Extra's Abyss-Chapter 35: Aftermath

Walking along a corridor, Noctis felt a sense of familiarity. The wall, the floor, and the hallway structure all felt too real .

He could recognize all of them even if his vision was little blurry; this was back on Earth and in his own home.

"N-no way," his voice cracked as he tried to speak; his voice echoed all around him, disbelief flooding him as he realized where he was.

Rushing towards the stairs ahead, Noctis turned right and hurried to the second door on the right.

Stopping before the door, he looked at his familiar door, which had "Do Not Disturb" written on it. He could faintly hear the sounds of keys being clicked from the other side.

Noctis froze, his hand paused, hesitating to turn the doorknob. Behind him, the corridor had changed;

The previous stairs leading down and the other side of the floor were engulfed with darkness.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly opened the door to his room as the tapping sound faded.

The sight before him sent a jolt of dread through his entire body; the room was empty, unlike his own room, his bed untouched, and his desk lay bare except for the monitor glowing with an unnatural light.

Noctis stopped in the middle of the room. The screen flickered, showing a white text blinking with a black background: 'Continue.'

A single line of blood flowed from the edge of the monitor, dripping onto his desk with a sickening and loud plop, forming a pool on his desk.

He quickly stepped back. "S-something's not right!" he stammered, choked by the rising panic on his heart.

Noctis turned around to head outside, only to notice behind him only a black void was slowly getting closer to him. The never ending dark void was engulfing everything in its path.

Noctis felt a wet, soft sensation wrap around his right leg. His eyes snapped downward, his stomach churning at the sight of the same black tendril coiling tightly around his ankle.

Before he could let out a scream, the tendril yanked him backward with a brutal swing as he fell with a loud thud to the floor; it dragged him across the floor toward the monitor.

The wood creaked, and as he groaned, his nails clawing the floor desperately trying to hold on, his heart raced as he got very close to the screen, his body being soaked by the pool of blood that had formed.

The room around him began to distort as it began to break and twist, the void slowly creeping in and swallowing everything. Noctis was getting dragged into the screen, half of his body already inside.

He grabbed onto the table, holding on. The darkness touched his fingers as his tips began to darken as black veins ran underneath his skin as it got engulfed in void.

"N-Nooo!" Noctis screamed at the top of his lungs, sitting up as he breathed heavily, looking around him.

A pair of hands held him forcefully, "Young master!, Please calm down; you're safe now!"

Noctis saw that he was back in his room at the Nightryn's estate. Hearing the familiar voice, he glanced to his side, seeing Lira standing beside him. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

His entire body was sweating, trembling as he steadied his breathing, slowly trying to calm himself.

Lira looked at Noctis, worried, her eyes filled with concern. She quickly sent a message to Ericka and turned her focus back on her young master.

Moments later, the door to his room creaked open as Ericka hurried in, rushing to Noctis's side. "Nox, ahh, I am so glad you're awake. I am starting to get worried; you scared him a lot back there.".

She pulled Noctis into a tight hug, relieved to see him safe and sound. While Noctis returned the embrace.

Pulling back, Noctis sat up straight. His head was filled with a lot of questions, and he wanted the answers now. "Aunt, What happened after I passed out? What happened to the centipede? What about that boy I saved?, uhh wha—-".

A finger stopped him from speaking further, as Ericka took a seat beside him. "Why the sudden rush? I know you're curious and all, but you have to rest for now."

"I already had my rest." Noctis looked into her eyes.

Looking at his stubborn expression, Ericka sighed as she began to talk about the aftermath.

"After you fainted, Catherine rushed back and finished off the primal rank monster. While I rushed towards you, thank God you weren't injured badly and just fainted due to mana exhaustion."

"Fortunately, the city guard had arrived within a few moments after Catherine had killed the centipede, which should've led to the rift collapsing within minutes, but it didn't happen—kind of weird, to be honest." She stroked her chin, pondering about that strange phenomenon.

Shaking her head, she continued, "All of us were out with the help of city guards. Catherine decided to leave after she apologized for letting her guard down, which led to the monster attacking you. As for the boy, hmmm, I didn't see him after we were out; he was nowhere to be seen. I wanted to thank him for slowing down both of your fall."

Looking back at Noctis, she asked, "Why? Did you know him?"

Noctis shook his head. "No, I was just curious. By the way, did Miss Catherine say where she was leaving to?" he said casually.

"No, she didn't. Why did you want to—" She paused, her eyes widening a little.

Ericka remembered Catherine's beautiful appearance; her lips curled slightly, turning into a smirk. "Oh my, is this your love at first sight?".

Noctis's face turned bright red; hearing his aunt's words, he quickly denied her, "What, no! It's not like that!"

Although he had to admit Catherine indeed was one of the most beautiful characters in the game, even surpassing a few main characters, she was the professor he was looking for a year ago.

Ericka continued to tease him, "Then, why did you ask about her more? , If this isn't interest, then I don't know what it is."

"It was nothing; I was curious for another reason." He continued, trying to change the topic and not let his aunt continue teasing him.

"The exam is in half a year, and I am lagging behind a bit compared to others." Feeling exhausted, he sank back onto his bed, releasing a heavy sigh.

Ericka stopped teasing him. "Don't worry, you just started a little late compared to others. I will make sure you catch up to your friends soon."

Since that day, he regretted ever saying those words. His already intense training increased several fold. Each day he was utterly drained and couldn't even move his body for hours; he had to study while his body was still feeling sore all over.

He engaged in physical and combat training with his aunt. Additionally, Lira taught him the theory required for his exam and first year at the university, complemented by Brad's gravity training.

Occasionally, Ericka would take him to train in dungeons and Normal Rifts, letting him gain experience on actual combat and against monsters.

He had wanted to explore some dungeons he knew where he could gain some lore shards or artifacts, but he couldn't find any of them, except for a few that belonged to other main characters specifically. He wasn't planning on stealing other opportunities unless he really needed them or was desperate for them.

Noctis didn't forget to message everyone back after that party; he kept up with them each day, talking with them occasionally. The more he learned about them, the more he realized how different they were from their game counterparts.

Several months had passed since the rift incident, and Noctis had progressed to the E rank.

The registration for the entrance exam was approaching soon, and he needed to travel to the university where the entrance exam would be held.

The five top universities take turns hosting the annual entrance exam, with Ethereon University leading this year's proceedings.

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*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

A loud alarm sounded as a slim white hand shot up from under a blanket and stopped the sound.

Letting out a yawn, Catherine woke up and stretched her arms above her head. It had been a few weeks since she had arrived at the Ether City, where the Ethereon University was located.

She had been constantly working to process/verify her documents and ready her materials needed to teach the students.

Walking towards her balcony, Catherine looked at the scenery outside with a cup of coffee in her hand. She was in an apartment located in the city; she would be moving out today.

There were living quarters for professors and staff inside the university.

"This place will be lively in a week; the entrance exams are going to start soon," Catherine smiled.

Remembering a certain boy, she let out a chuckle, "He's going to be a freshman this year; this is going to get a lot more interesting than I expected it to be.... I wonder what his unique skill is."

Amidst the battle with Moss, she keenly observed the increase in her mana output and consumption, it was strange yet at the same time she knew it was work of a unique skill of someone.

Only after she saw that boy do the same thing when he tried to escape from the centipede and his unusual reflex at the situation did she know it was him.

Catherine had access to information that most people wouldn't have due to her connection with the queen; she searched the entire database on unique skills.

She found one that matched, but it was a self-enchantment skill rather than using it on others.

Putting her cup down, Catherine murmured under her breath, "Doesn't matter anyways. I hope you don't get in my way, Noctis."

Stretching her back, she returned to the room to pack her belongings, casually tossing her cup into the sink on her way.