Before them were many lavish, spectacular buildings, known as the Special Administrative District. The way of life here was completely different from Ishiwor outside, but that didn't necessarily mean it was always more beautiful. The walkways in the city were devoid of people; only a small number walked. Most of them used horse-drawn carriages for transportation. Currently, Konji and his comrades were not near the university; they were very far away, seemingly in different regions, like South and North.
At one building, the exterior was beautiful and spectacular, decorated with excellent artwork, devoid of any natural erosion marks. A drop of water fell onto her head. Litva, a young woman in a black dress, with long, pitch-black hair flowing down and a delicate braid on the left side, which enhanced her great elegance, woke up. But the image in her head was still blurred. Yet, she didn't wipe the drop of water from her head. She slowly stood up, showing obvious weakness. Her eyes were fixed on the document lying on the table, and she slowly walked to pick it up.
The two-way radio immediately rang, causing her to change her target from the paper to the radio, where someone was trying to talk to her. She pressed to accept the call and walked to sit on a chair, with a large mirror in front of her. She used her head to clamp the radio to her shoulder and combed her hair while conversing.
"...Sorry I'm late, Commander."
"I partied a bit hard last night, hah... hah."
The voice from the radio was not very clear; there was static during the speech. The voice of a man on the radio:
"Hahaha, it's alright... consider it a rest."
"The signal isn't very good... You are in Vezé, aren't you?"
"Yes... I am here."
A faint smile appeared on her face, amidst the many thoughts swirling in her head. She slowly combed her hair while listening to what he said over the radio.
"Unit 23 informed me that Jinkeon confronted Lord Kaman. Take care of yourself."
Her eyes slowly widened. Her hand was still slowly combing her hair. His words, ringing out, seemed to strike some hidden thought deep in her heart.
"Excuse me, Colonel... Who is Jinkeon?"
His urgent sigh boomed out from the radio. This young woman was still confused and bewildered by the various stories rushing in.
"A former student from Ishiwor University... currently holding the position of Senior Big Brother... uses the nickname Konji..."
"It seems time is not enough... I need to tell you something important first..." Her eyes widened until she almost gripped the radio tightly with panic.
"Right now, we are no longer associated with Ishiwor...!! The General chose to be their enemy!!" Suddenly, the signal was cut, leaving only the young woman's extreme shock and eyes full of terror. The comb she was using slipped from her hand and unexpectedly hit the floor. She immediately backed her head away from the communicator in shock.
"What is this all about... I don't believe it."
"Konji??"
[ Ishiwor ]
The atmosphere in the university was full of serenity. Students sat under the shade of trees, while one young girl stepped onto the university grounds with excitement, as if she had discovered a new path in life. People enthusiastically headed to class. However, when the female lecturer walked away, and Professor Klas stepped in to replace her, the bright smiles of all the students instantly disappeared. They immediately sat down and composed themselves.
"Call me Walienna... From now on, you will enter my world."
All the students sat quietly. Their eyes, fixed on the professor in front of them, sparkled with interest. They saw that Professor Klas came with a contented gaze, but what surprised them was that he wasn't wearing his glasses, and they were clearly clipped to the pocket of his white coat.
"Normally, how many hours do you attend class?"
"Forty minutes, sir!" "Forty minutes, ma'am!"
The students' firm responses rang out simultaneously, showing that they accurately remembered what they needed to do.
He stepped back close to the blackboard, standing with his arms crossed elegantly, and stared at all the students with eyes so cold they were intimidating. Many students who were stared at by such cold eyes felt uncomfortable and could hardly adjust their own emotions.
"I teach class 3 times a week, so it is not much time that we will meet in the classroom..."
The new students looked at the elderly man in front of them with great interest. The silence that occurred seemed to make everything stop. Only Professor Klas was consumed by all the attention.
"My curriculum is to develop everyone to be the best mages, which is measured by their maturity and reasonableness in their actions, including their ability to survive in society, not just magical ability."
Even though his eyes were cold, in the depths of those eyes, many feelings were hidden, as if it was an emotion concealed beneath his created image.
"Professor, I want to know what 'Senior Big Brother' means?"
A bright-looking young man in a completely unbuttoned black suit, revealing a white shirt inside, looked at the professor with eyes sparkling with curiosity. In addition, the eyes of his other classmates were also fixed on him. Everyone shared the same curiosity about that question.
"Senior Big Brother, huh? Their status is comparable to a Professor."
The words from the man who was about to become their professor had begun. The group of young people focused on him with full curiosity.
"When you graduate, there will be two choices offered either graduating and going to live life outside, or remaining affiliated here as one of the university's key figures. The Senior Big Brother is not a student but are things you can see within the university..."
The words of Professor Klas, or Walienna, severely impacted the students' minds. Their curiosity immediately stopped, as if those words had unlocked the key they had long been searching for, leading to a thorough understanding.
[ The Other Side ] ..
... The sun was sinking below the horizon. A large forest park stood prominently before them, a peaceful scene at the end of the day. The events that happened today became a lingering feeling kept in the depths of his heart. His eyes slowly softened, gazing peacefully at the sun about to set below the horizon. Raclena stood leaning against the room wall, next to the window, allowing her to look outside.
But suddenly, the sound of horse hooves rang out from afar. She saw a young woman galloping on a horse, and it seemed she was heading this way. The image made Raclena, who seemed to be engrossed in thought, stop short instantly. She even unconsciously gripped the balcony railing tightly, staring at the figure galloping toward her.
The horse stopped instantly. The young woman in the head covering slowly opened it, clearly revealing her face. The young woman with orange hair fluttered, staring at her with eyes that communicated incredibly well, as if they knew exactly what they wanted from this action. Suddenly, Raclena boldly jumped down from the second floor of the building, and the young woman accurately caught her from below. The two of them immediately rode the horse into the forest park.
"Take it easy... you'll run out of energy first."
The young woman's voice rang out amidst the rush of the galloping horse. She began to say something while Raclena sat firmly behind her. The horse's hooves were very fast. It ran with such urgency that Raclena had to hold this young woman tightly to prevent herself from falling off the horse's back.
The horse ran up to the front of a house, which was clearly located in the middle of Ishiwor College's simulated forest park. This house was medium-sized, with well-arranged trees and a garden within this simulated forest. They urgently dismounted and immediately ran into the house, as if something was waiting inside.
What appeared before their eyes was a group of people keeping vigil next to a bed,consisting of junior students (a boy and a girl) and one older woman. Everyone was sitting close to the sick woman lying on it. The sick woman's breathing was heavy and labored. Her eyes were faint and barely open.
The young boy tightly held his sister's left hand with deep concern. His tears were involuntarily seeping out. "Sister must be alright...."
Raclena and the orange-haired young woman opened the door and rushed into the room quickly, and they immediately found the caregivers next to the bed. The older woman, seeing their arrival, immediately rushed to grasp Raclena's hands tightly, as if conveying some kind of feeling or expectation.
"Please help this child... Oh, Mage..."
When she saw and heard what was happening, her eyes widened. She quickly ran to the right side of the sick woman immediately and grasped her hand tightly without the slightest hesitation. She closed her eyes slightly, gently holding the hand of the sick woman. She chanted some spell, her mouth moving faintly. The actual sound of the spell only rang out in her mind.
Suddenly, a pink light gently appeared under her palm. The pink color was beautiful, as if it was the same color as Raclena's eyes. Even though the energy was continuously pouring out, and she kept her eyes closed in concentration, the severe side effects forced her to clench her teeth tightly. In that instant, everyone's attention was drawn only to the life of the sick woman and Raclena, who was performing the healing. Nothing else mattered. But suddenly, Raclena's right hand, which was releasing the pink energy, slightly trembled and stopped. When the orange-haired young woman saw this, she immediately ran toward Raclena with worry.
She gently placed her palm on Raclena's shoulder. Immediately, Raclena regained her strength. The pink energy had completely faded away. The sick woman's shaking and heavy breathing subsided, and she fell asleep.
"She's fine now.... she'll wake up normally tomorrow." But just then, Raclena lost consciousness and fell over just as she was about to speak. Everyone widened their eyes, shaken and startled when they saw Raclena fall, but the orange-haired young woman quickly caught her.