Take Me Back

The woman looked at the sky, seeing nothing but dark, depressing clouds. She sat on the ground, put her head between her knees, and sighed. She was tired of the emptiness around her and began to doubt her decisions.

In the distance, far, far away, she saw a house. She narrowed her eyes in that direction, trying to be sure if she was seeing things.

"Huh?"

She got up and walked toward the house. With every step, it felt like the house was moving further away. But she didn't give up. The stranger quickened her pace and didn't even blink. Because she felt that if she were to blink or look away for just a split second, the house would disappear.

She saw the house had a chimney, with smoke coming out of it. Near the entrance, a cat was sleeping soundly, purring softly.

"Hello?" She said, knocking on the door. "Is anyone there?"

A man's agonized scream came from inside. She took a step back, her face shifting from bored to afraid. She tried to open the door, but the doorknob wouldn't turn. She tried again, and this time, the doorknob fell off.

Another scream echoed, this time stronger.

"I didn't work for The Topple! I swear!" the man yelled. "No, no! Don't come near me! No!"

The stranger blinked, and in that instant, the house, along with the cat, vanished into thin air. She stood there, stunned, her mind struggling to comprehend what had just occurred. Everything felt surreal, as if the laws of physics and common sense had been tossed aside.

"What the… is this the Void?" she muttered. "I regret what I said. Take me back, Soul! I don't want to be here! Take me back!"

Professor Yuu sat in his chair and shook his head in disappointment. Soul was, yet again, in trouble. Skipping the first class and leaving the Academy grounds without permission had led to this scolding.

"Soul," Professor Yuu began, his voice tinged with frustration, "this is the second time this week. You know the rules. Why do you keep breaking them?"

Soul stood in front of the professor's desk, his expression as blank as ever. "I had something important to take care of," he replied.

"Important?" Professor Yuu raised an eyebrow. "More important than your education? More important than the responsibilities you have here?"

Soul remained silent, his eyes fixed on a spot on the floor. Professor Yuu sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Do not leave the Academy without permission. There is a blood mage outside, ready to strike. We can't take any chances, okay? And do not skip class again." Professor Yuu's tone was stern and unwavering. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Soul replied.

"Okay – you may go."

"Thank you, sir."

Soul stepped outside, closing the door behind him. A number of students gave him side-eye, whispering and gossiping about what had happened with Marcy. He shut his eyes for a moment, then lowered his gaze to the ground and began walking. His dead-looking eyes avoided contact with any of the students.

The next class was in ten minutes, so Soul opted to sit on a nearby bench and decided to wait. The weather was so hot that he had to unbutton the first two buttons of his white shirt and tie his hair back into a bun. It wasn't a perfect bun, looked messy, but it worked.

"Oh –" Ayame said, walking up behind him. "You actually look okay with that bun. Like – I'd give it a 7/10."

"Hmm," he responded, not even turning to meet her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to talk."

"Talk to one of your friends then."

"Aren't we friends?" Ayame said with a sarcastic tone. "Come on!"

"I'm going to be blunt, okay?"

"Okay?"

"Go away. Don't try to be friendly with me, because we are not."

"Yeah, yeah. 'I'm so edgy and alone' and all that." She sat beside him. "Can I ask some questions about your blood magic?"

"You can't."

"Can you drain blood from the undead? Like, if an Ur-blessed reanimates a corpse, would you be able to drain its blood?"

"I can, but that wouldn't kill the reanimated creature. You have to destroy either the heart or the brain. Everyone knows that. Now, please go."

"Draining blood heals you, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay – another question…" she said. "The things you said in the Void – were they true?"

"No," he replied, still staring ahead.

"So you aren't actually 400 years old?" She tilted her head, studying his profile.

"That part was true."

"Mm-hmm. Okay." She stood up, brushing off her skirt. "I think that's all for now. Gotta catch the class. Thanks."

"That's it?"

"You want me to ask more question? Well then – if you…"

"No. I don't want you to ask more questions."

"Aw… in that case, see you soon?"

"Hopefully not."

"Great. See ya!" She gave a mock salute and turned, walking briskly towards the main building.

He watched her in silence with boring eyes, shaking his head slightly as he leaned back on the bench.

'I wonder how that girl is doing. I should check up on her soon.'

Soul saw Professor Yuu watching him from the library window. The class was about to begin, and he had to move. He nodded to his teacher, got up, and went in the opposite direction to Ayame. His class was in the forest, with Ji-Hye.

As he walked, the cool shade of the trees provided some relief from the oppressive heat. The path to the forest was quiet, with no wind to stir the branches.

Upon reaching the forest clearing, he saw Ji-Hye already there, setting up for the class. She looked up and gave him a brief nod, acknowledging his presence. The other students were scattered around, some practicing spells, others chatting in low voices. Soul found a spot under a large oak tree and waited for the lesson to begin.

"Ms. Ran," a girl exclaimed, stepping forward. "We watched you! That was an amazing fight, ma'am! You were so cool!"

With a humble smile, Ms. Ran deflected the praise. "It was teamwork. We managed to take him down. Though, we would've preferred if he walked out of that arena alive."

"You were so cool with your sword!" another girl chimed in. "I wish I knew how to fight just like you, ma'am!"

"Too bad I'm not your combat instructor, huh?" Ms. Ran replied, a glint of amusement in her eye.

"May I touch your muscles, ma'am?" joined another girl.

Ms. Ran chuckled. "Uuh…"

"How did you lose your eye, ma'am?" another voice piped up.

"What kind of training have you had, ma'am?" yet another student inquired eagerly.

"I want to touch her muscles too! She has defined musc –"

"That's enough, that's enough," Ms. Ran interjected firmly, raising a hand to halt the flurry of questions. "No muscle touching, no nothing. Now, get in line before I lose my temper. Come on, chop chop."

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry..."

Soul slowly made his way into line, preparing for class.

'I should visit that blood mage afterward,' he thought to himself. 'Make sure she's okay.'