Chapter 268 62.4 - Initiation
?Irina, locked within the confines of Astron's memories, observed the harrowing events unfold. The days slipped away, marked by Astron's diligent efforts to maintain their home.
As he gathered firewood, a sense of urgency disrupted his routine, and Irina could sense the impending danger.
With trepidation, Astron rushed back to the village, guided by an unsettling feeling. The stench of burning and iron permeated the air, foretelling a nightmare about to unfold. As he reached the village, twisted creatures swarmed, and Irina felt his desperate search for his sister.
The nightmarish scene unfolded as Astron, restrained by magical forces, witnessed his sister standing tall against the demonic horde. Irina shared his helplessness as he struggled against the magical restraints, tears streaming down his face.
The village succumbed to the onslaught, and Astron's world plunged into darkness as he watched his sister's valiant but futile fight.
In front of her, a demon's claws pierced through the chest of the girl – Estelle.
The air became heavy with despair, and Irina could sense Astron's world collapsing around him. The vivid scene revealed the heart-wrenching moment when Astron witnessed his sister's life extinguished by the malevolent force.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Astron's screams filled the air, echoing the anguish of losing a loved one. The sound reverberated through the caverns of his memories, leaving Irina shaken by the intensity of his pain. The agony etched on Astron's face as he tried desperately to reach Estelle conveyed the helplessness of the situation.
"NOOOO!"
As Irina processed the scene, she began to understand the reasons behind Astron's cold demeanor and solitary disposition.
'This is why.....'
The trauma of losing his parents early on and then witnessing the brutal death of his sister left scars that shaped his character.
The sense of betrayal and vulnerability mingled with grief, forging a protective shell around Astron's heart. The experience of loss fueled his determination to stand alone to avoid forming emotional connections that could lead to further heartbreak.
She knew all of this quite well. After all, she herself went through an experience that was close to this.
How would it make the person close up to the outer world, build walls around themselves, and always be reluctant to open others?
How would the scars of the past have become the armor that shielded from the pain of attachment....
She knew everything well.
"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"
The scene continued to play out, and Astron, consumed by rage and sorrow, vowed to avenge his sister.
The intensity of his emotions and the trauma etched into his soul all painted a vivid picture of the complex and tormented individual that Astron had become.
As Irina navigated through the layers of Astron's memories, she couldn't help but feel a mixture of empathy and sorrow for the man whose journey she was witnessing.
She may not have wanted to admit it, but inwardly, she knew. For the first time in a long while, she was feeling close to someone else in such a way. The primary upload of this chapter happened on N0v3l/B1n.
Not in a way that made her heart flutter but in a way that awoke the feeling of camaraderie inside her.
The fact that she was able to understand even the slightest bit of how he became offered some relief, and at the same time, she felt like she slowly understood why, for all this time, she was comfortable when around him.
'I unknowingly felt this camaraderie, didn't I?'
After all, her act of arrogance was also her way of protesting the world. She may be irritating to others, but she actually knew it was better for good.
The more irritating she became, the easier she could woo away the shallow people approaching her with superficial intentions.
–WRRRR!
At that moment, she was once again forcefully expelled from the time frame.
'But, now is not the time to be lost in such thoughts.'
She thought while wandering off into the empty space around her.
Knowing that she had a goal for being here, she decided to discard all those thoughts and start focusing on her goal once again.
Irina refocused on her mission within Astron's past and continued to witness the unfolding chapters of his life. The scene shifted, and she found herself in the aftermath of the tragic events in the village.
As Astron's world crumbled around him, a figure emerged from the shadows – an investigator named Hunter Garrett. The investigator took Astron under his wing, rescuing him from the ruins of his past.
The transition to the orphanage marked a new chapter in Astron's life. Irina observed the isolation and alienation he experienced among the other children, the scars of his past still haunting him.
The weak constitution and the loss of his inner light made him an outcast, subjected to the cruelty of bullying.
The sense of loneliness became a constant companion, shaping Astron's demeanor as he navigated the challenges of orphanage life.
Yet, Hunter Garrett, the investigator who had taken him in, observed Astron's potential. Maybe he could see the mana surrounding him, or maybe it was just an intuition; he decided to take Astron to a test center.
It was then that the revelation came – Astron was an Awakened, possessing latent abilities that set him apart from the other children.
The discovery transformed his narrative, as Hunter Garrett recognized the potential within the troubled young boy.
After that, Astron continued to train, giving his everything for the sake of improving himself. Irina could see the reason for his ambition and what he wanted to achieve.
Deep down, an immense amount of hatred always remained in his eyes no matter what.
One day, a letter arrived – an invitation to the prestigious Arcadia Hunter Academy, the very institution Irina herself attended. Astron, now equipped with newfound abilities, embarked on a journey to the academy that would shape his destiny.
Upon entering the academy, however, Astron faced immediate challenges. The other students, unaware of his past and the transformation he had undergone, mocked him. Placed at the lowest rank, 2450th out of 2450 students, Astron became the target of ridicule and scorn.
'Ah...I remember this...'
She remembered those words. Even though she hated to admit it, the fact that she also laughed behind him made her feel an immense amount of shame and remorse for her actions.
'What was I doing?'
She realized it was quite easy to judge people without knowing anything about them. From the moment she heard about his rank and saw his attitude, in her eyes, he immediately became someone who didn't deserve her attention.
'...'
No words could express the shame and guilt she was feeling now.
Irina witnessed the isolation and bullying that Astron endured.
Four individuals, fueled by arrogance and prejudice, targeted him relentlessly.
'Dylan Miller? Where did I hear his name?'
Irina looked at the past and remembered the certain students that had attended the academy in the first month and then suddenly disappeared mysteriously.
They were the ones who always laughed at the back of the classroom and acted arrogantly. She never liked such people either, as it reminded her of the ugly fa?ade of the high- ranking society she belonged to.
The atmosphere around Astron turned hostile as he navigated through the trials and tribulations of academy life.
The academy, a place meant for growth and camaraderie, became a battlefield for Astron. Irina could sense the resilience within him as he faced the harsh reality of being the lowest-ranked student, enduring the taunts and physical aggression from his tormentors.
'Wait?'
However, as the one-month period passed, Irina suddenly let out an exclamation of surprise.
Dylan Miller and his group, individuals who were supposed to have disappeared mysteriously, were still present, continuing their relentless bullying of Astron.
'They are still here?'
Something was different from her memories. But that wasn't the only strange thing.
'She is not in my team.'
Irina still remembered the first time she had encountered Astron. They were in the same group. At that time, she was angry at the fact that she was going to babysit a defective product, so she acted in the most embarrassing way she could, and she hated it right now.
But what she was seeing now was a lot different. She hadn't encountered Astron as she entered the dungeon, nor had the events that happened in her memories happened.
It was like the life she was watching now was a lot different than what she experienced.
The events surrounding the academy diverged significantly from her memories, and the presence of Dylan Miller and his group, along with the absence of her interactions with Astron during dungeon expeditions, puzzled her.
As Astron navigated through the challenges of academy life, a pivotal moment unfolded.
"Aren't you tired of everything and all that ridicule? Take this if you want strength."
Another student approached him, handing him a mysterious card while questioning if he wasn't tired of something. Irina watched as Astron, seeking a way to escape his struggles, accepted the card, setting in motion a fateful turn in his destiny.
It was at that moment that everything changed for him since Irina knew the place he went to was entangled with demonic humans, and when Astron left, he became one of them as well.
However, there a question arose.
'He hates demons. Why did he become a demonic human? What happened there? Was he brainwashed?'
She needed to know. Now, everything was different from what she had experienced; she needed to know more.
However, when Irina tried to delve deeper into the scene where Astron interacted with the demonic human, the details became blurry and foggy. She strained to hear the conversation, but only one phrase pierced through the haze:
? 'The enemy was never what you knew.' ?
SHIVER!
The moment she heard this sentence and the voice, she felt shivers down her spine.
It was as if the voice alone was able to affect her from where she was, and that was the scary part.
'Just what is this?'
But she had yet to find answers.
'Is this the Astron I know?'
It was impossible to understand.
'I need to know more? I don't think this place shows the memories of Astron.'
Just as she had come to the realization of this, suddenly, she felt a force of suction from somewhere.
–WRRR!
With the voice, her world became blurry as she instantly found herself in a time frame.
A timeframe she had never expected to see.