Loose Ends

Ace and I stared at each other. The room fell silent… or more accurately nothing else mattered. His eyes told an entire story all on their own. Jealousy, anger, pride, joy, and sadness, among other emotions all swirled together.

"Even now, you take the spotlight," Ace walked up to the table I was standing on.

"Is that a problem, Ace?" I cocked my head back.

"Not at all, my old friend," Ace was smiling, but it was unsettling.

He looked at Lily and then at Luna, who was still on the floor. His smile only twisted.

"Enjoy it while you can. I will take everything from you. Friends, status, power…hope," He said the last word with a cold, sinister tone.

I couldn't muster the strength to say anything back. He was completely different from before. It was like he was the villain, and I was a victim in waiting. I crossed my arms in an attempt to save face. Ace turned around and began to walk away. He waved his hand.

"Your time will come, Smarus. All good things must end."

"One day, but not by your hand," I managed to speak up. I forced myself to speak boldly. "I'll see you at the exams. You better pass," I smirked.

He only nodded his head before leaving the cafeteria. Everyone was whispering. Luna picked herself up from the ground. Her eyes were wide, and she held herself. I was sure she was having flashbacks from the last time Ace and I fought. I checked on Lily first.

"You okay?"

"Yeah… That man is scary," She nodded her head. "But I'm sure you can beat him!" She gave me a thumbs up.

Yeah, I hoped so. I hopped off the table and dusted off my pants. I started to walk away but stopped.

"Luna, we're not compatible anymore. Following me means abandoning everything else. I'll only take the time to protect those close to me."

The crowd parted as Lily and I walked away. There wasn't much more to be said other than the fact the three of us now lived in different worlds. Ace was slowly becoming a power-hungry tyrant, Luna a seductive and selfish saint, and I… well I kinda just did my own thing.

Ding! Ace's character log updated! Lunafreya's character log updated!

I had the feeling that these next two years were gonna be eventful, to say the least. Once we exited the building, I turned to Lily.

"I'm going to head to the library. You should explore the campus while we have free time," I suggested an idea.

"Heehh?" She made a face of disgust.

She didn't have to say anything since her face said it all. She did not want to split up, much less explore the campus. Technically speaking, she was only here because her parents wanted her to be.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes," I turned around before she could protest. "See you around dinner time."

I waved as I walked away. Since I finally had a breather, I realized the roads on campus were paved. A cheeky grin crept on my face. What should've been a few-minute walk turned into a 30-minute skateboard ride. I couldn't resist the urge to show off my tricks. Unfortunately, I did have to go to the library. Not to study though.

The library itself was a cylindrical building, and it had free admission for students. The inside had rows and rows of books as well as multiple stories. Each floor had a small study area, but most of the space was taken up by books.

"Hello miss," I waved to the librarian.

"Hello, young man! I didn't expect to see someone here so soon," She greeted me with a smile. She was an older lady, and I could tell she enjoyed her job.

"I was just exploring campus and wanted to see the library."

"I see. Well, enjoy yourself, young man. I'm the librarian, Minerva Saffi, so ask if you need any assistance!"

"Will do Madam Minerva. I'm Smarus Dragonbrone. It's been a pleasure," I respectfully bowed as she did the same.

Madam Minerva was actually part of the reason I was here. This library had a secret floor that could only be explored if certain conditions were met. After the conditions were met, I would just have to speak to the madam. I walked up to the top floor and sat down at a desk. I guessed I should start with the character logs, so I pulled up Lily's log.

"Within the last 24 hours, she saw more sides to you than she has ever seen before. To her, you were a strong leader who could literally take on the world. She isn't informed about politics or much about your past, but if you were able to stand up to Ace and Luna, then she did not doubt in her mind that you were somehow stronger than them.

Despite the limited time she spent with you, she easily gets jealous when your attention is elsewhere. She wants you to be proud of the hard work she put in for her training and studying. She thinks you have a short attention span.

Warning: Possible Outcomes

Loyal Servant

Diplomat"

Nothing was out of the ordinary, but a diplomat? What was she studying? Whatever, it wasn't my business. I pulled up Luna's log.

"Months passed. She worked hard on herself in order to become the strong, independent woman that she was now. She managed to overcome her father's training, and she forced herself to stop relying on Ace for help. She even learned how to be diplomatic and built a social standing for herself. She mastered the art of communication. She had men begging on their knees just to talk to her… yet… You saw her and still treated her as the little girl from a year ago!

She thought that all of the changes she made would at the very least have you give her the time of day. You didn't even want to talk to her! Worse yet, you were with a half-elf! Jealousy, anger, but above all, self-pity… She still felt lonely… She thought…she wished that you would at least be her friend.

Warning: Possible outcome:

Enemy

Lover"

Yayyy… I hate this world. Those were two drastically different outcomes! I sat and thought about what I read for a moment. Luna has definitely matured, but it was for the wrong reason. She did it for my attention instead of for her own benefit… I may be flattering myself.

I also wasn't too concerned about her romantic life either. Since she was a saint, if she slept with more than one person, who should be her husband, then her power and levels would severely drop. I didn't want to sound like a jerk, but she was definitely not ready for a relationship. She still had way too many issues, and it would make me sad if she was taken advantage of. I suppose it was a good thing men practically worshipped her. She was most likely safe for now.

I gulped as I thought about the last log that I had to read. Interacting with Ace was like intentionally entering an emotional rollercoaster. It really was a pain.

"He thought that you looked good. It has been a few months, but he could tell that you grew stronger. It also seemed like you developed a following. He couldn't wait to destroy everything."

That was… unsettling to say the least. There was no need for me to see any possible outcomes. I knew exactly what this guy wanted to do. What he wanted to be. I closed the tab and sighed to myself. I was in a pinch. I sighed again.

There was no use in stressing out. Assuming that the Ace will act according to the game, he won't do anything for a few weeks, but I knew that was a big if. If I acted according to the game, most of the things that I did in the last few months would not have happened. I needed to stay on my toes. It was safe to assume that he wouldn't do anything until after the exams.

I got up to look for the first book I would borrow. Back to the secret part of the library, each book was a research document written by this world's greatest minds. It didn't matter what order I read it in, but it was gonna be a lot of work to do either way. Part of my studies was to prepare for this, but I still felt underprepared though. Well, there was time to waste. The faster I uncovered the secrets of this world, the faster I can become stronger.

As I looked for this book, I thought about the last few months of my life. Of all the people I met. There were more loose ends than I cared to count. My father… Ace… Luna… The whole paradox thing. I found myself slowly becoming more and more attached to this world. To the people in it. Whatever it takes, I will overcome this world and everyone in it.