Ch. 389 - A Reversed Story (5)

Lost in thought, Flame couldn’t focus on the lecture at all.  

'Do I even need to pay attention to class in this timeline?'  

Her fingers idly traced patterns on the desk, her gaze unfocused and vacant.

'Where... exactly is this place?'  

She had attempted to travel back in time. Judging by the peculiarities surrounding her, it seemed she had succeeded.

But why didn’t Baek Yu-Seol exist in this timeline?  

'Could time travel really work this way?'  

Theories once shared by Eisel, who had been captivated by the mysteries of time, floated to the surface of her thoughts.

'So, it's like this. Let's call the timeline we currently live in A2. And the past timeline we've passed through is A1.'

According to Eisel, the flow of time could be understood like this:  

Past (A1) → Present (A2) → Future (A3)  

But then Eisel introduced her own theory.  

‘However, time travel works differently. Even if we travel from A2 to the past, we don’t end up in A1… we end up in B1.’  

‘B1...? A different world?’ 

‘Exactly. It’s a completely different world from the past we know… a parallel universe, in a sense.’  

‘But we saw Baek Yu-Seol when we looked into the past before we traveled through time.’

‘I know. That’s what I couldn’t figure out at first, but then I thought about it more.’  

Eisel’s hypothesis was as audacious as it was unsettling: the Baek Yu-Seol they’d glimpsed in the past wasn’t the same Baek Yu-Seol from their world. He might have been a counterpart from a different dimension.

And if their Baek Yu-Seol had attempted time travel, he could very well have ended up in another universe entirely.

‘That’s... Quite a stretch.’  

‘Exactly. It’s just a hypothesis. Nothing’s proven.’  

At the time, Flame had dismissed the idea as a whimsical theory, too convoluted to take seriously. Dimensional travel disguised as time travel? It sounded absurd.

But now—  

"Baek Yu-Seol? Never heard of him."  

"Who is that?"  

"I told you, I don’t know."  

"Flame, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell...?"  

The impossibility of it struck her like a thunderclap. How could Baek Yu-Seol vanish so completely, leaving no trace behind?

[Total Students: 1,140]  

After alchemy class ended, Flame rushed to the class bulletin board.  

Originally, the total number of students was 1,141, but now it showed 1,140.  

Only then did she finally accept the truth.  

'Baek Yu-Seol doesn’t exist in this world…'  

In other words, she had traveled back in time to a different world’s past… one where Baek Yu-Seol had never existed.  

'... Stay calm. I just need to go back.'  

Even if this time travel attempt had gone awry, she could still fix it. She had prepared for this possibility, crafting a spell that would return her to her original timeline.

That spell required the cooperation of Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon. Both had been with her when she initiated the time travel, so they would surely remember.

But then… her heart dropped.  

'Wait... what...?'  

The spell.  

What was it again?  

'Why can’t I remember it?'  

She clearly remembered reciting the spell just before time traveling, along with Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon.  

But for some reason, her memory of their words was completely blank… blurred out as if painted over in gray.  

'No... no way. This can’t be happening.'  

Despair almost made her collapse to the floor, but she forced herself to stay calm.  

'Even if I don’t remember, Hong Bi-Yeon and Eisel will. They have to.'  

Clenching her trembling fists, she bit her lip.  

'Thank goodness... I’m not alone.'  

Originally, she had planned to attempt time travel alone.  

But by sheer luck, she had run into Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon and ended up working with them.  

'I need to find Eisel first.'  

***

“Who are you?"  

"… Huh?"  

It was Eisel! Flame’s heart leapt with relief as she finally spotted her. She was just about to call out when Eisel’s icy, unfamiliar voice stopped her in her tracks.

The Eisel standing before her wasn’t the one she had known. This was a first-year version… sharp, distant, and cold as frost.

"I don’t know who you are. Please leave."  

Without even a moment of hesitation, Eisel turned around and began walking down the hallway.  

Panicked, Flame quickly reached out and grabbed her arm. 

"W-Wait! It’s me, Flame. We came here together… Don’t you really remember? If you’re acting, it’s not funny..."  

"Please let go of me. I don’t have time for this."  

Eisel yanked her arm free from Flame’s grip and spoke sharply.  

"Are you pretending to be friendly because you know about my family’s fallen glory? Well, you’ve picked the wrong person to mess with. Or maybe you approached me just to mock me? I’m sure your friends are waiting somewhere, laughing about this right now. But it won’t work on me."  

With those harsh words, Eisel walked away without looking back and disappeared into the distance.  

There was an unmistakable emotional barrier—  

This was the Eisel from the first year, who endured being hated by everyone and survived by isolating herself completely behind thick emotional walls.  

'This can’t be happening.'  

Flame stared at the spot where Eisel had disappeared, her pupils trembling.  

'She really doesn’t remember...'  

It was undeniable that they had all come to this world together through the past.  

But if Eisel couldn’t remember their original world—  

'... Could Hong Bi-Yeon have forgotten too?'  

The thought was a storm that roared through Flame’s mind. Panic set in, propelling her forward. She had to find Hong Bi-Yeon.

Flame knew exactly where to look. After class, Hong Bi-Yeon always retreated to her sanctuary, the Crimson Eagle Club.

The Crimson Eagle Club was a gathering of nobles from the Adolevit Kingdom, practically a refuge for Hong Bi-Yeon.  

But Flame also knew the truth. Despite the ostentatious setting, Hong Bi-Yeon didn’t care for the place.

In the future altered by Baek Yu-Seol’s actions, the princess had grown relaxed, even playful, in the club’s confines. She had turned it into her personal lounge, often sprawling on the elegant sofas like they were her own furniture.

Flame had visited often, sharing those comfortable moments with her. She knew the clubroom as well as she knew her own home.

But—  

The atmosphere now was different.  

"... You want to meet the princess?"  

"Uh, yes. So… Can I go in for a bit?"  

When Flame knocked on the clubroom door, two first-year girls - likely Hong Bi-Yeon’s followers - came out to greet her instead.  

The girls exchanged glances before one of them stepped inside.  

After a brief wait, the girl returned and said,  

"The princess sees no reason to meet with a commoner. Please leave."  

"Uh... Did I even tell you my name was Flame?"  

"You didn’t. But there’s no reason for the princess to bother remembering the name of a commoner."  

“C-Could you at least tell her again? Please? It’s important. Really important.”

Reluctantly, the girl went back inside.  

When she returned, her expression was even less welcoming.  

"Well? What did she say?"  

"I passed along your message."  

“And? She said to let me in, didn’t she?”

Flame’s voice cracked under the weight of expectation, her hope refusing to yield.

But—  

"The princess said, 'Stop being annoying and get lost.'"  

"Ah..."  

The response was cold and final.  

***

That evening, after barely sitting through her afternoon lectures and forcing down a few bites of dinner, Flame stumbled back to her dormitory. She collapsed onto the bed, her body heavy with exhaustion and her mind clouded with despair.

'... What’s going to happen to me now?'  

Her heart clenched as she replayed the events of the day. How could she have been so careless?

She had forgotten the spell.  

No matter how hard she tried to remember, her thoughts led nowhere. The memory was locked away, shrouded in a thick, impenetrable haze.

'What if… I have to live here forever?'  

This wasn’t some illusion or fabricated dream. It was a real, alternate reality.

Sure, living here wouldn’t be impossible. But it wouldn’t be the same.

Here, Baek Yu-Seol didn’t exist.

The bonds she had spent so much time and effort building were gone, reduced to nothing.

And worst of all—  

Hong Bi-Yeon and Eisel.  

Their cold, distant attitudes were what hurt her the most. 

She could somehow accept the fact that they had no memories of her.  

She could even rationalize their coldness. After all, both Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon had endured harsh, isolating childhoods, leaving them with little trust in others. Someone like her suddenly appearing and claiming familiarity? It must have seemed absurd to them, even threatening.

She understood all of this.

But even if she understood—

'... It hurts.'  

Eisel’s cold gaze, which looked at her like a stranger.  

Hong Bi-Yeon’s blunt dismissal, as if Flame weren’t even worth acknowledging.

All of it felt like blades slicing through her heart.  

'If I really have to keep living here...'  

Would she ever be able to rebuild her relationships with them?  

Would it even be possible to recreate the friendships and shared moments that had once meant so much?

For them, those experiences would be new and exciting moments.  

But for her, they were echoes of a life she had already lived, memories she had already cherished and lost.

Could she endure the weight of reliving it all?

‘Ah.’  

Suddenly, Baek Yu-Seol came to mind.  

A hollow laugh escaped her lips as the memories rushed in.

On her first day at Stella Academy, she had doubted and distrusted Baek Yu-Seol.  

The memory that stood out most vividly was the wand selection ceremony.  

That was the first time Baek Yu-Seol approached her and spoke.  

‘I was wondering… What staff are you planning to choose?’

She could still hear his casual, curious tone. And how had she responded back then?

‘Hey, why are you curious about that?’

She had found him suspicious.

After all, he was a character who didn’t exist in the original story, so her suspicion had been justified.  

‘Huh? I was just looking around and thought I’d help.’

‘Shouldn't you stay out of others’ business and choose your own staff?’

‘I was just trying to help you pick out a staff. Why are you being so mean?’

‘Choose your staff instead of meddling.’

She had been so cold to him back then.

Back then, it had seemed natural.  

Even after becoming close with Baek Yu-Seol later on, she occasionally recalled how coldly she had treated him at first… but she had never thought much of it.  

But now—  

Now that she was the one standing on the other side, she finally understood.

'How much must it have hurt him?'  

Hearing those cold words from her back then—how painful must it have been for him?  

And it wasn’t just her.  

Baek Yu-Seol had formed countless bonds with people, only for everything to be reset and turned into nothing.  

Eisel, Hong Bi-Yeon, Alterisha—  

And so many others.  

They must have all treated Baek Yu-Seol as if they were meeting him for the first time.  

'And he endured that. Hundreds—no, thousands of times.'  

'That’s insane.'  

Flame felt like her chest was ripping apart after experiencing it just once.  

'How did he bear it?'  

Maybe...  

Maybe his heart had already been cut to shreds beyond repair.  

'I want to go back.'  

She had claimed she wanted to find her destiny by traveling through time. Yet here she was… trapped in the past, powerless to return.

How pathetic.  

'... I can’t just sit here like this.'  

Flame lifted her head from the pillow.  

It was soaked—probably with tears.  

Of course, it was.  

'I have to find a way back.'  

Her thoughts circled like a relentless storm. The spell to return home was locked somewhere in her mind, veiled in the impenetrable gray fog of forgotten memories. But she had to pull it out… no matter what it took.

'Hong Bi-Yeon and Eisel lost their memories too. I’m sure of it.'  

While Flame had only lost part of the spell, the others had lost all their memories of the future.  

'If I can help them recover their memories...'  

'We can go back.'  

Now, all she needed was a way to restore their memories. 

It was too vague for any clear answers to come to mind.  

But Flame had already decided what she needed to do.  

'I’ll stop the future disasters no matter what.'  

Just like Baek Yu-Seol did.  

She immediately got out of bed and checked the date.  

'Professor Maizen Tyren’s alchemy experiment should be coming up soon...'  

On that day, Eisel would face an accident.  

Flame’s first priority was to prevent that incident.  

To do so, the most important step was to visit the old bookstore hidden somewhere in Arcanium and claim ‘Maela’s Notebook’ before Eisel could get her hands on it.  

Without wasting another moment, Flame finished preparing and left her dormitory.  

It was late at night, but she had no time to rest.  

Even the time she had spent sulking in bed earlier now felt like a waste.  

'I can’t become Baek Yu-Seol.'  

'But if I’m going to act like Baek Yu-Seol... I’ll have to move even faster than him.' 

———

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