Chapter 131: The Old District

The tournament grounds were quieter now.

Most of the temporary barriers had been removed, leaving behind a wide arena surrounded by empty spectator stands. A few academy students had returned to train, unwilling to waste the extra days Hildgard had given them.

Jordan sat halfway up the stands, watching them.

"You know," Joseph said beside him, "I expected everyone to leave the moment the tournament ended."

Jordan shrugged.

"Apparently nobody wants to spend money on another ticket home."

"The academies are paying."

"Still sounds expensive."

Joseph smiled.

Their conversation was interrupted by footsteps.

Several students approached from the arena floor.

They were familiar faces.

Competitors they had fought during the tournament.

For a moment, everyone simply stared at one another.

One of them finally grinned.

"So you’re still here."

Jordan raised an eyebrow.

"Unfortunately."

"Same."

The awkwardness disappeared surprisingly quickly.

Soon they were discussing old matches.

Who had made the stupidest mistake.

Which referee had made the strangest call.

Which fighter had surprised everyone.

Eventually, Noah’s name came up.

The mood changed.

"I still don’t understand him," one student admitted.

Jordan leaned forward.

"What don’t you understand?"

"He looked completely different during the tournament."

Joseph nodded.

"His power?"

"His eyes."

The student hesitated.

"There was a moment during one of his fights when his expression changed. It felt like the person standing there wasn’t the same guy."

Jordan’s smile disappeared.

"You noticed that too?"

"Everyone did."

Joseph looked toward the arena.

Nobody spoke for several seconds.

Finally, Jordan leaned back.

"Whatever happened during that tournament, Noah wasn’t showing us everything."

At another academy residence, the same subject was being discussed for a completely different reason.

A group of students gathered around a table covered with tournament records.

One of them tapped Noah’s name.

"His ranking is still under review."

"Why?"

"Because the system readings don’t make sense."

Another student picked up the document.

"F-Rank?"

"That’s what the original academy record says."

"And during the tournament?"

"A-Rank."

Someone frowned.

"That’s impossible."

"Apparently Hildgard’s system registered him differently."

"Could be interference."

"From what?"

No answer came.

The paper was placed back on the table.

Nobody wanted to speculate too far.

Meanwhile, Noah had found himself walking through Hildgard alone again.

He passed the old fountain from the previous day without stopping.

This time, nothing happened.

No vision.

No strange pulse.

No system warning.

That almost made him more uncomfortable.

He glanced at the carving.

Three circles beneath the curved symbol.

"Why do I recognize you?"

He couldn’t remember seeing it before.

Yet something about it felt familiar.

A faint pressure moved through his chest.

Noah stopped.

For one brief instant, his vision darkened.

[Ragnarok Dead Zone Resonance: 6.5%]

His eyes narrowed.

"Already?"

The notification disappeared.

A voice whispered from inside his mind.

"You’re looking in the wrong direction."

Noah’s expression hardened.

"Where should I look?"

Dead Zone remained silent.

Noah waited.

Nothing.

He sighed.

"You’re getting annoying."

A quiet laugh answered.

"You haven’t seen anything yet."

The presence vanished.

Noah continued walking.

On the other side of the city, Daniella stood outside the academy residence.

She held her communication crystal in her hand.

Five unanswered messages.

She stared at the screen.

Alcris had never been good at responding.

He could ignore people for hours.

Sometimes days.

But this was different.

She knew her brother.

Something had changed.

Daniella slipped the crystal into her pocket.

"Fine."

Her gaze moved toward the old district.

"If you won’t come to me..."

She started walking.

"...I’ll find you."

For the first time since the tournament ended, Daniella left the academy grounds with a purpose.

She wasn’t looking for answers about Hildgard.

She was looking for her brother.

Daniella had been walking for nearly an hour.

The farther she went from the academy quarter, the quieter Hildgard became.

The polished streets surrounding the tournament grounds gave way to older buildings, narrow alleys, and stone walls covered with years of weathering.

She checked her communication crystal again.

Nothing.

"Of course."

Daniella slipped it back into her pocket.

Alcris had always been difficult.

He could disappear during an argument just to avoid admitting he was wrong. He could spend an entire day buried in some book without telling anyone where he was going.

But this wasn’t that.

She knew her brother.

Something was happening.

Daniella stopped at an intersection.

A faint breeze passed through the alley.

She noticed something on the ground.

A small piece of black fabric.

Daniella crouched and picked it up.

She recognized it immediately.

Alcris’s coat.

Her expression changed.

"You were here."

She looked around.

The alley was empty.

Daniella followed the faint trail deeper into the old district.

Several streets away, Noah and Laura were walking back toward the academy.

Laura carried a small bag from one of the shops.

"You’ve been quieter today."

Noah glanced at her.

"So have you."

"That doesn’t answer my question."

He smiled slightly.

"You’re getting better at this."

"At what?"

"Not accepting ’I’m fine.’"

Laura laughed.

"I knew you weren’t."

They continued walking.

For a while, neither spoke.

The afternoon sunlight reflected off the old buildings.

Laura looked toward the distant academy towers.

"Do you ever think about what you’ll do after all this?"

Noah frowned.

"After what?"

"The tournament. The missions. Everything."

"Probably train."

Laura smiled.

"Of course."

"What?"

"Nothing."

She looked ahead.

"I just thought you’d say something more interesting."

Noah shrugged.

"I’m not very interesting."

Laura looked at him.

"You really don’t know yourself."

Noah gave her a confused expression.

Before he could ask what she meant, Laura looked away.

There were things she wanted to tell him.

Things about her family.

Her past.

Why she had come to Valhalla.

But every time the words reached her throat, something stopped her.

Not fear.

Not exactly.

She simply wasn’t ready.

Daniella reached the end of the trail.

A massive stone building stood ahead.

Its windows were dark.

The entrance had been sealed for years.

She looked down.

Another piece of black fabric lay near the door.

Her brother had definitely been here.

Daniella reached for the handle.

Locked.

She stepped back.

"Alcris."

Nothing.

She knocked.

Once.

Twice.

No response.

Her irritation returned.

"I’m not leaving."

Silence.

Daniella narrowed her eyes.

"You know I can break this door."

Still nothing.

She sighed.

"Fine."

Her hand began glowing with mana.

The ancient lock suddenly clicked.

Daniella froze.

The door opened by itself.

A cold draft flowed past her.

She stared into the darkness beyond the entrance.

Something about the building felt wrong.

Not dangerous.

Just old.

Far older than the surrounding district.

Daniella stepped inside.

The door slowly closed behind her.

She didn’t notice the faint symbol carved above the entrance.

Three circles.

And beneath them, a shape resembling a crescent.

Deep inside the building, footsteps echoed.

Daniella’s eyes sharpened.

"Alcris?"

A voice finally answered.

Not his.

"You shouldn’t have come here."

Daniella stopped.

Her hand moved toward her weapon.

"Who are you?"

Silence followed.

A second later, she heard familiar footsteps approaching from the darkness.

Daniella’s expression hardened.

She knew that walk.

She knew those footsteps.

"Alcris."

A figure emerged from the shadows.

His face was calm.

Far too calm.

Alcris looked at his sister.

Neither moved.

For the first time since arriving in Hildgard, Daniella finally stood face-to-face with the person she’d been searching for.