Chapter 11: The End of the First Day

After leaving the classroom, Baran headed back to his dorm room, stumbling a few times along the way.

"Nngh… nghh…"

The moment he stepped into his room, a low groan escaped his lips as he dropped to his knees.

"Hhhhh—aaah…"

A searing migraine gripped him.

"Iiiiiiiiii…"

Baran clutched his head, trying to silence the throbbing pain in his brain.

"Mmmhh…"

His guttural groans of pain filled the room.

If he had to describe it, the pain was like thousands of needles stabbing into his body all at once.

Baran assumed the migraine had something to do with the memory fragment he'd seen earlier—

That fragment appeared right as he'd defeated Angellica.

But in the memory, the one he defeated wasn't Angellica… it was a girl with ash-gray hair.

She had wavy hair like Angellica, but ash-gray in color, and the same eerie gray eyes—eyes so gray even the sclera seemed to have lost their white. She couldn't have been older than seven, and she stared at Baran with a terrified look. Her mouth opened and closed as Baran slowly approached her.

He held a wooden practice sword that glimmered faintly with golden energy.

Golden energy.

How…? How was he using energy?

Disbelieving, Baran tried to suppress the memory fragment.

Tears streamed down the girl's cheeks as Baran drew closer. Finally, she opened her mouth.

"Big brother… stop. Please… it hurts… I'm scared…" she pleaded.

"Pathetic… @}^Q+Q^+^R(=Q^(+)/Q^…"

The next part of the voice—a voice that he was certain was his own—made no sense to him. But those first words… he understood them.

"B-big brother? … Is… is that me?"

"Iiiiiiiiii…"

The migraine surged again, sharper than before, and Baran instinctively activated his racial trait: Battle Mind.

Though not as effective as the Germans', Baran had trained it enough to speed up his thought process even outside combat.

A few hours later, the migraine finally subsided—but that didn't mean he was alright.

The question of why the ash-haired girl had called him "big brother" gnawed at him.

Her features resembled his sister's… but his sister's hair and eyes were the same color as his own.

Who was this girl? Why did she call him brother?

The more he thought about it, the more unsettled he became.

And the worst part?

That memory had surfaced just as he defeated Angellica—right when he'd shown a side of himself he usually kept hidden, a side only his family had ever seen: the gentle, protective big brother.

The situation was spiraling into chaos. His memories were betraying him. He'd shown kindness to Angellica. He'd told her he refrained from using energy just to train his body, as if that was truly the reason.

"Tomorrow's going to be… exhausting," he muttered, finally rising to his feet. He decided a warm shower might help clear his head.

On his way to the bathroom, he stumbled a few more times.

Meanwhile, at the Dunkelheim dorms, Tristan walked down the hallway, a few students watching him intently.

One tall boy with black hair eyed him carefully.

"Yeah, the rumors are true. He's got no energy," the boy said.

The blond beside him chuckled.

"So messing with him won't cost us anything, huh?"

"It's the perfect chance to get revenge on the Fort family," said another—this one with brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He had an air of authority, clearly the leader of the trio.

"Tomorrow's going to be fun, then," the blond grinned.

The blue-eyed boy nodded.

"One of the most entertaining days yet, Alvéric."

The trio watched as Tristan entered his dorm, then turned and left the Dunkelheim grounds.