I remained on the bench long after Celeste left.
The wind rustled through the trees, brushing past my skin like ghostly fingers.
I sat still, elbows resting on my knees, gaze drifting off into the empty horizon beyond the garden walls.
’I’m mentally strained... far more than I care to admit.’
Just being around people felt like walking through molasses.
Every word, every glance, every interaction—it all chipped away at something inside me.
Even when I wasn’t doing anything, their presence alone pulled the strength from my bones.
And then there was the matter of the elements. Lightning. Nothing.
Just thinking about them made my head throb.
One moment, I was in control. The next, I start forgetting my memories.
’I kind of want to forget them...’
I raised a hand to my face, fingers spreading as I let out a slow breath between them.
’I hate humans... so much.’
The words weren’t dramatic. They weren’t even angry. Just tired. Disgusted.
Worn thin by everything I’d seen, by the endless noise, foolishness, and hypocrisy around me.
As the thought lingered, an image flickered in my mind like a dying candle flame.
A girl. Long, straight black hair cascading like ink. Eyes just as dark—deeper, even.
’I really need you here,’ I thought bitterly. ’You always knew how to cut through the fog. How to remind me who I was beneath the rot.’
With a long exhale that scraped the bottom of my lungs, I stood up from the bench.
Classes had ended already.
The sun had begun its descent, stretching the shadows across the courtyard like fingers reaching for something they couldn’t grasp.
I still had the whole day ahead of me.
I could’ve gone to the library. There were books on elemental theory—probably shelves full of them.
Maybe even a few insights on "Nothing," if such a thing had ever been recorded.
But Mia had said she’d handle that.
And I knew her well enough to understand what would happen if I stepped in and started reading ahead of her.
So instead, I wandered.
Aimlessly. Letting my feet drag me through the winding halls and spacious courtyards of Rose Academy. No purpose. No goal. Just letting the rhythm of my footsteps keep the thoughts at bay.
I don’t know how long I walked.
Could’ve been hours. Could’ve been thirty minutes.
Eventually, I found myself standing in front of a tall, arched building—slightly older in design, with black marble pillars and gold-etched signage.
"Private Training Facility."
Unlike the standard outdoor training grounds used for duels or class sessions, this one was for individual use.
Reserved. Secluded. A place to work on your craft without the stares, whispers, or judgmental glances of others.
Pushing open the door, I was met with a cool rush of air and the faint scent of sweat and metal. A receptionist with half-moon glasses and a bored expression looked up from her desk as I approached.
"How long will you be training?" she asked without looking away from her glowing clipboard.
I checked the time. 1:03 PM.
"Six hours," I said flatly.
She finally glanced up, slightly surprised. "That’s quite a stretch. Intensive training?"
I didn’t reply. Just nodded.
She handed me a sleek, obsidian-black keycard with a glowing silver number etched on its surface.
"Five credits will be deducted from your account," she said. "Go down the left corridor, second turn. Your room should be near the end."
I nodded and followed her directions.
The corridors here were quieter. Dimly lit. Clean. No voices. Just the occasional sound of distant training or the dull hum of magical containment fields humming within the walls.
After a few wrong turns and dead ends, I finally found Room 37.
Sliding the keycard into the slot, the door clicked open with a soft beep, and I stepped inside.
The room was... bigger than I expected. Much bigger.
Padded floors stretched wall to wall, reinforced with mana-absorbent layers.
Training dummies of various types lined one side—wooden, cloth-filled, even a few with enchantment runes etched onto them.
A massive punching bag hung in the far corner, while a rock-climbing wall took up an entire side wall with magically shifting holds.
Weights. Medicine balls. Mana circuit testers. Resistance bands. Even a high-end physical and magical synergy treadmill.
’This place is basically a private combat gym... on steroids.’
I closed the door behind me and let the silence settle.
For the first time in days... I was alone.
And that, at least, gave me some sense of peace.
I wasn’t here to train seriously.
There was no noble goal, no desperate need to grow stronger in this moment.
I just wanted to vent.
Purge the junk inside my head before it ate me alive.
So, after stepping inside, I walked over and placed the keycard on the nearby shelf, tossing it aside like an afterthought.
I shrugged off my coat and hung it lazily on the stand near the corner. Even loosened my shirt a bit at the collar—air felt too stiff otherwise.
A few minutes went into light stretches. Nothing fancy. Just getting my muscles moving, reminding this vessel of flesh that we were still alive. That we still had a damn heartbeat.
Once done, I made my way to the climbing section built into the side wall. Probably my favorite training style.
There was something weirdly calming about it.
So I grabbed hold of the rock slabs and started.
Not fast. Not slow. Just steady.
For the next hour or so, I kept at it. Barely even noticed the time passing. The rhythm became mechanical.
I could feel my breath sync with the grip of my fingers, the pull of my arms, the step of my feet.
But the burn never came. That good old muscle ache I was used to back on Earth.
This body was... different. Too strong. Too efficient.
Even the climb, which should’ve made my shoulders sore, barely registered.
It was taking the fun out of it.
I clicked my tongue and dropped down, rolling my shoulders.
Annoyed, I looked around for something better. Something to push me.
And that’s when I saw it.
A vest. Not just any weighted vest—this one radiated faint mana fluctuations. Like it had a mind of its own.
I walked over, picked it up, and threw it on. At first, nothing. No change. Just another piece of fabric clinging to my back.
But the moment I channeled mana through my limbs—bam.
My knees almost buckled.
A crushing weight slammed down, forcing me to grit my teeth and steady my stance.
It was alive. This thing scaled its weight in real time, feeding off my mana to increase resistance. It was exactly what I needed.
Not a big one. Not that happy-go-lucky crap.
Just a small, satisfied smirk.
With the vest on, I returned to the climbing wall and resumed my motion.
Every movement was a war. Every breath came harder.
Now I was feeling it.
Hours passed like blurs in the wind. There was no concept of minutes or seconds. Just repetition. Mindless. Cathartic. A loop that let me stop thinking for once.
Eventually, the door clicked open.
Receptionist girl stepped in, expression neutral but voice a bit strained.
"Time’s up. Your six hours are complete."
I didn’t even reply at first. Just nodded and climbed down, sweat dripping off my chin and arms like slow rain.
My shirt was drenched. My palms ached. My legs were heavy.
I grabbed my coat, put it back on without buttoning it, and walked out without another word.
Didn’t care about the surroundings. Didn’t care who I passed. Didn’t care if someone waved or stared.
Beelined straight to the dorm.
Ignored everything else.
And threw myself on the bed.
Just the faint creak of the mattress and the welcome silence swallowing me whole.
And finally... I could breathe.