Chapter 64 - Nightmare or future?

Meanwhile, Ash…

Ash slipped behind the café, into a quiet garden path where rosebushes brushed against pale stone arches. The noise of the academy faded behind him, and the air here felt different. Softer. Like the world knew he needed a break.

His hands were shaking.

He clenched them. Released. Again. And again. A reflex on repeat—like his body was stuck buffering a feeling it couldn't name.

To his right, the surface of the small fountain rippled, distorting the image of the boy staring back—blank face, dull eyes.

He looked away.

He hated seeing himself like that.

Why does this feel so wrong…?

His hand rose over his heart. There was no pain. But it felt heavy, like something was sitting there, pushing down.

It was the weight of staying silent. Of walking away when everything in him wanted to stay.

The way she questioned me... it wasn't just suspicion—it felt like she was looking for answers.

And that's what scared him more than the slap or the confrontation.

Did she figure something out?

He had been careful. He never did something that would give his identity away around her. With his emotions sealed, even his aura should've been unreadable.

There's no way she could've linked me to... the past version of me. Right?

But despite that, her words had shaken him. The way she kept pushing, it felt like his lies weren't working.

Why did it feel like I was still giving her answers, even while denying everything?

It didn't make sense.

He was confident that his mental resistance was high and his body was shielded by the Rune of Knowledge and the Rune of Concealment respectively, he should've been untouchable to any form of detection.

And yet... that unease lingered.

But Elysia wasn't the problem.

The demons were.

I've already interfered too much. There's no way to tell if the future will follow the novel anymore.

Ash didn't know if the same demons would attack the academy, or if they'd be even stronger. The timeline could've shifted—who lived, who died, even when it all happened might be different now.

I need to prepare. Take precautions. Make sure no one gets hurt. Especially Elysia.

His steps slowed as he crossed a quiet street.

Still… I hope Ray can handle what's coming. Just like he did in the novel.

That thought lingered longer than it should've.

And I need a sword.

Time slipped past him like sand between fingers.

Days blurred together. Each one heavier than the last.

And then—just like that—a week passed.

Until finally, it came.

The day the demons attacked the academy. For the first time.

"Today is the day," Ash muttered, standing on the balcony with a cup of tea in hand.

He wore only a pair of shorts, his upper body bare, muscles defined under the morning light.

The cool breeze brushing against his skin felt calming—like the wind had quietly carried away some of the tension in his chest.

The first demon attack starts today. From now on, life will only get messier... until the Demon King is dead.

This was where the main story began—the real start of everything. And from this point on, the attacks would only grow more frequent.

There would be gaps, sure, but they wouldn't mean peace.

Just moments to catch your breath.

What bothered him most wasn't the incoming danger—it was himself.

Even after a whole week of intense training, only two points of his stats had gone up. That slow progress left a sour taste in his mouth.

"And I still don't know how to train with my Life Affinity..."

That was the real problem.

Life Affinity wasn't something humans had. It was something only elves possessed. Not even Ray had it—he only had Light Affinity.

I don't know if that was because he didn't buy it from the system or if the system just didn't offer it back then...

Either way, it left Ash in a strange place. He had something no one else in the novel ever did, and no idea how to use it.

And no matter how much I try to control it, it doesn't answer. It doesn't move. It just stays still, unlike lightning.

It was frustrating.

Looks like I need to visit elves in the future.

But that's a future problem. Right now, I need to move

Today wasn't just about the demon attack—it was also the day the second-year seniors returned from their Annual Evaluation Test.

Starlight Academy had a four-year course. The first year focused on the basics and small missions. The second and third years dealt with real-world training and advanced skills.

In the fourth year, students formed teams of 4–5 members and operated outside the academy full-time—clearing dungeons, fighting on battlefields, all under the guidance of assigned mentors.

The novel never said what exactly the second-year test was. But it must've been out in the open somewhere.

Because that's how the demon got in. It took the place of one of the students and entered the academy.

Right now, the world didn't know demons had already started invading through portals. Only the top ranks and those working in secret knew the truth.

And the demons weren't going for war yet.

They were busy slipping into organizations, hiding in plain sight, waiting for the perfect moment to stab from the shadows.

They also wanted chaos and fear, and what would be the best place to create chaos and cripple the future of humanity at the same time.

The Academy.

Ash stared into his cup, then turned to head inside.

Let's just hope nothing goes wrong.

"Ughh... He looks so hot," Elysia muttered, peeking through the window like a total creeper.

I begged him to work out in our past life, but he was so lazy... now look at him. Muscles? Abs? Where did those come from?!

She sighed dramatically, resting her cheek against the glass.

Over the past week, she'd replayed their conversation a hundred times in her head—and finally reached one conclusion.

He still loves me.

He's just avoiding me for some mysterious, angsty reason.

Which I'm totally going to find out… eventually.

Also—if only my skill worked on him...

Just imagining it gave her goosebumps and a full-blown shiver.

That would be sooo much easier.

Her eyes squinted, trying to lip-read what Ash was muttering on his balcony. Sadly, she was too far.

Even though the S-Class Dorm was a massive crescent-shaped building—with boys on the right wing and girls on the left—her room had a clear view of his balcony.

So while she could see him clearly, she couldn't hear a single word.

Then he turned around and walked back inside.

Wait—WAIT—where are you going?! Come back!

Ever since she confirmed he really was her Ash, she'd kinda… accidentally turned into a stalker. Not the scary stalker kind—just the hopelessly, obsessively, totally-in-love kind.

Although she had cried a lot, heartbroken that even after knowing the truth, he didn't approach her—

She wasn't the type to fall apart over something like that.

She had known him for a long time.

And she trusted him.

If he was staying away, there had to be a reason.

Besides, when she asked if he still loved her…

Her skill did detect a lie when he said, "No"

So no matter how distant he acted,

She knew—

He still loved her.

But, she hadn't approached him yet, though.

Mostly because he never stopped training.

After classes, he'd go straight to the library, or spend hours in the training room practicing spells, or just sit in silence, meditating like he was chasing something no one else could see.

There was zero free time.

Seriously, when am I supposed to squeeze myself into his schedule if you're out here training like it's the end of the world?!

"No, this won't work," she muttered, slapping both her cheeks lightly.

"Elysia, it's time to level up your approach."

She nodded to herself, all fired up.

But other than her, there was another pair of red eyes watching Ash from the window, though the shadows of the curtain made it hard to tell who they belonged to.

Meanwhile, at the same time.....

Was that… a nightmare? Amelia thought, her breath catching.

"So many scary monsters.....crawling out of that portal… and that strange, suffocating energy…" she whispered, hugging her knees, her body trembling like a leaf in the wind.

She couldn't stop trembling.

She had never seen that much blood before. Not even in books. Not even in stories.

Students… teachers… all just lying there. Not moving. Like dolls.

Her chest tightened, eyes wide in the darkness of her room.

Why would I dream something like that…

She bit her lip until it bled.

"That can't be real… right?" she whispered again, softer this time, like she was trying to convince herself.

But she remembered it all too clearly—the cold breath on her neck, the weight of fear crushing her chest, and those eyes watching her from the dark.

It felt like it was real. Like it actually happened somewhere… or will happen.

And then there was Ray.

He was there too—fighting, bleeding, screaming.

"No…" she gasped, panic flooding her chest.

Amelia clutched the pendant around her neck, it was a gift given to her from her Grandpa.

"…Grandpa," she whimpered, curling into herself as silent tears soaked into her blanket.

Amelia didn't know that the dream wasn't just a warning. It was a calling. The first echo of her name in the halls of fate.