Chapter 62: Parting and Reunion

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Parting and Reunion

His pronunciation was rather strange. The rolling syllables were unlike the Empire’s common language, carrying a hint of the Northern snow desert dialect, yet tinged with an exotic melody.

Jeremy muttered the name, half-skeptical: "Cyril?"

It was obviously a person’s name. Jeremy crossed his arms over his chest. "You mean you want me to call you that?"

Cyril remained hidden within the black mist, but his tone was now heavily laced with mockery. "Not even knowing the name of your own enemy—is Young Master Valmont putting on a comedy show for me?"

"...Spot on. I was indeed just joking. Truthfully, our relationship is much more intimate than mere enemies." Jeremy gave a faux smile and shrugged. One second the guy claimed to have forgotten his name, and the next, he was proudly declaring it. Whether it was the main body or the consciousness body, this guy clearly had a screw loose.

Then again, a consciousness body born from the subconscious, acting as a second personality, actually knew how to name itself? Did this concept even fall within the boundaries of conventional magical medicine?

"Intimate? Then it must be... ..."

Cyril had barely gotten halfway through his sentence when a massive horde of malicious ghosts abruptly roared and lunged forward. Their ear-piercing shrieks completely drowned out the rest of his words.

Jeremy furrowed his brows, about to ask him to repeat himself, but the entire landscape before his eyes suddenly shattered like glass, the outlines of everything fading away.

The magic matrix’s duration had run out. The scenery reverted to a thick, viscous black. Jeremy’s consciousness was violently yanked out of the fictional world by a powerful suction force.

Jeremy snapped his eyes open. The first thing that hit his vision was the familiar magic chandelier hovering over his bedroom ceiling. He sat up abruptly, sweeping a hand through his messy hair to the back of his neck, and let out a heavy breath.

It seemed he would have to bury himself in the library again. Dreamscapes were inherently unpredictable. Using a dream-entering magic matrix to delve into someone’s subconscious at different times would yield entirely different scenes. However, the constructs within a consciousness space would only truly distort when the host’s emotions fluctuated violently.

The consciousness body residing there was the embodiment of all the negativity, sorrow, and rage from the main body. Much like the concept of a "second personality," they shared a single soul but possessed independent thought. The disconnect in memories between Lucius and Cyril was also justifiable. Cyril naming himself, when viewed from a rather twisted perspective, still fell within the known bounds of psychological magic.

After several days of relentlessly flipping through ancient tomes, these were the hypotheses Jeremy had managed to piece together. Even though he ultimately hadn’t been able to clearly see Cyril’s face, his initial goal had been accomplished. Those blazing red pupils... were likely the consequence of being corroded by murderous intent and blood mist for far too long.

Judging by Lucius’s indifferent attitude in the real world, Lucius was clearly oblivious to the fact that Jeremy had invaded his subconscious domain, let alone aware of Cyril’s existence. Since that was the case, Jeremy wasn’t about to waste his time exposing it.

With the magic power issue resolved and the dream-entering magic matrix mastered, Jeremy decided to temporarily shelve this whole messy ordeal.

Two days flew by, and the freshman placement tournament officially came to a close.

The Omnia Department’s team proudly took the crown in the team category. Following closely behind was the Dragon Severing Team of the Zenith Department. In third place stood the Storm Team of the Linnea Department, which featured Lomita. The rankings below that were sealed by the Academy and left unannounced.

Jeremy simply listened to the news and immediately tossed it to the back of his mind. For him and his hapless teammates, their holiday had essentially begun the moment they were "knocked out" by old mentor Griffin. The Academy granted all freshmen two days of free leave. At the crack of dawn on the first day of their break, Jeremy stepped through the teleportation matrix and left the Sky City.

The purpose of this trip was remarkably simple: Fulfill the agreement and grant Yusha Prometheus his freedom.

---

Oceanic Realm Island. The waves crashed softly against the moss-covered cliffs.

Jeremy carefully set the magic flask containing the ashes upon the water’s surface. Standing back up, he stuffed both hands into his coat pockets and glanced at Yusha’s spirit, who had remained entirely silent beside him.

"Thank you for the past few days, Teacher Yusha."

Hearing his student’s placid tone, Yusha let out a loud snort. "You’re truly heartless, kid. Dragging me out before the roosters even crow, all just to kick me to the curb this quickly?"

Jeremy lightly bit the tip of his finger, squeezing out a drop of bright red blood, and flicked it straight at Yusha’s spirit. The temporary contract between them instantly shattered into tiny specks of light.

"A promise made is a promise kept. Besides, isn’t this the freedom you’ve been thirsting for over the past century?" Jeremy replied indifferently.

Yusha let out a mournful sigh, his ethereal form flickering slightly. "I mean that I’m a bit reluctant to part ways. We’ve walked a stretch of the road together, after all. With this farewell, I fear the ocean is too vast, and the day we reunite will be hard to come by."

Jeremy paused for a moment, genuinely not expecting such an ancient ghost to be this sentimental. He cleared his throat and adjusted his collar. "...This magic flask is a high-tier Sacred Weapon. It’s pre-inscribed with defensive and invisibility magic, capable of nullifying any underwater obstacles. From now on, you are no longer imprisoned within those stone walls. Whether it’s the deep sea or the distant horizon, you are free to go wherever you please."

Seeing his teacher’s spirit still looking so dejected, Jeremy reached out, unconsciously rubbing the air right above Yusha’s head. "So, you don’t need to feel so reluctant. The world is round; a day will surely come when our paths cross again."

Being petted and consoled by a sixteen-year-old kid made Yusha feel as though he had utterly lost face. He grumbled, "...A lot of the time, I truly feel that your brain doesn’t resemble a sixteen-year-old’s in the slightest."

Jeremy gave a slight smirk and raised an eyebrow. "Is a century-old ghost like you really calling a teenager in the prime of his youth old?"

Yusha burst into boisterous laughter, the sound echoing across the surface of the sea. "The time spent as a ghost doesn’t count! If we calculate the age I was when I was alive, I’m roughly the same age as you, got it?"

Having finished his complaining, Yusha began rambling on as if terrified he’d never have another chance to speak. He rattled off a long string of words:

"That bone key—you just need to draw blood to establish a contract and it’ll be ready to use. The passcode for my safe at the Imperial Bank is: *****. Ah, I’ve organized all the drafts for decoding those lost magic matrices; they’re on the bookshelf in the living room. Also..."

Perhaps because he wasn’t accustomed to such abrupt farewells, Yusha nagged and gave instructions on all sorts of trivial matters for nearly twenty minutes straight. Jeremy didn’t interrupt him once, simply standing there in silence, listening to the crashing waves mingling with the ghost’s shrill voice. Only when Yusha finally paused to catch his breath did Jeremy nod. "Alright, I’ve memorized it all."

"...It’s good that you remember. I’m off."

Yusha turned and glided away for a short distance before abruptly freezing in mid-air. He didn’t turn back, but his voice, carrying a hint of awkwardness concealed within the sea breeze, drifted into Jeremy’s ears:

"About that... Even if we never meet again, I still hope that one day, in some corner of this continent, I’ll be able to hear the world chanting your name. Give it your all, kid. Become the greatest Grand Mage on the continent."

A radiant smile graced Jeremy’s lips, his tone unusually resolute. "I definitely will."

Yusha fell silent for a beat. "...Goodbye."

"Until we meet again," Jeremy corrected.

Not goodbye, but until we meet again, huh...

Yusha’s ethereal form flickered brightly, the corners of the ghost’s mouth curving upwards. The lingering sorrow that had settled within him over the past century seemed to have been completely swept away by the salty ocean breeze. He was right; they would surely meet again.

Yusha’s silhouette, along with the magic flask, gradually sank into the horizon. Jeremy stood patiently, waiting until the very last speck of light had entirely faded away, before turning around and taking decisive strides toward the teleportation matrix.