The end of November is usually a quiet time for the academy.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is frёeωebɳovel.com.

The next exams are still a month or one and a half away, everyone is used to their classes and their daily routines, nothing big happens.

So... it’s usually boring.

Very, very boring.

So quite often the students go to the nearest town, Wiathen, to hang out with their friends on the weekends.

Sometimes the academy even supports them to let them catch their breath.

It’s kind of like a very mini school trip.

Even though it has technically nothing to do with it.

So we as a ’study group’ would go to the city every now and then, like every two, three weeks. It was refreshing to shop and have fun with random things.

And when I saw how hard everyone was working, how monotonous it was getting... I had no choice. Why couldn’t we go somewhere this week?

I quickly opened my phone and started to write to the group.

<<------------------------------

You: Let’s go to Wiathen this weekend.

------------------------------>>

The first answers came only a few seconds later.

<<------------------------------

Lucia: I’m busy this weekend, I can’t come.

Adrian: Sure.

------------------------------>>

I had to wait a little longer for the next ones.

<<------------------------------

Julian: I’ll come.

Celine: I think I can come...

Sue: Okay.

------------------------------>>

Alysia was the only one who did not reply. But she too saw the messages after a short time, even though she didn’t write a reply. She didn’t come with us most of the time anyway, only a few times.

It looked like Lucia would be the only one who couldn’t come to this one. But... there was nothing we could do. Not everyone was always available.

We could go again the following week, anyway.

So a meeting was arranged for two days later, Saturday, November 26th, as we usually do.

It was certainly a nice idea to relax a bit after everything I had been dealing with.

*******

<<------------------------------

You: They made a plan for two days later.

A-18: Saturday, November 26th, correct?

You: Yes.

------------------------------>>

For a few seconds, nothing appeared on the old screen. Only after a few minutes did A-18 send a response.

<<------------------------------

A-18: I will share with Saligia, the attack will take place this weekend.

You: Understood.

------------------------------>>

And no other messages were sent.

*******

The two days went by quite fast. I attended my classes, dealt with issues at the academy, made a few decisions with Ulka and Alex on behalf of the company... and much more.

But today was completely empty! I had specifically arranged it to be like that. After all, the last thing I wanted was to get a headache afterward because I missed something or did something incomplete.

After all the things were done, I arranged for a car to take us from the academy to Wiathen, dressed as comfortably and casually as possible in the morning... and then headed to the meeting point.

When I arrived at my destination, I was surprised by what I saw.

Usually, I’m one of the first to arrive, the others after me.

But this time... I was the last to arrive.

Adrian and Julian were waving in my direction. Celine and Sue were discussing something, but when they realized I was coming, they stopped and smiled.

But the surprising thing was... Alysia was among them.

Alysia, who normally doesn’t attend many of our events, was coming with us this time.

I couldn’t help frowning. Why had she chosen this particular time when she hadn’t been with us all this time?

There couldn’t have been a good reason, most probably.

Or... she was just bored out of her mind, maybe?

’Sith... keep an eye on Alysia. If you see anything suspicious, let me know fast.’

Best not to risk my job, I guess...

’All right.’

After receiving my confirmation, I put a wide smile on my face. I wasn’t going to let her presence distract me and ruin the day I wanted to relax.

"Let’s go!"

*******

Wiathen... was a really full city.

Even though it was a place we visited a lot because it was near the academy, it was never a place we didn’t enjoy spending time in. We could find something new every time we visited, after all... The fact that it was a truly huge city helped us a lot.

For example, the first thing we decided to do when we stepped into the city... was to go to a restaurant we had never been to before.

"I’ve heard it’s quite good, even though it’s pricey."

Julian was very keen... and no one refused.

The result?

Even though the girls hadn’t eaten much, Julian turned to Adrian and me mid-meal and made a bet.

"How about the one who eats the least pays for everyone?"

Adrian... surprisingly agreed.

And me...

"My body’s in a bit of trouble, you know... you tw-"

"Oh, are you scared?"

What...?

Do you think I would fall for such a simple provocation?

"No, I’m saying that it’s not go-"

"Wow, Aiden Tenebra is afraid of food."

Well... You’re goddamn right, I indeed would fall.

"Okay, fine..."

I rolled up the sleeves of my clothes and put a big smile on my face.

"But don’t regret it later."

*******

As I was leaving the restaurant, I turned around and looked at the people coming right next to me.

A big smile appeared on my face.

"Where shall we go now?"

"How about the Early Years Museum?"

At Celine’s suggestion, everyone turned to her, and we thought for a while.

And...

"It’s okay, actually. I’ve never been there."

The Early Years Museum... was a place whose name was pretty self-explanatory.

It was basically a museum of the things from the dungeons and the chaos of when the system first emerged.

"That’s our next destination, then."

I nodded, satisfied with the decision, then widened my smile.

I turned into the restaurant and looked at the person standing at the counter with a blank expression.

"But... let’s wait for Julian first. He’s busy emptying his wallet, after all..."

*******

A whole skeleton of one of the first creatures to appear was the first and most prominent thing presented in the center of the museum.

It was almost four meters tall. It probably resembled a dog because it had four legs and a tail. But nobody had any idea what it was like at the time.

One could only imagine.

After the skeleton, the most interesting thing was a torn piece of clothing worn by a man who was considered one of the first heroes of mankind and who had died only three years earlier.

It was four or five times the size of my palm, covered in blood. Just by looking at the piece alone, I could tell the quality of the entire cloth. My guess was that it was, at worst, a piece of A grade armor.

A model of Wiathen, which at that time looked like a complete ruin, was the third thing I examined the most.

How accurate a model it was, I had no idea.

But... it allowed me to more or less imagine those times.

Skyscraper-like structures all over the city were either shattered or completely demolished. It was hard to see any intact houses. It was hard to see a solid road, let alone a house... Whoever made the model had not hesitated to model human corpses and blood. It added to the realism of the city.

But that was not the only remarkable thing. In one of the points that could be called the center of the city, in a relatively open area compared to the others... eight people were modeled fighting with the creatures. They were the very team that had made it possible to rebuild the city and had driven all the creatures away.

There were five men and three women. All of them were modeled to the finest detail, albeit quite miniature.

Not only them, but also the huge snake standing in front of them, covered in thorns, was also very detailed. Even the open wounds on it were perfect.

In this way, I continued to explore the museum.

Julian and Celine were giving me some obscure information about some things. Sue was fascinated by some of the pieces. Adrian was definitely finding things that interested him because he was quite focused.

I wasn’t very different from them.

But... even though I was still exploring the museum, there was one person I couldn’t take my eyes off.

Alysia... and her movements.

Alysia hadn’t made a single suspicious move since the beginning of the day. She was always with us, moving with us, even if she was a bit quiet. She had even found something in the museum that interested her, standing in front of it and looking curiously at something kept in a glass case.

A phoenix feather.

"Hey, Aiden! Come here, look what I found!"

I paused at the sound of Sue’s voice, smiled when I saw that she was pointing to a plant with purple flowers, nodded, and walked over to it.

I couldn’t help but be surprised when I read that the flower was actually a... creature, and my surprise was compounded when I read what was written on the glass between us and the plant.

<<------------------------------

This is the last fragment left behind by a plant-like creature that years ago grew up among the ruins of Wiathen City and became a great threat before dying.

The flower is dead, but it never withers. Only when it is watered do the colors bloom, and the plant comes back to life and tries to grow until it has used up all the water it has been given.

Since it needs to absorb a total of eighty liters of water in one day to develop enough to grow on its own, it is not dangerous as long as it is kept in suitable conditions.

------------------------------>>

"Oh…"

"Imagine growing something like this!"

Sue seemed excited. The plant... definitely intrigued her.

And it was indeed intriguing.

And yet... out of the corner of my eye, I couldn’t help looking behind me, right where Alysia was.

There had to be a reason why she was here.