Chương 123: Chapter 115-Chosen Cube

Dates. Names. Places. For the love of the Gods! Ilota, could it have killed you to organize this in some recognizable manner? For a reporter, he sure is disorganized. Kind of reminds me of Silent Pete. He was always terrible at keeping things in order. Both memories and things alike. Now, back to this file. Even if it is disorganized, it does have a whole lot of information. I knew it the moment Ilota asked me about Ashfall. Not once in over ten years did a single person even whisper the name.

It was like it never existed, but he knew about it and was smart enough to tie me to it. So, asking him to look into Tristan's ties to the Purists was sure to come up with gold. If only he were as good an organizer as he is a reporter.

"Chosen One?" Julian asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Julian? When did you get here?" I ask with a hint of confusion.

"Did you forget the elegant conversation that we were having? Truly? We've been speaking for the last thirty minutes," he says in the most elegant way possible.

"Yeah, sorry. I must have zoned out," I [Lie] as I look around. I'm outside. When did I get outside? I was on my bed… The file from Ilota was in my hands, but now… What just happened?

"It's good to see you're looking better," I say as I take a second to get my bearings.

"Better? I've never been better, Chosen One. Although I am a bit tired from the trip to the Southern Isles. Then again, who would've expected that to happen?" he says with pazzazz.

"You went to the Southern Isles? How did you get back so quickly?" I ask as I scratch my horn.

"Although my elegance is outstanding, I wouldn't say that the trip was quick. It did take us a week to get back. Don't you remember, Chosen One?" Julian asks with a hint of worry.

"What are you talking about… I didn't go to the Southern Isles-" I say as the bells from the clock tower chime four times. What? That's impossible. They couldn't have finished the clock tower over the weekend. Julian is talking more nonsense than usual and- As I scratch my horn, the tip of it is gone. My horn is broken?! What in the fuck is happening?!

"Are you okay? You don't look so good. Should I get Princess Penelope?" he asks as a nauseous feeling permeates through me. Wait! I turn away from the clock tower and look towards the greenhouse, or more specifically, the field behind it. Where there was once a barren field is now row upon row of multicolored Poppies. Something is-"Wake up! Vashrin! Snap out of it!" Yellow yells pulling me out of whatever the fuck that was. Gasping for breath, I hold The Chosen Blade close to me. Why can't I breathe?

Everything hurts! It feels like my life is slipping away! The purple string flickers in and out of existence as I struggle to keep myself from dying.

"Brown, why isn't it working?" Yellow asks.

"I'm doing what I can, but the damage to his soul is growing! Black, I need your help!" she yells.

"Stop your yapping! I'm already on it," Black says as a new wave of energy rushes through me. As it does, I begin to catch my breath. The pain subsides, and the weakness slowly disappears. I'm no longer dying, but some part of me feels like it's gone. A small part, but it's still gone.

"Are you okay, Vashrin?" Yellow asks.

"Of course he isn't. His soul almost completely slipped out of his body," Black says with an air of anger.

"I'm fine. What was that?" I ask as I slowly sit up in my bed. Brown sighs.

"It's what we warned you about. The damage to your soul isn't healing. It's getting worse. The crack is growing faster, and soon enough, your vessel will shatter. No vessel means no soul. No soul means you die. Do you understand, Vashrin?"

"I get it," I say as I walk out to the bathrooms.

"It doesn't seem like you do. Death. The end. Your soul will be lost in the Ether. You won't go to the heavens or hells. You'll just be gone… A true death. You need to take this seriously," Brown berates me. Walking into the bathroom, I see myself in the mirror. I look like shit. Splashing some water on my face, I stare a bit longer at the intact horn.

"Brown… I appreciate the concern. I really do, but you don't have to worry. I have everything under control," I [Lie].

"Vashrin… It's time for you to consider asking for help at the church. The Holy Maiden can heal the damage to your soul," Yellow says. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Wiping the deathly look from my face, I give a practiced smile.

"We both know I can't do that. I can wait for the Unicorn horn. Until then, we just hope I don't croak and die," I say with a joking tone.

"This is not-" Brown goes to say.

"Enough. He's made his decision. Let him live with the results or die with them," Black interrupts. In the sudden silence, I sigh and make my way back to my room. Lunch is almost over. I'll look over the rest of the file later. Stuffing the file under my mattress, I head back to class. Entering the classroom, I'm immediately bombarded by the sight of Julian.

"Chosen One! I have prepared the perfect battlefield for our challenge," he says with pazzazz.

"Isn't class going to start in a- Oh, who am I kidding? What do you have?" I ask with a renewed sense of curiosity. Julian elegantly pulls out a cube with hundreds upon hundreds of small magic circles drawn on it.

"Behold the Bordero Company exclusive, The Cube." Grabbing it, I examine the various number of panels that seem to be able to slide.

"What is it?"

"I'm glad you asked. My family was recently commissioned to make a security box of sorts that makes it impossible for anybody to break into it, while of course keeping the contents inside safe," he explains as I shift a panel.

"So, it's a magical safe?"

"More than just a magical safe. It's The Cube. Each panel has a magic circle that releases an attack. We have electricity, fire, wind, and a whole plethora of different effects to ward off potential thieves," he says as I continue to shift the panels.

"So, it's a magical safe that can both attack and protect?"

"Yes, exactly. You understand its elegance! Father and I worked tirelessly trying to create the perfect security system. This one is obviously just a prototype, but now that the Empire has achieved a trade deal with the Dwarves, we should expect the price of mana crystals to drop, which means we can finally mass-produce The Cube," he says elegantly.

"Hmm. This tastes good," I say as I take another grape from the now open cube.

"Aren't they? We use grapes for testing since they're so fragile. If the grape is bruised, then we've obviously- How did you do that?" Julian asks, dropping his usual elegance.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" I ask as I close The Box back up.

"How did you know the pattern?"

"Oh, you just feel the pressure on the wood panels. The greater the pressure, the more likely it was placed early in the construction. So, you start with the looser panels and then work your way up," I say as I hand him back The Box.

"Have you ever considered working in theft prevention?" he asks, gaining back his elegance. Before I can answer, Professor Stargazer enters the classroom.

"Everyone, take your seats. I hope you all had a restful weekend. I can happily report that I did. The reason mainly being that none of you suffered any permanent damage. Although more than one of you certainly had to spend the weekend in the infirmary." Viola and Clint shift awkwardly in their seats. It's honestly a miracle that everybody came out relatively fine. Well, almost everybody. Looking across the room, I watch as Axel stares blankly into space.

He may be physically fine, but the shock from the ambush certainly took its toll, and he's not the only one.

"Now, the forest is obviously far too dangerous for all of you to go in alone, but after talking it over with my fellow professors, we came up with an idea that you may participate in. The Goblin Colony is a problem. We could send in some of your upperclassmen to clear it out. Although I believe that you are capable of doing it yourselves," Professor Stargazer says.

"Professor… the majority of us were helpless against a single Hobgoblin. How do you expect us to take out a whole Goblin Colony?" Viola asks with a hint of shame.

"I hate to agree with her, but she's right. We can't take on a Goblin Colony," Garus says from the back. Professor Stargazer gives a complicated look.

"I understand that this was a staggering defeat that many of you have not faced before, but I want you all to realize something. This won't be the last hurdle that you face. There will be many more in the coming years. If you don't learn how to pick yourself back up now, when will you?" she asks with a soft tone. The class sits in silence as they mull over the thought. Penelope shakes her head in disappointment as the class seems to be losing its morale. A bunch of rich kids who've had everything handed to them.

Crying to themselves the moment they fall down. What else did I expect?

"What a sorry bunch," I [Taunt]. The entire class looks at me as if I suddenly appeared.

"I mean come on. One little Hobgoblin gives you a couple of scrapes, and you run crying? And you guys call yourself the Advanced Class? What a joke," I [Taunt] as I kick back in my chair. Julian from across the class starts to laugh elegantly.

"Well put, Chosen One. As I would expect from my rival. If you're all too scared to face your fears, then I guess The Chosen One and I get to take all the glory and [Levels]." Penelope sighs.

"If there's an obstacle in front of you, all you have to do is knock it down," she says in a half-hearted manner. The class begins to murmur.

"If you don't want to go because you don't think you have the skill, then don't go. Knowing your limits isn't a bad thing, but if it's because you're afraid to go… Then you're just dense. I mean, you have me. The Chosen One. As long as I'm with you, you won't ever lose," I [Lie]. Professor Stargazer claps her hands, gaining the attention of the class.

"Thank you, Chosen one. I want you all to know that I hold your safety as the highest priority. So, along with The Chosen One, I will also be there to monitor the situation and… I've recruited some of your upperclassmen to help step in if the need arises." The door to the classroom opens as three familiar faces in purple uniforms appear in the doorway. Helia, Mavis, and Heath walk in with the confidence that only a Fourth Year could have.

Mavis, the Disciplinary Head, seems to be giving just the right amount of enthusiasm. Helia, the Rank 1 of the Fourth Years, isn't even trying to hide her displeasure. On the other hand, Heath, the Rank 2 and Prince, looks like he could bounce off the wall with the amount of joy he's holding in.

"With this group. You have nothing to fear," Heath proclaims with a big grin.