The Anomaly's Path

"You...?"

Standing in the doorway under the dim glow of the lantern was Professor Morgana. She was leaning against the doorframe, a scowl on her face, holding a half-empty dark glass bottle in her hand. The strong smell of alcohol drifted into the room before she even stepped inside.

I stared at her, frowning.

"Professor?" I said, leaning back against the counter and crossing my arms. "Why are you here? And why do you always show up late at night to bother me? Didn’t you get enough fresh air during the day?"

Morgana didn’t bother answering right away. She walked inside, her boots thudding softly against the floor, and pulled out a chair at the nearest table. She dropped into it with a tired sigh, resting one elbow on the table while taking another drink from her bottle.

"Can’t a teacher visit her student’s tavern?" she asked, her eyes scanning the empty chairs. "Why are you so defensive, kid?"

"You’re getting a blank look," I said dryly. "When was the last time you actually visited or cared about what we were doing here? You didn’t come once. It’s the fourth day of the festival, two days for setup, and two days since the gates opened. Me, Roan, and the others have been handling everything ourselves."

I paused, giving her a flat glare. "Besides, what have you even taught us this semester other than beating our asses into the dirt every single day?"

Morgana let out a sharp, amused laugh. "I taught you how to survive, brat. Pain is the best teacher in the world."

"Right. Even Lady Seren teaches better than you," I shot back smoothly.

Morgana’s eyes narrowed, her scowl deepening by a fraction at the mention of her rival’s name, though she just scoffed and took another drink.

She glanced around the clean counters, then looked back at me. "Aren’t you going to offer your teacher something to eat? Honestly, if you had added a few more meat dishes to your menu earlier today, you would’ve made twice as much money."

"We’re out of food, and the kitchen is shut down," I replied flatly, walking over and sitting down in a chair across from her. "So no. You’re out of luck."

"Tch. How cold," she muttered.

I let out a slow, tired sigh. "Alright, let’s cut to the point. What do you actually want, Professor? I’m not doing your paperwork or running your errands tonight. Surely you didn’t walk all the way here just to dump your work on me."

Morgana leaned back in her chair, holding out the bottle toward me. "Want a drink?"

"No," I answered immediately. "Beside, I don’t get drunk."

"You could at least show some support," she grumbled, pulling the bottle back. "Drinking alone feels wrong."

"You really are drunk, aren’t you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is a professor even allowed to encourage their student to drink with them? Wait... are you even allowed to bring alcohol onto academy?"

"I’m a Transcendent instructor. Who’s going to stop me? The guards? That old man Vega?" She scoffed, though she finally set the bottle down on the table with a light clack.

I shook my head, remembering for a second that I had a private bar up in my personal dorm room, a perk given to the first-year Primus. I didn’t say that out loud, though.

Instead, I took a small glass from the tray on the table, poured a tiny splash of warm tea into it, and took a slow sip. "Fine. I’ll drink tea while you drink whatever that poison is. Now tell me why you’re really here."

Morgana’s playful, lazy demeanor vanished in an instant. The faint flush of alcohol on her cheeks remained, but her eyes turned sharp as she leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "Do you know about The Fallen, Leo?"

My hand paused for a second. My mind raced as I chose my words carefully. As a high noble of the Celestial family, it made sense that I would have access to secret information. But I couldn’t let her know how much I really knew from the game.

I raised an eyebrow, keeping my expression neutral. "The cult that worships the Abyss King? The ones behind the Great Gate Incursion twelve years ago? Yeah. I know who they are. What about them?"

Morgana matched my gaze, staring directly into my eyes. "The Fallen are planning to attack the academy."

For a split second, my heart skipped a beat. I kept my body still, hiding any reaction. But inside, my mind was racing.

What...? How did she know about the attack?

"What do you mean by... an attack?" I asked softly, forcing a slight frown of disbelief onto my face. "Are you kidding right now, Professor? The academy defenses are strong."

Morgana shook her head slowly. "I’m not joking."

She picked up her bottle, took a sip, and continued in a low voice. "Recently, the Astra Union captured a high-ranking Fallen member during a secret mission outside the Human domain. The Fallen are moving. The Union confirmed there’s a strong chance they’ll attack Aegis Academy during the festival."

My jaw tightened.

What the fuck is happening?

This didn’t happen in the game. In the game, the Academy and the Astra Union had no idea the attack was coming until people were already dying. It was a complete surprise. Why do they know about it now? Is this because of the changes I made?

A cold, heavy feeling settled in my stomach.

In the game, when the attack started, the player had to choose between three paths.

Arthur could secure the banquet hall where The Fallen members teleported in. Or he could rush to the plaza to save civilians. Or he could lock down the academy grounds while the instructors fought to hold everything together.

No matter which path Arthur chose, people died.

Innocent tourists died in the plaza. Students died in the halls. And if Arthur picked the wrong route or hesitated, one of the main female leads died right in front of him. Arthur survived because he was the hero, but the victory was built on blood.

And the scariest part was how they did it.

The Fallen had a rare Space Affinity user, a direct disciple of their leader. She didn’t fight on the front lines. Instead, she acted like a hidden teleport gate, opening rifts to drop high-ranking Fallen members directly inside the academy before disappearing into the shadows.

"Leo?" Morgana’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Are you listening?"

I blinked, pulling my focus back to her sharp gaze. I nodded slowly. "Yeah. I’m listening. So... you’re telling me the academy knows about this?"

"The higher-ups know," Morgana said, her voice serious.

"The academy is on high alert, but we’re keeping it quiet so people don’t panic. Headmaster Vega has been told, and he’s trying to finish his work at the rift so he can return as soon as possible. The Astra Union is also sending help, specifically, High Council member Damon Draven."

"Professor Helena’s brother?" I asked.

"Yeah. The youngest Transcendent," she confirmed. "Instructors are quietly telling top students, like you, Arthur, and Riven, to stay alert. We don’t want to cause panic, but we need our best people ready. The student council also knows, so they’ll be keeping an eye on things as well."

I crossed my fingers on the table, staring at her intensely.

"I get what you mean, Professor. But... how sure are you that their attack will be a normal frontal assault? What if they don’t come through the front gates at all? What if they have someone with a rare affinity, like Space or some other conceptual power?"

Morgana paused, her eyes flashing with surprise at my question. "A Space user? Those are extremely rare. Besides Headmaster Vega, there are barely two or three known in the whole world."

"Rare doesn’t mean impossible," I said firmly, putting seriousness into my voice.

"You know I also have Space affinity. If a cult that’s survived for a long time decides to attack the most heavily guarded academy, they’re not going to walk through the main gates. What if someone opens a spatial rift, drops high-ranking rankers past your defenses, and lets them loose inside? If that happens, perimeter guards won’t matter while the instructors are busy fighting outside."

Morgana stared at me, taking in my words. The hint of drunkenness in her posture vanished, replaced by the instincts of a hardened warrior. "A spatial transport dropping strike teams inside..." she muttered. "You’re not wrong. I’ll bring that up with the defense council tonight."

"Good," I breathed out.

Silence fell over the table for a moment before Morgana let out a long breath, her tense shoulders relaxing slightly. She leaned back, a faint, familiar smirk returning to her lips.

"Anyway," she said, changing the heavy mood. "Let’s talk about something less depressing. What about tomorrow’s grand banquet? Are you ready for it?"

"As ready as I’ll ever be," I grumbled.

"Who are you taking as your partner?" she asked, a playful glint in her eyes. "Are the rumors true? Are you going with Seris?"

I nearly choked on my tea. "What?! Who the hell is spreading such ridiculous rumors?!"

"The whole academy is talking about it," Morgana chuckled, clearly enjoying my reaction. "The first-year Primus and the second-year Primus... people are saying you two are dating."

"We are not dating!" I said bluntly, rubbing my temples. "...And I’m not taking Seris."

"Then who are you taking?"

I sighed heavily. "...I’m taking Malva."

Morgana raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise. "Malva? The commoner girl from your team? I mean, I see her working with you, but I didn’t expect that."

"It’s not romantic," I explained flatly. "She’s part of my team. Left to herself, she’d skip the event or stand in a dark corner alone. I’m just forcing her to step out of her shell."

"Oh? How sweet of you," Morgana teased, her grin widening.

"Don’t start," I shot back, giving her a glare. "You’re one to talk. What about you? Are you going alone, or are you going to ask poor Professor Vance to be your partner?"

Morgana’s smirk faltered slightly.

"Come on," I continued smoothly, leaning forward. "You know exactly what I mean. Poor Professor Vance has been looking at you like you hung the moon since day one. Everyone know about this."

"Watch your tongue, brat," she muttered, though there was no real bite to her threat.

"I may not know everything about your past, Professor," I said softly, watching her closely, "but despite how tough you try to act, you know he cares about you. Why not give the guy a chance?"

Even though that poor guy is was good for you, I thought but didn’t said aloud, as I still wanted to live.

Morgana stayed silent for a moment, her gaze dropping down to her glass bottle. The playful atmosphere faded completely.

"Do you even know how to dance, Leo?" she asked suddenly, changing the subject.

"No," I admitted honestly. "Not really."

Morgana stood up from her chair. She stepped out into the open space between the tables and extended her hand toward me. I looked at her hand, then up at her face, giving her a flat look. "What? I’m not giving you money, Professor. We all work hard to earned those points."

"Fool, I’m not asking for money," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Get up. I’ll show you the basic steps. And for your information, I do know how to dance."

"Hell no," I said, leaning back. "Who knows what you’ll do to my feet?"

Morgana looked at me up and down, a sudden faint smirk touching her lips. "Wait... now that I’m looking at you closely, you look a bit different. Did you get a new haircut? Honestly, it suits you. You’re actually looking pretty handsome tonight, kid."

I squinted at her, my eyes narrowing at her suspicious shift in tone. "Are you flirting with me now, Professor?"

"And what if I am?" she teased smoothly, stepping a inch closer with a playful glint in her eyes. "Can’t a teacher admire a good-looking student?"

"Then I’d have to throw up, because please never do that again," I deadpanned.

Morgana burst out laughing. "Get up already, brat!"

With a heavy sigh, I pushed myself out of the chair and walked over to her. I took her hand, placing my other hand respectfully on her shoulder while she guided my stance.

To my genuine surprise, Morgana moved with grace. Her steps were light, fluid, and precise, completely stripped of the brutal, violent heavy footwork she used in combat. She led the slow, simple rhythm effortlessly, moving us across the polished floor of the quiet hall.

"What?" she asked, catching the surprised look on my face. "Did you really think I was lying about knowing how to dance?"

"Honestly? Yeah," I admitted as we turned. "You don’t exactly scream ’ballroom elegance’ during class."

"I used to be young once, you know," she said quietly, her voice softer as we danced under the dim lantern light. "Before all of this... there used to be a lot of noble boys asking me to dance."

I looked down at her dark purple eyes, an amused eyebrow twitching upward. "You talk like you’re some ancient relic. How old are you anyway, Professor?"

Morgana’s steps didn’t falter, but her grip on my hand tightened until my bones creaked. Her eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. "Careful, brat," she warned, a cold smirk on her lips. "Ask a woman her age again and I’ll break your arm in three places, drag you to the infirmary, and make you pay the bill."

"Ahem—" I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Right. Point taken. Let’s stick to the dancing before I end up on a stretcher."

We danced in silence for another minute before I brought it back. "So... if you know how to dance so well, why not take Vance tomorrow? Are you afraid, Professor?"

Morgana’s footwork froze for a fraction of a second before she picked the rhythm back up. The air between us turned heavy.

"You’re afraid something will happen to him, aren’t you?" I asked softly, keeping my tone gentle.

Morgana let out a quiet, bitter sigh, pulling her eyes away from mine to look toward the window. "...Am I really that easy to read?"

"No," I replied smoothly. "You’re usually a terrifying wall of violence. But tonight... you’re human."

Morgana lowered her hands, stepping back and breaking the dance. She walked over to the table, picking up her bottle of alcohol and taking a slow drink.

"Twelve years ago... during the Great Gate Incursion," she began softly, her back turned to me. "I lost a lot of comrades. My whole squad... gone in a single night."

I stayed quiet, letting her speak.

"There was a guy," she continued, her voice tight. "He was an idiot. A kind-hearted, soft fool who always put everyone else’s safety ahead of his own. He was always leading from the front, taking the brunt of every attack just so the rest of us could breathe."

She turned around, looking at me with a pained, distant look in her eyes. "He was just like Vance. Soft. Gentle. A scholar who had no business being on a blood-soaked battlefield."

I watched her, realizing the heavy burden she had been carrying all this time. Everyone in this world had a past carved in blood, and behind the Great Gate Incursion twelve years ago was The Fallen. They were the ones who took that man and comrades from her.

"You’re afraid that if you let Vance close... he’ll end up just like him," I said quietly.

Morgana didn’t answer directly. She just stared down at the bottle in her hand.

"Professor," I said, after a moment. "Holding people at a distance won’t protect them. It’s better to live without regrets than to push someone away and regret it later."

Morgana looked up at me, a faint smile touching her lips despite the sadness still in her eyes. "Woah, hold on... since when were you a philosopher, Leo? Usually, only natural-born playboys say things like that with a straight face."

She scoffed softly, shaking her head. "I didn’t realize my student was an expert in romance. Are you speaking from experience, or did you read all this smooth talk in some cheap romance novel?"

"I’ve never loved anyone or had a girlfriend to know anything about romance," I answered plainly.

"Right, right," she teased, her eyes narrowing with a light smirk. "So you’re just a prodigy at giving relationship advice without ever having stepped into the ring? Who taught you how to talk like an old soul, brat?"

"It’s just common sense," I shot back. "You don’t need to have your heart broken to see when two people are being stubborn idiots."

Morgana let out a genuine, warm laugh. "Alright, alright. I’m leaving before you try to fix the rest of my life."

She turned toward the exit, pushing the front door open. But just before stepping out into the cool night air, she paused, looking back over her shoulder with a sharp, wicked grin.

"Oh, and Leo?"

"What?"

"About that comment you made earlier about me being old..." Her purple eyes glinted dangerously in the dark. "After this festival is over, I’ll personally show you who’s old during our next training session."

A cold, sudden chill ran straight down my spine.

"Goodnight, kid," she smirked, stepping out into the street and closing the door behind her.

"Damn it..." I muttered under my breath, shaking my head in frustration. "I really can’t control my damn tongue around her, can I? One of these days, my big mouth is going to get me killed."

I stood there for a long moment, my mind drifting back to her words, and then toward connections, war, what was coming... and then to romance and love.

I let out a quiet sigh and walked to the door to lock up. In this life, I was fighting to survive a world meant for blood and chaos. Taking things slow, talking about feelings, or even opening up to someone wasn’t something I had ever planned for.

But... as I clicked the lock into place, my mind briefly drifted to Seris, to her steady gaze, and the strange, quiet calm that always seemed to follow her.

Maybe in this life... winning against the coming darkness and finding peace with someone wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Shaking the thoughts away, I turned off the lights, stepped into the cool night air, and disappeared into the shadows of the academy grounds.

_

Author Note:

Hey everyone,

Tomorrow might be a bit busy for me, so I might only be able to upload one Chapter. I’ll try my best to get another one out later in the day if I can, but if not, I’ll make sure to upload the next day.

Thank you all for sticking with the story. Your support means a lot.

See you in the next Chapter!