Path of the Unmentioned: The Missing Piece-Chapter 174: Aftermath [2]

[Seris’s POV]

Seris’s golden eyes remained locked on Kyle’s unconscious form. Her sharp gaze tracing the faint, unstable mana still flickering around him like dying embers.

It pulsed erratically. As if resisting the natural order, before finally dissipating into the air. The sight left her unsettled.

’What was that?’

It was as if his body had been forced to contain something far beyond what it was meant to hold.

Seraphina had already barked orders, summoning every available medic in the vicinity.

They rushed forward. Their hands glowing with healing magic as they immediately began stabilizing the five survivors.

Seris didn’t hesitate.

She knelt beside Kyle first. Her fingers hovering over his chest.

A soft golden light emanated from her palms as she activated [Soul Heal].

A rare ability that mended not just flesh. But the very essence of one’s being.

It drained her more than standard healing spells. But she didn’t care.

Beneath her touch. Kyle’s shallow breathing steadied slightly. The blue tinge fading from his lips, his pallor less deathly.

She moved quickly to the others. Serena, Cedric, Eleanora, Cassian, repeating the process.

Her magic knitted together the worst of their injuries, sealing gashes, soothing burns, and easing the strain on their battered bodies.

But she wasn’t a trained medic. She could stabilize them. But she couldn’t assess the full extent of their conditions.

That task fell to the professionals now swarming around them.

Aurelia stood frozen nearby. Her fingers clenched so tightly that her nails had left crescent marks in her palms.

Only when the lead medic finally spoke did she release a shuddering breath.

"They’re out of immediate danger," the woman announced, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Severe mana exhaustion and physical strain, but they’ll live. Right now, their bodies have shut down to recover."

Aurelia’s shoulders sagged in relief. But the medic wasn’t finished.

"That said, we need to move them to the hospital immediately. There could still be internal injuries or lingering mana corruption that we can’t detect here."

Seris would have preferred to open a portal straight to the medical wing. Her spatial magic made it possible.

But portals conjured by space-affinity users put strain on non space affinity users. Especially in their current state.

The academy’s rune-based transport system was slower. But safer.

As the medics carefully loaded the students onto floating stretchers. Seris studied their faces.

Kyle, his hair now stark white.

Eleanora, her usual regal composure replaced by the vulnerability of deep sleep.

Cedric, Cassian, Serena. Each bearing the marks of a battle far beyond what first-years should have survived.

And yet... they had survived.

Not just survived. Thrived.

Her sharp eyes caught the subtle shifts in their auras. The way their mana signatures had deepened, strengthened.

Cassian and Serena had broken through to Grade 3 Silver.

Eleanora now stood at Grade 2 Silver.

Kyle and Cedric...

They had reached Grade 2 Silver Peak, teetering on the edge of another breakthrough.

’Impossible.’

Gold-rank dungeons were death traps even for seasoned veterans.

Only one explanation made sense.

The dungeon’s time flow had been distorted.

Her fingers twitched involuntarily as the implications hit her.

Just how long had they actually endured in that hellish place? Weeks? Months? The thought made her stomach tighten.

For students to advance multiple grades in what was merely a day outside... the temporal dilation must have been severe.

What horrors had they witnessed in that stretched-out time? What battles had they fought to force such rapid growth?

She exhaled slowly through her nose, forcing her hands to unclench. The answers would have to wait until they woke.

———

[Eldermere City Hospital – Private Wing]

The private wing of the hospital was too quiet.

Aurelia Valemont sat stiffly in a hard-backed chair beside Kyle’s bed, hands clenched tightly in her lap.

The only sound was the soft. Steady beep of the mana monitor beside him. A slow, constant reminder that he was still breathing.

Kyle lay still under the pale sheets. His hair now stark white, standing out against the pillow.

The healers had told her he was stable. That the worst had passed. That he would wake up soon.

But Aurelia hadn’t moved.

She hadn’t slept.

She barely blinked.

Across the room. Seraphina stood near the window, arms crossed.

Her silhouette framed by the fading light outside. She’d been there for hours too, just quieter about it.

"You look awful," Seraphina said, breaking the silence.

Aurelia didn’t respond.

Seraphina sighed and pushed off the wall. "He’s going to be fine. The healers said—"

"I heard them," Aurelia said, her voice quiet and flat.

Seraphina opened her mouth, then closed it again. She didn’t argue.

———

[Eleanora’s Room]

Anastasia D’Argent stood silently outside a closed door.

She’d dismissed the guards, sending them to the far end of the hallway.

She didn’t want anyone else around right now. This wasn’t a moment for anyone else to see.

Eleanora was still. Her chest rising and falling slowly with each breath. The healers said she would recover fully.

No lasting damage. No scars. No permanent effects.

But Anastasia’s fists clenched at her sides.

’You complete idiot,’ she thought. A mix of anger and relief swirling in her chest. ’You reckless, brilliant idiot.’

Her sister had survived. That was all that mattered.

———

[Solvayne Academy]

In a quiet chamber deep within the academy. A soft hum filled the air as a crystal on the table flickered to life.

The image of Lucian Aetheris appeared, calm but tired. The Headmaster’s face was drawn. His eyes sharp and shadowed by concern.

"Gold-rank?" he repeated slowly.

"Confirmed," Seris said, standing with arms crossed. Her voice was steady, but there was tension in her shoulders.

"All five of them came out stronger. Cassian and Serena advanced to Grade 3 Silver. Eleanora advanced to Grade 2. Cedric and Kyle... they are close to Grade 1."

Lucian’s eyebrows rose, just slightly. "That’s unexpected."

"I know," Seris said. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Lucian leaned back, expression hardening. "The demons are moving faster than expected. First the train incident... now this dungeon."

"They’re going after our future," Seris said quietly.

Lucian didn’t reply right away.

Because deep down. They both knew one thing.

This wasn’t the end.

It was just the beginning.

———

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