his face.

He looked at them, his expression peaceful, and muttered to himself:

Sophia Ascot and Victor Moonlight… very close friends of William. Each of them has their own unique intellect and abilities.

He continued:

And the thing that helped me remember Elif Moonlight… was Victor Moonlight, who appeared in my memories.

"So, what's the plan?" Sophia asked sweetly. "What are we going to do during this dumb and annoying lockdown?"

Victor leaned against the door, placing his index finger on his chin. Suddenly, an idea came to him.

"With this annoying lockdown… why not make use of it and go to the secret store? It has some amazing quests that can help us upgrade our abilities."

"Great idea," Sophia replied, a sparkle in her voice. "The missions from that place really help you grow—and they increase your level of insight too… but William always refuses. He ruins the fun."

William looked a little stunned and muttered quietly:

Was this guy refusing to go to the secret store? But why?

He continued:

Does this body know something I don't? Something that hasn't surfaced in my memory yet? Doesn't matter… I'll go with them.

He smiled and said in an excited tone:

"Who said I didn't want to go? Staying here for three days will drive me insane, hahaha."

The three of them laughed softly. Sophia clapped her hands and said enthusiastically:

"That's awesome! You're gonna love the missions there."

"But the real question is—how are we going to get out? The holy guards are everywhere." William spoke with a hint of concern.

Victor extended his hand forward and revealed a glowing paper with a magical map on it.

"This map will help us get out of the academy through the secret paths. Don't tell me you lost yours?"

Tsk… some memories take longer to appear… That's right, this map lets us move around the academy freely, William thought to himself.

He reached into the drawer of the desk and pulled out his own magical map.

"I didn't lose it—I just forgot I had it, since I rarely use it."

"Man, you gave me a heart attack…" Victor placed his hand over his chest. "Getting three of these maps got me into huge trouble."

Sophia turned to Victor and said:

"It's eight p.m. When are we heading out?"

Victor asked them to come closer and looked at the map with them. Then he explained the escape plan.

"We're going to exit through three separate paths—to avoid alerting the academy's magical system. Sophia, you'll go through the northern gate and wait for us on Fulham Street. It leads straight to the city."

"William, you'll go south. That area has the least amount of guards. Meet Sophia at the same spot I just mentioned."

"I'll take a different path with zero patrols. Let's try to get back before midnight—or at least before dawn."

William nodded and spoke to Victor:

"That's a solid plan. At least this way we won't all be at risk."

Victor snapped his fingers, and a magical clone of William appeared, lying in bed.

"This copy will make the room show a green signal—indicating you're still inside. That'll keep us from getting caught."

William looked at Victor and muttered softly:

He really deserves the genius title… He thought of everything. No wonder he's Sequence Eight. But isn't this risky for him? What if he runs into the Clown Killer?

"Now, are you both ready?" Victor asked.

They both answered, "Yes."

"Then let's go."

Sophia phased through the wall, Victor vanished into the desk, and William strapped his sword onto his back. He looked at the map and noticed something very important.

"This map shows the movement of the holy guards throughout the academy… but probably not the high-sequence individuals."

"He told me to go south… but there's a long corridor there with two guards. It leads to a large, sealed room. Weird. I've never gone that way before."

"Right… how do I pass through the wall? I need to dive deep into my memories to remember the method."

William focused until he remembered.

"I have to make my body intangible… like a ghost. To activate that spell, I need to press the mark on my hand."

"So that's why they both touched their hands earlier."

He pressed the symbol on his hand firmly—and instantly, he phased through the floor and dropped down into the hallway. One of the guards heard a faint noise.

William hid near a large crate. The corridor was long, with two guards—one near the door and another standing a bit farther, close to the crate. On either side were tall windows… and a massive rotating vase hanging from the ceiling.

One of the guards approached the crate, inspecting it thoroughly but finding nothing. William slipped into the crate, which was filled with valuable artifacts.

"Thank God… I made it inside, or I would've been caught." William whispered in exhaustion.

I need to find a way out of here… but the problem is those two guards.

He then noticed a sleeping rat near the artifacts and smirked mischievously.

Looks like I found a solution.

A loud crash echoed from inside the crate—something had broken. Both guards rushed over.

The first guard lifted the lid and saw shattered artifacts. The rat was sitting near them.

"Damn it, we're going to get punished for this," the first guard grumbled.

"Who the hell let a rat inside this damn box? What's the captain going to do to us?" the second guard panicked.

"Hey, enough whining—help me clean this up."

William took the opportunity. He moved while halfway inside the wall—half of his body within the corridor, the other half phasing outside into the open air. The path was terrifying, leading dangerously close to the ocean below. So it was terrifying.

William reached the door, opened it quietly, and stepped inside. The second guard glanced toward the door.

"What's wrong? What are you looking at?" asked the first guard.

"N-nothing. Hey, let's gather the broken pieces and try to fix them with magic."

William entered a large room filled with valuable artifacts. Only a faint light illuminated the space, casting long shadows. Some of the artifacts were alive—magical objects whispering to each other.

"Look who just walked in," one enchanted artifact said.

"I think it's just a little rat. Hahaha," another chuckled mockingly.

"I figured I'd been discovered," William muttered with a nervous tone.

"Now, I've reached the place I needed… but where's the exit?" he asked aloud, eyes scanning the room.

As he looked around, an idea struck him—he should check the map. William pulled out the map and examined it carefully.

In the corner near the fireplace, he noticed a trail of ants going in and out.

He pocketed the map and headed toward that spot. He started feeling the wall until one of the stones shifted slightly. William smiled and said with surprised amusement:

"Victor, you damn genius."

He moved the stone, revealing a hidden door that led straight outside.

William slipped through quickly. The secret door closed by itself just as the second guard came in to inspect.

"Seems like no one's here… just hallucinations from sleep deprivation."

William was now in a narrow passage that led outside. He walked slowly due to how cramped the space was compared to his height. Eventually, he reached the edge.

Fulham Street stretched out in front of him—but he'd have to jump to reach it. It would be suicide. He glanced around, thinking hard.

'I can do anything with my magic. Why not summon a bird from my shadow magic and fly down with it?'

He clenched his fist tightly, a black spark of magic burst from his palm. With a sweeping motion, he drew a large, shadowy bird with long horns.

'When I used dark magic, my body felt like it was burning… it was as if a being with red eyes was laughing right in front of me,' William whispered, visibly shaken.

'Thank God I have some information on how to use dark magic,' he added calmly, a faint smile on his face.

He jumped onto the bird's foot, and it soared downward. William looked around. The mountains were beautiful—some snow-covered, others lush and green.

There were massive Victorian mansions, radiating an air of power and grandeur. He looked back and stared at the academy, its architecture resembling a colossal cathedral.

A nearly invisible dragon hovered above it. The academy was built on the Pacific Ocean.

William then looked down toward Fulham Street and saw Victor and Sophia waiting for him.

Before landing, he muttered a magical word:

"Aniras"—which meant vanish.

The bird dissipated into a black mist, and he descended straight toward them.

Sophia spoke with worry:

"We thought they caught you."

Victor asked, raising an eyebrow:

"Did you run into trouble? Like the Holy Guards?"

"I'll tell you everything. But right now, we need to move before they find out," William said urgently.

The three of them ran away from the academy until they were safely distant. They walked along the long, beautiful street, with a railway on the left side and houses beneath it, and a vast forest on the other side.

William recounted everything that had happened during his escape. His face still bore a cautious expression. Sophia laughed and teased:

"Seems like the rat saved you—not the other way around."

Victor chuckled lightly, while William turned to Sophia and asked:

"And you? How did your escape go? Did you face anything?"

She replied quietly, raising an eyebrow:

"Don't ask. At one point, I thought I was done for. But I slipped into the shadows and lowered my magical presence to its minimum."

William smiled, impressed:

"Smart move."

Sophia looked at Victor and joked:

"And you, genius, how was your escape?"

Victor answered calmly, as if he were talking about a stroll:

"Very smooth."

Sophia laughed out loud:

"Of course, because you always take the easy way out!"

They all laughed together as the dim daylight slipped through the gray clouds.

When they entered the city, the atmosphere shifted. The street buzzed with life despite the light drizzle. Water shimmered on the cobbled sidewalks, reflecting the soft glow of neon lights. People hurried about—some carrying umbrellas, others laughing in the rain as if it were completely normal.

Victorian buildings gave the city a unique charm. Trains moved from one place to another overhead.

On the other side, a vendor shouted in a rough voice:

"Massive discount on chicken! Giant sale!"

Another followed:

"Buy two pairs of socks, get three free!"

And a third yelled:

"Fish for ten pence only… don't miss it!"

William smiled, taking in the beauty of the city, and murmured to himself:

'Even in a bleak world like this… there are still beautiful moments.'

The three of them reached a massive building in the heart of the city. They walked to the right side of the structure, and Victor pressed one of the stones, triggering a hidden door to open.

They all stepped inside. William still had no clue what was happening. The place was dark… until the lights turned on.

They were in an elevator with a design straight out of the medieval era. Victor grabbed the lever, and they began descending. William remained deep in thought.

'Secret locations, an old-fashioned elevator… this world feels like an endless point.'

Sophia turned to William with a sweet smile and said:

"You're about to meet the owner of the secret shop. He's one of the best mages."

William smiled back at her. The elevator stopped, revealing a large room filled with rows of bookshelves and magical items floating in the air.

At the far end sat a man behind an ancient wooden desk. His long white hair flowed like a ghostly curtain down his back. He was absorbed in some mysterious work, the details unclear. He didn't turn around, nor did he look at them, but his voice cut through the room—calm yet razor-sharp:

"Looks like you managed to escape the academy… to carry out some mission."

He paused briefly, then continued in a deeper tone:

"And I see you've brought the unexpected guest… the sorcerer William Gideon."