Chapter 194: A time for rest
Human life, are full of mysteries.
The paths people take are often not their own; they are shaped by the expectations, demands, and desires of those around them.
In a world where conformity is prized and deviation from the norm is seen as a sin, people function in a way that benefits society rather than themselves.
It is a boorish and discriminatory system, yet it somehow works, sustaining and progressing the species despite its flaws.
Even when individuals rise to a level of power that their society cannot control, the invisible chains of judgment and expectation still bind them, tethering them to the opinions of those beneath them.
It’s a paradox that keeps the world turning, a fragile balance between conformity and rebellion.
‘Truly a pathetic species…’
Oz mused as he gazed down at the tiny fragment of a soul he had been promised. He sat atop the mana stone where Dorothy had taken her last breath, his expression unreadable but his thoughts heavy.
The world had moved on, as it always did. People would forget, burying her memory beneath the weight of their own lives. But Oz wouldn’t forget. He couldn’t. He had made a promise.
“I’ll continue to watch over, as promised, master….”
With a quiet reverence, he removed his fedora and bowed deeply toward the place where Dorothy had faded from existence.
She was gone now, the being he had somewhat cherished, no more than a memory.
…
A warm breeze drifted gently through the garden, carrying with it the quiet whispers of the changing seasons.
Rose inhaled deeply, feeling the winter air slowly give way to the promise of spring.
Though it was subtle, the warmth was there, hinting that the long winter was finally coming to an end.
‘Spring will come soon’ she thought.
This winter had overstayed its welcome, and she knew that spring would be brief this year, just a fleeting pause before the summer heat blazed across the academy once again.
“Did they give you the same reward as me, Riley?” Rose asked, breaking the comfortable silence between them as they walked along a secluded garden path.
Her eyes drifted over the sleeping flowers, still covered in frost, their petals waiting for the warmth of spring to awaken them.
With a gentle gaze, she knelt down and plucked one of the flowers, her fingers delicate against its fragile form.
She was still dressed in her school uniform despite the lingering cold in the air.
While the breeze carried a hint of warmth, it wasn’t enough to dispel the winter chill entirely.
It was still too early to ignore the bite of the season.
Riley, walking beside her, shrugged.
“Would you even call it a reward?”
Rose’s lips curved into a knowing smile as she twirled the plucked flower between her fingers. “Well, in their eyes, it is… though it’s a rather sneaky one.”
“So, you noticed…”
“Principal Leilah wasn’t really trying to hide it,” Rose replied, her eyes meeting his with a calm understanding. “And the look of desperation on everyone’s faces gave you all the details.”
There was a quietness that followed, a shared understanding between them.
They both knew the “reward” wasn’t just a token of gratitude—it was a calculated move, a carefully crafted distraction.
The academy needed a hero, and they had been chosen to carry that title, to draw attention away from the deeper problems that lingered in the academy right now.
“Did you accept it, Riley?” Rose asked, her voice curious as she gently twirled the crushed flower between her fingers.
“Yes,” Riley replied without hesitation.
Rose raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. “That’s a bit unexpected… I always thought of you as the type to hate attention.”
Riley exhaled, a hint of weariness in his gaze as he looked toward the horizon. “With everything the academy’s going through right now, this is the least I could do.”
He wasn’t the type to seek the spotlight, and Rose knew it well.
Yet, in this instance, Riley understood the necessity. Without some kind of distraction, all the criticism and gossip would fall squarely on the academy’s failure to prevent the recent incident.
Though he found the whole situation tedious and unwanted, Riley realized that, in order for things to continue as they were supposed to in the original timeline, taking up this role was crucial.
The academy needed a face to salvage its reputation, and he would be that face, at least for now.
After all, the role of Hero was currently vacant, and someone had to fill it.
He had initially hoped that Luccas would take the sole role of the spotlight instead—someone more fitting, someone who naturally drew people in.
But with everything in motion, Riley reasoned that this was a necessary step.
If he was going to interfere more actively in the upcoming scenarios, he needed to play this part, however reluctantly.
As their steps echoed in the snowy ground, they finally came to a stop by a small bench.
Rose sat down first, followed by Riley, and together they gazed up at the overcast sky in silence.
The tiredness etched on their faces reflected a shared weariness, but beneath that surface, both of them carried the weight of unspoken emotions.
Rose felt a fleeting sense of relief at seeing Riley unharmed and relatively well after everything that had happened.
Yet, despite that reassurance, lingering doubts gnawed at her.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off—something subtle but undeniable in Riley’s behavior.
It wasn’t just fatigue; she’d seen him tired before.
This was different. His usual calmness was fractured, and she noticed it in the brief moments when shadows, imperceptible to others, seemed to ripple and escape from him.
Her ability to see the world in shades of mana gave her insight that others lacked, and the looming darkness that occasionally flickered around him made her uneasy.
‘What is happening to him?’ she wondered, her gaze flicking over to his profile.
The Riley she knew was strong and composed, but now… he seemed burdened by something far more than the aftermath of a battle.
It wasn’t like him to carry that much uncertainty.
Rose inwardly chastised herself for suggesting they come here.
She thought perhaps some time away from the chaos would help him, would give him room to breathe. But sitting beside him now, she realized it may have been a mistake.
If she left him alone for too long, she feared whatever weight he was carrying might crush him.
Unlike what the academic heads and Principal Leilah knew about the actual events, Rose was keenly aware that something had happened between Riley and Dorothy during the incident.
Afterall Dorothy kidnapping Riley was what made her move in the first place.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever had transpired between them was the key to Riley’s current state.
Rose knew Riley well—perhaps better than anyone else at the academy—and she was also aware of his immense power.
Despite the haziness of her memories from that day, one thing stood out clearly in her mind: the blinding white light.
It wasn’t something she could simply forget.
That light had cut through reality itself, tearing apart the very fabric of their existence in a way that no ordinary spell could.
It may have seemed like an illusion, a fleeting image conjured by stress or confusion, but the power behind it was real.
She had felt it in her bones—the raw intent, the overwhelming force.
Whatever Riley had done, it had been more than just a show of strength.
There was something deeper at play, something Rose couldn’t fully grasp.
‘Maybe I’m just overthinking it,’ Rose mused, trying to convince herself that she was reading too much into it.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t ignore the truth.
Every time she brought up Dorothy, no matter how subtly, Riley would react.
Whether it was a flicker of emotion in his eyes or a shift in his posture, he always gave something away, even if he didn’t intend to.
She thought back to their earlier conversation. Was it something to do with Dorothy that weighed so heavily on him?
She couldn’t help but wonder. Her curiosity got the better of her, and before she could stop herself, she asked, “Did something happen between you and the president—”
Thud….
Her words were abruptly cut off by a sudden weight on her shoulder.
Rose stiffened for a moment, startled by the warmth that cascaded over her.
She blinked, looking down to see strands of golden hair resting against her.
Riley had leaned against her, his head gently settling on her shoulder.
His steady, rhythmic breathing told her everything she needed to know—he had fallen asleep.
“Riley…” Rose whispered, more to herself than to him. She turned her head slightly, taking in the sight of his peaceful expression.
His eyes were closed, his face relaxed, free of the tension that had plagued him moments before.
The weight of his body against hers felt both comforting and… oddly vulnerable.
Her gaze softened as she realized how exhausted he must have been.
The toll of the recent events—the battle, the investigations, the constant pressure—had finally caught up to him.
And here he was, in the midst of it all, allowing himself to rest, if only for a moment.
It wasn’t like Riley to show weakness, not in front of anyone.
But somehow, in this quiet, secluded garden, he had let his guard down.
As the minutes passed, Rose’s gaze drifted upward to the sky.
The snow had stopped falling, leaving a gentle blanket of white over the garden. In the distance, she could hear the faint rustle of branches in the breeze.
The world around them was quiet, peaceful, almost as if it had paused to give them this moment of respite.
But even in this peace, Rose’s mind couldn’t fully rest.
What had Dorothy done?
What had Riley seen or experienced that made him so distant, so distracted?
She didn’t know, and that uncertainty gnawed at her.
Still, she chose not to dwell on it for now. Riley needed rest, and so did she.
With a soft sigh, Rose leaned her head slightly against his, closing her eyes.
For now, she would let the world stay quiet, just a little longer.
They could deal with everything else later.
Rose knew they shouldn’t fall asleep here in the cold, exposed in the garden, but at this moment, rest was something they both desperately needed.
Her body had been pushed to its limits—she had been overclocking her mana ever since the incident ended.
The only reason she seemed fine, despite the intense overuse of her mana, was because she had numbed herself to the constant pain and heat radiating from her mana circles, each one straining beyond its capacity.
Yet, even in this state of exhaustion, her instincts remained sharp.
Without thinking, Rose gathered her mana one last time.
She felt the familiar warmth stir within her, the energy swirling through her overworked circuits.
Her body responded automatically, her mind too tired to direct it consciously, but her mana followed the path it had always known.
A soft light began to form around them, gathering in delicate streams, weaving itself into a thin, translucent veil of golden mana.
It shimmered faintly, wrapping around the two of them like a protective barrier.
The veil was fragile, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, yet it radiated a comforting warmth, pushing back the chill of the winter air.
The bright rays of the sun had only just begun to creep over the horizon, but for them, it was already the night.
The day’s chaos had been left behind, replaced by the quiet serenity of sleep.
“Good night…” Rose mumbled softly, her voice barely audible as fatigue began to claim her.
Her eyes fluttered shut, and she felt her consciousness slowly drifting away, surrendering to the overwhelming need for rest.
