Chapter 16: Mirror Dimension [1]

Power over emotions.

It was an interesting power.

Sadness, anger, joy... In one way or another, they were all intertwined with one another. If exploited right, sadness could bring anger, anger could bring fear, and fear could bring joy...

They were all connected, and the combinations were endless.

But...

"Can I keep my sanity?"

The power came with a massive drawback.

.....My sanity.

It slowly ate at it.

"Huuu."

I took a deep breath to relax my mind.

"Status."

A familiar screen appeared in my vision. My gaze eventually fell on the spells that were listed.

There was something that I was curious about.

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Anger

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Sadness

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Fear

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Happiness

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Disgust

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Surprise

"..."

I wordlessly raised my hand and reached for the window in front of me.

"...Nothing."

Yet again, my hand phased through the panel. It wasn't a surprising result. I had tried a lot of methods but it didn't seem to be possible to physically touch or.

Or is it?

I tried something different.

Closing my eyes, I focused my attention on the area near my abdomen. Slowly, a warm current passed through me, which I guided toward my fingers.

My hand experienced an odd tickling sensation, reminiscent of when my hand fell asleep--paresthesia.

Unbothered, I reached forward toward the panel. More specifically, toward the first spell.

Anger.

"...!"

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Anger

Lvl. 1 [0%--[13%]--------------100%]

A small bar appeared right beneath.

"...Finally."

A change occurred, and I was able to get an idea of my current progress.

I proceeded to tap on the other bars.

Sadness -- Lvl. 2 [23%]

Fear -- Lvl. 1 [37%]

Happiness -- Lvl. 1 [37%]

Disgust -- Lvl. 1 [37%]

Surprise -- Lvl. 1 [37%]

"Interesting."

The only spell that was level 2 was [Sadness]. The revelation didn't come as a surprise to me. I had already been aware of it.

What I wasn't aware of was its progress.

23%...

That was a lot more than I thought.

"....So in the end, real-life experience does count in the progress. My real-life experience. Not Julien's."

The fact that I was already level 2 and that the other emotions also had a little progress served to affirm my thoughts.

If that wasn't enough proof;

Hands of Malady -- Lvl. 1 [0%]

Chains of Alakantria -- Lvl. 1 [0%]

"Haha..."

A laugh escaped my lips.

How could it not?

0%...

Not even one percent. Simply zero...

"I guess that proves it."

The previous Julien was capable of using such spells. Though not brilliantly, he was capable. That was what Leon told me.

Since it was at 0%, I was able to confirm my previous thought.

My current progress.

Be it Emotive, or Elemental.

They were all mine. Not the previous Julien's, but mine.

"Huuu."

I took a deep breath.

Closing my eyes, I extended my hand forward. A small circle floated in the air in front of me and several runes started to light up.

"Again."

***

Located a five-minute walk from the Rondeo Dorms was a training facility called the [Karlson Hall].

This facility, spanning 1000 square meters, housed an array of enchanting devices and exercise equipment for training purposes.

Typically bustling with cadets, the hall was relatively empty. With it being the start of the year, the cadets were all busy socializing with one another.

Socialization was important in the noble circle. It was, therefore, encouraged by the households to attend such gatherings.

All with the exception of a few people.

"So you're here."

An exception to all of this was Leon. He was drenched from head to toe, sword in hand. In front of him stood a dummy, its body cut in two.

His movements came to a stop upon hearing the familiar voice behind him.

"Evelyn? What brings you here?"

"...I can't train?"

With a helpless shrug, she pointed toward the training dummies nearby. Seeing them, Leon made a look of understanding.

"I see."

He proceeded to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"...."

An awkward silence followed suit.

Evelyn made an exasperated face when she looked at him.

"I'm not going to talk about him."

"...Yes?"

"I won't ask so you don't need to be so tense."

"..."

Was he that obvious...? For a moment, Leon struggled to answer.

"I get it. You don't want to talk about him. I also don't want to talk about him. It doesn't always have to be about him."

"...Is that so."

Leon's shoulders relaxed, and so did his expression.

"How have you been?"

Five years. That was how long the two hadn't seen each other.

The Evenus Household was one of the fastest-rising noble houses. Naturally, their circle was vast. The Verlice family was one of the families that they had gotten close to over the past years.

There was a time when there were talks between the houses to have Evelyn and Julien engaged.

That, however, fell through in the end.

"Well... I've been good, I guess?"

Evelyn shrugged and smiled wryly. Waving her hand, she pointed at the broken dummy.

"Forget about me. I'm surprised that you managed to get the second seat. You've improved quite a lot. You could hardly hold the sword the last time I met you..."

"I've train--What's with that look?"

"So bland."

Evelyn's face scrunched up.

"...I didn't take you for such a bland guy."

She then mimicked his expression, going all stony.

"I've trained. Worked hard~"

And flexed her muscles.

Staring at the scene, Leon turned his head and covered his mouth with his fist.

"...Kuhum. Sorry."

"Please, the fact that you don't even realize..."

Evelyn's face changed and she stopped mid-sentence. Covering her mouth, she leaned closer.

"...What?"

"What."

Leon turned his head further.

"Don't tell me..."

But Evely insisted.

"You."

Finally catching a glimpse of his face, her eyes widened.

"You're blushing, aren't you? Wait, don't tell me you don't know that's how you react?"

"I..."

"No way..."

***

'Mirror dimension' -- A phenomenon that took over the continent of Aurora.

There wasn't much information regarding the Mirror Dimension. All that was known was that it expanded each year, slowly swallowing up the continent in the process.

From there, existences known as 'Children of the Dark' emerged into the continent.

These entities of chaos shook the very foundation of humanity, swallowing up territories at a fast pace.

The general situation was as such.

At least, that was how I understood things.

"Although the situation sounds dire, the Empire is still holding up well. In fact, we've managed to regain some of our territories as of late. Which is why you need to memorize the monsters that are on the list. It'll be useful for you for when you enter the Mirror Dimension."

The class I was attending was called 'Heritage Recollection and Monster Analysis.' There were a lot of things to remember, from the history, monster types, classifications, and so on...

Looking at the long list of things that I needed to memorize I felt my head hurt a little.

It reminded me of the times back when I was in school.

That said, it didn't seem like I was the only one struggling.

Staring at the white-haired figure sitting a few rows ahead of me, I held myself back from laughing.

With a "Unnng" she ruffled her hair, muttering things like, 'I'm fucked. Should I just sell myself? Fuck, no. Shit...'

Just a lot of nonsense.

At that moment, as if she could sense my gaze, her head turned and our eyes met. My expression stiffened at the sight of her, and an image flashed in my mind.

'...It's her.'

One of the girls from the vision.

Before I could process the information, she tilted her head and mouthed, 'What are you looking at?'

I thought about answering but decided against it when I felt the professor's gaze pause on me.

Clicking her tongue, she returned her attention to the front.

The lecture continued from there.

It only ended when another hour passed. By then, I was mentally drained.

"We've only covered a portion of the syllabus. We've still got a lot of things to go through. Please go back home and digest the information."

As if he wasn't satisfied, the lecturer added.

"I'll review what you've learned in the next lecture."

A pained groan followed his exit as the white-haired girl gripped her head.

"I'm fucked... I'm done. Shit. At this rate, I'll fail... Do I have no choice but to sell myself?"

She looked around before settling her gaze toward the nearest boy.

"Oy."

"...Hm?"

"How much would you pay for me?"

"Eh?"

Flustered, the boy took a step back. She didn't seem to mind and approached him. Her every action attracted the gaze of those around her. She was that pretty.

Too bad she was crazy.

Bat shit crazy.

"How about this..."

She leaned her elbow on his shoulder. Learning her head closer, she scratched her chin and nodded. As if she had just made a big decision.

"You give me all your money, and in exchange, I'll let you hold my hand. How about it?"

"....Eh?"

"Is that a no?"

"..."

"Tsk."

She clicked her tongue and proceeded to her next target. It went on like this for a while before she left with a gloomy look.

I thought about leaving, but the scene was rather entertaining. I wanted to know if anyone was willing to pay all their money just to hold her hand.

That, and...

The fact that I dreaded the next class.

[Dimension Diving]

As the name suggested, it was a class designated to emulate the environment of the 'Mirror Dimension'. While it wasn't the real deal, and the monsters were fake, it didn't mean that it was impossible to get injured.

Quite frankly.

I didn't want to go.

My skills were not up to par.

The only thing I could do was stay behind and watch.

"Please gear yourself and put on your suits. We'll be starting in the next half hour."

A loud voice reminded me of the impending doom. Sighing to myself, I turned to look at Leon who had remained quiet the entire time. Turning his head to look at me, he raised his fist as if to say, 'Cheer up' before packing up his staff and heading for the door.

"Hey, wait. Why are you leaving?"

"...Yes?"

Leon stopped to look at me.

"Aren't you supposed to be my knight?"

Wasn't his entire job to protect me?

"Oh."

He nodded.

"That's right."

"So..."

"...Are you going to file a complaint?"

"No."

"Then..."

He nodded his head and excused himself.

"Ah."

I held my hand over my forehead.

Fuck.

I really didn't want to go.