Chapter 47
Meanwhile, Queen arrived at her estate. Or rather, what's left of it. There were only ashes and dead bodies everywhere. And in the midst of this chaos, he stood—her father, Solomon, staring at a letter.
She slowly approached him. Her long black hair fluttered in the wind, and her scarlet eyes glided emotionlessly over her father's figure and the devastation surrounding him.
—Father,— she called.
Solomon didn't seem to hear her after finishing reading the letter. He burned it with a wave of his hand and only then turned to his daughter. Quinn was standing in her black dress, with travel bags in her hands.
"Yes, daughter?" — the man said in an emotionless, empty voice.
"What happened?" Quinn asked.
Solomon looked at the ruins and began to talk. About Azrael, about how he destroyed the estate in a fit of rage, distorting and suppressing some facts. "But I feel like I'm missing something," the thought flashed through his mind, but he immediately pushed it away.
—I see,— Quinn nodded, giving nothing away from her true thoughts. "Did he go west?" — She clarified.
Solomon just nodded silently in response.
"Hmm... There's an Academy in the west. And it seems that the entrance exams are due there soon," flashed through her mind.
— I see. What was in that letter? Quinn asked.
Solomon looked at her carefully. — A letter from the Academy. You're enrolled, Queen.
Quinn found herself opening her eyes wide in surprise. "Wow, that's right... Cool." Then her gaze became more focused. "It's a pity, of course, that we couldn't complete the training until the end. Eh..."
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Meanwhile, somewhere in the west, another teenager of about seventeen with black hair and eyes the color of the ocean was also looking at the letter.
"Academy of Magic and Martial Arts. Lin, you are enrolled as a student. Congratulate. Headmistress (signed)"
After reading the message, Laziness folded it and put it in his pocket. Picking up his sword, he resumed his training without emotion, practicing precise and precise strokes. His journey was just beginning.
Lin practiced without a single emotion, mechanically swinging his sword over and over again. He didn't stop even when blood flowed from his worn palm down the hilt. Haa...
"The Academy... Eh, I wonder how my beloved is doing?" — the image of a girl with black hair and ruby-red eyes surfaced in his mind. She looked at him with infinite love... right before he died.
He forcefully pushed out the painful memory, gripping the hilt of his sword so that the bones cracked. "I'm sorry...I make you a promise: you won't die because of me in your second life. Because I awakened the memories of my previous life—the regression—too late and couldn't save you or your parents..."
Silent tears flowed down his emotionless face, despite his will. "I hope I can protect you in this life, my love... Queen," he whispered, wiping away a tear with the back of his hand and bringing his sword down on an invisible opponent with renewed fury.
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Somewhere in the depths of the universe, beyond time and space, a certain being was watching this world in absolute blackness. There was no emotion in his appearance, not even a hint of a face — just a lump of darkness, a silhouette woven from the most primordial shadow.
"You're awake... That's very good, ******," said a chilling voice. It was quiet, but it reverberated throughout the void like a thunderclap, full of ancient and unfathomable might.