Skyler staggered when he suddenly found himself standing. His eyes widened as he took in his surroundings. He was standing in an unfamiliar place that looked like a library, filled with towering bookshelves.
"Where...?"
A familiar, sharp pain ripped through his body, forcing him to double over, hissing. The very pain he felt when his body was used by 'him' from an erased timeline.
It took him a few seconds to grasp that he, who should have been asleep in his room with Riruru, had arrived here on his own.
Was he pissed when he realized how!
"Fuck... not again! This time I didn't even feel it when one of the two jerks used my body! Was it because I was tired?"
Cursing the two men in the mirrors in his subconscious, he straightened up to know where the hell they had brought him.
Only then did he notice he was holding an ordinary-looking book. The cover featured no drawing just three simple gray words.
He read the words and was more furious.
"Fate of Eldoria? A Novel? Those bastards used my body just to read a novel?? That's it! I am breaking those damn mirrors!"
Skyler jolted, barely managing to catch the book before it tumbled to the floor when an old voice boomed from behind him.
"Student! Why did you enter that section? Those books are not for students. I let you enter the library early this morning so you could study. Not to make me lose my job."
He whirled around, his gaze meeting the stern eyes of the elder in the robe who had arrived behind him. The familiar ID hanging from the man's neck confirmed one thing: he was still within the academy's walls.
The old man's eyes narrowed.
"Were your eyes a clear shade of blue? I think I saw a different color earlier."
A bead of sweat trickled down Skyler's forehead as the old man scrutinized him.
"You probably misunderstood, sir."
The old man frowned.
"Really? How strange."
He muttered before looking at him.
"Anyway, leave this area. The bookshelves marked with silver are for professors only. Go to the other side where the chairs are. That's where students normally study."
Nodding, Skyler tried to put the book in his hand back in the shelf, but he hissed when his shoulder was suddenly slapped.
The old man chided in a loud voice.
"What are you doing? There is a powerful barrier around these bookshelves. If you touched it, you would be thrown back."
Skyler blinked and glanced at the book in his hand. Then, how did he get this? And did the old man not see it? He raised an eyebrow. So, this book wasn't just a normal novel.
'Oho...'
Before the old man's eyes, he slipped the book into his storage ring. As expected, the elder didn't react. He truly couldn't see it.
Skyler trailed behind the old man when the man said to follow. His mind was elsewhere.
'I will read this book, this suspicious novel first, and then I will decide if I should break the mirrors in my subconscious. So, pray you two that I like what I read.'
He chuckled evilly in his mind, then he abruptly stopped in his tracks.
"Sir, I think I will take my leave now. I just remembered I have a class. I will visit the library another time in the future."
Skyler bolted away the moment he was done speaking, leaving the old man too stunned to even turn around. The elder, sputtering with indignation, yelled.
"You prick! If you don't want to study, why come to the library early in the morning!"
His words, however, didn't reach the youth, who found the exit and vanished through it. Skyler shielded his eyes from the light as he stepped out, taking in his surroundings.
"I know this place. It's the academy's main library, the largest one. Now I have to go all the way back to my room, which is so far away. Hopefully, Riruru hasn't woken up."
He grumbled as he thought about how he had zero points in his student ID. If he had some points, he could have called a ride.
As he started running despite his aching body toward his room, he noticed many students rushing to their classes.
"This academy really needs to set up some teleportation portals in different locations to make things easier for the students. So, we don't have to run to get to classes on time."
He clicked his tongue but froze when suddenly an amazing idea struck him.
"Wait... I have the space element, don't I? Hehe, why didn't I think of this before!"
He slapped his fist in his palm.
"If I formed my space element crystal and found a teleportation spell from the library, I can just teleport to classes directly!"
With a new goal in mind, he once again started running. This time, he ran with an even faster pace. He couldn't waste time!
Still, a nagging worry gnawed at his mind.
If anyone discovered he could wield three elements, despite only awakening affinity for one, he would be in serious trouble.
After all, while people could enhance their potential with rare treasures, none had ever found a way to gain more element affinities beyond what they had originally awakened.
"I never used my Darkness element in front of Jenny and her team. I can't say the same for Zack, though. I'm not sure if he saw it in the cave. But even if he did, I don't think he knows how many elements I awakened."
He frowned slightly, taking a turn as he passed through a cluster of buildings. He remembered introducing Zack to the fact that he can only use the Light element. Also, the fact that Zack can talk with a higher being did nothing to ease his heart.
"The Vice Principal too. She knows I have affinity with two elements. Thankfully, she wasn't too interested in me and didn't delve into how many elements I awakened."
Skyler finally reached the building he lived in, breathless from the hurried walk.
"I wish no one cared how many elements I could use. Then I would be safe from being kidnapped for experiments."