Chapter 125
In the silence, Theo evaluated, analyzed, and weighed the impact of the student who now appeared different—not only as an individual, but as a part of a larger chain of events that continued to spin within the flow of their lives.
"Why are you here?"
Thud!
Tching!!
"What do you want from her?!
Answer now, or I'll cut your head off!"
The room shifted instantly from calm to a throbbing wave of energy, each second stretching as heightened vigilance thickened the air.
Theo remained composed, though his eyes traced the interaction that had just unfolded, sensing a sudden shift in the rhythm of the atmosphere.
Erietta, who had been sitting with her gaze fixed behind Theo, abruptly rose. Her body moved with swiftness and precision, every motion signaling a combat readiness honed through long training.
The sword in her hand lifted in sync with the alignment of her stance, forming a sharp line between aggression and restraint—a shield and an unspoken threat directed at Aldraya.
Theo held his breath for a moment, observing how his student asserted a boundary, expressing courage and precision born from rigorous training and an acute awareness of the danger surrounding them.
The energy in the air tightened, swirling with a rhythm as though waiting for a decision.
Every inhale Erietta took, every tension in her muscles, even the direction of her gaze—all of it became silent information for Theo, revealing the sharpness of her instincts and her readiness to confront any rising threat.
He recognized that this sudden reaction was not merely physical but a manifestation of Erietta's internal awareness—her trained ability to read the situation, measure risks, and assert dominance within a room strained by pressure.
He stored this rhythm in his mind, understanding that this tension would become a lesson for his student about responsibility, self-control, and the fine line between protection and aggression.
Aldraya remained standing, her eyes expressionless as she looked at Theo and Erietta. Her body did not move, allowing the energy emanating from Erietta's sword and stance to merge with the awareness surrounding them.
Theo held himself back from interfering, allowing the moment to unfold, aware that this interaction was a subtle test of readiness, bravery, and his student's ability to face a situation that could never be fully predicted.
"Erietta, breathe. Calm yourself first.
Don't act recklessly."
Haaah—huuuh!
"I'm calmer now."
The room had briefly been saturated with clotted tension, as though the air had pooled at a single point and refused to move.
Theo realized he could not allow the situation to develop without control. Even a small spark of tension could become an explosion too difficult to stop.
With slow but firm steps, he rose from his seat, letting his body's rhythm settle before he approached Erietta.
Each step released a subtle wave that softened the atmosphere, dispelling the aggressive tremor that had surfaced moments earlier.
When he reached his student's side, Erietta's body was still tense, but the fire that had burned in her eyes slowly dimmed with Theo's presence easing the distance.
Gradually, the energy around them shifted to something lighter.
Erietta drew a deep breath, as though releasing a weight that had gathered in her chest, and Theo sensed this shift with the precision of someone who had endured countless battles of the mind.
He did not touch Erietta, nor did he offer any physical gesture, but his presence alone was enough to lower the waves of anger that had threatened to flare.
Her breathing steadied again, her sword lowered by a few degrees, and the alertness that had glowed like embers faded into flickers that only appeared occasionally.
Theo absorbed the change, noting it as proof that his student still recognized the boundary between instinct and awareness.
After ensuring true calm had returned, Theo slowly turned toward where Aldraya had been standing since the beginning.
The figure remained unmoving, frozen in the same posture, as though time had never touched her since she arrived.
No emotion flickered on her face, no subtle shift in her eyes or lips gave any hint of her intent or her reaction to the threat that had been directed at her.
A breeze brushed her silver hair, lifting a few strands, yet her expression stayed empty—like a living statue waiting for the world around her to move first.
Silence fell again.
"How can someone understand the value of meaning when freedom has belonged to them from the start?"
The atmosphere between the three of them curled like an invisible spiral, making every breath feel heavier than usual.
Theo stood at the most dangerous point, his body acting as a thin boundary separating two energies capable of devouring one another.
He understood this position clearly, yet the calm he rebuilt flowed through his skin, smoothing the lingering sharpness.
Behind him, Erietta stood alert—not excessively, but still tense—as though the world itself was holding its breath while waiting for Aldraya's next move. Even without doing anything, she emitted a silent pressure that threatened to split the room's rhythm.
Theo allowed himself to become an anchor, standing between two women possessing different forms of destructive potential, yet equal in strength.
On the other side, Aldraya remained enveloped in a cold stillness—so cold it could feel foreign even to those accustomed to strange phenomena at Star Academy.
No change stirred in her gaze, no emotion surfaced, but her presence alone carried the impression that her feet stood far beyond the limits of ordinary humans.
And when her voice finally emerged—light, without force—the question sliced the air like an invisible blade, penetrating without needing physical power.
Her question hung in the air, challenging the meaning of significance for someone who had possessed freedom from the very beginning. A reflection aimed not only at herself but also at the rhythm of fate unfolding before them.
The question made the atmosphere grow denser.
Not out of threat, but from the layers of meaning rolling within Aldraya's words.
Theo sensed it not as provocation, but as a riddle touching the core of the journey of those carrying Administrator seeds—a question that could not be answered with simple theory or fragmented logic.
Behind him, Erietta reacted with renewed tension.
Not out of fear, but because the words seemed to call something hidden within her, stirring an awareness she herself had not fully grasped.
And amid the swirling tension, Theo positioned himself as the point of balance, soothing the energies without abrupt movements, weighing the depth of the words spoken.
"Relax, focus, and follow my instructions. Don't let your emotions sway you."
"I'll try."
Fuuuuh!
'One problem resolved, now—'
"Isn't that how the condition of a servant or subordinate entrusted with responsibility tends to be?
Their freedom appears certain, yet the truth is never that simple."
The atmosphere tightened again, as though the air adapted to the chain of responses holding one another at bay.
Erietta stayed alert, but no longer explosive, as Theo's calm gradually seeped into her.
She attempted to think clearly, reorganizing the flow of her awareness even though confusion still clouded her thoughts.
Aldraya's question made her feel as if she were being toyed with, as though each spoken word carried a hidden meaning she could not decipher.
The tension remained, but now wrapped in a layer of discipline strong enough to suppress the aggressive impulse that had nearly burst forth.
To be continued…