Extra Pages: The Author's Odyssey
Chapter 300: Betrayal [1]

Everything was dark, I could not see anything or feel anything.

I felt I was in formless form, I could not feel my body either.

'What's going on?'

The last thing I remember was sitting on a bench with Evelyn.

Then after that...I don't remember anything.

At that moment, something changed.

A bright light shone in a world of darkness and I touched that light.

Then something unexpected happens.

My father's face was in front of me.

The darkness around me disappeared and I was in a familiar place.

I was back at...Earth.

I don't know what's going on but I couldn't miss this chance.

I look up at my father, His black hair carried a few strands of grey.

It was a face from 8 years ago or perhaps even longer before.

It was the once-in-a-lifetime trial and task that every high school student has to go through their life to enter college.

A state board exam...

I had bombed the exam magnificently.

I must have expected it before I even took the exam, as I told my parents, who insisted on coming to pick me up, to stay home.

Mom and Dad said yes and returned home.

After the exam ended, I trudged to the school gate. It was then that I saw him.

—Samuel.

Father was looking at me with a warm smile. Riding the same car he had used for 10 years, he was looking at me with an aged face.

I immediately broke out into tears because I felt sorry.

Father had never once consoled me before, but on that day, he patted my back and said just two words.

—It's okay.

I know that this just an illusion but for moments I wanted this is to be real.

I wanted to stay in this moment forever, to bask in the warmth of my father's smile and the comfort of his presence. But deep down, I knew that this was just an illusion, a fleeting glimpse of a past that could never be reclaimed.

As I looked into my father's eyes, I saw a reflection of my regrets and insecurities. I had always felt like a disappointment to him, as I could never live up to his expectations. But in this moment, none of that mattered. All that mattered was the bond between father and son, a bond that transcended time and space.

I reached out to touch my father's face, wanting to memorize every detail, every line etched into his ageing features. But as my hand drew closer, the illusion began to fade, the image of my father slowly dissolving into the darkness once more.

"No, wait!" I cried out, desperation creeping into my voice. But it was too late. The darkness consumed everything, leaving me alone in the void once more.

Tears stung my eyes as I realized that I had been given a glimpse of what could never be. My father was gone, lost to me forever in a world that I could never return to.

"...Is he okay?"

At that moment I heard Evelyn's worried voice.

I opened my eyes.

"Ah, he just woke up. Eh? He's crying?"

Evelyn pointed at me as she saw my tears. I raised my hand and touched my eyes. It was wet.

"Did it hurt that much? What, did you catch an illness?"

"..."

Annoyed, I glared at Evelyn. Was it because of the dream? I didn't feel too good.

"W-What?"

"...Just get back."

Thankfully, Adrian pulled Evelyn away from me.

I was not in the right mood

I raised my head and looked out the window. It was already dark outside.

"Are you okay?"

A Caucasian woman asked as she looked down at me. It was probably Joy's girlfriend.

"Yes, I'm okay..."

"You collapsed from light exhaustion."

I nodded. It would have been weird if I were fine. The thing was that a low-level light magic spell was not enough to kill the fallen human, So at the last moment, I poured every bit of mana inside of my body into the arrow and shot at it to Fallen human. Not to mention, right after that, I started to run without taking any [Mana Recovery Potion].

"Where are we?"

"It's your room. You'll be sharing it with Adrian."

The woman's voice was soft and gentle, making me trust her instinctively.

...This was why you couldn't judge a book by its cover.

"The large mansion that's supposed to be our lodging?"

"Yes, that's right. It's already 10 at night. They said they would prepare dinner if you want."

10 at night.

Thankfully, I managed to wake up before the incident broke out.

"No, I'm fine."

I turned down the offer for a late dinner, and the woman nodded with a smile.

"Then I'll be going. Come with me, Evelyn."

"Eh? Why me?"

"This is the men's room."

"B-But..."

Evelyn tried to make an excuse as she glanced at me, I knew that she wanted to be here with me but like I said I was not in the right mood because of that dream.

I turned my head away from Evelyn's gaze and looked outside of the window.

Disappointed, Evelyn hung her head low and said

"Okay, let's go."

After packing up a thermometer and an icepack, the woman left the room with Evelyn

Only then did I have time to look around the room.

It was a fairly large room with two beds and plenty of antique furniture.

"Are you feeling better?"

Adrian asked. I turned my wandering eyes to Adrian. He was wearing a gentle smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I'm glad."

"..."

It was... awkward.

Without saying anything else, I was about to lie down on the bed when I suddenly recalled what happened just a few hours ago.

I wanted to ask Adrian about what I missed, but I had to calm myself first. I was the one who destroyed the castle. As the perpetrator, I had to be careful about what I said.

I picked up my phone, which sat on a shelf next to the bed. I immediately looked up the news.

[Fallen Human appears in an Azurhaven castle! Nova Academy cadets coincidentally present...]

Perhaps because Nova's cadets were involved, the news spread fast.

I read through the entire report.

Thankfully, no one was killed or critically injured. It was also reported that Fallen humans had demolished the castle.

"...By the way."

At that moment, Adrian, who was staring at me fixedly, carefully spoke up. He seemed to be hesitating. Considering how needlessly nervous he was, this must be what he really wanted to ask me.

"Go on, tell me."

"It's nothing, well there is one thing I wanted to know. Why is your relationship with Evelyn is...How should I put this? Irregular, I guess?"

'Ah! How should I answer to this?'