Arthur walked back toward his room after Oriole told him most of the things he needed to know for now. There can only be so much that he could learn in the span of one night, but what he did learn left him speechless.
It seems that Julia wanted him to be her assistant in the upcoming runic exploration, which would work to uncover one of the few ancient ruins that lay between, and she tried to seduce him.
Julia Vinera was the descendant of an ancient family that was one of the founders of Runera, and it made her shoulder the expectations of her family to be the youngest grandmaster in existence.
However, Julia's affinity to runes was quite limited despite her vast knowledge. During the attack on Jerano, Arthur happened to be with her when they descended toward the runic traps. It was then that Arthur was forced to reveal his monstrous affinity.
"However, I need to understand what memory was taken from the prison or who was released," muttered Arthur as he walked back toward his room.
A figure was leaning on his door, and it was none other than a tall, handsome young man who seemed to have grown older than before. As he spotted Arthur, the man turned toward him with a smile.
"You took a sweet vacation away from the drama," teased Jonah as he gave a bright smile. His curly black hair and green eyes reminded Arthur of the immortal, Lyari, and it brought back some unpleasant memories. However, Arthur was more focused on meeting his friend again.
"I missed you, Jonah," he said with a smile, which forced Jonah to freeze and look around.
"Are we being monitored? Are you okay, bro?" asked the handsome young man with confusion, and Arthur couldn't blame him. Emotions were not his strong suit, after all.
"I just had a boring trip," said Arthur as he walked over. "And you are waiting by my door, so there must be something that you need."
"I heard you were back from a few of our Daybreak brothers," Jonah walked over. "Let me in for a snack, Alexie. You are colder than usual!" he whined like a kid, and Arthur couldn't help but smile before letting him inside.
His room was bigger than before, as it was on the second years' floor. Jonah jumped on the couch with his shoes still one as if he owned the place, and he turned on the TV straight away.
Arthur remembered that the three of them hung out together during his time in Jerano, making him wonder where Oliver was.
"I want a drink," said Jonah from the living room, and Arthur was amazed. Arthur did not refuse but brought himself a glass of water, but it seems Jonah was used to it. "You seem different, boss."
"How so?" asked Arthur with a smile as he drank his water.
"You are quieter, and your presence is... heavy," the adjective almost made Arthur laugh, but Jonah was staring at him with a serious expression. "You are a Vetus-rank now, aren't you?"
"You have quite the eyes, Jonah," smiled Arthur and nodded. "It seems you heard about it from Oriole, too."
"A breakthrough can take years of training," sighed Jonah as he gulped down his drink. "However, Boss can do it in a few days. This makes you one of the strongest students in our year."
"There are others who have achieved this rank?"
"I doubt anyone would admit it, as everyone is hiding their strengths, but I suspect Rae and Trevor. There are also a few others who seem powerful, but none of them can compare to you."
Arthur knew that Rae was already the strongest person among them as first years, and he needed to use his Release rune to contend against her. However, for her to reach the Vetus rank was impressive.
"Trevor is still holding a grudge, so you need to be careful," warned Jonah. "The only reason that he grew docile is that he is trying to court the Saint of Shon."
"Rae, Arthur, Rae!" Jonah furrowed his brows. "Are you drunk?"
As the name was repeated, Arthur remembered that she revealed her Shon Theocracy when protecting him against Ellen. However, she said that she wasn't a princess, and it made sense now that she was their saint.
Saint Ai was gone from this timeline, but Arthur remembered her fondly, and despite both of them being saints, one of them had a lot of unprocessed issues. After losing her memories, Rae was different until she was revealed the same.
You cannot teach an old dog new tricks, thought Arthur with a sigh. His rivalry with Rae made things difficult for him, but it seems he still managed to retain his previous average rankings.
"I want to ask something, boss," Jonah sat up straight as he stared at Arthur. "I might be a leader of Daybreak, but both of us knew that this is because of the countless times you helped me. So, I want to know why you refuse to take the place that is rightfully yours."
"A place rightfully mine?" chuckled Arthur with wariness. "I have no such place in this world. I am an outsider, and I like it that way. The titles do not concern me, and the position is an annoying thing."
"That is a lot like you, boss," smiled Jonah. "However, there will come a day when you are too powerful for others to miss it."
"I intend to leave Jerano soon," said Arthur. "I have to make a few preparations first, but I don't think I will stay here for a long time."
The declaration made Jonah freeze in place, staring at him with wide eyes to see if Arthur was lying. However, the room's silence made it evident that he was not.
"...you are leaving us?"
"I am sorry, but I don't intend to disappear. I simply think that this college has very little to offer me anymore. I had a mission, and it no longer matters."
"A prophecy that proved itself wrong," Arthur shook his head with a smile. "It does not matter anymore, and not a lot of things do."
"Boss..." tears streamed down Jonah's face. "You are leaving me for real? You are the only friend I have among these monsters."
Arthur blinked as he saw his friend start crying, and it made him wonder what he did to deserve their feelings. As he tried to reassure Jonah that their friendship would stay, his thoughts wandered to a different place.
He came to Jerano because the Isotox should be here, but Arthur had missed the jump into the past when he did not choose to hand over his power. This made him lose the Isotox, which he obtained from his father.
This gives him a new mission, to find that artifact again. Last time, he received it from the Devil Hunters in Paradise, but that was in the past. As soon as he goes into the other world, it would be a different year into the future, and the Isotox should be with someone other than Oriole.
His father left his mark in many different places, and one of them should have that artifact. But, as Arthur watched Jonah drink to his heart content, giving toasts after toasts, he realized a terrifying fact.
Those that knew him from Alka were all in the past, or so he thought. Arthur never figured out how far in the past it was, but he assumed it was a hundred years since Solomon spent a hundred years inside the trial.
His research proved that the timeline inside the trial was separated, so it left Arthur at the first question: how far in the past was his meeting with Diana?
The truth was a haze, and unless he goes into the other world, Arthur will never find the answer. His decision proved more complicated with every passing moment, and he wasn't sure that he was ready for the involved sacrifices.
Jonah drank to his heart content before falling asleep. Arthur watched him with a smile before carrying him to bed since Arthur did not need to sleep anymore.
The room was dark except for the moonlight coming from outside. As Arthur sat inside the room thinking of what to do, a shadow split the moonlight in half on his balcony. Then, a knock came from outside.
Arthur was confused as he rose to see who it was, and the person outside waited patiently. It seems to be a visitor rather than an enemy, and Arthur could see them leaning on the balcony without much thought.
"Here you are, womanizer," said the newcomer as she gave Arthur her back. Her blond hair was tied into a bun beneath, while she wore black silk trousers and a navy-blue shirt. "Welcome back."
Arthur froze as Emma turned toward him with a grin, and for a second, he saw someone else in her.. It did not occur to him that he missed her until he saw her again.