Path of the Unmentioned: The Missing Piece-Chapter 258: Where the Threads End [1]

The training hall was silent except for the faint hum of mana.

Kyle sat cross-legged on the padded floor of the training hall. His eyes were closed, his entire focus on the faint glowing mass hovering above his palms.

The skein glowed with shimmering purple light, its threads twisting and pulsing like veins of living mana. The glow washed over Kyle's face, tinting his pale features with a soft purple hue.

It's been almost a week now since Vice Principal Seris, his master, had given him the task to untangle the skein with his mana.

A lesson of mana control, patience, and finesse.

And for seven days, that's all he had done, trying to untangle it thread by thread, knot by knot.

Master Seris had told him it would improve his mana control, but that was an understatement.

It was almost maddening.

But he was getting there slowly... but there.

He had already untangled three-fifths of the skein, and each success felt like peeling away another level of impossibility.

Now... he was stuck. He had hit a wall.

It was not because of the technique; his technique and mana control were a lot sharper than before. But there was always a feeling that he got, as if he was missing something... something vital that he was ignoring

The more he untangled the threads, the harder it became to feel the threads at all.

Now they are beginning to slip like smoke from his mana senses, dissolving whenever he tries to grasp them.

His mana flow wavered for a moment before he tightened his focus.

'Why is it getting harder?'

Logically, it should have been easier since there are fewer tangled threads now, so the resistance should've been low. However, that's not the case. The skein fought back harder the closer Kyle got.

It felt like trying to catch the smoke with a net.

No matter how many times he repeated his master's advice in his head, he still couldn't figure out what he was missing.

Drip—

A faint bead of sweat trickled down his chin, staining the dark dots on the dark fabric of his training pants.

'Just a little more.'

He guided the trembling thread with painstaking care. His mana moved smoothly like a breath of wind, trying not to disturb the delicate balance.

For a brief second, the thread responded. The luminous thread wavered slightly, almost loosening from its knot...

'Careful... don't tangle it again...'

Then suddenly his vision blurred.

"Huh—?"

The white walls of the training hall tilted upside down as his focus snapped.

Thump—!

The glowing skein fell from the air, landing on the floor with a faint thump. The purple glow flickered before it dimmed out completely.

Something warm trickled down his nose.

Drip—! Drip—! Drip—!

The dripping sound was unnaturally loud in the silent training hall.

Kyle blinked, his vision swimming in and out of focus. He touched below his nostrils and pulled it back only to see red smeared across his fingers.

"...Blood?"

The word slipped his mouth in confusion, his head throbbing faintly. The air felt heavier, as if an enormous weight was pressing down on his chest.

'Ah... crap. Did I overdo it again?'

He sighed weakly and wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve, staining it red.

He was about to push himself up when—

Something caught the back of his head. Before he could even react, he was gently pulled down, and his head was on something that felt extremely... soft and warm.

His nose twitched slightly, and a faint floral scent filled his lungs that felt like a morning dew on the petals.

A hand pressed a folded handkerchief over his nose to stop the bleeding.

"Lie down like that and don't move."

Through his hazy vision, he could outline a beautiful woman's face.

Kyle blinked hard until his vision cleared somewhat.

The first thing he saw was her pink eyes that didn't even bother to hide the worry as she locked eyes with him.

Strands of her pink hair glowed under the soft light like a rose quartz catching sunlight.

She looked so... beautiful.

His blue eyes lingered on her pink, jewel-like gaze for a moment too long.

And before he could stop himself, his mouth betrayed him.

"...Beautiful."

Those words slipped from his lips before he even realized it, as his eyes widened a second later.

Oh no.

He made a blunder.

Seraphina froze for a moment, and a faint blush crawled up her cheeks, painting her face the same color as her eyes.

Her mouth opened and closed with surprise and embarrassment, but no words came out.

Kyle wanted to crawl into a hole.

"Seraph—!"

"Shhussh..."

Her index finger pressed on his lips, silencing him.

"S-Stop talking, will you?"

Her eyes darted to the side for a split second as if pretending not to notice what he'd just said. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Kyle froze. The warmth of her touch lingered on his lips, and his cheeks heated up slightly.

He gave a slight nod to her, not wanting to embarrass himself further.

Why did he even say that out loud?

He knew Seraphina was beautiful, and anyone would agree with him, but saying it out loud like that, especially to his Professor, who is also like a friend.

'How embarrassing.' He cursed inwardly, shutting his eyes for a moment.

He wanted to say something to break this awkward silence, but the warmth beneath him made it hard for him to think. It was oddly comfortable.

His head felt light, with the rhythmic moment of her fingers brushing through his hair.

Wait—was that…

'... She's patting my head.'

'Hold on. Is this—?!'

Realization struck, and his mind went blank for a second.

'I'm... on her lap... I'm getting a lap pillow.'

A quiet laugh escaped his lips, but he swallowed it down before he could embarrass himself further.

"Did you enjoy getting hurt or something?" She asked softly.

"No, I don't."

"But your actions say otherwise. You act like pain's a requirement for progress."

He opened his mouth to argue, but a warmth spread through his chest. He looked down and saw Seraphina's hand pressed on his chest, glowing with green light.

That was a nature spell she was using.

[Rejuvenation]

The soft light enveloped him, easing the tension in his muscles and cooling the throbbing behind his eyes.

His body aches began to fade gradually.

He felt... light.

His tired eyelids felt heavier with each passing moment.

Seraphina brushed his white hair with her other hand.

"You push yourself too hard, you know that?"

Kyle's eyelids started to close. The weight of sleepless, endless nights finally caught up to him.

"Just… get some rest, okay? You've done enough for now."

She smiled faintly, then barely above a whisper, she said.

"I'm always here for you."

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