Chapter 21 Unexpected Approach

Expanding throughout the neighborhood, the mind-altering magecraft flushed through with a vibrant glow of pinkish-purple, freezing and ensnaring civilians within its scope.

'Let's just chalk this up to a disaster from the police. This could help me in the future, should they stand in my way,' he thought.

After implanting false memories into the minds of those within his neighborhood, he finally returned to his house, sitting back down at the table and finishing his sandwich. It was a rewarding meal after handling an annoyance, filling his exhausted body with much needed energy.

As he grabbed the remote, he turned the living room T.V. on, switching over to the local news station.

[REPORTER: "It's a sad day, folks. There have been over twelve found dead, and twenty-three in critical condition. We still don't know what caused the police helicopter to crash down, but analysts predict it was simply a freak accident."]

It was surprising just how quick the news got onto such topics as it was merely minutes ago that the disastrous event struck the neighborhood.

'Well, I'm not to blame for this. They attacked me, not the other way around. Nothing wrong with defending myself,' he thought.

Deciding to check in for the night, he went to his room, about to lay in his own bed as he sat on it, but his gaze was caught by his closet. In comparison to his creaky, twin-sized bed, he knew there was luxurious furniture awaiting in the subspace within his closet.

Still, after an eventful day, there was something about 'ol reliable' in his own bed that made him prefer it as he tucked himself in.

Just as he closed his eyes–BZZZ. BZZZ. BZZZ.

His phone vibrated against the nightstand, causing him to tiredly reach over as he was greeted by a host of responses from his friends and more importantly, to him: girls.

[EMILY: I just finished my homework. Ugh…Why do I feel like my teachers hate me?]

As he responded, all he sent in return was something simple as his mind urged him to rest:

[ME: I know, right? Anyway, I'm off to bed, night.]

Without wasting another moment, he set off into the land of dreams, passing out within moments of allowing his eyelids to rest at last.

Amidst his dreams, there was darkness; pitfalls of malevolence that he bathed in, indulging in dreams that could be passed as nightmares to others, and such that could easily be mended into reality by his will.

[....Destroy them…That's the gift you were trusted with: unequivocal, unprejudiced chaos. Remember where you came from; treated as less than trash, discarded, and stepped on. Less than human, you were nothing to them. In your hands, you hold the power to override such a world. Destroy it, bathe it in chaos, and perhaps rebuild it. It is up to you, Noah…]

As his eyes suddenly shot open, hearing the morning alarm sounding off from his phone, he saw the bright-and-early sunlight seeping through his curtains.

'Destroy…Was my System telling me all of that? What's the fun in destroying everything? I want to control it, not wipe it all out,' he thought.

Still tired from the previous day, the true effect of a tiresome, begrudged 'Monday' was felt as he lazily got himself ready with full reliance on his system–dressing himself, cleaning himself, and preparing breakfast at the behest of spells.

'I'm still not fully recovered. It's not just mana; my body itself is sore. I really pushed myself yesterday creating all of that,' he thought.

As was his new weekday ritual for skipping out on a monotonous morning walk, he clapped his hands together to activate ["Spatial Warp"], vanishing from the interior of his house and popping into the boy's restroom at Blossom View State in an instant.

"That never gets old," he mumbled to himself.

Properly buttoning the collar to his blazer he wore as it cooled down in the autumn season, he left the bathroom stall, washing his hands before entering the premises of the school.

Arriving so early, there was hardly anybody in the halls yet, which left it nice and quiet; preferable for the early morning while his brain was still adjusting.

Actually, it was surprisingly empty. Checking his phone, it showed him that it was eight-o'-clock on the dot, which was just a few minutes short of when the first bell should ring.

'I knew I slept in…what's the deal? Is it a holiday I don't know about?' He questioned.

Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he brought his gaze back up to find a figure now occupying the hall, leaning against the wall casually.

It was somebody he recognized, though it took him a moment to figure out who it was. The youthful figure with spiky, light-blue hair, dressed like a student attending the school.

'He's the one from that day–the one who saved Victor!' He recalled.

Naturally, he activated ["Assess"], though it didn't provide the sort of answer he was looking for:

[Yukio | Loki System]

[Level: 50]

[Strength: 1]

[Constitution: 1]

[Mana: ???]

"Yo," Yukio greeted him with a cheeky smile and a wave of his hand.

Without responding in kind, Noah rushed over with aggressive speed, grabbing the eccentric fellow by his neck and squeezing, not wasting any time handling the system wielder.

"Woah there…" Yukio still smiled, struggling to push his words past his clenched throat.

"Tell me who the 'Sentinels' are and what they want with me," he demanded.

Yukio looked at him, "...Are you sure you want to be doing this? It's not a good look, Noah…"

As he was told such by the mysterious fellow, he raised an eyebrow before suddenly finding the quietness of the school hallway now filled with chatter, looking around to find it occupied by students.

"What…?" Noah breathed out in disbelief.

There was no doubt about it: it was empty just a moment prior, but now it was lively, and eyes were on him amidst the scene he was causing.

'An illusion? No…it's more likely I was already in an illusion before, and this is reality,' he deduced.

"Mind letting go now?" Yukio said, holding his hands up in peace, "I'm not here for a fight–promise."