The rain outside continued to drizzle, falling onto the soil of the South Iloria continent, onto the marble floors of the academy that covered most of the land, and onto the Cecilia flowers in the courtyard. Drop by drop, it fell onto Li Yue's deep and burning heart.
The persistent rain forced Li Yue, who preferred wearing boots, to carry an umbrella to avoid soaking her velvet shoes. Although this season lacked the piercing chill of midwinter, the sticky sensation brought by the damp air still caused her a slight bit of discomfort.
She had read about the Silent Forest in books; it was a place where the environment was prone to violent shifts, frequently cycling between clear skies, rain, and blizzards. For Li Yue, who had long since grown accustomed to extreme environments, this was hardly worth mentioning, yet the unpleasant physical sensations threatened to further sour her mood.
Supposedly due to special circumstances, the upcoming exam would include not just freshmen but also higher grade students who usually traveled between different campus districts. All of them would be gathered in this massive forest where the environment changed drastically at every turn.
Perhaps she would run into people she had met before. She wondered if staying with familiar faces would help alleviate her foul mood, just as Clo did.
Li Yue considered this but ultimately decided to play it by ear. She only hoped that the slaughter and clamor wouldn't cause her to lash out. As long as she didn't use taboo magic, everything should be fine.
She had prepared mithril bullets in advance, while the bullets made of blood crystals were tucked away. Those were things she would not use even if it meant failing the exam.
She strolled back into the yard, placing the fresh vegetables she had bought earlier into the freezer before returning from the kitchen. The courtyard was filled with many training dummies that Clo had prepared long ago. Although there were also various plants being cultivated here, Clo didn't seem to care whether they lived or died.
In Clo's words:
“A planting fanatic gave them to me... She knows I'm too lazy to look after the plants she sends, so the breeds she develops have a terrifyingly resilient vitality. You can do whatever you want with them.”
Li Yue didn't know who this planting fanatic was, but she noticed that Clo didn't seem to have much of a social life. Aside from necessary conversations with professors, Clo spent most of her time finding excuses to be with her. When dealing with others who seemed familiar, Clo's expression was always cold, as if she had no emotions to express at all.
Yet, when Clo spoke to me, she would unconsciously sweeten her voice. I wonder if she even notices?
Li Yue's mind wandered for a moment, but her hand habitually and rapidly squeezed the trigger. Bullets without mana poured into the vitals of a training dummy, instantly bursting into small clouds of ice mist.
If a conflict really did occur during the exam, even with protective measures in place, attacking these vitals directly still carried a risk of death... Perhaps I should avoid them. After all, even if their level was enough to kill me, I could just revive myself anyway...
Strangely, the sound of the rain outside seemed to stop in an instant. The sudden silence made her feel inexplicably uneasy. In that moment of hesitation, she felt as if she were once again standing in another world.
The training dummies before her transformed into Holy Knights. Holding silver swords, they glared at her, already regarding her as a blood demon in this very moment.
Is this an illusion caused by that strange emotion? It feels remarkably real... How tiresome. Li Yue frowned at the scene, forcing herself to close her eyes and then open them again. The sound of the rain still hadn't returned, and the deathly silent space remained frozen in this moment, though the appearance of the figures before her shifted drastically again.
Some wore silver helmets and stared with bulging, angry eyes; some were already missing an eye, watching her with sinister, violent gazes; others were cold and indifferent, their bodies flickering with lightning and radiating disdain...
In a mere heartbeat, these shadows turned into flying ash. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The sound of the rain outside gradually returned to her ears, and everything seemed to become noisy once more. It was a reassuring clamor.
However, the training dummies in the courtyard, along with many nearby plants, had already turned into ash, scattering into the air and becoming dust that settled into the fine cracks of the marble tiles.
She propped up her face with one hand as cold sweat dripped down. Her breathing was slightly heavy and ragged. She looked at the scene before her with lingering fear; this was her death magic, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust. Even with the seal binding the remains, she had successfully unleashed it through the medium of the two guns, Death and Rebirth.
This is simply... absurd. I knew it was an illusion, so why did I still lash out... I really... I lost to those strange negative emotions this time... Do I really need to use a portion of my divinity to suppress them?
Would sealing my past memories work? No, that would only stop me from actively remembering. Once I see those familiar faces, the memories hidden within the remains will still find me instantly...
No... this isn't right... Why do I have to be Him... Is it just because I can perfectly accommodate all of His remains... Ugh...
What am I agonizing over... Since I know it's an illusion... I just need to restrain myself... Maybe I'm just too tired. I just need to rest for a bit. Just a little while, and I'll be fine.
She walked back to her familiar small sofa and sank into it, letting down most of her guard. She allowed her exhausted spirit to enjoy a moment of peace.
In the far distance at the South Academy, a lady sitting in a palace made of massive vines and various flora shuddered. She opened a single blood red eye, looking toward the distance with confusion and doubt.
“The children I cultivated with my own hands... how did they capture a flicker of the aura of death for an instant? Did Clo accidentally kill them while raising them...” She lightly bit her lip. “Forget it. I'll ask her when we meet in person later.”
She sighed softly, sitting in her cradle woven from vines, watching the flowers in the courtyard bloom and wither, watching new buds sprout from dry branches and rotten wood collapse with a thud.
As the cradle rocked gently, she closed her eyes and listened to the voice of all things.
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