A young Saul was kneeling on several thorns, his body bruised and his head lowered. This position was part of the punishment imposed by his father after he lost a fight. He would have to endure that torture for forty minutes, receiving blows to his back with his father's belt every ten minutes.
'How much longer until this punishment is over? Let me see... I think about three minutes, maybe... Damn it, I lost count.'
His eyes remained empty, showing no reaction to the suffering. This wasn't the first time he had gone through something like this. Ever since the beginning, when he still couldn't steal the objects his father demanded, Saul had already been subjected to similar punishments.
'Well, either way, I just have to win next time.'
That had been his first defeat, but it would also be his last. Next time, he wouldn't show that boy any mercy. After all, Saul had tried to calm him down when he noticed his opponent had started crying because he was losing. Instead of acknowledging that gesture, the boy had taken advantage of the moment of distraction to surprise him with a sneak attack.
'Just as he showed me no mercy, next time I'll finish him off. I'm sure of it.'
Saul fulfilled that promise a few days later. After all, when he was truly determined to win, he wasn't someone who usually went back on his decisions. And that was precisely the determination he intended to bring to his next encounter with Jago.
'Looks like I had another dream...'
Enrico slowly opened his eyes, still wearing the same empty expression his younger self had shown in that dream. For a few moments, he remained motionless, trying to understand why those old memories were returning to his mind. After all, he had left that part of his life behind a long time ago and couldn't understand why he was reliving experiences he had already overcome.
'Hey, System. Are you the one doing this to my memories? You'd better tell me the truth, otherwise, I'll get seriously annoyed.'
The System remained silent for a few moments, as though carefully choosing its words before responding.
[... We could say that the Constellations would like to know more about what you were like in the past. Since I don't have access to your original world, these memories are the only way to show them... So, I'm sorry.]
Enrico brought one hand to his forehead and let out a small sigh.
'At least you're being honest. I'll let it slide, especially since I don't mind these memories.'
[You are very strong.]
'Of course I am. If I weren't, I'd have been dead a long time ago.'
Enrico got out of bed and realized that he was once again at Astrong Academy, in one of the infirmaries reserved for important students who had been injured.
He stretched slightly, but soon shuddered as pain coursed through his body. When he looked at his arm, he realized it was completely bandaged and definitely broken. In fact, much of his body was covered in bandages, leaving only his head and face exposed.
[You should rest after everything you've done.]
'I can rest later. First, I need to pay my respects and visit everyone who died in that damn attack.'
[... Just don't overdo it. Your body really needs rest. It's beginning to show much worse signs of wear due to your constant training.]
'That's a good sign. It means I'm about to enter the Limit Break state again.'
[You're simply impossible, you know that?]
Upon hearing that, Enrico merely looked away before making a completely unexpected request.
'System, could you make my mana disappear completely? Just for a while?'
[Why? Do you have a plan? Sorry, but I can't interfere...]
'It's just a personal request... I won't attack anyone or do anything that gives me any kind of advantage. Please.'
Enrico closed his eyes, waiting for the response.
[... All right. One of the Constellations will help you with that. But the effect will be undone if you do anything that could give you an advantage.]
When he opened his eyes, Enrico turned his gaze toward the window.
'Thank you.'
[...]
Enrico sent his clone out through the window and waited a few moments until it reached the desired location. Since Caelan and Grark belonged to the territory of Sanos, at least Caelan should be at the cemetery. As for paying his respects to Grark, he would need to visit the orc tribe.
'I'll also stop by Vesparello to pay my respects later.'
Vesparello had been completely destroyed, but it wouldn't take long for it to be rebuilt, probably even better than before. The other kingdoms would also help with the reconstruction efforts.
As soon as Enrico disappeared from the infirmary, his friends entered the room to check on him. However, they were surprised to find that there was no one in the bed. Liam stepped forward and began searching the room with his eyes, even going so far as to check the bathroom.
"Kai, are you sure this is the right room?"
Kai nodded.
"We visited him yesterday. It should be here."
"Damn it! Where did he go? He's in terrible condition. We need to inform the others!"
Kai and Liam hurried out of the infirmary and found Elian in the hallway. He had deep dark circles under his eyes, the result of a night in which he had barely managed to sleep. After explaining Enrico's disappearance, the three immediately headed to Professor Virelle's office. The girls who had stayed behind in the infirmary to look after him had already gone there, arriving before them.
The three reached the hallway and approached a large door. Kai knocked briefly before opening it.
Valença, Yumeha, Rina, Aoi, Serenya, Seraphina, and Grakka were gathered in the room. All of them had serious expressions and had sought out Virelle on their own initiative, wanting to find a way to become stronger.
Kai approached the girls with a worried expression before speaking.
"Professor, Enrico has disappeared!"
Virelle raised her head in surprise.
"What?"
She had been organizing some documents containing training plans specially prepared for her students. Upon hearing the news, she stopped what she was doing and looked at the three.
As soon as they heard that Enrico had disappeared, everyone's expressions immediately changed. After all, they knew very well that his physical condition was still quite delicate and that he needed rest to recover from his injuries.
Valença turned toward Virelle, showing even greater concern than Kai.
"Professor, can we talk about this later?"
Virelle stood up, already preparing to leave.
"Of course. I'll look for him too. It's quite possible that he went to train or perhaps visit the cemetery. Honestly, I hope he doesn't do anything reckless."
Everyone hurried out of the room, worried about Enrico's disappearance.
Somewhere else, before heading to the cemetery, Enrico decided to visit the place where he had fought his first battle in that world: the place where he had faced Chalés.
Upon arriving, Enrico approached the grave he had prepared for Chalés and silently bowed. He remained in front of the tombstone for a few moments before finally speaking.
"It would be nice if you were still alive. Maybe then I wouldn't have to worry so much about the future."
Chalés was someone Enrico had grown quite fond of. Throughout the story, he had shown impressive development and potential that could have taken him even further. Unfortunately, from the looks of it, it would be impossible for the two of them to continue down that path without one of them eventually dying.
'You know, in a way, I think I ended up taking his place when it comes to character development.'
[What do you mean?]
'At first, I was a "bad" person, but I changed and improved as time went by. The difference is that our goals are completely different. Besides, he always had a better attitude toward other people... Well, at least toward those who weren't part of the Solcren Ferreira family.'
Enrico remained in front of the grave for a few more minutes, lost in his own thoughts. After paying his respects to Chalés one last time, he slowly stepped away and resumed his journey. His next destination was the cemetery, where Tolen's grave stood and where Caelan's had now been added as well.
Upon arriving, he walked toward the two tombstones and stopped in front of them. For a few moments, he remained silent, observing the names engraved in the stone. Then, he bowed respectfully and closed his eyes to pray for both of them.
"I hope the place you're in is better. You deserve that."
The funeral had been held in a hurry that day, and since it was already late, few people remained in the cemetery. Even so, Enrico could see family members of other victims who had lost their lives during the previous day's attack scattered throughout the area. Some were still standing before the graves of their loved ones, paying their final respects.
Given the time, his companions were probably already looking for him. Perhaps the cemetery had been one of the first places they had checked. Since they hadn't found him there, they had probably moved on to other locations, which was somewhat convenient. To be honest, Enrico preferred to remain there alone, even if only for a few more minutes.
He continued standing silently before the tombstones, looking at Tolen and Caelan's graves. He wanted to preserve that image in his memory, because he knew the day would come when he would face Jago for the last time. And when that happened, he had no intention of letting him escape again.
'I'll kill him no matter what when we meet again. Even if I have to sacrifice a hundred pacts to make sure I don't lose sight of him.'
After some time, Enrico turned around and began walking away. One of his eyes shone like a blazing flame, but the fire gradually faded. At least until he spotted something that was among the things he hated most in that world.
'What are those bastards from the cult doing here?'
A hooded man carrying the symbol of a deer was walking directly toward Astrong Academy. That sight gave Enrico a terrible premonition.
[Enrico, this is bad. It seems the Infernal Academy arc is being brought forward. It's showing me that it will begin in two hours.]
'So it was them...'
As he had mentioned before, the original story never revealed who had placed that barrier around Astrong Academy. Enrico didn't understand why the author had left that information open, but he could think about it later. At that moment, there was something far more important.
Without wasting any time, Enrico switched places with the clone he had left near Astrong Academy.
'I'm not going to let this happen.'
Upon arriving at the location, Enrico crouched down and raised his gaze toward the sky. This was the day he would have to prevent everything from happening. And this time, it wouldn't be as complicated as it seemed. After all, if anyone was going to have a difficult day, it would be him alone.
"System, activate the pact."