"I feel lonely..."
"Let’s climb to the fifth level. Maybe we will find a fragment..."
"The heavens aren’t calm anymore..."
"Just kill those who disobey..."
"I was... never alive... Who am I?"
"Another war is going to start..."
"So cold..."
Curled up inside the thick, warm blanket, multiple voices echoed in Riruru’s head.
She couldn’t decipher many of them, and even when she could grasp some, she had no idea what they were saying.
A chilling familiarity clung to them, as if they were fragments of her own soul, yet so distant, so utterly alien, that they might as well have been voices from the void.
She wanted to reach them, but they were behind an impenetrable wall, so far beyond her reach that she couldn’t even tell where.
Riruru’s consciousness drifted in and out, and after a long time, she was staring at a glowing fragment amidst inky darkness.
It was quite small, but held a vast amount of divinity, a golden energy that pulsed with a soothing aura she had never seen.
However, it flickered like a candle, as if it would be easily extinguished by a breeze.
Riruru subconsciously recognized the glowing fragment in front of her. It was the core of her previous formless state, which had wandered aimlessly for 19 long years before coalescing into a physical body.
She had no idea what it was, but even if no one had told her, one thing was undeniably clear: this small fragment was the origin of her existence and her consciousness.
If anything were to happen to it, she would cease to exist. The thought made her sigh.
Riruru was a powerful 9-star. However, her true existence, her soul, was so small and fragile, almost as if it were incomplete.
She had never felt anything from her core except a sense of crisis, a feeling that her soul was losing its power with the passage of time and would soon disappear.
This feeling was subconscious, and she never understood its true meaning.
Suddenly, Riruru’s vision blurred as the glowing fragment before her pulsed with a faint, ethereal golden light, as if expending some of its remaining power.
Then, she heard them—her own thoughts. They whispered faintly that she wanted to look like the people surrounding Skyler.
She didn’t want to be a snake.
Her physical body started to glow with a faint light, and she gasped softly when she opened her eyes in the familiar dark room.
No one was around her, not even Skyler. The door of the room was also closed.
The faint light around her turned brilliant enough to illuminate the entire room.
She blinked, and in the next second, a strange sensation washed over her. It felt as if her body had expanded, grown larger without her conscious effort.
Riruru gaze dropped, falling upon the expanse of smooth, pale skin before her.
Her eyes widened in shock as long, white hair cascaded over her lowered face. She parted her lips, but no sound escaped. So, she raised her stiff hands and watched the thin, slender fingers in a daze.
Opposite her, the screen of the closed computer reflected a gorgeous image of a naked woman, seated with her legs bent at the knees within the folds of the blanket. A layer of smooth, white scales adorned her pale arms, shoulders, and exposed thighs, glowing with a brilliant white glow.
Riruru was confused about how her body had transformed to resemble those around Skyler, but more than that, she was thrilled! So much so that she squealed with delight!
How badly she wanted to call out to Skyler and show him her new form, but regrettably, she didn’t know how to speak yet. Her body felt stiff and unresponsive, making it clear that it would take time for her to adjust.
It took all her strength just to stand on her legs, which trembled slightly beneath her.
However, the joy was short-lived.
Before she could take her first step, the familiar brilliant light illuminated her form, returning it to its original appearance.
Riruru panicked as she glanced down and saw her body with a tail and no limbs. She had returned to being a snake!
Why?? She hadn’t even shown Skyler her new form, and it was gone just like that!
After the initial wave of panic subsided, Riruru felt anger and frustration toward someone who was busy shopping.
Where the hell was Skyler?
Wasn’t he supposed to be with her? If he was, he would have seen her new form!
She grumbled, promising to make him pay for leaving her side when he returned. She wouldn’t interact with him as punishment!
Simultaneously, Skyler, who was standing inside a clothing store buying whatever he liked, felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
He looked back at Charles, who was more reserved, buying only what he needed.
"Did you feel what I felt just now? Like someone is cursing me?"
Charles raised a brow. He pointed at the shop staff who were behind them.
"Probably one of the staff who are getting annoyed at you for throwing at them what you want to buy like a spoiled rich kid."
Skyler’s lips twitched.
"It’s to save time! This is how those who have a lot of star coins shop! The staff is surely happy since I’m buying so much!"
Charles rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say."
They continued their shopping spree, unaware that an Adept-tier old man, along with another young Adept-tier Light, was watching them from the shadows. They were assigned by Johnson to watch over the kids to ensure nothing like what had happened at the college happened again.
The old man shook his head with a sigh at how Skyler was spending so much.
"The guild leader has a big pocket. He has given his son so many star coins to waste."
Unlike him, the young woman next to him was more curious about why Skyler was buying so much and decided to inquire about what was going on in the guild.
"Why care so much, sir? Let them. Kids nowadays like to spend a lot."
***
Days of preparation passed, and finally, a week later, Skyler stood before his parents, dressed in a sleek black leather jacket over a cozy turtleneck and tailored jeans.
Riruru was wrapped around his arm.
He had no idea what had upset her, but the day he returned from shopping, she refused to even look at him. It took him an entire day just to get her to acknowledge him.
Charles stood beside him, wearing a long-sleeved white shirt over gray pants.
He wore a storage ring engraved with a hammer, similar to Skyler’s storage ring.
Unlike Skyler, who was buzzing with excitement, he felt nervous as it was finally time for them to leave for the Academy.
Seated on the floor before the apartment exit, Jenny was lacing up her shoes.
She glanced at the duo from the corners of her eyes and wondered how long they would be able to stay at the academy.
She had decided to take care of Skyler, but that didn’t mean she could guarantee that he would be able to advance there.
The academy fostered talents and had a strict competition among students. That’s why those who lagged always suffered, and in extreme cases, were even expelled.
Skyler smiled at his parents. He wore thin, gold-rimmed glasses, which looked like he needed them for eyesight, but in reality, they were just a pair of stylish glasses he had gotten because they looked good on him.
"Thank you for everything, Mom and Dad. I will make sure to contact you both regularly to tell you about everything exciting! Please take care of yourselves, and do not worry about me, I will take care of myself."
Riya chuckled at his words and ruffled his hair, sending the ash-brown locks he had so carefully styled into disarray.
"What a smooth talker you are. My son, even if you didn’t contact us, we would."
Skyler nodded and let his mom mess his hair as she pleased. Hidden from everyone, his blue eyes turned extremely serious.
He needed to become stronger quickly, so that two years from now, when the Epic-tier crystal would manifest near his house and shatter, releasing a horde of monsters, he would be able to help his parents.
He didn’t know what had happened to his parents in the future where he had become the King of Spirits, but this time he would ensure they would stay safe and sound.
Johnson gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Do your best. We will come at the end of this year to check your performance."
He then glanced at Charles.
"Your performance too. I heard about your parents and they are really irresponsible. So, even though it’s not official, we’ll act as your guardians for as long as you need it."
Charles bowed in gratitude.
"Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Uncle and Aunty. I’m truly grateful and will never forget this."
Riya smiled and ruffled his hair as well.
"What are you saying? You’re a good kid, and we didn’t do much. You deserve this."
Unlike Charles, Skyler’s eyes widened. He hadn’t even reached the academy yet, and his Mom and Dad were already thinking about checking his results so soon?!
Damn, it seemed he had to work even harder. After all, he can’t let them down.
The moment Charles and Skyler vowed to be the best of their class in the academy, just as they had been all this time, multiple top students at Starlight Academy with keen intuition felt a sudden sense of crisis.
They didn’t know why, but it felt as if their top spots were about to be usurped, and their fear was definitely not unfounded.
Jenny nodded at her father, who nodded back, and hugged her mother with a smile.
"Don’t worry, Mom. I will take care of the young ones. Stay healthy."
With their goodbyes exchanged, the trio turned and left the apartment.