Echoes of Hollow

"Hello," said the large-built man as he entered the room, extending his hand to Hye with a smile. "I hope you haven’t been waiting too long. My apologies, the traffic was really bad this morning."

"Of course, no problem. I understand. I should be the one thanking you for agreeing to meet with me so early. Please, have a seat."

"Oh, yes, thank you."

Stirring the small spoon in his coffee to mix the sugar, Hye watched the hurried and clumsy actions of the man before him. Previously indifferent to such things, he now noticed them with an unusual clarity. The small splashes hitting the table as the cup clinked against it, the tiny droplets flying from the man's mouth as he chewed with it open—it all turned Hye’s stomach slightly. Yet, strangely, he smiled, recognizing that he was feeling something, even if it was mild disgust.

‘What’s the point of smiling in a moment like this?’ Samael questioned. ‘Even that pig is finding you strange right now.’

"..."

Finishing his coffee, Hye lifted the cup toward his mouth, but he froze as an almost invisible piece of potato fell into the liquid.

"Apologies if I’m being impolite," said the man, using his tongue to clean his gums. "But could you tell me the purpose of this meeting? Does it concern little Hilary? Or perhaps... Miss Samantha?"

"...No," Hye replied, pushing the cup across the table. "I wanted to make a request. It concerns some children..."

"Oh, of course. We’re always open to accepting more students. That wouldn’t be a problem. But… you could’ve come to the school to discuss this. If it’s just that, this meeting—"

"This week."

"Excuse me...?" the principal asked, puzzled, as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"I wanted to know if it would be possible for them to start school this week."

"Now? That’s impossible. It’s the last week of classes—if they joined now..."

"It would just be to see how well they adapt to the new environment," Hye interrupted. "But you wouldn’t need to worry. Even if they’re joining during the last week, I was thinking of paying for the entire term—or better yet, maybe the whole school year, if you prefer."

"No," the man cleared his throat. "I understand. Believe me, I understand what you’re asking. But still..."

"Oh, and one more thing," Hye interrupted again, raising a hand and placing it on the table. "Even though it’s not much, I was also thinking of making a small contribution to the school... To improve the equipment and infrastructure, you see. After all, my cousin Hilary studies there too, and safety is very important, don’t you agree?"

"Y-Yes, of course. Absolutely..."

Dumbfounded, the principal sat frozen, his jaw dropping as he stared at the glittering gemstone—easily twice the size of a fist—that Hye casually dropped on the table.

"No, I mean... This is..." Seeing Hye’s hand move toward the gem, the man clicked his tongue and quickly snatched it, tucking it under his jacket. Clearing his throat, he tried to maintain an image of professionalism that had never existed. "Of course, as an educator, it’s my duty to always strive for the best for the children. So, I appreciate your *small* contribution to the school. But... how many children are we talking about, exactly?"

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Hye lowered his hand. Unlike what he had anticipated, a single mana stone had been enough, making it unnecessary to pull another one from his inventory.

The conversation continued, and an agreement was reached: a maximum of three children could be admitted immediately. The others, if there were any, would have to wait until the next school year to enroll. Hye made one more request: *"If possible, could you please keep this matter from reaching my aunt’s ears? She’s been far too busy lately, and I don’t want to burden her with this issue."*

And, of course, before leaving, he couldn’t forget to address something equally important—the fact that during this last week of classes, Hilary must be kept away from devices that grant her direct access to the internet.

"Thank you very much, sir. Again, I apologize for making you come here so early. As a token of gratitude, allow me to pay the bill."

Opening the door, Hye smiled, waiting for the man to pass by, still clutching the object wrapped in cloth under his arm.

"Oh, of course, of course, no problem. All for the children, right? It’s me who should be thanking you—or rather... the school thanks you immensely for your generosity."

Trying to avoid anyone’s gaze, the man hurried away, moving quickly to escape attention. As he stepped outside, Hye glanced around. The principal, visibly panicked, darted his eyes in every direction before hastily opening his car door and diving inside.

‘Hmph! Such pathetic creatures…’

***************

"She's not...?"

"Yes," replied Nura, holding a spoon in one hand and a tub of ice cream in the other. "Hey, Kemur, he's here! What was it Alyia said we should do again?"

"He...?" The boy jumped up, looking confused. "Oh, him! ...I don't know... I can't remember. Why don't you ask Lior? He’s probably over there."

'Over there...? Over where?' Hye wondered, following the boy's pointed direction, seeing nothing but a large rock.

"Oh, right, sorry. I forgot you don’t have mana," the child returned, smiling. Taking the lead, he walked up to the stone, placing a hand on its surface. "Go on, Lior should be in there. If you hear a rumble, that’s the spot."

"A rumble...?"

As a door emerged before him, Hye barely noticed Kemur stepping away. From the doorway, the boy shouted, "Oh, and Uncle, do me a favor—don’t let him come back just yet. Keep him in there a little longer; I’m this close to moving to the next stage."

Swallowing hard, Hye reached out and placed his hands on the handles of the massive gray doors standing before him. As he stepped inside, everything seized his attention—the columns that stretched endlessly upward, the walls speckled with stars. Approaching one of the windows, he touched a single star with his finger. Instantly, a wave of warmth spread across his fingertip, making his eyes widen in shock.

The brilliance expanded across the infinite sky, spreading in every direction. Then, just as depicted on the mural under his hand, no other stars existed in that portion of the painted heavens before him. Hesitant, Hye stared at his hand, repeating the action.

Nothing but a simple game—that’s all it appeared to be. The power to destroy and rearrange constellations was nothing more than a fleeting illusion painted on the walls, something so surreal that it bordered on the divine—or the absurd. Unable to trust his eyes, and convinced he was mistaken, he repeated the act once more.

"Hmm... Good thing you didn’t do that to the Phoenix constellation," Lior remarked, appearing suddenly. "I really enjoyed painting that one."

Hye quickly turned to look at him and, in a moment of distraction, placed his palm against the wall, lighting up the entire sky.

"Ah, now you’ve gone and done it..."

"Sorry," Hye said, stepping back from the walls. "I didn’t mean to—"

"Yeah, I know. It’s fascinating, isn’t it? A few years ago, I did this because I thought it represented the fragility of life quite well... though Alyia thinks it makes the space too cluttered for a training area."

With a single touch on the mural, Lior erased everything instantly, like wiping a chalkboard clean. Then, touching it again, new stars—brighter and more vibrant—filled the sky.

"Fragility of life..." Teodoro’s voice came from outside the window. "Why don’t you just tell the truth? Admit you did it out of boredom before you got your first video game."

"Hey, you know, nobody likes—"

"Nah, what people *really* don’t like are liars," Teodoro interrupted, glancing briefly at the still-open door. With a click of his tongue, he added, "I thought it was just going to be him. I didn’t know we’d have others too... and obviously, neither did you."

Smiling, Lior darted out the door so fast that the gust of wind slammed it shut behind him. Somehow, though, an image of him remained standing where he had been moments before.

Taking a step forward, Hye reached out, trying to touch the lingering image of Lior. But just as his fingers approached, the image faded.

"Hmm... He’ll be back soon. So, shall we head down?"

"Down?"

"Yes. Don’t tell me you didn’t look anywhere besides the stars? Come, see for yourself."

Walking over to the window, Hye made sure to keep his hands far from the wall. His gaze traveled over the breathtaking landscape, focusing not just on the stars and constellations. The tangible-looking rainbows were beautiful, the reverse-flowing waterfall mesmerizing, but what truly captured his attention were the floating castles hovering just above their current location.

"What are those...?"

"Huh? The castles? They used to be just doorways, but Alyia decided to redesign them—thought the doors were too plain. Well, in theory, they’re supposed to be personal training chambers... though we rarely use them for that."

Stepping back from the window, Teodoro snapped his fingers.

"You’ve seen enough, right? Can we go now?"

Feeling his feet lift off the ground, Hye glanced down quickly, only to see his body floating out the window. Below him, the real ground awaited.

"Alyia asked us to help you this time," Teodoro explained. "So, first things first, we need to try and *fix* your mana problem."

"About that..."

Raising a hand, Hye didn’t seem to focus or concentrate. Instead, the act looked effortless, as natural as breathing. His clothes rippled, and the air around him appeared unable to touch him. A black radiance emerged, the mana shaping itself around his entire body.

Teodoro stood speechless, his jaw slack.

"Shit... What the hell *is* this?"

***************

"Hey, what just happened?!" Lior demanded as he descended swiftly from the palace in the sky, accompanied by two others, Yang Kai and Addiah. "What the hell is this? One moment you’re saying he can control mana now, and then this?"

"Ah, sorry. I may have gotten a little carried away."

"A little? Damn it, I thought my head was going to explode!"

"Oh, relax! You’ll have the same reaction when you see it!" Teodoro clicked his tongue and, noticing those who had arrived alongside Lior, smirked and waved. "So, are you trespassing now?"

"Trespassing?" Addiah questioned.

"Don’t take it the wrong way, but you’re definitely not guests, Addiah."

"Hey!"

"What? I’m just stating the facts."

"You..." Yang Kai muttered, his gaze drifting toward Hye, who remained still, watching the reverse flow of the waterfall ahead. Memories of their last encounter surfaced in his mind after a brief delay. "Huh...? Hey! Why is *he* here?!"

"He’s Alyia’s boyfriend."

"Huh? Seriously?!"

Teodoro nodded.

Frowning deeply, Yang raised his eyebrows, casting a contemplative silence in Hye's direction.

"Ah, so that’s why you guys—!"

"What? But I told Lior to let you know the monsters were basilisks."

"You told...?" Lior, standing at a distance, could feel the sharp, dagger-like gazes aimed at him, especially from Yang Kai, whose eyes held a hint of simmering anger. "Ah, right, my bad. Sorry, Yang Kai. I guess I forgot when I delivered the spear to you last time."

"Delivered the spear..." Yang cleared his throat, swallowing the remaining saliva in his mouth. "Speaking of that, it’s exactly why I came here. Why’d you give me this *toy*—"

"Hey!" Lior and Teodoro interrupted in unison, rushing toward Yang Kai to clap their hands over his mouth. "Remember? We don’t use that word here."

"But he’s not even here," Yang retorted, pulling away from their hands.

The brothers glanced around nervously, then looked up, as if searching for something unseen. "But he can *hear* us," they said in unison.

"Seriously, you guys need to stop being so paranoid." Sighing, Yang extended his hand, summoning the silver staff that materialized in his grip. He then swung it toward the ground. "If this isn’t—Okay, I get it! Stop looking at me like that and just tell me how to use this thing. I can’t even lift the damn staff properly!"

"Oh, you want an answer? Isn’t it kind of obvious?" Lior and Teodoro exchanged amused glances, barely suppressing their laughter. Teodoro then stepped closer to Yang Kai, placing one hand on the spear. "It’s just that you’re way too weak, isn’t it?"

Laughter echoed as Teodoro, with no visible effort, balanced the spear effortlessly on the tip of his fingers—even when in contact with its blade.

'Aaahh...' Addiah sighed, pressing her fingers against her temples. 'This is exactly why it’s not a good idea to come here when these two are together...'

"Hey!" Teodoro exclaimed, clutching his chest in mock pain. "Wow, Addiah, that hurt... Want me to show you the exit?"

"Alright, enough," Lior interrupted, his smile vanishing almost instantly, replaced by a neutral expression. "We’re done now. So, tell us, why did you come here?"

"Yang Kai’s reason we already know..."

"Yeah..." Lior added, forcing his lips into a straight line to suppress a laugh. "That one we already know. And you, Addiah? What’s your reason?"

"The images. I want to know how you manage to create 100 of them."

"Aah, I try, but you guys don’t make it easy either."

"What...?"

"The images are generated through speed," Teodoro explained. He moved the staff with such precision and swiftness that, aside from Lior, all anyone else could see were ten distinct afterimages appearing simultaneously from a single motion. "If you can’t surpass 40, or even 20, why do you think the problem lies anywhere else but with you?"

"Hey!"

"No, Lior, let him speak. I came here for an answer, so now I need to hear it—even if I don’t like it."

Lior sighed and nodded reluctantly.

"Last time, he helped you fix the flaws in your movements, even giving you the staff to enhance your speed and make your body relatively lighter. So, what more do you want? Can’t you see that the wall you’re hitting is just your current limit? You want to surpass it? Break through it? Then train. There’s no magic formula for that. And you," Teodoro pointed at Yang Kai with the spear, "can’t even realize that this isn’t just about training your body—it’s also about training your mind. The staff grows heavier as you imbue mana? Sure. So, what do you do when you don’t even have the strength to wield it? Dump even more mana into it? Are you stupid?"

"The first step should be reaching a zero-mana baseline. Then, gradually, increase the amount as your body adapts."

Lior shook his head, disappointment evident in his gaze. But Teodoro, flashing a sarcastic smile, wasn’t finished.

"It’s funny. This is basic knowledge that you should already know. That is—if you hadn’t left. Even funnier is the fact that, when you need something, you always come back like stray dogs, begging for whatever scraps might benefit you. A weapon, some tips, or—"

"I said STOP!" Lior’s shout reverberated like a thunderclap. The winds stilled, the floating castles trembled, and, for a brief moment, Hye felt his knees buckle under the sheer force.

"...Fine, I’ve stopped..." Teodoro muttered, smirking. He flicked the spear toward the ground with a simple movement, embedding it into the floor with an audible clang. Yang Kai flinched at the display of raw strength.

"*Tsk. Anyway, this was a waste of time,*" Teodoro concluded, turning away dismissively.