Chapter 273 64.1 - Connecting Dots

Chapter 273 Chapter 64.1 - Connecting Dots

Irina sat in stunned silence, the weight of the future pressing down on her. The glimpses of events that unfolded over time had shaken her understanding of the world.

As she processed the cascade of information, doubts, and questions swirled in her mind like a tempest.

'Was that even a future?'

The events that had unfolded from the vision that she saw.....There were many things that didn't match what she knew and experienced.

Many of the things were different.

From what she had remembered, Julia wasn't injured in the joint dungeon exploration, and none of the students died, even though a real yeti had appeared.

'Things are a lot different from what I know.'

She remembered what happened at the Blackthorn Family banquet. Even though she didn't know everything in detail, she remembered the attack.

That scene where she had seen such a large-scale attack for the first time was still engraved in her mind, even though it was not her first time encountering a demonic human.

But that wasn't the end.

'Mid-terms.'

The events that happened in mid-terms weren't that different. Ethan ranked up once again. However, his rank didn't increase by three digits but remained at 1110, and that was another divergence.

'Astron hadn't ranked up either.'

Astron's name wasn't mentioned, as he still seemed like he was the last ranked.

As she remembered his perspective of time-frame, she remembered he was approached after the mid-terms.

'Academy curriculum.'

But, if she remembered one important thing, it would be the fact that the academy hadn't introduced a changed curriculum after the mid-terms.

'They did it in the second year.'

Nothing seemed to add up.

Even right now, the trip to the Phantom's Land didn't seem to make any sense. According to what she had seen, they weren't supposed to be here but in the academy training.

'And the attack in the final exams and Astron's death.'

The person whose past she had witnessed died just like that.

"He can't be like that. Astron can't be a demonic human. I refuse to believe it," Irina declared inwardly, her denial a desperate attempt to shield herself from the harsh truth.

The Astron she knew had vulnerabilities and struggles, but the idea of him succumbing to the darkness seemed impossible.

The trip to the Phantom's Land, the altered mid-term events, and the tragic outcome of the final exams all painted a distorted picture of the future.

Irina grappled with the dissonance between what she knew and what she had seen, a battle between the reality she clung to and the unsettling truths that unfolded.

'It can't be, not again.....'

The fear of betrayal, a sentiment she thought she had overcome, resurfaced with a vengeance.

'Please not....'

It was a visceral reaction, an instinctual attempt to protect herself from the heart-wrenching realization that those she trusted might not be who they seemed.

"I won't believe it. Astron, please, let this be some twisted vision, a nightmare," Irina pleaded silently, her thoughts a desperate plea for the reality she cherished to remain intact.

The suffocating fear of betrayal mingled with the anguish of uncertainty, creating a storm of conflicting emotions within her.

But at that moment, she stopped.

'What am I doing?'

As if something danged at her, Irina abruptly stopped herself, her internal tumult grinding to a halt. The realization hit her like a sudden wave, breaking through the tempest of conflicting emotions.

She took a deep breath psychologically, forcing herself to step back from the precipice of despair.

'Don't tell me....'

That explained why she was able to see everything. If she was inside a dimension that was way above what any other person normally stayed in...

Then it would make sense.

"If so, then.....This is a parallel world."

The realization danged in. The concept of a parallel world, a different timeline where everything unfolded in an alternate fashion, explained the disjointed visions and the discrepancies between her memories and the glimpses she had seen.

In this higher-ranking dimension, Irina found herself not merely witnessing events but existing in a space where time and reality took unexpected turns.

The landscapes she saw were reflections of a reality that deviated from the one she knew. The realization opened a gateway to understanding the intricacies of the parallel world she now inhabited.

"But, how? Why am I here? What brought me here?"

The moment she asked this question to herself, she remembered what happened before she came here.

"The Magic Spell. Dreams....No, not dreams."

She thought it was a dream, but it wasn't.

"My spell didn't even work as intended from the start."

If it did, she would be inside a dream.

"It was distorted. Because of something....Something outside of my control."

It was because of that distortion that she ended up crossing dimensions.

"The entity."

The entity whose existence she had discovered. The being that she thought was so formidable that she sought help.

"Because of its magic, I ended up here."

At that exact moment, Irina started to question what those phantoms were.

"Crossing dimensions....Phantoms....Lost souls...."

Then she realized.

"They are not lost souls.....They are the souls of the people of parallel worlds...The reason why phantoms exist.....is because their original place is taken by their parallel selves...."

As if a revelation dawned upon her, she started mumbling like a maniac.

"The entity.....is the main cause why Phantoms exist. It makes the souls of the people cross dimensions and take the place of their parallel selves by force. And the ones that end up returning to the real world couldn't find their places at all and become phantoms...."

"And the reason why I ended up here....is because Sylvie and my spell intercepted the path, leaving me in the alternate higher dimension that bridges the two parallel worlds."

Her analytical mind, which was going to make her the best and strongest mage in the world, started spinning at a rapid speed.

She interpreted everything as she realized what was happening here.

"But why? Why is it doing this?" Irina questioned aloud, her thoughts racing as she grappled with the revelation of the entity's involvement in the creation of phantoms and the distortion of dimensions.

As she pondered the motive behind the entity's actions, a subtle shift in the fabric of the higher-ranking dimension caught her attention. A slit began to form in the otherwise seamless space, a tiny rupture that seemed to connect her world to something beyond.

Her invisible eyes widened as she stared at the developing slit. It was a portal, a disturbance in the delicate balance of space and time. The entity's goal became clearer – it sought to create a specific portal, a conduit for something far more dangerous.

At that moment, Irina sensed an ominous presence emanating from the opening slit. A palpable feeling of danger and malevolence washed over her. Whatever lay beyond that portal was not only threatening but also held an air of humiliation to the point where she could feel the world would get destroyed.

The realization struck her like a bolt of lightning. The entity's actions, the creation of phantoms, the disturbance in dimensions – they all pointed toward a grander scheme.

The slit in the space was a gateway, and what lurked beyond was a force that could bring about unimaginable consequences.

"We need to stop it."

She mumbled to herself as she looked around frantically.

"But how?"