The room was dimly lit, with the soft glow of a single lamp casting long shadows across the walls.
Athena sat by a cluttered wooden desk, a faint scent of aged parchment lingering in the air.
“I doubt so. Unlike Seraphs who have lived multiple lives, I’ve only had one previous life.”
Neo’s voice was calm as he spoke.
His his eyes briefly flickered to the books scattered across the desk.
Not a lot of information about Seraphs was given in the novel he had read.
Athena glanced at him, her brows knitting together as she tried to recall whatever little she knew.
She cleared some of his doubts, but her hesitation revealed she didn’t know much herself.
“Thanks,” Neo said, his tone polite, as he turned to leave.
Just as he reached the door, he stopped abruptly.
The faint creak of the floorboards echoed in the still room.
Turning around, he met her gaze and opened his mouth.
“Can you help me?”
“…”
“I don’t want to kill people from the Awakeners Association if possible.”
His words were soft but resolute.
Athena stiffened, the light from the lamp casting sharp lines across her face.
‘He knows Ares is planning to attack him if he goes to rescue the Child of Mana. And he has no intention of backing down,’ she thought, unease gripping her.
But something else in Neo’s words unsettled her even more.
“You don’t want to… kill?” she repeated, her voice faltering.
Neo’s gaze was unwavering.
It was the first time she saw him like this.
Until today, she had never seen Neo talk about his strength in detail.
Whenever Emma mocked him for being weak, or when Jack defended him, claiming he was strong, Neo had always remained silent.
However…
She could tell by looking into his eyes. He was prepared to fight the association. And he was confident of his victory.
“I’ll see what I can do,” she finally answered, breaking eye contact as she looked away.
Neo sighed softly and left.
The corridor outside was eerily quiet, the usually bustling hallways now deserted.
Dim lights flickered above, casting faint shadows that seemed to dance along the cracked walls.
It didn’t take him long to notice the dwindling presence of the association members.
The headquarter’s usual vibrancy had been replaced by an ominous stillness.
‘Are they evacuating people now that they think a battle will break out?’ Neo frowned.
The battle between him and the association felt inevitable.
But why was the Awakener Association so certain he would try to save the Child of Mana?
It was a mystery, one that gnawed at the edges of his mind.
He had no idea the association had been warned by Apollo, who had received a vision of the future.
He approached the exit, hoping to test the waters.
The guards stationed at the door stopped him.
He wasn’t allowed to leave.
Their faces were grim, their postures rigid.
Shaking his head, he turned around and wandered back inside.
A few minutes later, he spotted Jack in the cafeteria.
The room was dim, the soft hum of fluorescent lights blending with the faint clatter of utensils.
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Jack sat at a corner table, slurping noodles with a carefree expression.
“Oh, you’re back? How did it go with Athena?” Jack asked, his mouth half-full of food.
“…Aren’t you a bit too relaxed?” Neo asked, amused.
The tension in the headquarters was palpable—and yet Jack eat like nothing was happening.
“Well…” Jack dragged the words out, pointing his spoon at Neo with a casual grin. “I trust you.”
Neo stared at him, momentarily taken aback.
Anyone else in Jack’s position would have called him crazy.
Neo had claimed he would take down Typhon.
Even if someone from the future heard him, they wouldn’t trust him to be strong enough to win.
If they lost, Typhon—who had awoken—would raze everything to the ground.
The association’s decision to avoid rescuing the Child of Mana was the obvious one.
Yet, Jack was here, taking Neo’s side without a shred of doubt.
While Jack continued his meal, Neo reached into his pocket and brought out his caterpillar.
The tiny creature wriggled in his palm, its translucent body shimmering faintly under the cafeteria lights.
Neo handed it an elixir, watching as it eagerly absorbed the glowing liquid.
He downed three other elixirs himself, feeling the rush of Divine Energy course through his veins.
“How many elixirs do you have left now?” Jack asked, his eyes briefly flicking to Neo as he sipped his soup.
“None,” Neo replied, closing his eyes to focus on absorbing the energy.
Jack raised an eyebrow before opening his Shadow Space.
He pulled out a small object wrapped in cloth and handed it to Neo.
“Take this.”
It smelled of sandalwood, but as soon as Neo grabbed it, he realized what it was.
“When did you do this?”
Neo’s hand trembled slightly as he grasped the object.
His eyes swiftly moved towards Jack’s hand.
‘He cut his hand and regenerated it. Did Athena do it?’
‘But he will lose the regenerated part if I devour this.’
Neo stared at the cloth-bound object.
The faint glow of Divine Energy emanated from the fabric, wrapping it in an ethereal light.
It had Jack’s hand – the part below his wrist.
“I’ve infused a lot of my Divine energy in it before separating it.
“Think of it as an impromptu Divine Energy elixir. Devouring it would recover half of your Divine Energy reserve,” Jack said, his tone calm but insistent.
Before Neo could refuse, Jack added,
“This is a crucial part for both of us, Neo. We can’t fail because you ran out of Divine Energy at the last moment.”
Jack let out a fake frown.
“I don’t want to fail the trial because of you. Use this when the time comes.”
Neo clicked his tongue and nodded.
The faint rustling of leaves outside the window punctuated his reluctant agreement.
He would rather die than use it, but he knew saying it out aloud would start another round of nagging.
The two fought Anomaly #79 again at night – they had been allowed to leave headquarters under Emma’s supervision – and came back to sleep.
“Good night,” Emma said after she showed them their rooms.
The long corridor leading to their quarters was quiet, save for the faint creak of floorboards under their feet.
Jack fell asleep as soon as he lay on the bed.
Neo too drifted to sleep, lulled by the distant chirping of crickets.
It was midnight when alarms rang in his mind, jolting him awake.
“…I thought they would wait a few days,” Jack said as he opened his eyes.
Both of them left the room. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
The entire headquarters had been empty.
They tried to leave, but the windows and doors were blocked by some kind of barrier.
“Space Isolation,” Neo murmured, his voice barely audible in the suffocating silence. “Let’s check the rooftop.”
The two climbed the stairs, the echo of their hurried footsteps breaking the stillness.
***
Author’s Note: Something came up yesterday and I had to take a break. Mass release has not been skipped. I will release the chapters day after tomorrow (13th). Again, sorry for the sudden break.