Dimensional Descent

Leonel stood frozen, his silver rod gripped tightly in one hand and the bracelet he had traded for Aina in his other. He hardly heard the shrieks of the girls cowering behind James as he watch her use Conrad's own shirt to wipe his blood from her arm.

Aina's gaze didn't ever seem to leave his own. Maybe it was Leonel's own illusion, he wasn't sure. But what was certain was that Aina made her way over to him. In a series of events that were nothing more than a blur to him, his bag, the one she had been carrying all this time, the very one he had allowed her to use as a pillow, ended up in his hand. The very same hand he held the bracelet in.

The massive battle axe on her seemingly delicate back cast a shadow over his face, dwarfing him completely. Leonel wasn't even consciously aware of what happened next, he only caught small tidbits.

Savahn was too scared to approach Aina anymore. Yuri's demeanor changed with Aina's appearance as though she had never been afraid. The odd world they were in began to tremble. And before Leonel knew it, he was standing on the grass gardens that once surrounded the Northern Dormitories.

All he could think about was Aina's gaze. Her amber, almost golden eyes, peering through his soul. It wasn't particularly cold, nor did it fill him with fear, but there was something deeply unsettling about them, a feeling that set an itch he couldn't reach in his heart.

"Leo! LEO!"

Leonel's eyes flashed as his body shifted to the side. He stuck his silver rod into the soft soil beneath him and used his now free hand to grab to the side.

His reactions were inconceivably quick. He hadn't even seen who attacked him from behind even to this moment. All he had was a frail wrist that almost seemed like it could snap with a single squeeze.

'Strength 0.72?'

Leonel was stunned. Knowing he wouldn't be able to hold on for so with his 0.67 level strength, he used the attacker's momentum against them, pulling on their wrist and sweeping his leg across.

'That's… That's the girl who threw up that day…'

Leonel's white pupil'd underclassman flipped in the air, falling on her back with a resounding thud.

James, who had been the one calling out to Leonel, blinked in shock before smiling bitterly. It seemed his best friend had had his own massive improvements. In fact, with how alert Leonel had been even in a daze just now, he had a feeling that Leonel had suffered more than them all.

Yet, he had somehow managed to keep a bright smile on his face when he came back, only for him to lose that smile due to that event that shocked even James himself. He really didn't know how to console Leonel.

'Leonel is too soft… How could he deal with the girl he's chased for five years now being…'

James sighed.

"We can't stay here." Leonel finally pulled himself out of his slump. He knew that this wasn't the time to be sulking.

Grabbing his silver rod, he pressed it to his underclassman's chest, using his leverage to stop her from using her obscene strength.

With a quick glance around, he understood the situation.

Luckily, in the months they had been gone, the white pupil'd mutants had dispersed. But with Leonel's senses, he could hear many of them approaching as though they could grasp their location.

Leonel counted the number of people around him, feeling a sudden pang when he realized that the number was much less than it should have been.

"Zavier… He?"

entered the Sub-Dimensional Zone with him, Milan and Joel… Zavier didn't

of them in the beginning, but now only 12 remained. In fact, he felt that it could only have been luck that allowed most of

Leonel's attention, causing him to frown. Before he

looked over with a gloomy expression as the girl's life slipped

raised, her expression nonchalant as though nothing had happened. Aina's gaze had been

are you doing?" Leonel

had done was only natural. Or, maybe it was because she didn't think that Leonel had such a fierce gaze in him.

had never come into play to now was because he couldn't pull his will behind killing. But when it came to his

to a neutral gaze that

lay dead beneath Leonel began to

for enemies. But he could faintly feel that Yuri had improved in strength by a small fraction. It was too small of a fraction

reason he kept his 'stats' to just two significant figures was because his senses weren't yet sharp enough to break it down further. If he had to guess, Yuri's

to you. These white pupil'd people are called Invalids. They're the people who during their awakening were instead 'eaten' by

mass of instincts. If they swallow those of us who succeeded, they have a chance to evolve and regain their consciousness. The reason they allowed us to enter the Sub-Dimensional Zone first is because it's in their best interest that we are

bundle of energy now. So,

to handle her so easily. You are worth forming a

raging serpents as he

it?'

[Congratulations!]

of their minds completely interrupted the tense

all have managed to succeed in crossing this first trial. Though many have fallen,

you. They are known as Invalids. Though they appear in the

Zones, from

in your region. Please head there as quickly and safely as possible so that you can be properly registered. Those who fail to do so

voice was no longer mechanical. In fact, it was distinctly human. Leonel had heard this very voice before. Many times before, actually. It was the Emperor

register…? Why would they need that, can't they already monitor

open, a sudden realization overcoming him. It seemed the forceful tweaks the Empire made to their technology weren't exactly perfect quite yet. Maybe they still weren't aware that Leonel was

simply pointed toward a direction, much like the

the announcement was finished, Leonel looked back over toward Yuri and Aina. However this time,

me, then the orders we follow are mine. Are we clear

frowned and seemed to want to respond, but

isn't a problem. You seem to have strong

Aina speak, but her voice was just as angelic as he remembered. He still couldn't wrap his mind around her actions. How could he

done. Maybe to some he deserved death. But Leonel just had a hard time crossing that line. Maybe he was a hypocrite for it,

ragged pockets of

alright, Leo?" James whispered to his

"Don't worry about me… I think I've already been

patted his shoulder and didn't