Chapter 129 – Return to the Academy

Chapter 129: Chapter 129 – Return to the Academy

The journey back from the Northern Mountains was far quieter than the journey there. The abandoned caravan had been recovered, the missing scouts had been found, and the people trapped beneath the mountain were finally making their way toward the surface under the academy’s protection. Several groups of scouts had remained behind temporarily to organize the rescued civilians and determine whether the surrounding region was safe enough for them to travel.

For the twins and their companions, however, the time had come to return.

Their group moved along the mountain road beneath a clear afternoon sky. The distant peaks were still covered in snow, but the oppressive feeling that had surrounded the region before was gone. Even the fluctuations in the surrounding energy had weakened considerably.

Marcus walked near the front of the group, carrying his equipment over one shoulder. "I have to admit, I expected this expedition to involve monsters."

Ryan nodded. "Same."

Marcus glanced toward the mountains. "Instead, we found a missing city, people who had been frozen for years, a giant crystal, ancient symbols, and whatever that thing beneath the mountain was."

Ryan thought about it. "When you say it like that, it sounds worse."

"It was worse."

Ryan sighed. "Right."

A few steps behind them, Elena laughed quietly. "You two complain too much."

"We’re not complaining," Marcus replied. "We’re appreciating the educational experience."

Sophia raised an eyebrow. "You almost fainted when the Heart started shaking."

"I did not faint."

"You sat down."

"Strategically."

Sophia shook her head, and Seraphina couldn’t help smiling. After everything they had experienced beneath the mountain, hearing their companions argue over something so ordinary felt strangely comforting.

She looked toward Azrael, who had been unusually quiet since leaving the ruins.

"You’ve been thinking about the Heart."

Azrael glanced at her. "Yes."

"What did you feel?"

He remained silent for several seconds before answering. "The Heart wasn’t the source of the disturbance."

Seraphina’s expression became more serious. "I thought so too."

"It was connected to whatever is below it, but it wasn’t controlling it. The Heart was reacting to something deeper."

She looked toward the mountains behind them. "Do you think it was trying to warn us?"

"Maybe."

"Or protect something?"

"Maybe that too."

She sighed. "Still no answer."

"Not yet."

Seraphina smiled. "You’ve gotten better at saying that."

Azrael looked at her. "At saying what?"

"’Not yet.’ You used to act like every question needed an answer immediately."

"I still prefer answers."

"I know." She smiled. "But now you’re willing to wait for them."

Azrael considered her words. The lessons he had received beyond the Thirteenth Gate came back to him. Understanding could not always be forced. Some things revealed themselves only when the person seeking them was ready.

Perhaps the mountain was another such lesson.

"We’ll return," he said.

Seraphina nodded. "Together."

"Together."

By the time they reached the academy, the sun had already begun descending toward the horizon. The familiar stone walls appeared beyond the road, and students could be seen moving between the buildings.

For the first time since leaving, the group felt as though they were returning to normal life.

Marcus stretched his arms. "I never thought I’d be happy to see the academy."

Ryan laughed. "You said the opposite before we left."

"People are allowed to change."

Caelan looked toward the entrance. "There are more guards than usual."

Azrael noticed it as well. Several academy instructors stood near the main gate, while a group of scouts waited farther inside. Their expressions were serious.

Lyanna frowned. "Something happened while we were gone?"

Elena shook her head. "Probably because of the northern reports."

As they approached the gate, one of the instructors stepped forward.

"You’re back."

Caelan nodded. "We found the missing scouts."

The instructor’s expression immediately changed. "You found them?"

"All of them."

"And the caravan?"

"Recovered."

The instructor looked beyond them toward the road. "Then Headmaster Orion will want to see you immediately."

Marcus quietly muttered, "There goes the peaceful return."

Seraphina nearly laughed.

The meeting room was quiet when they entered.

Orion sat behind a large wooden desk while several senior instructors stood nearby. His eyes moved across the group before settling on Azrael and Seraphina.

"You were supposed to investigate the missing scouts."

Caelan stepped forward. "We found more than we expected."

Orion’s expression sharpened. "Tell me everything."

The group began explaining: the abandoned city, the underground passage, the three symbols, the missing people, and the Heart of the Mountain. They explained how the trapped people had been released and how the academy scouts had been recovered.

When they reached the subject of the three symbols, Orion’s expression became increasingly serious.

"Genesis, Oblivion, and Choice."

He repeated the words quietly. "Are you certain?"

Seraphina nodded. "We saw the symbols repeatedly."

Azrael added, "The third wasn’t another power. It represented the ability to choose between creation and destruction without being controlled by either."

Orion leaned back. "That is... considerably more significant than a simple ruin."

Caelan looked toward him. "Do you know anything about it?"

Orion hesitated. "Only fragments."

That answer immediately caught Azrael’s attention.

"What fragments?"

Orion looked at the twins. "There are old records concerning several ancient civilizations that studied the relationship between creation and destruction. Most of those records were incomplete, contradictory, or deliberately destroyed."

"Why?"

"Because the subject was considered dangerous."

Seraphina frowned. "Why would understanding two fundamental forces be dangerous?"

"Because people rarely stop at understanding."

Orion’s voice became quieter. "They try to control what they understand."

The room fell silent.

Azrael understood the implication. The people who built the Heart had tried to restore something they believed had been broken. Instead, they had created a system that required Genesis, Oblivion, and Choice to remain balanced.

Orion continued. "There is one other matter."

He reached beneath the desk and retrieved a thin collection of old documents.

"The records mention something beneath the northern mountains."

Azrael’s eyes narrowed. "The deeper chamber."

Orion nodded. "You felt it."

"Yes."

Orion opened the first document. "According to these records, the mountain contains an underground structure far older than the Waiting City."

Seraphina leaned forward. "How old?"

"Old enough that nobody knows who built it."

Marcus exchanged a glance with Ryan. Neither looked particularly enthusiastic about another underground expedition.

Orion noticed.

"You will not be returning immediately."

Marcus visibly relaxed. "Thank you."

Orion almost smiled. "The region needs to be surveyed first. The academy will send a larger expedition once we understand what we’re dealing with."

Azrael nodded. "That’s reasonable."

Orion looked at him. "I expected you to argue."

"I would have, if you intended to ignore it."

The headmaster gave a quiet laugh. "I see."

Seraphina smiled. "Whatever is down there survived for a very long time. Waiting a little longer shouldn’t make a difference."

Azrael glanced at her. "Unless something down there is waking up."

The room became silent.

Orion studied him carefully. "Did you sense movement?"

"No." Azrael shook his head. "Only resonance."

"Then we proceed carefully."

Orion closed the documents. "For now, you have done enough."

The meeting ended near sunset, and the group finally separated outside the administrative building. Caelan and Lyanna headed toward the dormitory district while Marcus and Ryan immediately began discussing food. Sophia followed them, laughing at something Marcus had said, while Elena stopped with Lyanna to speak briefly with one of the instructors.

Seraphina watched them for a moment.

"They’re acting like nothing happened."

Azrael stood beside her. "That’s probably a good thing."

"Maybe."

She looked toward the academy grounds. Students were practicing in the training area, some were studying beneath the trees, and others were simply talking with friends.

Ordinary life continued.

After everything they had seen, that ordinary scene felt more valuable than before.

Seraphina turned toward Azrael. "Do you ever wonder what our lives would have been like if none of this had happened?"

Azrael thought about it.

"We’d still have Mom and Dad."

"Yes."

"We’d probably still be arguing."

Seraphina laughed. "Definitely."

"We’d still go to school."

"You’d hate it."

"I already hated it."

She smiled.

For several moments, neither spoke.

Then Seraphina looked at him. "I’m glad we found that memory."

Azrael nodded. "So am I."

"It doesn’t answer everything."

"No."

"But it changed something."

Azrael looked toward the setting sun.

"We know she chose to send us away."

"And that she wanted us to have a choice."

He nodded.

Seraphina rested her hands behind her back. "Then I think we should honor that."

"How?"

"By choosing."

Azrael looked at her.

"Our path. Not hers. Not the people who came before us. Ours."

Azrael remained silent for a moment before giving a small nod.

"Agreed."

That evening, the twins returned to their room.

For once, there was no emergency waiting for them. No monster, no ancient chamber, no trial, and no battle. Seraphina placed the colorless crystal they had recovered from the Heart on the table. It had become completely inactive after merging with the Heart.

She touched it gently.

"Do you think we’ll ever see another memory of her?"

Azrael looked at the crystal. "Probably."

"Why?"

"Because she left them."

Seraphina smiled. "You’re becoming optimistic."

"I’m being logical."

"Of course."

She sat on the edge of the bed. After a moment, Azrael sat across from her.

Neither opened their System. Neither trained.

They simply talked.

They talked about their parents, the academy, the people they had rescued, the mountain, and eventually the future. For the first time since discovering the truth about their origins, the future did not feel like something waiting to be uncovered.

It felt like something they could actually build.

Far to the north, the mountains remained quiet.

The Heart of the Mountain continued its new cycle beneath the abandoned settlement. The golden and black energies no longer fought within it, while the colorless space between them remained stable.

Yet far below the Heart, beyond the chambers known to the people who had built the Waiting City, something remained untouched.

No energy moved there. No voice called out. No seal broke.

It simply remained where it had always been, waiting for someone to eventually find it.

For now, however, the mountain could wait.

The twins had returned home.