"It's nice that we got to hang out for a bit, you barely have time lately..."
"Yeah..., keeping up with the scholarship requirements has turned out to be very time consuming."
"Ludwig and Ceto also struggle at the moment, but we found a way that at least one of us can meet their loved ones, and today is my turn."
"Anyway, I heard you will be going on an excursion next week?"
"Yeah, it's a monster lair near the outskirts. A shame that you won't be joining us, but don't worry I will tell you all about it."
"You better do!"
***
The voices from the dream he had while being unconcious still echoed inside Januar's mind.
Yesterday, just after stepping into the room, a loud thump sounded in his head, even louder than the noise from before, knocking him out.
But he at least got a glimpse of the thing in the room. It was a huge, pre-apocalyptic 'Computer'.
He had never seen something like this in person, he only ever heard about them during class, as they were an essential invention for humankind before the apocalypse. The professors described it as something similar to their current database provided by the 'Tower'.
But even the professors had probably never seen one of them before, because all of them were destroyed the moment the 'Towers' appeared.
This made the discovery of that huge Computer even more unusual.
Unfortunately, although Januar's interest was piqued, he would most certainly never see the strange invention again.
Yesterday, at the same time he collapsed, Sophie entered a 'Realm', which caused a big ruckus among the Purge members. Effectively interrupting their training. So after he woke up they were pretty much banned from entering that room again, to avoid potential trouble in the future.
Still, they were lucky that it was only a ban on that one room. The Purge members could have simply kicked them out, fortunately, they were very tolerant of their behavior and allowed them to keep training with them.
But Sophie's sudden 'Realm' was a big surprise to everyone, even to herself, she didn't seem to know about her 'Realm' beforehand.
Now that he thought about it, wasn't that the same thing that happened to Frederic a few days ago?
Januar glanced at his fake friends, whose only benefit was that no one dared openly bully Januar anymore.
Did their strange timing have something in common? Was this a new form of 'Realm', and with his bad luck, did he have to expect the worst?
He couldn't think of anything unusual that could have had an influence, except for maybe one thing.
That he was near them when it happened.
But even considering that to be the reason felt ridiculous, how arrogant was he to even think that he had a hand in their sudden 'Realms'?
Yeah, he was about to burst out laughing too.
Well, it was probably nothing but a coincidence, so he should stop over-thinking.
As Januar was still lost in his thoughts, the teacher began to wrap up his lesson.
The students were only waiting for the teacher to say the magic words that formally wrap up the school day.
'Court' had reached its halfway point today, which meant there would be a special challenge waiting for the participants at night.
Because of this, tomorrow would be a rare holiday and almost all of them had already made plans with their friends and family.
Everyone was looking forward to it.
Except for one..., Januar.
The circle of him worring about his family continued and he didn't look forward to the show tonight at all. And his plans for tomorrow ranged from staying home while mourning/worring to continuing his training with Kay.
He sighed and wanted to get up from his seat, but at that moment the teacher interrupted the excited mood inside the classroom.
He wordlessly looked around the classroom before opening his mouth.
"Please stay for another moment, I still have something to tell you before you leave."
The students reluctantly remained seated, staring at the teacher with confusion on their faces.
"Sigh, you all probably already noticed the absence of one student during the last few days."
After these words, the class became dead silent, like the calm before the storm.
The teacher seemed to contenmplate his words, before continuing.
"Unfortunately..., your fellow student Leopold Raster has passed away after he failed his 'Realm'."
The class was deathly still.
The teacher watched the varied reactions of the students but none of them said anything, so he just let out another sigh.
"This again shows the importance of taking your classes seriously, as even top students might still encounter situations they are unable to deal with. 'Realms' aren't a game and could very well cost you your life, I hope you will reflect on this on your way home. Until next week."
With these words, the professor left.
Slowly, realization sunk in, and it only took a quiet 'What the f*ck?' for the students to explode into fearful ramblings and disbelieving exclamations.
The volume of this panic grew until one person couldn't bear it anymore.
"SHUT UP!"
A sudden angry shout instantly strangled the rising anxiety in the room and everyone turned to look at the source.
Frederic was standing at his table, with his fists clenched. His face was slightly flushed and even his eyes had a tint of red in them.
And the sudden attention seemed to worsen his condition, as sympathetic gazes flashed his way.
Without warning, Frederic pushed through the classroom and left.
Gradually, following Frederic's example, student after student also left the classroom, the mood remained sullen.
Januar watched as the classroom emptied, his feelings conflicted.
Leopold's sudden passing was a huge shock, even to him. this paired with his rising anxiety from tonight's 'Court', it was truly the worst possible combination.
But this wasn't the only thing on his mind.
Finally, Januar made his decision.
He stood up from his seat, leaving the classroom as well, but he didn't go home quite yet.
That expression on Frederic's face earlier..., he knew it very well.
And although he wanted to, he just couldn't ignore it.
It was laughable really. Had Frederic or Leopold ever thought about what he went through when they tormented him?
Certainly not, and Januar hated them for it, but it was still not an excuse for him to act the same way.
Also, he could view it as him taking yet another step towards a new and improved self.
So, he walked down the stairs to their usual spot.
And sure enough, Frederic sat on the steps, with his head leaning against the handrail.
Januar hesitated for a moment, unsure how to act but ultimately sat down next to their other.
He remained silent and only stared straight ahead, ignoring the slight convulsions that occasionally rocked Frederic's body.
After a while, he reached out his arm and started patting his former tormentor's back.
He really wondered if he was stupid.
Ah, forget it.
At least this didn't mean that he forgave the other.
Unbeknown to Januar, as he continued patting Fred's back, the other stood before the biggest conundrum in his life.
Weas97· Nov 6, 2022
