Path of the Unmentioned: The Missing Piece-Chapter 260: Where the Threads End [3]

On the Terrace of the Instructor's Quarters building.

Kyle sat on the edge of the roof, one leg dangling freely while the other rested close to his chest.

Wind tugged at his short messy white hair as his blue eyes gazed out at the campus of Solvayne Academy.

From up here, he could see most of the campus bathed in an orange light: the marble pathways, the training fields, and the greenery.

The Instructor's Quarter Building is one of the tallest buildings in the area, so it was pretty easy to observe the campus from here.

He let out a slow breath. As he relaxed the tension in his shoulders, he eased a bit. The sight before him was...calming.

Last week was nothing but hectic. Kyle did nothing but try to untangle a skein, although his progress was impressive, but it seemed like he had hit a frustrating wall that refused to budge.

It felt like staring at the maze that shifted its walls every time he blinked. It was nothing but frustrating.

'I think I need to ask Master Seris. She did tell me to find her whenever I need to ask something.'

He will go see her after this. For now, he just wanted some moments of silence for himself.

'I wonder how Cedric is doing.'

It's been a while since he saw him. Last time he saw him in class, and as always, that poor guy was covered in bandages, suggesting that whatever task Master Seris had given him was anything but easy.

'Well, he did have a Title that gives him minor regeneration, so the injuries aren't a big problem for him.'

'I wonder how much progress he made in Space affinity.'

He rested his chin lightly on his knee, watching a flock of birds cross the orange sky, and took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air.

'If this were Earth. I'd be inhaling pollution right now instead of fresh air.'

The thought almost made him chuckle. Even though Aeveroth was far more technologically advanced than Earth, it remained remarkably free of pollution. People here actually cared enough to protect what they had.

Seraphina's [Rejuvenation] spell had worked better than expected. His mana flow is stable, and his headache also vanished. She did tell him to rest in his apartment, which is actually next door to her.

But instead of getting more sleep, he came directly here to get some fresh air. He's been coming here for some time now. Whenever his mind was heavy and it got too loud. He came here to relax in the sunset.

"Once you completely untangle the skein, come find me. I'll teach you something interesting."

He remembered Seraphina's words before he left her apartment.

There was that mischievous smile on her face, like she was sure he would be very interested in whatever she was about to teach him.

"Something interesting, huh? I wonder what that will be."

A wind shifted slightly. A tingle ran across Kyle's neck, and the hair on his arms stood to no end.

"So, do you usually sit here?"

A calm voice spoke beside him, startling Kyle.

"Wha—!"

He almost jumped back out of fright before Seris reached out her hand and grabbed him by the back of his collar, preventing him from bouncing back.

"Easy there."

Seris said, as her long, silvery-white hair shimmered in the evening light, her long coat fluttering lightly with the gentle breeze.

"Master! Don't scare me like that. And why do you always appear out of nowhere like that?" Kyle said, looking at her golden eyes.

"Appear like what, when did I even do that?"

Seris tilted her head, acting all innocent like she really had no clue what he was talking about.

"....."

'She did this intentionally, didn't she?'

He just stared at her as his eye twitched a little.

"Never mind." Kyle muttered, shaking his head. "But what are you doing here, Master?"

Seris's corners of lips lifted slightly, forming a light smile. "Can't I come looking for my disciple?"

Kyle let out a chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, yes... you can. Just... didn't expect you to see here."

"I tend to show up when I need you know."

"That you do. By the way, how is Cedric doing in training?"

Seris hummed softly. "He's doing better than I anticipated, if I'm being candid, he's natural. He'll proceed to the next level in a few days. If my assessment is correct."

Kyle simply nodded. He didn't know what the next level meant, nor did he bother to ask her what kind of training Cedric was undergoing.

He'd learned long ago that his Master loves speaking in layers with half-truths and half-tests.

For a moment. Seris watched his face, his eyes, and his healthy skin. She nodded in approval.

"You look better now. No more dark circles and pale skin."

Kyle nodded with a smile.

"Seraphina helped me with her [Rejuvenation spell]. It worked better than I expected."

Seris's eyes showed a little surprise after hearing that.

"She did that?"

"Mhm"

"When did she improve that much in healing. She was always better with offensive magic than healing." She said, muttering to herself.

Then the quiet settled between them again. Seris' gaze lingered on the sky.

"The future...." Seris said softly.

"Hm."

"...Do you ever think about it, Kyle? What might it hold for us?"

Kyle blinked. "The future?"

She nodded slowly.

"Sometimes when I look at the younger generation at you, Cedric, Eleanora, Lucas... I wonder if you'll be strong enough. If we will be strong enough."

"Strong enough for what?" Kyle said, feigning ignorance.

Her golden eyes darkened slightly.

"If the demon war ever happens again. Or that Vesper you told me about, that something far worse than a demon war is coming. Do you think we'll be strong enough?"

Kyle folded his arms. "That depends. What do you mean by strong?"

Seris blinked, caught off guard. "You know what I mean. Power. I will stand against whatever comes."

"Then no." He said flatly.

Her eyes flicked towards him. "You don't think so?"

"No. Not yet. But that's not a bad thing."

"Explain."

Kyle looked at the campus below.

"Power is a funny thing." He extended his arms, and an ice crystal floated above his palm.

"People think it's something you earn once and then it's yours forever. But power's… fleeting. Situational. You're strong until you meet something that proves you're not."

Seris' expression softened, waiting for him to continue.

"When I fought in Black Gate." He hesitated. "I thought I had everything in control. My plans, my strategy, my strength, mana control, even my instincts. But then came something faster, stronger, smarter.... "

Crackk—

He clenched his fist, the ice crystal bursting into white powder.

"....and suddenly all the strength means nothing."

"In that moment, I realized that being strong isn't about power. It's about how far you're willing to adapt when the world stops playing fair."

"Adapt, huh?"

"Yes. Adapt, endure, and keep moving forward even when everything else falls apart."

"But without hope, endurance is just suffering." Seris continued gently. "The strong endure because they believe there's something worth enduring for."

Kyle felt silent after that. "Guess we are both right then. Strength needs both hope to give it meaning and endurance to make it real. Isn't that why you tell other instructors to train us so harshly?"

Seris looked at him for a long moment, then smiled faintly. "You really do see through things too easily, don't you?"

"I just pay attention. My mother taught me." (A/n: He's talking about his real mother from Earth.)

Seris laughed genuinely. "I suppose she did."

As they both watched the sun go below the horizon. The sky deepened into the soft shades of violet and orange.

"Master... Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"It's about the task you gave me, the skein. I have been working on it for a week now. I untangled about three-fifths, maybe. But I feel like I've hit a wall. Like something's missing. I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

"About time. I was waiting for you to ask that." She folded her arms. "Do you know why I gave you that task?"

Kyle shook his head. "To teach about patience, mana control?"

"Half correct. Tell me, Kyle, do you believe you know the full extent of your own body? You believe the river you have always sailed is the only water that flows?"

Kyle blinked, confused by the sudden metaphor. "....?"

"A novice sees a tree and thinks only of the trunk. It is large, it is strong, it is the most obvious part. He does not see the countless branches, the twigs, the vast network of roots hidden beneath the soil, all essential for the tree to live and breathe."

"You are focusing solely on the trunk, Kyle. You are straining it, overburdening it, while the rest of the tree remains dormant. You are trying to command the ocean with a single, overworked cup, ignoring the countless other vessels at your disposal.

Kyle's eyes suddenly widened. "You mean???"

"Yes, you are thinking right. Your body has more mana pathways than you realize, more than the normal Silver rank. Maybe it happened when you suddenly awakened that power in Black Gate."

She said, vaguely pointing at his white hair.

"I see. Thank you, Master."

"Anytime."

The sun had finally disappeared, leaving the darkness in the sky.

"Master.... May I ask something else? A personal question?" Kyle spoke quietly.

"You may."

Kyle hesitated, finding the right words. "Why are you always kind to me?"

She titled her, clearly not expecting that question.

"I don't mean just as a teacher. It feels like... you've known me longer than you should. Like there's something I'm missing. Did I.... do I know you from before?"

Seris didn't answer immediately. Her golden eyes continued to stare at the dark sky.

Then. With a faint sorrow in her voice, she spoke.

"Yes.... You did."

Kyle's breath caught.

"I knew you long before the academy."

"Though it would be more accurate to say.... I knew your mother." She spoke with quite sadness in her voice.

————————————