Septis, 01 Lus 911 Aven
In this classroom, a teacher seemed to be giving a lesson, but little Aliss paid no attention to it whatsoever. She was staring into the distant void, drifting through her inner thoughts.
Soon, she gently lowered her head onto the desk, adopting a posture that suggested she was falling asleep. And that was indeed the impression it gave—both to the teacher and to the class. The students, in fact, were not particularly surprised; they were used to it, as she did it often.
The teacher was slightly irritated, but did not dare do anything. He remembered the instructions from the principal, which echoed in his mind:
— I ask you to obey. Do your job and never rush toward her. No matter her attitude or habits, do not interfere. Leave her alone. Act as if she truly does not exist.
Recalling these words, he tried to resume his work and forget her presence.
And indeed, speaking of that girl, she appeared to be asleep. But was that really the case? Was it truly normal sleep?
Well, no. It was not exactly sleep, but a kind of meditation 🧘. In this "sleep," she had just completely emptied her mind.
Indeed, her mind—gentle and calm—could at that moment only be compared to a perfectly smooth sea, without ripples, without disturbance. Calm and emptiness: an inner confrontation with oneself, in silence.
Aliss felt light. Incredibly, completely light and calm, to the point where she saw herself again in a peaceful clearing, seated on a very thin layer of ice, near a steady waterfall.
The waterfall before her showed her reflection… but not quite. This reflection seemed autonomous. Another Aliss was there, seated, almost reclining, one arm resting on her slightly raised right knee, the other supporting her with an elbow.
— Heh! Kid, aren't you tired of training nonstop like this?
— You're already a genius who reached the realm of "The Great Master" at ten years old, and you're already almost at the gates of the realm of "The Natural"… well, almost at the door. But in any case, you're far too young to die of overexertion.
— You want to master that realm at all costs before you turn thirteen, when you're only eleven right now. In truth, you have plenty of time, but you still insist on rushing. And all of this—for what?
— Because you're too paranoid, too cautious. You truly believe it's better to be overly cautious than not cautious enough.
— Do you know what the real problem is?
— You're too pessimistic. You believe that if something can go wrong, then it inevitably will.
— That's precisely why you should stop thinking that way. With that mindset, you become your own executioner.
— You really need to know how to measure things properly. You know very well that you won't be able to easily control the energy overflow if you push yourself too hard. And it comes too fast. You're not as weak as a human for it to be "game over," but you would surely have to meditate for far too long… and what if those in the shadows needed you? Have you thought about that?
— Moderate yourself, for your own sake. You are so fragile. And your strength doesn't change that. You are… you are so very fragile.
Aliss spoke softly. Her voice was deep, calm, and resolute.
— Aliss — don't be foolish. I wouldn't even try anything if I didn't stand a chance, my dear.
— Aliss — I may be too cautious, but I suppose that's the bare minimum. I'm not overly cautious; I'm cautious enough. Just as I should be.
— Aliss — I am not paranoid. I have seen death face to face. It was holding the hand of fear and despair. They were accompanied by the end of all things. And at the very depths stood light, holding the hand of a marvelous rebirth.
— Aliss — I saw them. I felt them. I experienced them. I heard them.
— Aliss — and what I saw was myself. My face.
— Aliss — I sensed my own scent. Every scent, of now and elsewhere.
— Aliss — I felt all my emotions, my impulses, my sensations, my embrace.
— Aliss — that day, that time, at that moment… it was me. This is not paranoia.
— So tell me: what is this scent? This scent that makes me waver between madness, paranoia, or lucidity. Answer me.
The atmosphere shifted. The world cracked, collapsing beneath a shrill sound that tore it apart into a thousand pieces, like confetti.
And as little Aliss awakened in the real world, jolted by the bell announcing the end of classes, the final words remained within her, in her mind, like an echo:
Answer me.
She suddenly awoke at her desk, in the now completely empty classroom, with one final thought:
I don't know either.
She gently placed her fingerprint on her tablet, then retrieved a small silver rectangle resembling a USB key.
Shortly afterward, she left the classroom very quickly.
Once outside, she walked past the cafeteria, passed right in front of the classroom, then reached a triangular elevator. Inside it, she descended to the ground floor, into the hall. There, she observed Guillaume and Marie, along with other students in the library, without them seeming to notice her. Then she exited the building.
She passed by several departments: on one side, the scientific faculties, filled with noisy experiments; then the artistic faculties, where a small concert echoed from the music section.
Farther on, she saw Sangen and Yuzu training with physical exercises in the sports department, while Brice and Prince took turns fighting Max, using various abilities in the magical department.
But she simply walked past all of them, exited into the forest directly in front of the school, and disappeared into it.
There, she removed her gauntlet, revealing a rabbit-paw tattoo. It detached itself from her hand, forming a bracelet ending in a rabbit's paw.
She pressed the center of the paw, causing a black rabbit mask adorned with a "1" to appear. When she put it on, the mask fused completely with her face, even devouring her hair entirely.
Now, she had the head of a black rabbit with a "1" on its forehead.
Suddenly, she spoke:
— Oz, it's time to go. I'm really going to take this jewel with my usual grace. It's time for a masterpiece of a heist.
After that, a hat appeared, and then a small rabbit-boy emerged and replied:
— All right, 1. Oz is in position. You're going to excel at this job.
Oz twirled his black staff and struck the ground three times, making a rabbit-shaped hole appear. Aliss fell into it as he grabbed his hat, put it on, and jumped in as well—just before the hole vanished.
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