Chapter 358: what if?

"Slowly! Careful with that beam, don't drop it!"The voice of a foreman echoed across the academy courtyard.

Nearly a quarter of the academy had been destroyed after the demon Eimo's attack. The west wing was nothing but broken stone and splintered wood. Workers moved in careful coordination, hammers striking, saws grinding, carts creaking under the weight of stone blocks.

Professor Sylvia supervised the reconstruction, some using magic to lift the debris while others inspected unstable walls.

It had only been a day since they defeated the demon Eimo.

After the battle, Professor Sylvia stood before the students.

"Students," she announced, "you will have three days of rest. No classes. Recovery is mandatory."

As soon as the students heard that, they reacted immediately—

"That's what we needed!"

"Finally! I'm sleeping for two days straight!"

"I thought we would have to go through that training again!"

All the students felt relief after that. Laughter broke out across the courtyard, and some immediately started making plans.

Present day...

Students were talking about the incident that happened during the battle.

"Did you see Professor Sylvia?" one student added. "She was awesome back there… no wonder she ranked 97th in the nation among heroes."

"Even Edwin and Elysia were great too. Without their help, I think the outcome would have been different."

"I'm glad we are in the same class as they are. They were amazing!"

"Yeah… but not just them," another stepped in. "Everyone worked hard."

"Yeah, I agree."

"And Kael," someone added.

"When none of us could go near that demon's aura, he showed up from nowhere."

"And stabbed it."

"Yeah… that was insane."

All the students were talking about that incident. To them, Kael had also become a hero in their eyes.

At the academy gates, away from the noise, Cecilia stood alone.

Her hair moved slightly with the wind as she stared down the road leading to the boys' dormitory.

"Cecilia," Elysia called from behind. "What are you doing out here all alone at the gate?" she asked as she walked toward her. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Ummm…" Cecilia quickly placed both hands behind her back and smiled. "Sorry! I wanted to tell you, but I thought you might be resting after yesterday," she said, then continued, "I was just… looking around."

After the battle ended, Cecilia remembered

Kael had been injured. She had insisted on helping him, but when she returned after helping Elysia, he was gone.

"I told him I'd come back…" Cecilia murmured quietly, only to herself.

Elysia knew her best friend well. When she stood like this, it usually meant she was feeling low. And when Elysia looked into Cecilia's eyes… she knew she was searching for someone.

"Looking for someone, Cecilia?" she asked softly.

"Mmm…" Cecilia finally said, "He was hurt… really hurt. But when I came back, he was gone. I thought maybe he left for the infirmary, but he wasn't there. I hope he is okay."

(Damn, Cecilia… I hope you're not thinking about Kael.)

"Who are you talking about?… Don't tell me you're looking for Kael."

Cecilia didn't say anything. She just nodded her head, remembering how Elysia had warned her not to go near him.

As Cecilia looked at Elysia, a flicker of something unreadable passed through Elysia's eyes.

"He's not the type to need help," Elysia replied coldly.

Cecilia looked up at her. "But he saved everyone."

Elysia bit her lip. From her expression, it was clear she felt Cecilia didn't understand at all.

Elysia clenched her fist.

"I know. If you weren't my best friend, I wouldn't tell you this… He's not what you think. And don't ask me more. Just trust me."

Cecilia didn't know why Elysia thought about him like that, but she nodded. Cecilia also knew Elysia had taken care of her from the beginning. She only ever thought good things for her.

"Cecilia," Elysia said gently, stepping closer, "you should rest. You barely slept."

"I'm fine—"

"You are not," Elysia said softly. "You were casting support magic nonstop, healing everyone."

"Let's go, Cecilia," she insisted gently.

"Okay." She smiled more naturally now. "Let's… go."

After Elysia dropped her best in the room, she returned to the cliff located south of the academy.

The wind rushed across the cliff, making her hair messy and blowing it into her eyes. She gently brushed it back behind her ears.

"Everything is happening too fast. If I stay like this… if I rely only on my own strength, the future will remain the same," she whispered to herself.

When she closed her eyes, she could still see it—the burning cities, the shattered walls, the people's screams echoing through smoke-filled air. The deaths of her friends… her comrades… even her own.

"If I want to change the future," she murmured, her voice trembling with resolve, "I can't do it alone. They have to become stronger too. All of them."

A name kept coming to her mind.

Kael.

"What was the reason?" She took a long breath. "Why did he join hands with the demons?" Even if he was evil, he did help defeat the demon Eimo. "Was it just his plan? Was he always evil… or did the world force him to become that way?" She looked at the sky and asked herself that.

Only I know what is going to happen in the future.

And yet…

"I never learned why," she said softly. "Even until the very end… I never found out the reason."

She looked at her sword—the blade that had failed to save everyone in the future.

"What if…" she whispered, "instead of mastering only the sword… I learn magic? Other powers?"

"Ufff." She let out a long breath.

The idea felt reckless. Impossible.

"No one can learn every discipline," she muttered. "Swordsmanship, magic, divine arts… it's absurd."

But another thought rang in her mind.

"When I returned to the past… I already defied the impossible."

Her eyes slowly filled with determination.

"If time itself can be rewritten…" She lifted the sword and held it before her. "Then so can destiny."