The Academy's Time Looper

Chapter 25: Timeless



Shocking both Athen and the winged figure, a feint, yet unmistakable, set of words emerged from the old man's mouth.

"I'm Timeless."

His throat was busted up...and his vocal cords were erased from existence...yet the white-bearded figure had spoken.

Immediately, the winged figure's expression transformed from a creepy grin into one of utter panic.

His pupils began to tremble and race around in his eyes, and his breath began to quicken as he increased his pace to sprint.

"What...what are y-"

Ignoring the incoming winged figure, "Timeless" looked down at his body once again, revealing countless more wounds all over his chest and legs.

However, despite being in the face of death...the bearded figure was oddly calm.

Through the puddle of blood on the ground, Athen could see "Timeless" calmly gazing at his harshly injured body without any signs of urgency or panic.

Hearing the sound of rapid footsteps became louder and louder, "Timeless" slowly looked up, making eye contact with the now-frantic winged figure.

Not breaking eye contact, "Timeless" simply leaned backward before raising his hands and stretching them out above his head.

*CRACK~CRACK*

"In the next one..."

As the sound of knuckles cracking echoed throughout the area, the winged figure's body became surrounded by a dark red hue, his speed increasing tenfold.

But, before the winged figure could receive his answer and reach the bearded figure, Athen's vision suddenly went dark.

W-what the?

And just like that...he was back in the pitch-black void?

Or was he?

He honestly couldn't tell if his eyes were being forcefully closed or if he was simply back in the void.

As if responding to his question, a sudden spark of light, covering maybe 4% of Athen's line of sight, appeared in the exact middle of his vision.

...huh?

Without any input from Athen, his body once again moved, stretching his hands out toward the sparkling dot of light.

As Athen's finger touched the dot of light, his surroundings suddenly shifted as the pitch-black void disappeared, replaced by a lush, green plain.

Surprised at the...tranquility of his new setting, Athen found himself in the middle of a field of grass.

Unlike the last figure he was spectating, this new one seemed to be aimlessly walking around while swiveling his head in every direction as if he were trying to find something.

Although he had no mirrors or puddles to see what the new figure he was spectating looked like, Athen was able to form a visual model in his head.

The figure wore navy blue jeans and a striped collared shirt, and surprisingly, he was completely healthy.

The sky above was colored a light blue, and the bright yellow sun shined down on the world, casting a wholesome, jolly mood.

Suddenly halting, the figure glanced downward, honing in on a specific patch of grass.

Then, in a swift and quick motion, the figure threw his hands forward at a piece of grass, creating a circle around it with his two arms.

"I got you!"

...?

The piece of grass had transformed...into a human?

A small child with long black hair and blueish-green pupils stood where the blade of the grass used to be.

Placing his hands around the child, the figure delicately grabbed her legs before raising her up to the sky.

With a sweet smile on her face, the child delightfully twiddled a strand of her black hair before exclaiming.

"Dada, how do you always find me!?"

Before the figure could respond, a sudden voice sounded from behind the two of them.

"Aktaio, it's time to head back in."

Hearing his daughter chuckle as he raised her up and down in the air, Aktaio smiled before replying.

"Why don't you come out for a bit, Aliki?"

Placing his daughter atop his shoulders, Aktaio turned around to face the source of the voice, revealing a woman with long black hair and greenish-yellow pupils who seemed to be in her mid-twenties.

Dressed in pure-black clothes, the figure promptly walked right in front of him before carefully taking the girl into her own hands.

Placing the squirming child on the ground, she turned to face Aktaio, a grin slowly spreading across her face.

At first, Athen had seen some semblance between Alice, the girl who had snitched on him, and Aliki, but seeing the beautiful smile on the flawless face before him, all those thoughts disappeared.

She was like a blooming cherry blossom tree in the spring...

Removing a hair tie from her pocket and putting it in her mouth, Aliki brushed her hair backward and carefully tied her jet-black hair in a high ponytail before saying.

"Ah...why can't life just be like this forever?"

Indeed, with the beautiful woman in front of him, coupled with the light-yellow sun, pure-blue sky, and blooming flowers, Athen had to admit that the scene was something he would never forget.

In the real world, Athen was going to come back here...one day.

Shifting his gaze downwards at his daughter, who was already back in the fields of grass and trying to hide, Aktaio replied.

"Forever...huh?"

However, as Aktai gazed back up, Athen was finally able to see the man's face through Aliki's pupil.

The man with a well-groomed face, devoid of any scars, had black hair and a pair of deep-blue eyes.

However....in contrast to the jolly mood around him, Aktaio now wore a deathly grim expression with his eyes drooped and shoulders slumped.

At that moment, Athen's vision went dark for a moment as Aktaio, the figure he was spectating, presumably blinked.

But when Aktaio reopened his eyes, the scenery around...had completely transformed.

Aktai and the daughter were nowhere to be seen, and a pile of burned rubble had replaced the house in the distance.

The lush, green grass, alive and flourishing a moment ago, was now completely grey.

In fact, everything around Athen was grey, even the sky, and devoid of any colors.

Suddenly, a defeated and exhausted voice came out of Aktaio's mouth.

"Well...I guess it's my fault; I gave up halfway through...I guess I'll pass on the torch now."

"After all...I am Timeless."

Then, without any warning, Athen's vision suddenly shifted.

Now, he was in the middle of what seemed to be a camp, as hundreds of tents were pitched around him, each colored red and decorated with a symbol of two swords clashing.

Before Athen could examine the war camp anymore, the figure he was spectating suddenly looked down.

And, right below him lay a woman with long silver-white hair sprawled out on the floor.

Her eyes were blissfully closed, her pure-white uniform covered in dark red spots, and she was lying on a makeshift stretcher.

Staring at the dead body below him, the new figure Athen was spectating simply sighed before sadly remarking.

"I promise...the next me...will keep you safe."

"I, Timeless, will make sure of it."

As those last words came out, Athen suddenly felt his surroundings shift again, and his vision became pitch-black once again.

But...one thing was different.

*RING*

As a loud sound echoed around him, Athen subconsciously raised his hands and immediately covered his ears.

It was then that he realized he had regained control.


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