CHAPTER 243: SHADOWS OF THE PAST

Kyle pushed open the heavy door of Vice Principal Seris’s office. For a brief second, he hesitated before stepping out.

Should he call it Vice Principal Seris’ office... or his Master’s office?

The question hovered in his mind, but he didn’t let it linger. He shoved his hands deeper into his pants pockets and stepped into the corridor, his pace slow and thoughtful.

The hallway outside was quiet, the soft footsteps of students echoing faintly from afar. He didn’t look back.

His mind was already wandering as he started walking toward the Instructor Quarters he shared with Aurelia.

It would’ve been a lie to say her offer hadn’t surprised him.

Seris had offered to teach him. She hadn’t just nodded and given formal instructions.

She had gone further, taken him under her wing, asked about his training, and given him advice.

On top of that, she had handed him ten million crystas as if it were the most natural thing in the world. A sum she had casually won in a wager against the principal.

He had stared at it for a long moment, unsure whether to laugh or bow. She had smiled, calm and composed, like it didn’t mean much.

After giving him the money, she had leaned back in her chair and asked him about his training. Her voice was even, steady, but her questions had carried weight.

Had he been neglecting his water and wind magic? Had he been focusing too much on his lightning and ice elements instead?

He told her the truth. He wasn’t neglecting them.

She nodded, seemingly satisfied.

Even as he spoke, he had felt her watching him closely. Her eyes, sharp and knowing, seemed to weigh each word he said, but without accusation or judgment.

And yet... something lingered in her tone.

Protective.

That was the word for it.

But not in a way that stirred romantic misunderstandings.

Not that kind of closeness. It was heavier, deeper, like the way an older sister, or perhaps even a mother, might hover near someone too stubborn to realize they needed the care.

Why?

That question gnawed at him as he walked.

Since the first time he had met her, Seris had gone out of her way to help him. Whenever she had a free moment, she’d ask about his training.

Sometimes she’d tease him playfully,

"How about I adopt you from Aurelia? We even share the same white hair now."

Her teasing had always made him smile. But it had also left him confused.

Did she see someone in him? Someone from her past?

The Path of Transcendence never really explained Seris’s past. At least not openly.

Nothing about where she came from or what had shaped her into the formidable figure she was today.

But something about her felt familiar.

Did she know him from before?

The thought sent a chill down his spine. He searched his memory, but nothing concrete came back. He didn’t remember ever meeting her before arriving in this world.

But... there was a gap. The missing years. The last four years of his life.

A blank space where his mind refused to go.

He clenched his jaw. He couldn’t stop thinking about it.

He had already accepted himself as Kyle. He wasn’t just Ethan anymore. When he absorbed the memories of the original Kyle, they had become his own.

The despair, the loneliness, the struggles... they were all part of him now.

But that didn’t mean he had to ignore the questions.

What had happened to the original Kyle in those four years?

He still hadn’t found anything useful among his belongings. There were no journals. No hidden clues.

Only the painful truth that the original Kyle had been drowning in depression... because him being affinity less.

That thought broke his heart more than he cared to admit.

He sighed and shook his head as if to clear it.

"Haa..."

The breath escaped him, deep and slow.

He needed to calm his racing thoughts.

The ache in his head still pulsed from the strain of the simulation. The memory of it lingered like a dull ache pressed behind his eyes.

"I’ll examine that energy myself, huh?"

He murmured, repeating Seris’s words under his breath.

Her promise to help him control spirit mana replayed in his mind.

He glanced upward as if checking on the ceiling, then muttered toward the space in his mind where his spirit resided.

’By the way, Zal... why did you tell me to accept the Vice Principal’s proposal?’

His thoughts shifted inward.

Inside his core, the soft hum of spirit energy stirred.

Zalrielle, his spirit companion, resided within him now, not in ring form like before, but free within the depths of his mana core.

The discovery had been accidental, almost comical. Neither of them had known she could stay within him until it happened.

And yet, the connection felt natural.

Zalrielle’s voice answered, calm and unbothered.

’I just felt like she could help,’

Zalrielle replied softly in his thoughts.

’And besides, spirit mana is... adjacent to space mana. So even if it’s not exactly the same, she’s one of the highest-ranked space mages. She might know how to guide you.’

Kyle smiled to himself.

’Okay... if you say so,’

He thought, running a hand through his hair.

Even if Seris couldn’t help him master spirit mana, she could still train him.

The kind of training only someone at her level could offer. That alone was worth more than the ten million crystas.

Still, he was tired. His body craved rest, his mind begged for silence. The walk back to his quarters felt longer than it should, each step echoing against stone.

’Bed. I just want to collapse into bed.’

Kyle’s thoughts drifted lazily as he walked toward the dormitory. He barely noticed the few students passing by, his eyes half-lidded and unfocused.

Then, suddenly, his thoughts were broken by a loud voice.

"Hey! Don’t just walk off like that. Tell me more about your prince charming!"

The voice was sharp, feminine, and impossible to ignore.

Kyle turned his head slowly, his attention pulled like a thread toward the source. His eyes landed on a familiar figure standing a few steps away.

Elizabeth.

Her long black hair framed a familiar face, calm yet striking. Her deep black eyes locked with his, and for a brief moment.

In her arms, she carried a stack of books.

Beside her stood another girl, just as beautiful in her own way. Her hair was a soft shade of purple, her eyes matching it perfectly, bright with curiosity.

Elizabeth’s eyes widened the instant they met Kyle’s, and she froze.

"Hey, why’d you stop?"

The girl with purple hair asked, her voice playful but concerned as she followed Elizabeth’s gaze.

"Oh..."

The purple-haired girl breathed out softly, tilting her head as she looked at Kyle, understanding dawning in her eyes.

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