Chapter 214: Can we continue what we started?
Space-Time Maze?
After reading what the author had written, I returned to the introduction as I looked at his name, one I didn’t recognize, then the date when it had been written.
It wasn’t very old, only a few decades ago, and it reminded me of what one of our professors talked about at the beginning of the school year.
About that person who entered and later returned as a corpse, carrying something with him.
A card made of strange black metal, something my path had crossed with some time ago, leaving that mark on my wrist.
"Key of Dimensions."
I pulled up the sleeve of my white shirt and looked at the small tattoo.
I wasn’t entirely sure what it did... I needed to get the card and test it to make sure.
I could even sense it through the tattoo. It was somewhere in the direction of the capital, but more importantly, it was connected to a place in the south.
Or several places. I wasn’t sure because it didn’t seem very clear.
But should I go there... To the Space-Time Maze?
It was said those words had been found there... Maybe then I could learn something... Something new about myself.
I held the book while looking at its rough, worn surface from years of neglect.
"I don’t know," I muttered to myself as I felt more and more lost.
Even if I wanted to go there, it wasn’t possible... It was no different from suicide.
That meant passing through many red zones and going around that place in the center of the continent... One of the black zones.
What was its name again... Right.
The Hollow Core... Another one of this world’s wonders.
The journey to the Hollow Core alone was so long and dangerous that it made our journey through the Ancient Earth look like a walk down the street, let alone the Space-Time Maze itself.
I stood up from the table I had been sitting at.
"Why am I thinking about this now...?"
Yeah, I was still far too weak to wander around there. I couldn’t even escape from the Ancient Creatures, and I barely stood a chance against Evil.
And yet I was thinking about going now... How insane.
The author had been right after all.
I sighed as I returned the book to its place before I started searching around once again.
I pulled out several books. A few of them mentioned that language, but I didn’t find anything new besides what I had already found.
"The King shall be crowned."
What a sentence.
But without the rest of it, it meant nothing.
So after hours of wandering between the shelves, I finally decided to leave. I walked down the stairs before making my way out of the library.
...
As Caius headed out of the library, the sunlight had already begun to fade, announcing the arrival of evening.
All the classes had ended, and the students had begun returning to their residences, wandering around, or heading off to study.
Among those planning to study were three girls walking toward the library.
One of them had short black hair and brown eyes. She was none other than Valia, listening to her friend’s endless talking.
"Can you believe it?... I still can’t, but they really came back... Even Ivan confirmed it."
The one speaking was none other than Naira, with her wavy brown hair.
Valia replied as she put her phone into her pocket.
"Yeah, the news is all over social media now... This morning it was only rumors, and now..."
Naira took a strand of her hair and wrapped it around her finger.
"That means Elliot will be studying with us again... Isn’t that great, Emeris?"
Walking between them was Emeris, her silver hair falling over her black uniform while her eyes stared at the approaching library building, boredom written across her face.
"I’ve never met him, so I don’t know how great this Elliot is."
"Come on... I know even you’ll like him. Not only is he handsome, he’s kind, brave, and..."
Valia’s expression twisted in annoyance as she listened. "Just shut up... And stop watching dramas. They’re ruining that tiny brain of yours."
Naira frowned. "My brain is perfectly fine... And I told you they would come back, and they really did..."
Valia sighed.
"Why do you keep twisting things? You know what I mean, so stop it. It’s annoying how you keep praising the same person over and over again... Don’t you think so too, Emeris?"
The latter stared at the library building as though she were afraid of it.
"I don’t know... But do we really have to study now, guys... What about having dinner and taking a walk before thinking about it again?"
Valia raised a hand and rubbed her temple while muttering,
"These two..."
"No... We need to study now, Emeris. You’ve made us postpone it over and over again, and every single time we wasted the whole day before realizing it."
"So there are no excuses. Today, we’re studying."
Naira spoke up. "I think she has a point... It’s a special day, so why don’t we go..."
"I said no means no."
The firm words cut her off.
Emeris sighed in disappointment. ’How sad.’
’I need to find a way to get away from them.’
"Oh... And don’t even think about running away, Emeris... You’re the one who said you wanted to keep your position, and you’re the one who asked for my help."
Valia interrupted her thoughts, reminding her.
Emeris sighed as she took out her phone while they reached the library entrance.
She looked at the many messages on her account before opening one of them, but Naira’s surprised voice made her raise her head.
"I-Isn’t that Caius Astroweild?"
Valia narrowed her eyes before surprise appeared on her face. "It really is him... Well, who else would look like that if it wasn’t him?"
Reflected in Emeris’s gray eyes was the young man walking out of the library toward them.
Dark black hair and eyes, a face that could be described as perfect, and a calm, indifferent expression that made him look outstanding.
He was the same person who had called Emeris a weirdo when they appeared in her room two days ago.
That day, she hadn’t been able to see their faces clearly because the room had been dark... And because that woman had taken them away so quickly.
But now she saw him clearly, and she couldn’t help but think about everything she had heard about him over the past few months.
’So this is the Caius they’ve been talking about... Damn, he’s so handsome.’
"Let’s just greet him quickly and move on."
Valia spoke from beside her while Naira frowned in annoyance.
"Is that really necessary? Let’s just pretend we don’t know him."
"Naira, stop acting like that. He’s our classmate after all."
By this time, Caius had already approached them, his eyes calmly fixed on the group, making the two girls feel uncomfortable as their steps faltered slightly.
But before either of them could speak, his gaze met Emeris’s. She smiled cheerfully.
’Hmm... Maybe this will be a nice way to get away from here.’
She stepped forward with a beautiful smile on her face, then before anyone could understand what was happening, she wrapped her arm around Caius’s, catching even him by surprise.
The next moment, her words spread through the area, leaving her two friends stunned.
"Can we continue what we started?"