The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City-Chapter 64: Polaris – Violet Will Find Violet’s Path (2)

The world was burning.

To young Daphne’s eyes, it seemed so.

The cars stranded on the road were all crushed, trampled, and torn apart.

-Rrrrgh!

A group of Skulkit ran down the road, chasing terrified people.

Amid them, Felinuts darted around, flailing their arms like mad cats, shredding victims to pieces.

The Growlers used their massive bodies to tear vehicles like paper, hunting down survivors in hiding.

In the distance, colossal beasts resembling spiders prowled, firing beams of light that scorched the roads.

“Take the kids! Hurry!”

As the cries of beasts drew closer, their father entrusted the two sisters to their mother.

Not long after, the sound of snarling grew louder, followed by shouts and screams that were soon drowned out by other noises.

The monstrous howls grew nearer.

The screeching cries, akin to a cat’s wails, echoed closer.

Their mother, fleeing while clutching her children, stumbled under something that fell from the sky.

“…Daphne! Run! Laurel, you too! Quickly!”

“…Mom!”

Leaving their mother’s desperate screams behind, the sisters ran.

Tears streamed down their faces.

Was it fear, or the terror of knowing they might never see their parents again?

In the chaos, Daphne ran without feeling exhaustion.

“…Hah! Ugh… Sister! Hah! Sob!”

Laurel started convulsing and collapsed. Her frail lungs couldn’t handle the sudden exertion.

Daphne, stomping her feet in frustration, dragged her sister to hide behind a truck.

“Sniff… Sniff! Sister! Hic… Hah…”

She barely managed to calm Laurel, who couldn’t regulate her breathing.

I’m scared. Please. Someone, save us.

The Grace sisters clung to each other, trembling in fear.

The terrifying sounds of the cruel monsters drew nearer when the loud flapping of wings was heard from the sky.

Looking up, helicopters soared above the road.

People leaped from them into the smoky hell below.

Soon, the sounds of monsters diminished sharply. Young Daphne realized that they were hunters.

“Sister?”

“We’re saved…!”

Emerging from behind the truck, they saw the monsters all reduced to corpses.

Just as they felt relief, a massive yellow beam shot down, incinerating a vehicle.

The explosion sent the sisters tumbling. Daphne felt a sharp sting. Something warm trickled down her forehead.

“What… is this?”

A house-sized spider-like beast was charging toward them.

It was fleeing from the hunters pursuing it.

The problem was that the beast’s escape route was right where the Grace sisters were.

The spider-like beast, thrashing in agony, wildly swung its legs. It failed to eliminate its pursuers, but the stationary cars around were flung into the air or rolled across the ground. ꭆÂƝ𝔬𝐁ÊŚ

One of them hurtled toward the sisters.

It was too late to dodge.

Young Daphne realized, for the first time, that when faced with death, the world seemed to slow down. Her body froze, as if turned to stone.

Then, she felt her body tilt.

For some reason, against her will, her body was thrown aside.

“Huh?”

Burned into her memory was the sight of her frail, pampered younger sister pushing her away with both hands and falling.

Daphne barely escaped the vehicle’s path.

And then Laurel vanished from sight along with the car.

Watching this scene, present-day Daphne wanted to close her eyes.

The nightmare didn’t allow it.

The silver-haired girl, bleeding from her forehead, ran while sobbing uncontrollably.

She gasped as she stumbled across the road cluttered with abandoned vehicles, chasing after the car that had taken her sister.

“Ah!”

She tripped over something grabbing her ankle and fell to the ground.

A survivor, crawling out of a car, had seized her leg. It was a desperate plea for life.

“Please… Save me…”

“No! Let go of me! Let go!”

The bloodied survivor looked no different from a monster to her.

I need to save my sister. Please, let me go.

As she desperately tried to pry the man’s hands off, a greenish light burst from Daphne’s body.

A translucent barrier appeared between her and the man, then vanished. His hands were flung away.

“Ugh? What… Ah…”

That wasn’t the only surprising thing.

The green light from her hands enveloped the man, causing him to fall into a peaceful sleep. His numerous wounds also disappeared.

She didn’t understand why, but this was her chance.

Daphne got up and pressed forward.

Beside the overturned car lay Laurel. Her body was soaked in blood, her eyes shut.

Most devastatingly, she wasn’t breathing.

“Help! Is anyone there?”

Panicking, Daphne cried out desperately for help, but no one responded.

As she continued her tearful pleas for rescue, she felt something strange and touched her forehead.

The wound was gone.

The bleeding had stopped, and there was no more pain.

The earlier scene flashed through her mind. The green light from her body. She recalled what she had learned in school.

Could this be an awakening?

Even with an elementary schooler’s understanding, Daphne could piece together her situation based on logic and basic knowledge.

With a heart full of desperation, she prayed to the heavens.

“Please! Help me! Let the light appear again!”

The light emanating from my body must surely be the power of an Awakened.

It healed my wounds, so maybe I can heal my little sister too!

When she desperately prayed, a pale green light radiated from her hands.

Filled with anticipation and hope, she gently stroked Laurel’s body with care.

Nothing happened.

Her hope crumbled.

“Huh…? Why? Why isn’t it working?”

Present-day Daphne, who was being forced to relive these events, felt tears welling up as she watched her past self’s trembling hands caressing her sister.

“No, no. It can’t be… It only works on me? It healed my wounds, so Laurel will be fine too…”

On the first day of her Awakening, she learned a searing lesson.

She had no choice but to learn it.

Her unique ability, <The Blessing of Azure Peace>, as named by her former mentor, an elderly witch…

“Ugh… hnnk… huuuuk…”

…could not heal the dead.

In the midst of catastrophe, the young girl held her sister’s lifeless body and wept.

She couldn’t stop the flood of belated regret pouring from her heart.

Laurel, wake up.

We promised to go to the amusement park.

I’m sorry for saying mean things. I didn’t mean it, I swear! Please believe me. It wasn’t my true feelings.

Please. Just get up.

I won’t call you noisy when you whimper at night anymore.

You can throw tantrums if you want. I won’t get mad anymore.

I’ll even give you the doll—it’s yours.

Please, please.

But there was no one to hear the girl’s desperate confession.

Daphne’s nightmares usually ended at that point.

The scene would fade to black after showing her holding her sister, crying, and she would wake up in bed with a heavy heart.

Though such nightmares had become rare in recent years, they were once a familiar pattern that haunted her nights not long ago.

But this time, the dream continued.

‘Why isn’t it ending?’

Daphne felt puzzled, but there was nothing she could do but watch.

The scene before her eyes kept playing.

Time flowed coldly, like an indifferent river.

Many days had passed since the tragic year.

The events of that day were quickly forgotten.

While Daphne’s experience was undoubtedly worthy of sympathy, in the grand scheme of things, it was but one of countless tragedies occurring in real-time across Rustlum and the rest of the continents.

The qualitative value of tragedy diminishes inversely with its quantity.

The more frequent it is, the more desensitized people become.

As long as the world was full of children who had lost their parents to monsters, she couldn’t remain the protagonist of tragedy forever.

Fortunately, the relative who took her in was a strict yet generous person.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

As she healed and moved forward, she was lucky enough to receive nearly free training in Awakener abilities from a retired elder.

“Always be respectful to others, and never forget to speak courteously.

Your words reflect your dignity and worth.

Do you understand?”

“Yes, teacher.”

The scars in her heart didn’t disappear, but the empty spaces left by the pain were gradually filled with resolutions that matured over time.

Daphne made up her mind.

‘I’ll use my abilities to help people, no matter what.’

She resolved to prevent others from getting hurt.

She didn’t want to witness tragedy repeat itself ever again.

Having decided on her path, all that remained was to move forward.

She diligently prepared for admission to an Awakener academy through constant, sincere effort.

Her target was Polaris Comprehensive Academy.

It was a school renowned for its long-standing tradition and strict discipline.

While her abilities qualified her for admission to other prestigious schools, something instinctively told her that Polaris was the right choice.

Eventually, she passed the entrance exam and enrolled with top-tier grades.

Thanks to scholarship benefits, her burden of student loans was somewhat alleviated.

One week before the entrance ceremony, while unpacking her things in the dormitory, the door suddenly flew open.

Observing the scene within her dream, Daphne felt perplexed.

‘This is… the first time I met Violet, isn’t it?’

A golden-haired girl with an innocent demeanor entered the room.

Her striking ruby-red eyes left a vivid impression.

It was her roommate, Violet.

“Hello?”

Violet’s eyes widened in astonishment as she looked at Daphne’s face.

“Wow… You’re so pretty!”

Her past self had been flustered and didn’t know how to respond, blushing shyly.

Time moved forward again, bringing her to the day of the entrance ceremony.