The Beginning After The End (Beckoning Fates Book 3) (25 page)

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning then, Arthur.
 
I heard Professor Glory was thinking of
assigning teams.
 
Let’s join the
same team if we can.”
 
Giving me a
fist bump to my arm.

“Yeah, sounds good.”
 
Giving him
a friendly nod, I walk out after giving everyone a wave.
 

It was already pretty dark outside with the only source of light coming
from the soft glow of the floating orbs.
 
The campus grounds gave off a very mystical feeling at night, totally
different from how the world was in my previous life.
 

Upon reaching the main gate to the academy, a familiar driver was waiting
for me.
 
“Good evening Mr.
Arthur.
 
I take it that you have
prepared everything?”
 
He says while
taking off his hat and giving me a slight bow.
 

“Yeah.
 
The meeting ran a little
late so let’s leave right away.”
 
I
get in the carriage after my driver opens the door for me.
 

I dozed off during the ride back home so it felt like the familiar Helstea
mansion came into view a lot faster than I expected.
 

“We have arrived, Mr. Leywin.
 
Have a great night.”
 
Opening
the door, the polite driver tips his hat once again as I step off the
carriage.
 
Walking up the stairs
brought up nostalgic thoughts of when I came back from the Kingdom of Elenoir
and when I came back from the Dire Tombs.
 
This was probably the first time coming back home in a while without
giving my parents a reason to worry for my life.
  

Before even having the chance to knock, the giant front door swings open
and an Ellie missile shoots out at a speed that surprised me.

“BROTTTHERRR!
 
Welcome
hommeeeee!”
 
Ellie wraps her arms
around my waist as I muster up the strength to keep the both of us from
toppling down the stairs.

“Kyu!”
 
Sylvie hops off of my
head and onto Ellie’s, licking her face.

“Haha~ that tickles, Sylvie.”
 
My sister unwraps herself from me as she holds Sylvie and tickles her
back.

“I was wondering what the noise was; you’re back a little late, Son!”
 
My father leans against the front door
and gives me a grin.

“The meeting ran a little late. It’s been a while, Dad.”
 
I give my father a hug as my sister
follows behind me, still cuddling with my bond.

“Ah! You’re back, Art.
 
You must
be so tired.”
 
My mother, who was
upstairs, runs down and kneels in front of me, giving me a long hug.

“Hey, Mom.
 
Yeah, I’m
back.”
 
I smile, accepting the
family love I cherished so much.
 

“How’s your body?
 
Are you all
better now?”
 
My mother examines my
body, lifting up my shirt and turning me around to make sure I didn’t have a
wound left on me.
 

“Haha, I’m fine now.
 
You’re
worrying too much.”
 
I give her a
comforting smile but I can’t help remember the short conversation I had with my
father about why Mother wasn’t able to heal me back then.
 
I shake the thoughts out of my head
though.
 
I’m sure there was a reason
and the only thing I could do was wait for her
(to)
tell me.

“Brother, how long are you staying?”
 
Ellie is practically hopping around me as we all head towards the living
room.

“I’m leaving early tomorrow morning.”
 
I let out a sigh.

“Wha~at?
 
Why?” My sister’s face
visibly saddens, her shoulders slumping at my response.

“Yeah, why are you leaving so soon?”
 
My father chimes in, taking a seat on the sofa.

“One of my classes has an excursion trip to the Beast Glades tomorrow for
one night.
 
We leave in the morning
tomorrow so I’ll have to head out pretty early at dawn.”
 
I was already tired at the thought of
waking up that early.

“The Beast Glades
?!
”
 
My mother’s face turns pale in
concern.
 
I wasn’t surprised since I
almost died the last time I was in the Beast Glades.
 
Even my father had a worried look on his
face.

“Don’t worry.
 
We’re only going
to be in the outskirts and our Professor will be with us at all times.
 
Besides, I still have the ring.”
 
I pull out the ring that the Helstea
family gave to us from my pocket.
 
The ring used mana circulation to indicate to the other person whether I
was still alive or not.
 
I kept it
off while I was at school since I didn’t really have a need for it but I
brought it just in case.
 

“But still… is it mandatory for you to go?”
 
My mother furrows her brows, as the
concern doesn’t leave her face.

“We’ll be fine.
 
It’s one of the
lowest ranked dungeons and we’re not allowed to go below the third floor
anyways.”
 
I comfort my mother.
 

She still wasn’t entirely happy with the
whole
 
situation
but she just keeps
silent, giving me a hesitant nod.
 
The four of us spent a few more hours just catching up while Sylvie fell
asleep on Ellie’s lap.
 
Ellie was
apparently doing well in her ladies school while my father and mother both
still looked
very healthy and in
love.
 
It’s only been a few weeks
since I’ve last seen them so there weren’t really any surprises.
 
Asking where the Helstea family was,
Father said that Vincent and Tabitha were both out for a couple of days on a
business trip to a different city.
 

Eventually my parents ushered my sister and I into our rooms since it was
pretty late.
 
I almost fell asleep
while taking a shower and after drying myself; I couldn’t help but let out a
big sigh of relief after sinking into bed.
 

It was good to be back home.
 

“Knock”
 
“Knock”

I turn my head, too tired to get up and I see a small head peaking out from
the other side of the door.

“C-can I sleep with you tonight, Brother?”
 
Ellie walks in with her arms clinging
onto a stuffed animal.
 

“Sure.”
 
I smile, lifting the
blanket next to me so she can get under.

“Hehe, yay.”
 
Ellie jumps into
the bed, making herself comfortable.
 
The bed was more than big enough for the both of us but she scooted in
close and faced me.

“Goodnight.”
 
Patting my baby
sister’s head, the both of us fall asleep to each other’s breathing.

“BROTHER!
 
WAKE UP!!”
 
My sister’s voice echoed through my head
as she screamed at the top of her lungs directly next to my ear.

“What?
 
What’s going on?”
 
My eyes still half closed, I look back
and forth to see if there was an emergency.
 

“Sheesh!
 
You suck at waking up, Brother.”
 
Ellie probably woke up not too long ago,
evident by her bed hair.

“Haha, you hair looks crazy.”
 
I shoot her a grin as I ruffle her hair.

“Eek!
 
Stop it!
 
Your hair looks weird too!”
 
My little sister gets out of bed and
escapes out of my room.
 
Before
closing the door behind her, she reminds me to hurry and wash up.

“Aye aye!”
 
I give my sister an exaggerated salute,
making her giggle before going downstairs.

Sylvie woke up on her own from my
sister’s shouting but her eyes kept blinking slowly as she unstably toddled
behind me.

After washing up and making sure I
had the few basic necessities on me, which included my seal bracelet, my
dimension ring with Dawn’s Ballad stored inside, the ring used to signal
Mother, and Sylvia’s feather wrapped around my bond mark.

Sylvia’s feather probably isn’t
really needed to cover the bond mark, but I liked to keep it on me just as a
memento.
 
Having a part of Sylvia
with me comforted me.

Walking downstairs, my nose picks
up on the soft scent of some sort of soup.
 
When I reach the kitchen, I see my parents and little sister sitting on
the table, their face still tired from being up early at dawn.
 

“Hope you don’t mind.
 
The chef is cooking breakfast for
you.
 
We’re probably going to go
back to sleep after we see you off.”
 
My mother gives me a tired smile.

“Not at all.
 
In fact, you really didn’t have to wake
up and see me off.”
 
I take a seat
across from my mother, next to my sister.
 

“Be vigilant, no matter how easy
you think the dungeon may be.
 
It’s
called a dungeon because you never know of the dangers inside.”
 
My father warns me, his bead hair
ablaze.
 

Looking back at my mother, I notice
the strain on her face as I can almost feel her contemplating something inside
her head.
 
“…Just, please, be
careful Arthur.
 
I know how strong
you are but I can’t stand it every time I see you hurt, it’s just that…” Her
voice fades at the end.

“Hmm?”
 
I had the feeling that she was thinking
about what my father said in the hospital room back at Xyrus Academy; the thing
that made her unable to heal anyone seriously injured.
 

“I-It’s nothing.
 
Just be safe…. and keep your eyes on
that girl, Tessia as well.
 
You have
to protect her if things get tough, okay?”
 
Giving me a gentle smile, she reaches forward and pats my head, but her
mind wasn’t completely there.
 

The house chef brought in my food
at this time, which consisted of dry bread and a creamy soup that I assumed was
used to dip my bread in.
 
After
Sylvie had a nibble on the bread, she whined and just curled up again.
  
By the time I finished, the sun
had just started peaking out from the mountains.

“Are you going to be coming home
right after your dungeon excursion?”
 
My father asked after giving me a hug.
 

“No, not right after.
 
I will be back for a whole week though
next week for break.
 
There’s some
kind special festival going on in this city, right?”
 
My professors all announced it a couple
weeks in advance that once every 10 years, there’s a phenomenon that
occurs.
 
Supposedly, during that
entire week, the mana density in this Continent reaches its peak, giving mages
the experience to make breakthroughs and even allowing non-mages to experience
what it’s like to feel mana.
 
For
that week, classes are cancelled and students are allowed to either stay in
campus or back home to meditate and train as much as possible.

“Ah, right!
 
The Aurora Constellate is happening next
week.
 
So you’re going to stay here
for the festival too?”
 
My mother’s
mood brightens up a bit

“Wow!
 
A whole week?”
 
My drowsy sister perks up at this and
pulls on my sleeves.

“Yup, that’s the plan!
 
Let’s all go to the festival
together.”
 
Looking at my family, I
give them a smile and hug my sister and mother before walking down the stairs
and looking back.

“Be careful!”
 
My mother shouts one last time while
waving.
  
Waving back at them,
I get inside the carriage, copying Sylvie and catching up on my sleep until we
arrive.
 

__________________________________________________

“Arthur!”
 
Stepping out of the carriage, I see
Curtis waving at me, his smile wide and genuine making me smile and wave
back.
 

“How was your trip back home?
 
Did you get to catch up with your
family?”
 
Claire pats me on the back
when I reach the group of students waiting in the front gate.
 

“Good, you made it!”
 
Professor Glory gives me a smile too as
she begins counting heads.
 
Looking
around, besides Curtis and Claire, I see Clyde, Lucas, and a few other students
that I never really pay attention to.
 
I do one more quick check but I don’t see Tess, and by the frantic look
on his face, neither does Clyde.
 

“Sorry I’m late!”
 
Running through the front gate, I see
Tess catching her breath, her face a bit flushed and hair a bit messy.
 

“You’re the last one, Princess
Tessia.
 
We can start heading out
now.”
 
Professor Glory does one more
quick check and nods to her self in satisfaction before turning around and
leading the class of 10 students to the teleportation gate just a bit
away.
 

I look back to see Tessia walking
alongside Clyde when she catches my gaze.
 
Giving me a shy smile of affirmation I give a small wave back but otherwise
continue making small talk with Curtis and Claire.
 

After talking and confirming a few
of things with the guard, he adjusts a couple of things on the gate before
Professor Glory signals us to enter through the gate one by one, stepping in
herself after all of us.
 
Again, my
stomach turns from the feeling of traveling through the gate.
 
Luckily the trip never lasts more than a
couple of seconds.

“Welcome!
 
I assume for most of you that this is
the first time you guys have stepped foot in the Beast Glades, correct?”
 
Professor Glory harrumphs while placing
her hands on her hips.

“Hmph.
 
I’ve been here countless times.
 
I was an A-class Adventurer after
all.”
 
Lucas steps forth with his
chest out in pride.
 

With this, a couple impressed
murmurs from the students made Lucas even more arrogant until Professor Glory
chimed in.

“Ah yes.
 
I’ve heard from Director Goodsky that
you were indeed an Adventurer.
 
I’ve
also been notified that you had your license revoked due to classified
reasons.”
 
Raising an eyebrow,
Professor Glory continues on.

“Tch.
 
It’s all because of that fuckin’ masked
bastard.”
 
The professor doesn’t
hear Lucas mutter under his breath as he leans against his staff.
 

“Right now, we’re near the edge of
the Grand Mountains.
 
If we walk a
few hours this way, we’ll arrive at a famous pub of gathering called
Dragonspine Inn.
  
Back when I
was an Adventurer, that was the place to chat and get information on various
mana beasts and dungeons.
 
We’ll be
going to a rather low-level dungeon so don’t worry too much.
 
I will also be with you at all times but
I’ll refrain from helping unless it is absolutely necessary so don’t look to me
for answers.”
 
Professor Glory waves
her right hand and from her dimension ring comes a small pile of black cloth.

“These are shawls that you guys
will need to wear inside the dungeon.
   
The dungeon we’re going
inside is called Widow’s Crypt.
 
It’s a fairly straightforward dungeon without any traps or mazes so
don’t worry about getting lost.
 
It
is, however, very cold in there, which is why you need these shawls.
 
The mana beasts you’ll mostly be facing
are nasty little creatures called Snarlers. There are two types of Snarlers in
this dungeon that you’ll need to be very wary of, the Minion Snarlers and the
Queen Snarler.
 
The Minion Snarlers
are the ones you guys will be facing.
 
Their Queen burrows in the bottom floor of the dungeon so you won’t see
it, but just know the difference.
 
You’ll see what the minions look like once we go inside, but for now,
we’re going to split you up into two teams of 5.” As Professor Glory finishes
informing us, she takes out a small piece of paper from the inside of the shawl
she was wearing.
 

“I’ve already decided on how teams
will be split so take a step forward as I call you.
 
Curtis, Claire, Dorothy, Owen, and
Marge; you guys will make up the first team.”
 
Our professor motions for them to pick
up their shawls and step to the side.

“That leaves us with Arthur, Lucas,
Clive, Tessia and Roland.
 
Any
questions?”
 
She says as she points
at the pile of shawls left.

I had to be in the same team as
Lucas?
 
Did she do this on
purpose?
 
No, there’s only 10
students in the class and she has no idea that I was an Adventurer before.
 
Debating whether or not to ask to change
with someone, I ultimately decide to stay after remembering what my mother said
this morning.
 
Even if she didn’t
say it, I don’t trust Lucas being in the same team as Tess.
 
I should be there just in case.
 

“No?
 
Okay, then it’s settled.
 
It shouldn’t take us more than two hours
to reach the dungeon entrance so let’s hurry.”
 
With that, we take off, taking long
strides amidst the thick trees covering most of
the
sunlight.
 

We all traveled in silence, most of
the students scared that they might attract unwanted attention from the mana
beats that might be nearby.
 
Soon,
the trees cleared up as we began descending down a slope.
 

“We’re almost here.
 
There’ll be a place to be on standby
next to the dungeon so do not go inside.”
 
With that, the professor stays in the back, doing a headcount again
while each of us carefully slid down the steep slope leading to the dungeon
entrance.
 

“Before we go in, are you sure you
want to bring your bond inside the dungeon, Arthur?”
 
Professor Glory gives me a concerned
look.

‘What do you say?
 
Do you want to go hunting since we’re at
the Beast Glades anyway?’ I mentally transmit to Sylvie.
 

‘Ye~es!’
 
With that, Sylv hops off of my head and
disappears off into the woods for the wrong reason that everybody else is
thinking right now.
 

“Good choice, it’ll probably be
safer if she stays out here and lays low.”
 
Professor Glory gives me a nod before climbing up onto a rock so she
could see everyone.

“Now.
 
Split off into your groups and get to
know each other.
 
You guys have
probably seen what everyone in your group is like from class but share your
strengths and your weaknesses that need to be covered.
 
You’ll also have to decide on a leader
before we go inside.”
 
As our
professor takes a seat on the rock, our group came together and sat in a
circle.
 
While everyone looked at
each other, not wanting to really speak up, the only one in our group that I
didn’t really know, Roland, spoke up.