After spending the entire day in the library with Uituba, it was finally time for Csendez to return to her dormitory.
Aside from the tense moment at the beginning of their discussion, nothing else had happened that seemed worth mentioning.
When she closed the apartment door behind her and was finally alone, the faint smile on her face disappeared. Until now, she had maintained that expression without realizing it. There was no reason to keep it anymore.
She left her boots on the shoe rack beside the entrance before quietly walking into the living room.
Outside, dusk had already settled over the Academy, bathing the room in a soft amber light.
As she approached the sofa, she spoke to her Damionus.
"How difficult was it to isolate that student's Damionus from Class A?"
A small yellow bird appeared in front of her.
[It wasn't actually that difficult. I was very nervous when you first asked me if it was possible... but it worked surprisingly well. Hehehe.]
The little bird puffed out its chest proudly before continuing.
[I think it only worked because our connection to the Alpha System has already been severed. The Academy's network is only a relay signal. Interrupting a relay is much easier than blocking a direct connection.]
It tilted its head thoughtfully.
[The difficult part is keeping it isolated. The Academy's system expects a response within a certain amount of time. If the signal disappears for too long, it will notice.]
"Hm... I understand."
Csendez leaned back against the sofa.
"Don't worry. I won't ask you to do something like that very often."
[Okay!]
Silence returned. Her gaze drifted toward the small bookshelf standing nearby.
The books. The furniture. The decorations she had carefully arranged.
For the first time in her life… she could honestly call something her own.
[Csendez?]
"Hm?"
The little yellow bird landed on the floor and looked at her curiously.
[I just received a notification from the dormitory administrator.]
[The items you ordered have arrived.]
[Should I tell them to deliver everything to your apartment now? Or would you rather pick them up tomorrow?]
Csendez barely moved.
"Have them delivered." She had no desire to leave the apartment again today. A short while later, someone knocked on the door. When she opened it, two fauns stood outside carrying several large boxes.
She politely stopped them before they entered.
"Just leave them here."
The two workers nodded, placed the boxes inside the doorway, and quietly left. One by one, Csendez unpacked every item and arranged them where she wanted.
Each object found its own place. Little by little… the apartment began to feel less like temporary housing… and more like a nest.
Her own nest.
Only after everything was finished did she change into comfortable pajamas.
Then, for the first time since arriving at the Academy… She removed her gloves. She took off her ring.
Finally...
I can breathe normally again.
The ring is still connected to me somehow.
But as long as it isn't touching my skin... I'm certain it can't hear my thoughts.
Still... that's not enough.
I need more protection.
Or perhaps... I need to find a way to make this Damionus completely loyal.
Is it a creature...? A servant...? A partner...? A tool...? ...I still don't know.
Today was filled with information.
That meeting opened my eyes more than I expected.
Reading about conflicts between races is one thing.
Watching them unfold right in front of me is something entirely different.
I knew nothing about this class classification.
Nor about what they said regarding the teachers… Some of my classmates may become valuable allies in the future.
Her thoughts naturally drifted toward the students who had been absent.
Four classmates didn't attend today's meeting.
Two of them were Fahim and Tenin.
Of course... they were still aboard that cursed ship. Naturally, they couldn't have been here.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
Even so... I still need more evidence before I can completely trust those dreams.
So far, none of the information has been wrong.
But my perspective is limited. I only see fragments. Without the full picture, it's easy to misunderstand what I'm seeing.
She slowly folded her hands over the blanket.
The third missing student… Perhaps he is simply uncomfortable around other people.
I can understand that. A short silence followed.
And the fourth one… A human... perhaps. But why?
Her brow furrowed slightly.
How could a human enter the Academy? I've never even heard of such a race before.
According to everything I've studied, the universe contains only thirty-three true races.
The others are merely mixed bloodlines. Descendants whose blood has become diluted over countless generations. Races that lost their original lineage and now struggle to evolve back toward it.
She stared at the ceiling.
So… Perhaps humans are a thirty-fourth race.
One discovered by the Damionus while exploring another part of the universe. That would explain their absence from every historical record I've read.
She remained silent for another moment.
If that's true… Would humans be considered a noble race...? Or an ordinary one? How powerful are they? What are their racial abilities?
Eventually, she let out a quiet sigh.
What's the point of making endless guesses? None of this will give me a real answer. The only thing I can do is continue studying. Continue observing. Continue gathering information.
A faint thought crossed her mind.
...Maybe tonight I'll find myself inside Anka's body again.
The thought lingered only briefly.
Soon afterward, sleep quietly claimed her. But the dream that awaited her wasn't the one she hoped for. It wasn't the strange connection with Anka. Nor the fragmented memories she still couldn't explain.
It was a nightmare.
Again.
...…..
This place...
Her mind remained as alert as ever. Only her emotions faded, as though they had been pushed deep beneath the surface. Yet every physical sensation became unnaturally vivid. Her eyes slowly began to glow crimson.
She found herself standing once more in an endless world of shadows.
Above. To her left. To her right. Behind. Ahead.
No matter where she looked… there was nothing.
No sky. No earth. No light. No life.
Only darkness stretching endlessly in every direction. Beneath her feet was water. It reached only her ankles, yet its cold seeped straight into her bones.
She couldn't tell what color it was. The darkness swallowed everything.
Still… she knew it wasn't ordinary water. Something about it felt wrong. She took a cautious step forward.
The instant her foot touched the surface, the entire world trembled. The darkness itself rippled. It was almost as though...
This fragile place existed only because she remained standing.
This time… she didn't stop. Step after step, she continued walking. With every movement, the endless void shuddered around her. The shadows surrounding her drifted backward. They kept their distance… yet never stopped following. Figures were everywhere, only standing there and looking at her.
Not for a single moment. Csendez never lowered her guard.
Her crimson eyes carefully watched both the darkness… and the countless figures hidden within it.
She already knew what would happen. If she gave them even the smallest opening… they would rush toward her. They would grab her. Pull her beneath the black water. Tear her apart.
Somehow… they all seemed to want something from her. But she couldn't understand them. She couldn't communicate with them. Whenever they lost patience… they attacked.
Trying to seize her.
Trying to touch her.
Trying to drown her beneath the surface.
I can't keep waiting forever. I need answers. Not more questions. Not more guesses.
The world trembled once again.
This time… it didn't collapse. Slowly, the violent shaking faded. Seeing the opportunity, Csendez continued walking.
Something beneath the water brushed against her feet Some surfaces felt smooth. Others were sharp enough to scrape against her skin.
Branches...? No… The texture is different.
It feels more like...
Before she could finish the thought, her foot struck something hidden beneath the water. She stumbled. Her knees slammed into the unseen ground.
Instinctively, both hands plunged into the dark liquid to stop herself from falling completely. Only then did she truly feel it. The water was thicker than it appeared. Not enough to be mud. Yet not as thin as water either.
As she pulled her hands back… a wave of disgust ran through her entire body.
She shivered. Forcing herself to stand again — but her legs refused to move.
Something was holding them.
Slowly… she lowered her head.
Hands.
Countless pale hands gripped her legs beneath the dark surface.
Only then did she realize what had happened. While she had been focused on standing again… the shadows had approached.
Now they surrounded her completely.
From where she knelt… they looked like an endless wall stretching into the darkness. A faint feeling of despair settled inside her chest. She already knew.
Everything she had done… had been meaningless.
She couldn't fight them. She couldn't free herself.
I failed again...
Why is everything so difficult...?
I don't even have the luxury of relaxing.
The moment I let my guard down… I always end up here.
Hands reached toward her. The exaggerated sensations that always accompanied these dreams returned once again.
Disgust.
Hatred.
Sorrow.
They flooded into her all at once.
It felt as though those emotions were being forced into her body through every point of contact.
Usually… the nightmare ended here.
But not this time.
This time… it continued.
Her skin burned and froze at the same time. It felt as though countless insects were crawling beneath it. Every inch of her body begged her to escape.
Why isn't it ending...?
Then the voices came. At first they were only whispers. Fragmented. Distant. But they echoed endlessly through the darkness like rolling thunder.
Help us...
Make it stop...
We're suffering...
Please...
We want peace...
Revenge...
Kill them...
What is happening...?
I want to go back...
My life...
Please... let it end...
There was no beginning. No end.
Only countless voices overlapped until they became impossible to distinguish. Along with them came flashes of memories. Lives she had never lived. Faces she had never seen. Places she had never visited.
Each memory surfaced for only an instant before sinking back into the darkness like a stone disappearing beneath deep water.
Eventually… she could no longer see anything at all.
Only blackness remained.
What Csendez didn't know… was that every shadow she touched slowly dissolved.
Yet as one disappeared… another immediately emerged from the darkness to take its place. They continued reaching toward her.
Endlessly.
At last… the dream shattered.
Her consciousness was torn away from that endless darkness. The shadows remained behind.
Silent. Waiting… for the next time she returned.
......
Csendez slowly opened her eyes. The room was still dark. A heavy exhaustion lingered in her crimson eyes. The crimson glow gradually faded until her eyes became black once more.
She closed them again. But sleep never returned. For nearly an hour, she lay motionless. Only her thoughts continued moving.
Nothing has changed.
I'm still trapped in someone else's hands.
I still don't have the freedom to choose my own future.
I still know almost nothing.
She let out a slow breath.
I allowed myself to get carried away.
Now my feet are back on the ground.
These next few years...
I'll become stronger.
I never want to feel this helpless again.
If I knew how to fight...
Things might be different.
If I understood these dreams...
Perhaps I could stop them.
If I had power...
I wouldn't have to walk on broken glass every time I met another person.
Silence filled the room once more. Then, another thought surfaced. One she immediately hated herself for.
What a childish hope...
Do I still believe that someday...
Someone will choose me...
Not because they need something from me...
But simply because they want to...?
That someone will understand me...
And accept me exactly as I am...?
A bitter smile briefly appeared on her lips.
I'm a fool.
By the time morning arrived, Csendez had already buried those thoughts deep inside herself once again. She behaved exactly as she always did.
Her Damionus noticed nothing unusual. Only one small habit had disappeared.
From that day onward, she no longer allowed herself to waste time on idle thoughts. Every free moment became another opportunity to study.