The Eye Behind Mist

Chapter 4 : Beginning

9:00 AM, National University of Aurealis, Prismara, Prime State, Crystalline Republic of Aurealis (Technocratic Democracy, member of UG), Freya (Largest continent by land mass)

Conrad stood in front of the door for a few minutes before entering the University of Aurealis. It was said to be the best university in the entire nation, which made sense given that Prismara was the capital city of Aurealis.

Wow, these seats look fancy. I have never attended such a prestigious university in my previous life. Conrad, you really got such a chance. What were you doing wasting Isalde's efforts?

Conrad was a history student studying the Fifth epoch, which was said to be the age of conquerors. Many documents contradicted each other to some extent, but all historians agree on one thing: there was a figure called Alexander who unified most of the southern and northern continents under a single rule. Year 5500 in the Linear Calendar was said to be the year of unification.

As he was going through his study material, he thought to himself: This Alexander guy sure was powerful. Reminds me of our world too.

"Attention class..."

A stocky man commanding attention at the front of the room hardly needed his booming voice to establish his presence. A magnificent salt-and-pepper beard cascaded over his chest, matched by an equally impressive mustache that twitched as he spoke. Though he barely reached average height, Professor Dwarcy carried himself with the unmistakable gravitas of a seasoned academic. His rounded frame, draped in a well-worn tweed jacket, seemed to embody the comfortable authority of a man who had made the lecture hall his natural habitat.

He's exactly what you'd picture for the head of History, Conrad thought, watching the professor gesture emphatically at the board. Right down to the ink stains on his sleeve cuffs.

"Tomorrow is Sunday," Professor Dwarcy announced. "Please take your time with the assignment I gave one week ago. It will affect your final score."

Mr. Dwarcy looked at Conrad for a brief moment.

Did he just look at me?

Of course he did. I remember sleeping on the front bench and leaving the class before it finished. Conrad, how much pain are you going to give me?

Conrad raised his hand. "Professor, can I ask something?"

Everyone instantly looked in his direction with surprised expressions.

Yes yes, I know. Don't look at me like some alien.

"Sure, go ahead," Professor Dwarcy replied.

"When is the final deadline?"

"As I had already mentioned in the past, after July 15th I will not accept any submission."

"Thank you, professor."

Dwarcy's eyes twitched for a moment hearing those words from Conrad's mouth.

Ahem.

"Okay, let's start the class," Professor Dwarcy continued. "Today we are going to learn about the eight dynasties that ruled five continents. As you know, Alexander was the emerging main figure who shaped that epoch. It's still a mystery where he came from, but it is said that he used more advanced weapons to defeat eight rulers of that time. Remember that the Monarchy system was the main system at that time. But it's still part of speculation what kind of weaponry he used."

A dark-eyed girl with medium-length hair tied neatly spoke up in a sweet voice, "Sir, I believe Alexander used a firearm at that time."

Conrad looked at her. Yeah, each class does have these oversmart people who don't let professors finish their lessons.

"Yes Nadeko, that's a good guess, but historians have rejected this theory," Professor Dwarcy responded. "As you know, guns take too much time before firing—that delayed reaction can be hugely detrimental in a war where you're the enemy of eight huge powers."

Nadeko's eyes shone as if she were talking about someone dear to her heart. "Yes, professor, but I still think Alexander was a great man who may have figured out a way to work around that weakness."

Pff!

Conrad let out a small audible laugh.

Everyone looked at Conrad again with different expressions. It was as if the room itself was waiting for some response.

"What's so funny, Mr. Valor?" Mr. Dwarcy asked.

"Nothing, professor," Conrad answered, a little ashamed.

"If you find history so funny, you can leave the class at any moment as you know I won't interrupt you. But if you're planning to attend this class, then please be more sincere about how you behave."

"Understood sir. I apologize for the interruption," Conrad said, lowering his gaze.

This is the worst, man. You and your sense of humor. Maybe Conrad and I are not so different after all.

Nadeko looked at Conrad with anger on her face. It was as if, without the professor's presence, she would jump at Conrad at any moment to tear him apart.

You know I can see your face, right? Conrad thought to himself.

After this small incident, the class continued as usual.

After class, a guy with light blonde hair approached Conrad.

"Hey, where were you, Con?" he asked. "I didn't see you for like a week. What happened after you lost that bet?"

Bet? I don't particularly remember. But Isaac wouldn't lie to me.

Isaac Edger was a tall man over six feet. He looked like a novel's male lead in his prime. His long nose and short hair complemented his face well. He was Conrad's best friend. Whenever Conrad got beaten up, Isaac would show up to save him. Both were good-looking guys. Many in the class envied them for their carefree attitude and good looks.

"Yeah, I lost that bet," Conrad replied. "No worries. Forget about me. What about you? You were supposed to prepare for your military training."

"Oh, don't worry about that—my dad will handle everything for me."

Isaac's dad was the commander of the Navy. Even though in this world the seas and oceans remained largely unexplored, they were said to be the most dangerous places that even gods avoided. Because of this, the Navy didn't have much of a role. There were very few trade routes on water.

This meant the borders of each continent were very well guarded by default. Large-scale naval warfare was almost impossible.

"Hey, I heard a rumor that you're dating Xie from Science class. Is that true?" Isaac gave Conrad a curious look with a hidden smile.

Sigh! I don't even know her.

"Yes, it's true."

"Hey hey, you're kidding right? I didn't know you were such a player," Isaac teased, elbowing Conrad's side. "But Con, be careful. I heard that girl is very weird. She doesn't talk to anybody. She might have some hidden agenda."

Don't worry, I already have many things on my plate—one more won't hurt.

"I'll keep that in mind," Conrad said. "But let's not discuss those things. Let's grab something to eat."

Conrad and Isaac were laughing about something while heading outside. Some students were eating inside the class, while others were going to the cafeteria.

Ahhh... BAM!

Suddenly Conrad tripped and fell to the ground. When he got his bearings, he noticed a bulky guy standing there with a smirk on his face.

What's your problem, dude?

Conrad thought to himself, but then he noticed a girl of medium stature, dark-eyed, with her hair tied neatly behind her, standing behind the boy.

Nadeko. Aha, I get it now.

"Con, are you alright?" Isaac asked with concern in his eyes. Then he turned to the guy behind him and said angrily, grabbing his collar, "You fucking bastard, do you want to die?"

"Who? Me?" said the guy casually while removing Isaac's hands from his collar. "You better watch your tone with me. How dare this good-for-nothing insult my girl in front of the class? She was crying in my arms."

This fucking bitch.

Conrad stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes. Some students laughed at the scene. Some didn't care much and passed by to go to the cafeteria, while others expected drama.

Conrad stared at the tall guy calmly, straight into his eyes. His deep blue eyes didn't waver from looking at the guy as if he were some kind of insect.

A little showoff won't hurt, right?

"What are you looking at, bastard? Did your sister not teach you some manners? Or maybe she needs some manne—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a punch hit his face with extreme speed. It wasn't exactly fast, but it had no wind-up time. It was a straight jab without any telegraph.

You brat. I'm going to tear that foul mouth of yours before you utter my sister's name.

Everyone was stunned. Even Isaac was caught off guard by his best friend's sudden action. Nadeko was so stunned she didn't even get a chance to panic. A huge commotion broke out. Everyone stared at Conrad Valor, a student known for being weak and a huge wimp.

"Ahhhh!" Blood spurted from the guy's nose.

Dev had been a mixed martial artist in his previous life. He had been very careful about not letting his skills grow dull even after getting a job, so he went to the gym for practice. That was one reason he never usually panicked in hand-to-hand situations.

"What was your name again?" Conrad asked, looking down without emotion.

"You fucking bastard, do you even know who I am?" As he screamed, teachers came out to investigate.

The hall was now bustling with people. A teacher cut through the crowd and checked on the guy with the bloody nose. Then he looked at Conrad and said, "Mr. Valor, come to the office."

Here we go.

That was a really long lecture.

The university banned Conrad from attending classes for three days and made him apologize to Mr. Lionheart for hitting his son.

Mr. Lionheart—that's some high-status guy. I think he was one of the ministers who held immense power, but he was very understanding and didn't pursue the issue further. But I didn't like how he stared at my sister.

Conrad was lost in his thoughts when he heard a calm voice that wasn't very loud but had a commanding tone.

"Where did you learn to fight?"

Leona asked, walking beside Conrad.

Conrad gave her a smile and said, "I didn't learn to fight. He was making fun of Isalde, so I just gave him what he deserved."

"..." Leona gave him an odd look but then looked ahead. After a few seconds, she said without looking at Conrad, "Isalde already has so much on her plate. She's at the age where she should have married and started her own family, but because of us, she remained unmarried. I know you don't care much about anything, but at least you love Isalde. So please don't give her more troubles."

Conrad felt an ache in his heart. It was like a dart that came out of nowhere and struck his heart. His heart felt heavy as if it were pressed underwater slowly.

"Okay," Conrad said simply.

"I have to go back to my duty. Return home for now."

Leona turned around and started walking away, slowly fading into the distance. Cold air accompanied Conrad as if coming to him for comfort. The sky was still as pale as ever. A few houses surrounded him. With darkness creeping up slowly, some lights turned on in the distance. Conrad stood there, hands in his pockets. He looked at the sky with an unknown gaze.

Home.

Upon returning home, he saw Clara's sandals, his youngest sister.

I haven't had any opportunity to talk to her. I remember she was the one who burst out at Conrad during dinner before I took over his body.

There was some sound coming from the kitchen.

Isalde is already preparing dinner. She's a perfect sister.

Conrad didn't wait long; he went straight to bed and started his assignments.

I don't know when I'll be able to return to my world. It's possible I'll never be able to return. In that case, at least I should study diligently and find a job so my sisters can get married and live without their worthless brother.

At 10:00 PM, a sudden bell sound woke Conrad up.

Did I fall asleep? Oh no. I missed dinner.

The bell rang again.

Our doorbell. Someone at this hour?

The hallway was very dark. Conrad turned on the light first. Clara must be sleeping. I saw her studying in her room while taking a water break during my assignment. Isalde was working, so I didn't disturb her.

The bell rang again.

Yes, I'm coming, give me a minute.

Conrad walked toward the door and twisted the knob open.

"Con, have you guys already eaten dinner? Sorry I took so long—you know I was doing overtime today."

A woman with blonde hair and emerald eyes said with a smile.

Conrad's entire body froze on the spot. He felt the same danger he'd felt when he first came to this world. Sweat dripped down his back. His eyes widened in inexplicable fear. His heart raced. His veins felt light as if they could be cut open any moment.

Fuck! What did I encounter in the kitchen then?

"Con, why are you staring at me like that?"

The usually warm words felt horrifying at that moment to Conrad. He controlled himself.

"Nothing, welcome back. Clara is sleeping. Please take some rest. You must be tired. Leona won't return tonight—she called a while ago saying she has some important work."

After informing Isalde, Conrad returned to his room. His room was awfully silent. He leaned against the door.

I need to do something, but what can I do? I can fight humans, not ghosts. Wait, was that even a ghost? I don't have any information. This unknown is making me very nervous. Calm down. Calm down. I don't know what's going on in this world. I need to figure things out really quickly.

Let's analyze the situation first—for now, I don't think my family is in danger, otherwise Clara and I would have been dead a while ago. It's possible that whatever that was didn't notice our presence. Yes, I think that's possible because I never stepped into the kitchen. Isalde is here, it didn't react or anything. I think it may have left already, but I'm not sure.

I need to wait. There's only one way to find out what's going on.

Conrad went back to Isalde to make sure they were safe. He didn't notice anything unusual. They had their usual family dinner without Leona.

At 12:00 AM, the clock's ticking was the only sound in the room. Shadows of furniture cast a looming unease over the wall. Due to some clouds, the moonlight was dim and yellowish, illuminating the outside of the window. Trees were absolutely silent, their shadows visible on Conrad's window.

"Anira."

"Yes, my lord," a figure emerged from the shadows in front of Conrad. Conrad let out a sigh of relief.

Conrad explained everything to Anira.

"What do you think?"

"That was an Oddity, my lord. It may have been the same one that tried to take your life," Anira said after a pause.

"Oddity? What is that?" Conrad asked without hiding his curiosity.

"It is hard to say anything specific, but usually whenever anything happens that's against the laws of nature, it causes an Oddity. People usually refer to this as corruption occurring from Brahman. There are many types. Without knowing what we're fighting against, it will be dangerous."

Conrad nodded as if he understood.

What are you even saying? Do we speak the same language?

Conrad felt like a dumb child who didn't know his basics yet.

I shouldn't worry too much about these things. One step at a time. Anira is powerful, and she can protect me and my sisters for now.

Anira looked at Conrad with a blank face. It was as if she was thinking of something.

"Great Master..."

Conrad looked at her crimson eyes. His thoughts wandered for a moment.

"Yes...?"

"Master, I am sensing some kind of Brahman fluctuations in this house."

Conrad was taken aback. "What?"

"Is it dangerous?" Conrad asked immediately.

"I don't know. It's like a constant part of this house," Anira replied. "My lord, shall we check?"

It feels dangerous. But I'm not some coward. Well, I do fear death, but let's not back off in front of Anira. What would she think of me if her great master backed off?

"Let's go."

The hallway was quite dark. Conrad picked up a small lamp. Its light illuminated his face.

Isalde and Clara are both asleep.

After some searching, they arrived in front of a staircase that led to the upper floor. Conrad's eyes widened.

This...

There was a distorted space that could be seen very clearly. It was the same thing Conrad had seen in the morning, but that had been very faint—now it was much clearer.

Conrad touched the area which was distorted and suddenly felt his hand come in contact with something. Conrad's heart began to race. Grabbing whatever was inside, Conrad pulled out an object from the distorted space.

What is this? It felt like a magic trick.

Looking down, Conrad saw a thick book in his hand that read:

"Basic Guide to Brahman Edition 52, published by UG"