The Anomaly's Path

The silent drift of the fog felt colder than usual, settling like a heavy blanket.

Malva stayed on her knees, her shoulders shaking under the heavy pressure of the decay around her. Her chest rose and fell in shallow, ragged breaths, her lips parting as if trying to speak, but no sound came out, only broken, terrified silence.

The illusion of that monster with the pale silver eye still hung between them. The vision had shattered her calm, tearing open wounds she had spent years hiding behind a cold, blank mask.

She knew what kind of man Leo was.

He was smart, sharp, and brutally thorough. They were bound by a Mana Oath contract, a bond that strictly stopped them from harming each other.

But Malva didn’t know if there were ways around it.

To her mind, power always found a way. If Leo thought she was a threat to him or suspected she was hiding something dangerous, she believed he wouldn’t hesitate to find a way around the oath, cut her throat, and leave her body in the dirt.

She stared down at the black steel of Tempest pressed against her neck. The sharp blade bit into her skin, cold enough to draw a thin, stinging drop of blood that ran down her neck. Part of her wanted to shut down completely, to let her cold mask take over, give up, and accept whatever came next.

But as she looked up into Leo’s ocean-blue eyes, which had no warmth, no humor, no sarcasm left in them, a bitter, burning frustration rose inside her chest.

She hated this. She hated her past, and most of all, she hated the raw, helpless fear that turned her back into a trembling child again.

Until now, despite her cold attitude and their professional arrangement, Leo and the others had shown her nothing but unexpected kindness. He had paid her well, and treated her like a real member of his team rather than a slave or a broken tool.

She wasn’t the type of person who trusted easily. In fact, trust was the last thing she expected from anyone after where she came from. Yet, deep down, she knew he had protected her and helped her more than anyone else ever had.

Malva clenched her jaw until her teeth hurt. She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced her voice out.

"I am... connected to the Fallen," she whispered, her voice breaking as it cut through the hiss of the fog. "But that man... that monster isn’t my father. I have no ties to them! I’m not a spy, and I’m not sending information to anyone!"

Leo didn’t move the blade. His face stayed completely blank, looking down at her like a frozen statue.

Connected to the Fallen...

The words echoed in his mind, heavy and cold. Leo stared at her shaking body, processing her words while his mind raced to figure out what to do.

He knew the illusion couldn’t have pulled that horror out of nothing.

The illusion worked in two ways: either a person’s mind was weak, which wasn’t the case for Malva because during the exams, where her Void affinity and strong mind let her easily ignore illusions, or the monster itself was so powerful that its energy forced painful memories straight out of a person’s deepest, most buried pain.

This Gate was different. The power of the energy leaking from it was far beyond anything they had faced before, overwhelming even Malva’s strong mind and dragging her past out into the open. This Gate had opened with terrible force.

It made sense that even her guarded mind couldn’t block it all out.

Looking down at her, Leo could tell she wasn’t lying. Her soul was chaotic, drowning in old pain, but there was no evil or trickery in her eyes. Besides, those empty, terrifying eyes on the illusion weren’t the kind of thing someone made up to mess with people.

If I had a father like that monster, I’d want to kill him too, Leo thought bitterly. Hell, the monsters in this world are always trying to act human, while the real humans act like monsters.

He felt a strange, confusing knot in his chest. Was he angry? Suspicious? Feeling sorry for her?

Just an hour ago, he was dancing with Seris at the festival, enjoying a rare, peaceful moment and thinking about how simple life could be if he just played his cards right.

Now, a damn Gate had opened, the world was breaking apart, and he was standing in corrupted fog holding a sword to his contractor’s throat. Why did his life always have to get so unnecessarily complicated?

He had respected Malva’s privacy before. He knew she carried a dark past, but he had stayed out of her past because he wanted his team to trust each other without being forced to share everything.

But now, knowing she was linked to the biggest threat in the world, the risk was huge. If anyone at the Academy or the Holy Kingdom found out she was connected to the Fallen, they wouldn’t ask questions, they would kill her on the spot or lock her in a dark room for torture.

What am I supposed to do here? Leo cursed inside. Feel sorry for her? Kill her to be safe? I hate this. It makes me sick.

He was truly torn. He didn’t want to dig into her past, but he couldn’t walk into a high-rank Gate with someone he didn’t fully trust at his back. He knew her soul was telling the truth, but his instincts screamed at him to make sure for himself.

[She might not be able to answer you,] Nova’s voice said in his mind, flat and dry as usual. [Her emotional distress is genuine.]

I know that, Leo thought back, his jaw clenching.

I know she isn’t helping them. The Mana Oath stops us from hurting each other anyway, so even if she wanted to betray me through some trick, her soul would tear itself apart. But what do I do with her now? How do I trust someone who carries that kind of past without knowing the full story?

[Then why don’t you use your skill?] Nova reminded him. [Echoes of the Unforgotten.]

Leo frowned inside his head. No. The skill has a three-month cooldown, and worse, it can backfire. If her trauma is deeper and more broken than mine, the door opens the other way. She’ll see my memories, Earth, the game, the Path Trial, everything.

[You are the owner of the skill and the master of your own mind,] Nova replied, a hint of sarcasm in its voice. [It’s your body. If you want to block your own memories from leaking, you know how to lock your own doors better than anyone else. Stop acting like a visitor in your own head.]

Leo clicked his tongue. He looked down at Malva, who was still on her knees, her dark eyes wide and empty, waiting for him to decide. She looked completely broken, crushed under the weight of the illusion and his cold glare.

He took a slow, deep breath, letting the cold air settle his roaring thoughts. He wasn’t going to get proper answers from her right now through questions, the illusion had completely shattered her composure, and interrogating a broken person would yield nothing useful.

Slowly, Leo lowered Tempest, sliding the blade smoothly back into its sheath with a soft click.

"Get ready," Leo said, his voice quiet, flat, and stripped of all anger. "You brought this on yourself, Malva."

Before she could process his words, Leo stepped closer and pressed his bare palm firmly against her forehead. He didn’t hesitate. He focused his mind, locked his own past away like heavy doors slamming shut, and used the skill.

Echoes of the Unforgotten.

His vision went completely black as his soul sank into the silent void of her memories.

_

Meanwhile, across the academy city...

The sudden opening of the high-rank Gate had broken all normal defense plans. The Academy forces and city workers were scattered, trying to restore order as thick purple mist flooded the streets.

Teachers and older students quickly formed small teams, splitting up across different areas to save civilians, close small rifts, and block off dangerous zones. Some teams followed orders from senior teachers, while others were led by student leaders and second and third-year students.

Despite their fast response, some areas were quickly turning into nightmares.

In the residential sector, the danger had grown out of control. Corrupted beasts were tearing through the stone streets in endless waves, springing out of the purple mist like living shadows.

Panic had taken over the civilians, tourists, workers, and visitors were running in fear, screaming as claws ripped through buildings. Children were crying, trapped under rubble or separated from their parents, their screams echoing through the foggy ruins.

"Hold the line! Get the civilians to the east gate!"

A heavy strike slammed into the stone with a loud sound, sending a wave of dirt and force that pushed back five attacking beasts. Marius Valmont stood at the front, his face covered in black blood and sweat. His longsword was gripped tightly in his right hand, his breathing rough.

A small boy with messy brown hair was cowering behind him, clutching Marius’s shirt and crying.

"Hey! Kid!" Marius shouted over the noise of the monsters, blocking a claw that nearly took off his shoulder. "Are you hurt?!"

"M-My leg... I can’t run..." the boy sobbed.

"Stay behind me!" Marius yelled, stepping forward and shoving his sword through the eye of a lunging beast. He kicked the body away and grabbed the boy by his collar, lifting him behind the stone barrier where a group of scared citizens was huddled. "Get him to the shelter!"

"Marius!"

A sharp voice cut through the noise.

Princess Cordelia landed beside him, her hair tied back, her eyes glowing with power. Beside her were Julia, holding up a shimmering barrier, Caster holding his hammer, and a team of senior students clearing the sides.

"The rescue team is ready!" Cordelia said. "We’ve cleared a path to the upper district!"

Marius wiped the blood from his eyes and looked around. The rift wasn’t stopping. Monsters were appearing out of the air itself, the purple fog getting thicker every second.

He looked back at the ruined street behind them. Damn it... at this rate, none of us are getting out.

Civilians were bleeding against broken walls, their cries lost in the thick fog.

Senior students and city guards were fighting hard, but they were tired, covered in wounds, and slowly being pushed back. For every monster they killed, two more came out of the purple mist. If this wave broke through the narrow path, the whole group, civilians, kids, and tired fighters alike, would be killed in minutes.

A low growl came near his ear, and Marius reacted without thinking, driving his longsword through the jaw of a lunging beast. Blood splashed across his face as he kicked the body away.

Breathless and battered, he turned his gaze back toward Cordelia, at her sharp green eyes and the strong posture she always held, even when the odds were against her.

For years, his feelings for her had been a bitter, possessive mess that turned him into an arrogant bully. But ever since his defeat against Leo and in the valley exams, the illusion of his own pride had shattered. He knew Cordelia only saw him as a childhood friend, a brother she could trust, but never love.

And right now, looking at her amidst the blood and smoke, Marius realized he was finally okay with that. He didn’t need to possess her. He just wanted to be someone worthy of standing in front of her to clear her path.

"...Princess Cordelia," Marius said, his voice dropping as he looked at the massive horde of beasts pouring out of the mist. "Take Julia, Caster, and the civilians. Get them out of here now."

Cordelia froze, her eyes widened slightly. "What? Have you lost your mind?! Look at the size of that horde! You can’t hold this line alone!"

"I’m not holding it forever," Marius replied, a small, tired grin appearing on his face. "I’m buying five minutes."

"Marius, don’t be an idiot!" Cordelia snapped, stepping closer, her face tight with anger and concern. "You’re not strong enough for this! You’re not Leo! You’ll die!"

"I know I’m not strong enough," Marius said softly, turning his head to look her dead in the eye. "I know I’m no "Leo von Celestial." I could never be like him, and I don’t wanna be."

He took a step back, standing in the middle of the narrow street, blocking the path between the advancing horde and the civilians.

"Do you remember our promise?" Marius asked, his eyes clear and steady. "When we were kids... back in the gardens... when I told you I’d become the strongest knight in the Empire and protect your right side?"

Cordelia’s breath caught. She looked at him, the childhood memories flooding back, a clumsy boy with dirt on his knees making a big speech under the white trees.

"I remember," Cordelia whispered, her voice tight. "I remember, Marius."

"I failed at becoming the strongest," Marius laughed quietly, shaking his head. "I went the wrong way. I became an arrogant jerk, a bully, and a disappointment to my family."

"Marius, what does any of that old promise have to do with this right now?!" Cordelia demanded, her voice cracking as she tried to pull him back. "What does that have to do with you standing here alone?!"

"It has everything to do with this," Marius said, his eyes softening as he looked at her.

"I spent my whole life chasing strength because I thought that’s what a knight was. But a knight... a real knight isn’t about how strong his sword art is. A knight is someone who protects innocent people and guards those who can’t fight. That’s why I’m staying behind to hold this line, so you and the others can get everyone out."

Cordelia stared at him for a long moment, looking at his face as the reality of his choice sank in. She swallowed her tears, clenched her fist until her nails bit into her skin, and nodded firmly.

"Okay... I understand," she said, her voice fierce and shaking as she held his gaze. "But don’t you dare die here, Marius. That’s an order."

"I won’t die easily," Marius smiled, though his eyes were completely serious. "I still have to force that bastard Leo to eat his words, acknowledge me, and forgive me for being a fool."

Cordelia gave him one last look, then turned away, barking orders at Caster, Julia, and the senior students to quickly herd the dozens of civilians down the cleared eastern corridor. Marius watched them leave until her strawberry-blonde hair disappeared into the mist.

Once they were gone, the silence on the street became heavy, save for the growling of a hundred beasts creeping through the fog toward him.

Marius took a slow breath and closed his eyes.

A distant memory flashed in his mind. He was a small boy again, sitting on a chair beside his mother’s bed. She looked weak and tired, resting under the blankets, her face pale as she coughed softly.

Marius had brought a heavy storybook to her bedside, looking up at her with wide, eager eyes.

"Mom... can I become a knight too?" young Marius asked, his hands gripping the edge of the bed. "I want to protect you!"

His mother smiled weakly, placing a finger on her chin. "Hmm... let me think. Can my little Marius become a knight?"

She tapped his nose gently. "Well, a real knight has to be disciplined! You have to eat all your vegetables to grow big and strong, you have to practice your sword every day, and most importantly... a knight has to sleep early so he has energy to save the world."

"I can do all of that!" young Marius declared proudly, puffing out his small chest. "I’ll eat everything and go to sleep right now if it means I can be the bravest knight!"

His mother giggled softly, the weak sound filled with warmth as she stroked his hair.

"A knight is a brave person, sweetie. Someone who protects everyone, men, women, children, and the helpless. They guard people’s innocence and safety with their lives. If you become a good knight... a noble knight... you can save so many people."

She pulled the blanket up over his shoulders and kissed his forehead. "So go to sleep now, my little knight. If you want to be the bravest knight, you need your rest."

Marius opened his eyes, the memory fading into the cold, purple mist.

"Sorry, Mom..." Marius muttered, a small, fragile smile touching his lips. "It feels like I forgot for so long... just what kind of knight I wanted to be."

He drew his longsword, took off the empty sheath from his belt, and tossed it onto the ground. Gripping the handle with both hands, he took a perfect stance, the very first stance he had learned as a child.

"Come on, you ugly bastards," Marius roared, stepping forward into the oncoming swarm alone. "Show me what you’ve got!"