NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25: DIMENSION
Selene moved ahead without a word, her presence steady, though her emerald eyes lingered on the front.. fixed, unblinking, as though she expected the walls themselves to shift. She knew these chambers. She had walked them before.
Step after step, the path narrowed, pressing them deeper beneath the academy until the air itself seemed to change colder, sharper, almost intoxicating.
And then, with one final step, the noble led them into an open expanse.
The chamber beneath opened wide, a vast hollow glowing with countless crystals jutting from the earth and ceiling like teeth of some colossal beast. The hum was louder here, resonant, vibrating through their bones and through their thoughts.
The noble raised his hand, palm flat, and the banners on their wrists pulsed in unison, steadying their bodies as if shielding them from the crushing weight of the place.
"Here," he said at last, voice curling like smoke through the chamber. "This is where you begin."
Eran's eyes narrowed as the vast hollow hummed around them, the resonance pulling at every nerve in his body. He let his gaze drift over the endless crystals, over the shimmer that ran through them like veins of liquid mana.
System, he whispered inwardly. What is this place?
The familiar purr responded at once, its tone smooth and mechanical yet warm, almost pleased.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS ACTIVE…]
{Scan. }
High Resonance Field Detected...
[ Classification: Colossal Mana Nexus ]
[ Function: Energy Convergence Site ]
[ Warning: Prolonged exposure without anchor may cause mana collapse ]
[ Recommendation: Utilize Resonance ]
Banner [Temporary Anchor].
His eyes flicked to his wrist where the banner pulsed faintly, alive with that same resonant beat. A low chuckle pressed from his chest. A colossal nexus… and they feed it to Grade D like a luxury. The hierarchy truly builds its walls of power.
Before his thoughts lingered further, the noble's voice cut through, smooth and sharp:
"Press your wrist."
Every student looked down at their banner wound tightly around their arms. One by one, they obeyed. The moment they pressed, light flared.. white-gold at first, then bending into hues that answered each person's mana. The air rippled as if something vast stirred in recognition.
"Good," the noble murmured, a faint smile never leaving his lips. With a slow, deliberate sweep of his hand, a circle of light unraveled in the space before them. The air tore itself apart with a soundless crack, opening like a wound.
A gate.
But no ordinary portal, the threshold shimmered, revealing not darkness, but an endless stretch beyond. A wide expanse under false sky, fields rolling, trees shifting with faint wind. It looked like the outside world itself, yet every inch thrummed with denser mana.
Gasps broke from the students, their voices shaking.
"A… whole world?"
"Inside… here?"
"This is impossible…"
The noble's eyes glinted as the field stabilized, and the portal yawning wide to invite them in.
"Step through," he said, voice steady. "This is the training ground. The resonance will pair with your banner. Those who falter will be broken. Those who endure… will rise."
The air itself seemed to lean into his words.
Eran's eyes only glimmering as he took in the expanse ahead. So this is where they forge their nobles. Then let's see just how far a 'commoner' can go.
The moment their feet crossed the shimmering threshold, the air itself shifted.
The weight of the world outside was gone replaced with something sharper, denser and alive. Wind pressed against their cheeks, carrying the taste of pure mana that clung like dew to their tongues. The ground beneath was green, stretching out into rolling fields that glimmered faintly like every blade of grass hid energy.
"By the gods…" one of the students whispered, his voice breaking as his eyes darted to the horizon where crystalline mountains pierced the sky.
Another noble straightened his chest, pride brimming in his voice. "This… this is where true rank is forged. One day, I'll stand equal to those who dominate this place."
Others clutched their banners tighter, gazes swept in awe and envy at the figures moving in the distance. Students of Grade C already training in pairs. Their movements were sharp, deliberate, and frighteningly elegant. The aura radiating from them was suffocating compared to what Grade D had ever experienced.
"Are those… really just students?" someone muttered in disbelief. "They can't be our age… can they?"
Yet they were. Faces familiar in youth, but bodies sharpened by discipline and mana. The difference was a chasm, and everyone felt it dig into their pride.
Eran, smirk tugging his lips, letting his gaze drift lazily across the field until it landed on her.
A figure stepped forward from the gathered Grade C.
She was unlike the rest, her presence alone stilled the whispers. Her stride unhurried yet commanding, her hair bound neatly, glasses catching the shimmer of mana-crystals. The robe that wrapped her curvy form clung just enough to betray the lines beneath, the swell of breasts, the proud cut of hips. Even in silence, her body carried a maturity that radiated warning... look too long, and you risk being burned.
Still, Eran's eyes lingered. Longer than most.
His smirk curved higher when he caught the subtle flick of her gaze in his direction, sharp enough to slice.
Around him, others faltered, darting eyes away with cheeks flushed like they'd been caught stealing glimpses. Her aura was a barrier of its own, an unspoken "do not dare."
She came to a halt before Selene. The faintest smile tugged her lips, rare and deliberate.
"Selene," she said softly, her voice smooth but weighted, like the sound of a bell struck in the dark. "It's been long."
Gasps rippled among the Grade D students who stood behind Selene. That name again. Spoken so casually.
Selene did not flinch, though a subtle gleam flickered in her emerald eyes.
Eran tilted his head slightly, arms folding across his chest as his smirk deepened. Another piece of the puzzle shows itself…
Nyssa stopped in front of Selene, tilting her head just slightly, her lips curving in that deliberate faint smile.
"It's been long," she repeated, but this time the warmth was laced with something sharper and teasing.
Selene's emerald eyes narrowed just a fraction. "And yet you look the same, Nyssa. Still draped in that robe as though the world itself needs reminding you're untouchable."
A ripple of whispers spread among the Grade D nobles. Their professor… calling this stranger by name? And the stranger calling her Selene so easily? Some of the nobles shifted uneasily, brows knitting. To them, Selene was the untouchable Ice Serpent, never once addressed so casually.
Eran leaned back, arms folding, his smirk cutting slow across his lips. He let the scene play while the low chime of the system purred in his head.
[ DOMINION QUEST ACTIVE ]
{Scan. }
INITIALIZING...
Name: Nyssa Halewind
Age: 22
Race: Human
Ability: Verdant Healing
Title: Dawn's Verdant
Level: Rank IV(Grade C)
Mana: 11000 / 15000
Eran's eyes flickered, the numbers rolling in his head like weighty coins. Rank IV… Selene's only Rank III. Same grade, but a step lower in the hierarchy. And yet she carries herself like no one here could touch her.
He let the thought sit, the corners of his mouth tugging higher. So even the Ice Serpent is bound by the ladder… interesting.
Nyssa glanced past Selene then, her gaze brushing over the wide-eyed Grade D crowd. Her presence was suffocating enough that a few flinched, their backs stiffening as though they'd been caught doing something shameful.
"And these," Nyssa murmured, voice smooth as silk and edged with amusement, "are your students?"
The question was simple, but the way she laced it, like a gentle mock, like a woman tugging at an old rival's hair, drew another gasp from the Grade D group.
Selene didn't flinch. Her emerald eyes glowed faintly under the light of the mana field, her lips curving in the smallest tease of a smile. "Yes. Mine."
The word carried weight.
Eran let out a low breath through his nose, his smirk refusing to leave. He could feel the undercurrent already, nobles whispering behind him, eyes darting, trying to stitch together the unraveling mystery. Professor, Selene, what else are you hiding?
But only he knew. Only his system whispered truth in his ear.