Transmigrated as the Cuck.... WTF!!!-Chapter 173. Weeping Forest

After wandering for hours with no clear destination, I eventually gave up on finding an answer.

No matter how long I stared at the collapsed rift or traced the fading trail of its lingering presence, no answer came.

My head ached from overthinking. In the end, I decided to return. Technically, the mission was over—the rift had vanished. There was nothing left to do here.

But returning to the Academy... that was a different problem.

Running all the way back to the dorms on foot would take weeks, if not months. And even with [Phantom Surge], the distance would barely be halved. I had neither the stamina nor the motivation to keep pushing forward aimlessly.

So I decided to stay put, wait for further instructions—maybe Miss Celia would send word, maybe not. Either way, there was no point in torturing myself with questions I had no answers for.

When I finally dragged myself back to the hotel, I wasn’t expecting anything.

Yet the moment I stepped into the dining room on the lower floor, I found them.

The girls.

They were already seated, each in their own little world, yet strangely unified in their silence. Verena glanced at me. For once, she didn’t spit out some sarcastic remark. Smart of her. My mood wasn’t exactly open to banter.

Kaelira sat diagonally across the table, twirling her fork absentmindedly through the noodles in her bowl. She wasn’t eating, just watching. Her eyes were half-lidded.

And then there was Mia.

She wasn’t touching her food. Her hands were folded on her lap, lips pressed into a tight line, brows slightly furrowed.

I shoved my hands in my coat pockets and strode forward, dragging my fatigue with me, until I plopped down into the empty seat beside her.

"Waiter," I called, raising a hand.

Soon enough, a bowl of steaming noodles was placed in front of me. I dug in immediately. My appetite was dulled, but my body needed it.

Still, the silence was thick.

None of them had said a word since I sat down.

I could feel their eyes on me—watching, studying, doubting.

Clearing my throat, I finally broke the silence. "What’s going on? Why are you all so quiet? Did something happen while I was gone? Did someone from the staff say something?"

No response.

They just looked at one another. Like they were silently deciding who’d speak.

Eventually, Kaelira sighed and set her fork down. "Nothing happened. It’s just... she was worried. You looked like hell when you came back last night. Then you vanished before sunrise. And from what Mia tells me... you’re not exactly a morning person."

Her voice held no accusation.

"She was scared," Kaelira added, her tone softer now. "You gave her a fright, Cassius."

I paused, staring down at my noodles before shoving another mouthful in.

Then I turned to Mia.

"There’s nothing to be scared about," I said flatly. "Your brother isn’t weak. I’m not the same guy you used to protect when we were kids. I’ve grown. I’m bigger. Stronger."

My voice dropped to a whisper.

"Deadlier."

She didn’t react right away. She just stared at her lap.

But then... she muttered something quietly, almost like she didn’t want me to hear.

"I miss those days."

I blinked.

She continued, her voice a little firmer. "Back then... at least you shared your pain. You talked. You let me in. It’s still better than when you returned from your ’school’ years ago."

School?

I almost scoffed out loud, but caught myself. Instead, I clenched my jaw and forced a smile.

School, huh?

If being thrown into the hands of a crime syndicate was considered schooling, then sure, I graduated with honors. I learned plenty. How to kill. How to make people disappear. How to smile with blood on your hands and empty eyes.

I learned how to bury emotions until even I forgot what they felt like.

Pain was the only subject I aced.

Mia finally looked at me—really looked. Her eyes weren’t filled with anger or judgment. Just a quiet, desperate hope.

"Cassius," she said, "if you’re feeling down... or alone... just know your sister’s always here. Always. No matter what. Forever."

For a moment, my breath caught.

I turned to her, offering a faint, tired smile. "Yeah. I know. And I’ll remember it... until the day I die."

She smiled weakly in return. No more words were needed after that.

We finished our food quietly.

Eventually, I stood and excused myself.

Outside, the world was dim, the skies overcast with a gray haze that blurred the horizon. I wandered through the nearby streets, hands in my pockets, my feet moving on their own.

I needed air.

Not to breathe—but to think. Or maybe not to think.

"What do I live for?"

The question echoed in my head, unanswered.

"What’s my goal? Why am I alive?"

Nothing. Not a single damn answer.

I stared up at the sky, absentmindedly.

Maybe the only reason I was still alive was because I didn’t know how to die properly. Or maybe because dying now would be too easy, too merciful.

I really had nothing... absolutely nothing.

...

While I was mindlessly roaming through the empty streets, letting my feet move without direction, something shimmered into existence before me.

A rip in the fabric of space—a portal—glowing blue appeared. And then came the voice.

"All students are requested to assemble at once!"

Desperate. Uneven. Screaming with everything it had.

Miss Celia.

I didn’t hesitate. My body moved before thought caught up.

And just like that, the city disappeared.

On the other side of the portal, I found myself standing in a strange land—not quite deserted, but not quite occupied either. A barren expanse of withered grass and twisted trees surrounded us.

The sky above was sickly pale, there were signs of temporary habitation—tents hastily erected, and the outline of a crude encampment.

Around me, other students began appearing one by one—blinking, confused, disoriented.

Familiar faces.

Zyon. Art. Celeste. Freya. Evelyn. Leon. Amelia. Lilith.

All part of my class, all looking equally unnerved. Fear lingered in their eyes, though some masked it better than others.

A little while later, Mia, Verena, and Kaelira also appeared through their respective portals, materializing like ghosts under the ashen sky. The three of them somehow had ended up together, standing close.

Odd.

Verena and Kaelira weren’t exactly the "let’s be besties" type, and Mia always tended to gravitate toward me instead of anyone else. But for some reason, they stuck together this time.

Something about it didn’t sit right with me.

Before I could dwell further, a gentle buzz rippled through the air. A soft hum—arcane in nature—preceded a flickering light that coalesced into a floating hologram.

Miss Celia.

Her figure shimmered above us, a pale projection of the real person. Her expression was grim, voice measured, but rushed.

"Dear students," she began. "Please do not panic. The world’s situation has... changed. Drastically."

Changed?

That was putting it lightly.

"Many high-ranking nobles, warriors, and instructors are doing their utmost to contain the damages dealt... but weaker monsters are erupting everywhere across the continents."

The murmurs began immediately—whispers, gasps, fear slowly brewing into dread. But Celia continued, either unaware or uncaring.

"You are now located in the Eastern Dominion Continent—specifically, in the Weeping Forest. This location is known for inflicting psychological distress. Hallucinations. Mental strain. Be wary of it."

That caught everyone’s attention.

"However, that isn’t the only reason you’re here. The rifts... they’ve started moving."

Gasps.

"They are not static anomalies anymore. They’ve begun to gather in weaker territories, as if choosing their prey. As students of Rose Academy, it is your duty—as citizens of Cronica—to defend your homeland from these creatures."

And that was it.

Just a dump of apocalyptic news followed by a vague, patriotic call to action.

The projection flickered and vanished.

Silence hung for a moment. Then panic burst like a dam cracking open.

Students began clustering into groups—some searching for familiar faces, others desperate not to be left alone. Chatter filled the air, sharp and rapid.

I didn’t join them.

I stood where I was for a while.

Then, I turned and walked away.

Toward the trees.

Toward the Weeping Forest.

If the situation was already this unstable, then staying around with panicked idiots wasn’t going to help. I had no interest in team bonding or comfort circles. I’d get more done on my own.

No one followed me.

Not even Mia.

That... surprised me, but not enough to stop my steps.

She, Verena, and Kaelira had apparently formed a group. Maybe they created some kind of bond staying at the hotel together.

Leon, of course, was surrounded by his ever-glowing halo of affection—Freya, Celeste, Evelyn, Lilith, Amelia. Art and Zyon were tagging along too.

The usual.

Their voices grated at my ears. It felt like static in my brain. Every word, every shallow reassurance, dug into me like claws.

I left before I snapped.

The further I walked, the quieter everything became.

And then... the forest greeted me.

Not with wind. Not with animals.

But with weeping.

It was subtle at first. A soft cry. Childlike.

Then came more.

A woman sobbing.

An elderly man coughing through tears.

A baby shrieking.

Then wails.

Everywhere.

They overlapped, melted into each other. Despair without origin. A haunting chorus of suffering that surrounded me from all sides. They clawed at my mind, whispering names I didn’t recognize, pleading for help I couldn’t give.

"Help me..."

"Please..."

"They’re coming..."

"I don’t want to die..."

The voices changed with every step I took—new faces, new horrors, new regrets.

But I didn’t flinch.

No illusion could rival the real nightmares I’ve lived through.

So I kept walking.

Deeper. Past the last remnants of color. Past the skeletal trees and their crooked limbs. Past the noise, until it all faded into eerie silence.

And then—I saw it.

Another rift.

Right there in front of me.

Twisting, pulsating, a wound carved into reality itself. Unlike the last one, this one didn’t just shimmer—it throbbed. Like a living thing.

I stared at it for a long time, unmoving.

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