Sunlight bathed the courtyard. Clo sat in a chair, sipping black tea. As a lover of sweets, she enjoyed adding milk and sugar cubes to her tea. Beside her sat a tiered dessert tray; the bottom layer held cake, the middle layer was filled with scones, and the top layer featured macarons and fruit tarts.
She ate slowly from the bottom up, treating it as her afternoon tea. Li Yue had said she would be back late, so dinner would have to be prepared later than usual.
“I can’t believe I’m not the one proctoring the potions exam. If I were, I could just give A Yue a perfect score. To think the exam time actually conflicts with the course assessment for the Time Casket... I really don't want to proctor for those guys and have to find ways to make sure they all pass...” Clo sighed, placing her teacup back on its saucer and leaning back in her chair, looking quite bored.
She shielded her eyes from the sun with her palm, wanting to take a lazy afternoon nap. Just then, the ring on her ring finger flashed, its faint glow stimulating the weary Clo. She slowly sat up to check the message within.
“The Forest in the City is on fire?” Clo smiled. “Hmm, a massive explosion. Someone intentionally blew up the principal’s backyard. The Academy is probably going to spend a fortune on repairs. Why do I feel a bit of schadenfreude? That’s what they get for giving me so much work every day, haha.”
“Wait, didn't A Yue go to the Forest in the City today?” Clo sprang to her feet with a sudden kip-up. “THIS IS BAD!!!”
She pulled out her staff and tapped the air lightly, drawing a magic circle beneath her feet. In an instant, she established a connection with the anchor point at the Forest in the City. This was a privilege reserved for those at the professor level and above, allowing them to teleport between specific locations within the Academy.
In a mere heartbeat, a slightly disheveled Clo arrived at the scene. Numerous rescue workers were rushing about around her, but it seemed there were no major casualties. The explosion had occurred in a remote area.
“What's going on here?” Clo grabbed a woman nearby wearing a dark yellow uniform.
“An explosion occurred inside. Please retreat outside the designated area if you are not authorized personnel.”
“I’m a professor here to provide support.” Clo snapped her digits, and a water bomb erupted where the flames were burning, instantly dousing them with a torrent of water.
“A few trainees suffered burns, and a shattered corpse was found with the lingering aura of dim magic.” The rescue worker felt a bit awkward; although the Clo before her was disheveled, the strength she had just displayed was indeed at the level of a Great Mage.
“Dim? Do you mean Death, Decay, Soul, or Destruction? Which type of magic was it?” Clo’s expression turned anxious. She glanced at the scene; deep red flames were burning within the water, seemingly unaffected by it.
“Our level isn't high enough to distinguish that...”
“Have you seen a white-haired girl? Very beautiful, with a serious expression on her face.” Clo gestured with her hands. As soon as she mentioned the white hair, the worker understood immediately.
“She’s receiving treatment. We were planning to send her to a nearby medical facility. The closest one seems to be the Church...”
“No need. Hand her over to me.”
Clo ran off toward the medical room near the entrance of the Forest in the City. The surrounding area was mostly shops selling medicines, food, and other supplies, along with official collection centers and treatment facilities.
She pushed open the doors. Magic users in white robes were rushing back and forth. Several trainees who had suffered burns were being treated, their agonizing screams echoing through the room as the persistent pain refused to subside.
She inquired one by one and finally found the cubicle where Li Yue was located.
“What happened to those injuries on your body?” Clo pushed the door open and looked at Li Yue, whose arms, calves, neck, and chest were covered in burns. Her heart ached inexplicably.
“I was burned while escaping.” Li Yue frowned. Her arms were still throbbing with intense pain. She had encased her arms in ice when she left; as a result, compared to the first time when her arms were burned beyond recognition and nearly carbonized, they were now only suffering from severe burns.
Cycle could return one's physical state to the past, but one must still endure the consequences of the fate that has already occurred, though slight changes can be made during the process.
“Retracing.” Clo poked at Li Yue’s wounds. Although time had returned to several hours ago, the scars remained.
“The power of destruction... Did someone try to kill you?” Clo’s tone carried a hint of murderous intent.
“You know that even if my heart is pierced, I cannot die.” Li Yue’s shoulders trembled as the stinging pain of the burns assaulted her nerves.
“Help me mask my aura...”
She cast the Cycle magic on her body once more, re-experiencing the process of being burned. Then, she released bits of blood crystals to cover the injured areas. A few minutes later, the wounded parts showed no traces of burns.
It was like loading a save file—knowing the future in advance and making changes. This was the second use of Cycle magic that Li Yue had discovered.
“Aside from it hurting a bit, there are no negative side effects, though I have to... pay a small price.” Li Yue sighed. Her mana had rapidly bottomed out; all her remaining energy was being used to suppress the God's remains. She didn't even have the strength to stand up.
However, for time magic, one could directly retrace to the state before the event occurred without needing a so-called price.
But the fate of one's past injuries could not be changed. Thus, for certain magics, even if one returned to a past state, the effects would still follow like a shadow—such as curses or the indelible damage caused by destruction. Li Yue had changed the fate of her being injured, making it so she was never injured in the first place, thereby allowing her body to heal.
“Can you still move?” Clo pursed her lips. “The power of destruction... injuries caused by such magic cannot be healed through retracing time...”
“I have no strength left... my magic drained all my mana...”
“I’ll carry you home.” Clo didn't wait for Li Yue to refuse and scooped her up into her arms.
Rate on N.U.
