Darkness... a thick silence, no sound, no feeling. Then suddenly, as if someone had torn the veil between nothingness and existence, Dan let out a sharp gasp.
"Hah-!"
He suddenly opened his eyes, his chest rising and falling violently, as if he had just emerged from the depths of drowning.
He was on his bed... in his room. No body, no assassin, no slain knight.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!"
Dan fell to the floor, still swearing and cursing.
"Why? Why is this happening to me? Why me?"
Dan lay on the floor for about twenty minutes, before finally getting up and sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to pull himself together.
"He was waiting for me in my room. This is different. The last time he was in the forest. There's only one reason he came to kill me here... He knew the Director wanted to keep me by his side."
Dan had an idea that made him nervous.
"He's watching me... from somewhere. Why isn't he attacking me now? Is he waiting for something? Maybe he's waiting for confirmation that I'm using the space element. But if that's true, could he have killed me all along? Or is he looking for something else?"
Dan looked at the shelf next to the bed. There was a bracelet there. It was the same bracelet that Dan Noctine always wore. He always carried it with him.
"the original Dan never took that bracelet off. and the time I took it off was when I used the space element. And then the next time, when I went into the woods with Elena..."
Dan understood.
"The Void Assassin infiltrated the academy because he noticed my use of the Space Element. He stayed hidden, watching, maybe not recognizing my place, until I took the bracelet off for the jungle training... I was afraid it would get damaged, and that's when he found me. Then, the next time... I was so nervous that I forgot to wear it. That's when he saw me. But he didn't attack me right away because of the principal ."
Dan's eyes showed his hope.
"That means the academy principal is just as powerful as the Void Assassin... maybe even more so. I have a chance... a chance to get rid of that damn bastard.
Dan immediately went to the principal 's office , his mind set on finding the answer. When he arrived, two knights stopped him, but before they could say anything, Dan quickly said:
"I need to see the principal right away!"
The two guards looked at him in surprise, and before they could respond, they heard a voice from behind:
"Is something wrong?"
The man was tall with silver-white hair and blue eyes that shone like a flash of lightning.
It was the headmaster of the academy... Ilaris Draven.
He smiled at him and said in a calm tone:
"You're a first-year student, right? Is there a problem?"
Dan looked at him seriously and said:
"Not here."
The director thought the man's serious tone was funny, and he waved his hand to indicate this.
"Why not? Let's go into my office."
Dan entered with the director, and as soon as the door closed behind them, Ilaris turned to him and said:
"Just so you know, if you're here to talk about your rank, I won't do anything."
Dan replied with a serious but calm expression.
"Void Assassin."
The director's face immediately changed, and he said in a low voice:
"Where did you hear that name?"
Dan replied seriously:
"That's not important right now... Check the barrier, I think it's been breached."
The principal looked a little confused, but reached out his hand and showed a hologram map in the air, carefully looking at the barrier, only to notice a small crack in it. He looked at Dan and frowned.
"How did you know that?"
Dan answered:
"Now is not the time to explain. I want you to check this bracelet."
Dan held up his wrist and showed him the bracelet. The manager agreed, but as he examined it, his face showed that he was unsure.
"This is an artifact... I've never seen anything like it. It seems to be obscuring something."
Dan sighed.
"I think the Void Assassin is chasing me. I don't know why, but this bracelet is blocking his location from me."
The director raised an eyebrow and asked:
"Why would a creature from the Void be chasing you?"
"That's not important right now. We need to find a way to get rid of it."
The director laughed lightly, then suddenly frowned. Little bolts of lightning appeared around his body. He said in a threatening way:
"You're such a brat... Do you think I'm just going to accept your words without an explanation? Don't you know who I am?"
The manager released his SS+ aura. The air felt heavy and stuffy. But even so, Dan looked directly at him and said angrily:
"Listen to me, you jerk... I'm going crazy. If you think this little threat of yours is going to scare me, you're wrong. I've seen worse than a clown with sparks shooting out of his eyes!"
The manager stopped looking shocked on his face. He pointed to himself and said, amazed:
"I'm a genius lightning magician... SS+... one of the most powerful humans, and you think I'm a clown who shoots sparks?"
Dan just nodded without saying anything.
The director started laughing so hard until tears welled up in his eyes, then said as he wiped his face:
"You really made me laugh... I'll let it go for now, but I want answers after we finish with the Void Assassin."
Dan nodded and said with a cold smile:
"Now... let's plan to kill that bastard.