GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation

Vol 2 - Chapter 20.1: Inheritance

"Vel!" A familiar voice called out.

Vel turned to see Tomas approaching with Mira trailing behind him. Celia looked up from where she'd been sitting beside him beneath the large oak tree, her shoulders still tight from the earlier confrontation.

"Mind if we join you?" Tomas asked, glancing curiously at Celia. His nervous energy was obvious, but his smile seemed genuine.

"Sure," Vel replied, gesturing to the empty space around them. Other students had claimed spots under nearby trees, but this corner of the Academy grounds remained relatively quiet. "Tomas, Mira, this is Celia Freznoria. Celia, we're all in the unstable attunement group together."

"So you're the one who put Fairwind in her place," Mira said, settling down beside them.

Before Celia could respond, Hileya appeared with a small tray balanced in her hands. She navigated through clusters of students before reaching their spot.

"Master Vel, I thought you and your friends might appreciate some tea after your examination," Hileya said, setting the tray down. Several steaming cups were arranged neatly beside a small pot. "I made it with the leaves you mentioned enjoying."

"Thank you, Hileya." Vel accepted a cup, gesturing for the others to help themselves.

Mira's eyebrows shot up as she looked between Vel and the half-elf. "So it's true. You actually have a personal servant here."

"What happened with Lysithea anyway?" Tomas asked, leaning forward. "Everyone's talking about it."

Celia shifted uncomfortably. "Just a disagreement that got out of hand."

"But you corrected her about rift theory, right?" Tomas pressed. "We heard some of it, but what exactly did you tell her?"

"Actually," Celia said, turning to Vel, "I wanted to ask you about the examination. That rift question—what did you write?"

Vel paused, cup halfway to his lips. This was tricky territory. He knew far more about rifts than he should, but revealing too much would raise questions.

"I think they might be doorways to other places," Vel said carefully. "Based on what happened at Oakhaven."

"That's... actually not a bad theory," Tomas said, though he sounded uncertain. "Most books just say they're magical anomalies."

"But adventurers always have to go inside to close them," Vel added. "That suggests there's something on the other side that needs to be dealt with."

Celia's eyes widened slightly. "Like Clara-neesan..."

Vel nodded. "Exactly. And the unstable ones are different. More aggressive. Like something's controlling them."

"What do you mean 'controlling them'?" Mira asked, fidgeting with her sleeve.

"Like something's using them to invade our world," Vel said. The others fell silent, absorbing his words.

"How do you know all this?" Tomas asked. "That's not in any textbooks."

Vel realized he might have said too much. "It's just a theory. Something I've been thinking about since Oakhaven." He shrugged. "I've talked with a lot of adventurers. They notice patterns that scholars miss."

"That makes sense," Tomas nodded. "Adventurers see these things firsthand."

Vel's gaze drifted to Celia, who sat with her eyes distant. The weight of their shared promise hung between them. That day in Elnor when she'd broken down, confessing her deepest fear that Clara might be trapped somewhere, not dead but unreachable.