The Academy is vast.
It is so wide that even the students who stay there for a whole year cannot grasp its scale.
When first-year students try to learn the layout, most of them remember only the Learning Building where they often go. Few students are familiar with other locations.
By the time they reach the second year, they become aware of the Academy’s secret places. They hear about them from seniors or because particularly curious students wander through every corner of the Academy.
From this point, a shared ‘path’ among friends often emerges.
By the third year, students freely traverse shortcuts and alleyways between buildings. It is the time when they begin to master the geography of the Academy.
In the fourth year, students spend more time on practical outings than in the Academy, so it can be said that the third-year students are the ones who know the geography of the Academy best.
And Reto and I were in our third year. We didn’t actively explore the Academy grounds, but we still knew about some of the hidden spots. For example, the ‘alleyway’ that twisted like a spider’s web.
In the center of the Academy were buildings of all kinds clustered together. Consequently, there were inevitably narrow spaces between the buildings, one of which was called the “alleyway” because it resembled an alley.
Rumor has it that a club of oddballs has hidden a door leading to their clubroom, but I didn’t find it particularly interesting.
The only reason Reto and I used the alleyway was for one reason only.
Because it was so secluded, we liked to share stories we didn’t want anyone else to hear.
Today was no different. I leaned against the damp, smelly alleyway and silently looked at Reto.
He was carefully scrutinizing me as well. His head soon nodded. He had a satisfied expression.
“Alright, you are indeed the Ian I know.”
At that, I let out a snicker and shook my head.
“Then, could there be another Ian besides me?”
“There is.”
It was an ominous answer. My mouth shut once more. I stared at Reto, as if to ask what he meant.
He didn’t take his time. Shrugging his shoulders, he simply declared to me.
“First of all, you said you lost your memory.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“That was possession.”
Silence followed; I had no appropriate response to offer.
I secretly hoped for a twist like a split personality; however, after hearing Reto’s words, it seemed otherwise. The fact that he was so confident implied there was sufficient evidence.
In the first place, he was using a vision skill I had never learned. The possibility that he was another aspect of my personality was merely a product of overly fertile imagination.
I gazed at Reto, demanding a more detailed explanation. He clicked his tongue, as if to say not to be too disheartened, and added more.
“To be more precise, it’s your future soul temporarily possessing you.”
“……Is that possible?”
“It shouldn’t be impossible, especially since letters are flying around.”
However, he lowered his voice solemnly, suggesting that this was not the end.
“Of course, it’s not a simple matter. Now, listen.”
Thus began Reto’s story.
A few days ago, when he encountered ‘that guy.’
Reto was drinking a beverage that day as well. It was a tea known for its effect of clearing the mind, a drink that students in the Magic Department usually had at least once a day.
They couldn’t survive without it.
Magic Department students struggled with migraines caused by a lack of sleep and chronic fatigue. If they didn’t forcibly invigorate their brains, it was hard to keep up with the daily workload.
It was then that Reto, walking with a dazed look in his eyes, caught sight of a man.
Black hair, golden eyes. He looked like a noble at first glance, but the rumor was that once he wielded an axe, he turned into a beast; he was Reto’s close friend.
Ian Fercurus.
He immediately raised his hand and greeted him.
“Hey, who do we have here? Is it the Hunting Festival winner, Sir Ian Fercurus? How are you preparing for the final exams and practical assignments…?”
But at that moment, upon seeing Ian’s golden gaze directed at him, Reto fell silent.
Those eyes were filled with a dreadful fatigue. Pain emanated from them, to the point that one could accept death as a release.
Reto immediately hardened his complexion. He recognized that face from somewhere.
“……Yeah, hello. Reto.”
Only after hearing that dry voice was Reto able to be certain.
It was that guy from last time.
He had been unsure then, but after hearing Ian’s testimony about losing his memory, he now knew. At the very least, he was aware that Ian was not in a normal state.
Reto hesitated for a moment.
Should he ignore him like this? If it was possession, he couldn’t predict what the soul occupying Ian’s body would do. Provoking him unnecessarily would be a bad idea.
But leaving it be also meant he couldn’t know what ‘that Ian’ would do next. Didn’t he cause a ruckus last time by beating Yuridina’s pet?
Several possibilities flickered like sparks through Reto’s keen mind. His decision was as follows.
“Alright, Ian. By the way, did you hear about that?”
“……About what?”
His weary gaze turned towards Reto. As always, Reto wore a smile that was impossible to read.
“No, haven’t you heard yet? Tch, you’re slow on the uptake. Come with me for a moment.”
“No, I’m not particularly interested….”
However, Reto dragged the man along regardless of what he said. At first, the man resisted a bit, but eventually, he sighed as if he had no choice and followed willingly.
They arrived at the alleyway. There, Reto asked the man.
“……Who are you?”
The man’s golden eyes stared at Reto. No emotions could be read in those eyes. This was Reto’s best course of action.
If a commotion broke out in a public place, the soul possessing Ian might think its identity had been uncovered and make an extreme choice. But right now, it was just Reto and the man, the two of them.
Even if Reto discovered the man’s identity, they could conceal it through negotiation. Of course, the potential for a commotion still existed, but the likelihood was low.
During the past week when Ian had lost his memory, ‘that Ian’ had managed to go through everyday life fairly well. It meant that reason was prevailing over instinct.
And if this possession was so meticulously arranged, he wouldn’t want to give up just because one person discovered his identity.
Of course, this was merely speculation. That was the reason Reto’s hands trembled slightly. They were already soaked with cold sweat.
If things took a strange turn, he would need to subdue the man immediately. Reto recalled the scroll he had prepared in his pocket for emergencies.
An item worth hundreds of gold. He thought of it as a crime to have a troublesome friend.
As Reto observed the man intently with a tense expression, after a while, the man let out a sigh.
“……I am Ian Fercurus.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Reto’s voice in response to the man was chilling. His green eyes darkened with hostility.
“Ian doesn’t walk around so composed, he is lighter… And he’s always been so interested in rumors that he’d interrogate me if I asked him if he heard about it, yet he shows no interest now?”
The man fell silent. Despite being under Reto’s sharp gaze, his demeanor remained calm.
He exhaled again, this time a second sigh.
“But it’s true, I am Ian Fercurus. I may not be the Ian you know.”
It was a clue. And it was almost a confession.
The statement that he was not the ‘Ian’ Reto knew implied that he was a different being from the Ian Reto had been acquainted with.
Reto’s eyes sharpened further.
“……What nonsense is that? I didn’t come here to investigate Academy ghost stories.”
“If you’re suspicious, check it out then.”
The man’s voice was steady. Displaying no hesitation at all, Reto narrowed his eyes slightly but immediately launched into verification.
“What’s the age when Selin last wet the bed?”
“Twelve, though Selin would absolutely deny it.”
“Why I broke up with Ariel in my second year.”
“Because I was caught cheating with her sister at a tavern, though Ariel was so embarrassed that the rumor didn’t spread.”
“Then how much money did I lose in gambling the first year?”
“200 gold? You said you blew your allowance for two years, so it should be around that.”
Tch, Reto couldn’t help but lick his lips in disappointment.
Based solely on the responses, it was undoubtedly Ian. The memories shared between them as best friends could not possibly leak to the outside.
As confusion clouded his eyes, the man spoke again.
“I told you, I’m Ian Fercurus. Just a little further away…”
“……Are you from the future, by any chance?”
It was a question thrown out impulsively. However, the man could not respond to it, merely staring at Reto in silence.
Reto felt a strong intuition.
He was indeed from the future. A chill ran down his spine.
Had he heard it not long ago, he would have dismissed it as nonsense without a second thought. But with Ian mentioning a ‘letter’ last time and the current situation, it was not impossible.
If the future Ian had possessed the body, it was not an impossible scenario. For a mage, it was no less than an astonishing opportunity. The very fact that it was possible would provide Reto with a lifetime of research topics.
Reto’s breath quickened. He could not open his mouth for a while. Then, after a moment.
Before the embodiment of that great miracle, Reto spoke with a racing heart.
A quivering voice slipped from his lips.
“……Hey, you bastard! No matter where you came from, you have indeed taken my friend’s body!”
And soon, it transformed into a cry filled with intense rage.
Excited, Reto ultimately couldn’t hold back and swung a punch.
