Novel Full Chapter 833: Two Presence
Chapter 833: Two Presence
Soon after, Michael and Rynne were dismissed from Instructor Sera’s office.
But not before both of them gave their word.
What happened in Hell remained in Hell.
At least for now.
Sera had made that point very clear before allowing them to leave. The academy will start handling the political implications behind the scenes. The less unnecessary attention drawn, the better.
As for their original assignment, hunting demonic supernaturals across the first five floors of Hell, they were told not to concern themselves with it any longer.
The academy had already assessed their capability.
And based on everything that had been revealed...
They had passed.
Not barely either.
They had exceeded expectations to a degree that made the original assessment look almost trivial in hindsight.
So the task was closed.
No additional reporting required.
If anything, the academy seemed more interested in containing the information than evaluating it further.
Once outside the administrative building, the tension that had quietly lingered in the office finally loosened.
The open air felt different.
Lighter.
But the silence between the two of them remained.
Michael glanced sideways, half expecting Rynne to say something.
She did not.
Instead, she adjusted her sleeve slightly and spoke without looking at him.
"I... have something important to handle."
Her tone was composed.
Before Michael could respond, she had already begun walking away quickly.
Michael watched her retreating back for a few seconds.
The impression she left behind was clear.
She was avoiding a conversation.
Whether it was because of everything she had just heard...
Or because she needed time to mentally process it...
He did not know.
But he did not chase after her.
There was nothing he particularly wanted to say either.
After everything revealed in that office, any casual conversation would feel forced.
So eventually, Michael turned in the opposite direction and made his way back toward his villa alone.
The academy grounds were calm as usual.
Students moved between buildings. Some trained in open courtyards. Others studied under shaded structures or walked in small groups discussing classes, missions, or rankings.
Normal academy life.
There seemed to be more students than usual though. Was it because there were only a few days until new year?
After passing through the barrier that protected his villa, Michael immediately saw tiny orbs of light drifting out from the trees and the garden edges.
Wisp elves. The little spirits that resided in the villa long before he did.
They approached cautiously at first.
Not because they did not recognize him.
Because they did.
But Michael could sense it clearly. Their fear.
Yet at the same time, there was yearning in their movement. A pull. Like they wanted to come closer and press against his aura, but were afraid.
They circled him in small arcs, hovering at chest height, then dipping toward his hands, only to recoil an instant later as if startled by their own boldness. One dared to float close enough that its soft glow brushed the edge of his sleeve.
Then it flinched and darted away.
Another followed.
Then another.
In seconds, what had looked like a gathering became a retreat.
They fled toward the wilderness that began just beyond his villa grounds, disappearing into the trees and tall grass like a trail of fading sparks.
Michael watched them go.
A strange expression flickered across his face, not quite amusement, not quite sadness.
"A love and hate relationship," he muttered quietly, more to himself than to anyone.
He shook his head, but the sight still made him feel a little better.
He stepped toward the entrance, the barrier recognizing him immediately. The runes embedded in the stone frame pulsed once, then settled, allowing him through without resistance.
Inside, the villa was silent.
And spotless.
Not a speck of dust clung to the corners.
Michael blinked.
He had been gone for days.
Yet the place looked as though no one had been absent at all.
He could already guess the reason.
Those little wisp elves.
Michael exhaled slowly and walked through the living area, eyes scanning out of habit.
When he reached his room, he shut the door behind him and walked to the bed to sit down.
Remembering what happened in Instructor Sera’s office, Michael recalled something another instructor of the academy had said, that there was always a cost to power.
"At least the situation is not exactly bad."
After clearing his mind for a while, Michael finally sat up then reached inward.
His soul stirred.
A familiar presence answered.
The Damaged Coffin of the Forgotten emerged from within him.
Michael stared at it for a moment, then placed a hand against the coffin’s side.
His mana flowed in.
The coffin responded.
Space folded.
And in the next instant, Michael stepped through.
The world shifted.
Michael’s boots scraped softly against a dark ground.
He did not move far before he saw them.
The first was sealed in ice.
An old man.
His body was suspended inside a thick, transparent block, the frost layered so tightly that it looked like glass. His face was thin and stern, hair white and long, frozen mid-flow as if he had been captured during a breath.
Even half dead, the man carried a strong presence.
This was Michael’s first time being face to face with him outside hell, and he couldn’t help but admire just how lucky he had been.
Killing rank 4 superpowers at his current stage was truly something that could only happen in the early stages of hell.
This old man had been Michael’s first rank 4 enemy in hell and belonged to the demonic supernatural faction of Aurora. At first Michael had contemplated killing him but later decided the old man could prove useful in other places. If nothing wrong had happened he would have been on his way home now so he and Jester could start working on him.
Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly as he turned his head.
The second foreign presence in the coffin space dwarfed the first.