CHAPTER 56: The Truth (1)

Seemingly not noticing the attention, the student stepped out of the crowd, standing before Instructor Cross and pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Does it matter where we were? What I want to know is why you left me trapped in there for a full month?"

"Do you know how terrifying it was when I stepped out of the train and appeared there?"

His eyes unfocused. "The darkness, lack of feeling, the door." He paused for a moment and swallowed heavily. "The door. And most of all, the..." The student's breath hitched in his throat, and a dark, distant look appeared in his eyes. "..."

*PANT, PANT, PANT*

He abruptly began breathing hard, and his face stiffened and became paralyzed. 

This state lasted for a few seconds before a shudder ran through his body, snapping him out of the terrible memories.

His eyes then unglazed, and with a shake of his head, he turned around and gazed back at the students. "Aren't I right?" Seemingly banishing his reminiscent thoughts, the student turned questioning eyes to Instructor Cross. "Why did you take your time? You were the instructor in charge of the trip, weren't you? Since that made you responsible for us students, shouldn't you have saved us much faster?"

With that final angry sentence, a tense, heavy silence descended over the deck. All eyes turned to Instructor Cross, waiting for the violent, most probably dangerous reaction the majority were definitely sure would come.

However, moments later, they would be proven to be completely wrong.

A wide, arrogant smirk slowly slowly spread across Instructor Cross's face, and with a chuckle, his gaze landed on the fuming student.

"You seem to have misunderstood my role here," he said, walking toward the student. "I'm not here to guide you by the hand and handle everything for you." The student quickly stepped back as Instructor Cross got closer. "All I have, and I'm going to do, is deal with threats I judge to be greater than what you can handle; that is the limit of my responsibilities."

As Instructor Cross talked, the bluster and anger of the student had faded, leaving him looking worn out and drained with the final statement.

The student's head abruptly dropped down. "So the academy doesn't care if we die?"

Instructor Cross's hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked at him pityingly. "Exactly. As long as the few truly talented and strong last until the end before graduating, they don't care what happens to the rest of you. It's sad, but it's the truth."

"But," the student looked up with the embers of hope simmering deep within his eyes. "It was you that saved me from that swamp, wasn't it?"

Instructor Cross brow furrowed, and he tilted his head to the side. "Swamp?"

His unencouraging and confused response caused the student's eyes to dim, making him hesitate for a few seconds before slowly continuing. "Yes, I was resting after..." 

Once again, the student's eyes glazed over, and he seemingly fell back into his thoughts. 

This time, even after several minutes, he still hadn't snapped out of it, causing Instructor Cross to roll his eyes before he walked up to him and shook him hard. "Hey, snap out of it!"

"Huh?" The student blinked several times before refocusing his eyes.

Instructor Cross stopped shaking him and took several steps back, after which, he raised his hand to his chin "What were you resting after?"

The student slightly shook his head, then slowly raised his hand before resting it over his heart. "I was resting after...something."

Instructor Cross's eyebrow raised, and his lips slightly curved upward. "Something?"

The student hesitated and resolutely nodded his head. "Yes, it was after that something that the ground suddenly became soft, sticky, and hard to walk on."

*GASP*

A collective exclamation rose from the students, complicated looks flashing by most faces.

Ignoring the sound, the student then raised his hands to his shoulders and shivered. "Before I could understand what was happening, I found myself sinking into the ground."

His hands then dropped and lay still by his sides, giving him the look of a person defeated. "And no matter how much I struggled, I kept on sinking. In fact, it probably made me go down even faster."

Alex felt his heart skip a beat as he heard the student's story, causing him to withdraw into his mind to contemplate. 'It's basically the same thing that happened to me.' His eyes swept around the deck, taking careful consideration of all the students. 'Could it be that it was that same thing that happened to everyone here?'

Alex sighed before turning back, resuming his listening to the student.

"...it submerged me, then my vision grew black before I passed out." His fists tightened and shook slightly, like he was barely controlling himself.

"I thought I was going to die, but I suddenly opened my eyes and found myself on a beach with two instructors standing over me."

Instructor Cross nodded his head. "And you think they saved you?"

The student looked at him in confusion before heisitatantly answering, "Didn't they?"

Instructor Cross crossed his arms before nodding his head once again. "I can see why you would think that."

The confused look on his face instantly changed to one of relief. "So it was—"

"However," Instructor Cross immediately interrupted, his upturned lips breaking out into a full blown smirk. "You would be wrong about that, so so badly wrong."

The quiet murmurings of conversation aboard the ship abruptly seized with that statement, leaving it as quiet as a graveyard, with that atmosphere to match. 

The relieved look on the student face slowly vanished. He then took a step back as Instructor Cross quietly began chuckling under his breath. "What do you mean by that?"

"Heh heh heh."

Instructor Cross's chuckling grew in volume, creeping out and sending shivers down the spines of all the students, regardless of class ranking.

He then looked out to sea, observing the faint glow of daybreak painting the horizon a pale red. With a sigh, Instructor Cross addressed the student even as he closed his eyes. "I could barely control myself as I listened to you, it was so damn funny and pathetic."

He then opened his eyes and glanced at the upper deck. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes sir."

A deep and monotone voice abruptly rang out, prompting collective gazes of surprise and confusion to sweep across the ship. However, before long, they all landed one by one upon two figures leaning against the upper deck's railing, distinct with their long coats billowing around them in the cool morning breeze.

The figures were dressed in dark clothing, therefore, if not for the dim morning light it would have been quite hard to spot them, and that is even if it had been known they were there. Strangely enough their Hani couldn't be detected even when they were as plain sight.

Alex's eyes narrowed as he focused on them. 'Instructor Romguy and,' he looked at the other shorter individual. 'Instructor Megan.'

*CLAP*

Instructor Cross's hands landed against each other, creating a slapping sound that instantly drew attention back to himself. "Impressive use of the Hani Suppression Stance you two," he then gazed appreciatively at Instructor Romguy. "Especially you. If not for the fact that I'm a First Tier, I wouldn't have been able to tell that you were up there."

Instructor Romguy calmly nodded his head. "That you for the praise sir."

"Anyway," Instructor Cross put his hand up to his chin. "What do you think of number two hundred and fifty-eight's long monologue?"

Instructor Romguy turned his gaze over to the student, cooly appraising him. "Absolutely ridiculous."

Instructor Cross smirked in response then motioned at the other instructor. "What about you Instructor Megan?"

Instructor Megan didn't immediately answer, instead she put her hands on the railing, swung her legs over it before carefully lowering herself. Once she was comfortably sitting, she turned her gaze over to the student, before gazing pityingly at him. "He won't make it to SS1."

Instructor Cross shook his head while chortling. After he had calmed down he turned to the retreating student. "I think it's time I explain more."

"First of all," his gaze travelled around the deck, making certain to make eye contact with as many students as dared meet his. "Based on what he.." Instructor Cross pointed at student number two hundred and fifty-eight, "said earlier, it seems that most, if not all of you, think it's been a month since you were dropped off in The Senseless Coast."

The smile on Instructor Cross's face widened. Interestingly enough, it seemed to be in proportion to the intensity and amount of the confounded expressions gracing the faces of the student aboard the ship. With a satisfied nod of his head, he then called over his shoulder. "They seem confused, isn't that so Instructor Romguy?" 

Instructor Romguy nodded his head solemnly. "That appears correct sir."

Instructor Cross sighed deeply and randomly waved his hand around. "Why don't you enlighten them." He then smirked lay his hand against his face. "They've been through SO much, we wouldn't want to stress them anymore would we?"

Instructor Romguy nodded his head once again. "As you wish sir." His gaze then travelled from Instructor Cross to the crowd of students at the bow of the ship. "In reality..." 

Instructor Romguy paused, closed his eyes and slowly exhaled. "Most of you were only in The Senseless Coast for seven hours."