Not Done Yet

As Soul and Hyun-Ki left the brothel, a piercing scream rang out from down the street. Hyun-Ki spun toward the sound, his expression turning from relaxed to anxious in an instant. Soul, on the other hand, remained motionless, his face as unreadable as ever.

"Soul, did you hear that?" Hyun-Ki asked, his voice tight with concern.

"Yeah." He gave no sign that the scream had affected him at all.

"Come on, we should check it out," Hyun-Ki insisted, pointing toward the source of the noise. "It sounded like it came from the market."

Soul stood still, unmoved by the urgency in his voice.

"What if someone's hurt? What if it's The Topple?" Hyun-Ki pressed. "Come on!"

Soul didn't budge. "Let guards handle it, then," he said flatly, "we are just students."

Hyun-Ki shook his head, refusing to let it go. "Soul, we can't just ignore it. Come on! Don't be like that!"

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I'm trying to help! You should try that sometimes, man."

'Just shut up…'

"Fine, let's go," he said with no enthusiasm, finally agreeing to follow Hyun-Ki.

They moved toward the market near the Hero-God Take's statue, where people were rushing from every direction, drawn by the scream.

When they reached the market, it was chaos. The vendors had abandoned their stalls, and the crowds were gathering around something in the center. The screaming had stopped, but the atmosphere was tense, with people murmuring among themselves, trying to understand what had happened.

The grisly scene at the center of the market sent a wave of shock through the gathered crowd. A woman's body lay on the cobblestones, her head completely severed from her neck, the decapitated skull several feet away. Blood pooled around the body, soaking into the cracks of the street, creating a dark, spreading stain. Her limbs were twisted, her hands clenched in a way that suggested a struggle before death.

The guard's shouts barely cut through the rising tide of fear. "Stay away from the scene!" he commanded, his voice firm but cracking with stress. "Stay back! Keep calm, people!"

But his words did little to quell the crowd's growing dread.

"Oh gods, it's real! The Topple is back! His curse is lifted!" someone shouted in fear.

"Sirenar's mercy! Gods, help us!" came another cry, as more people turned to flee, pushing against those trying to get a closer look.

The crowd was on the brink of panic, and the guard could do little to restore order.

"No, no, no!" someone wailed, their voice a sharp note of disbelief in the swelling sea of murmurs and gasps.

"She's dead!" another person yelled, as if the realization had just hit them. "I knew her! Fuck, she was only sixteen!"

The murder took place near Melissa's place, where his sister was staying. As he surveyed the grisly sight, his stoic mask showed the faintest crack that only Liana would notice. The location struck a nerve, an unsettling 'coincidence' that made him uneasy.

"Hmm."

'Maybe that pervert has to be dealt with, after all.'

"Guess we were late," said Hyun-Ki, looking at the gruesome scene. "Let's go. Nia and Lore should still be at the Academy."

"Okay."

"What a shame, man. Fuck this..."

'Can't change what you've done. There's no fixing your problems. The error of your ways is something you have to live with. You don't get do-overs, just consequences. No matter how much you wish you could take it back, the past doesn't care. It just sits there, staring at you, daring you to make sense of it.

Though – when I look forward, all I can see is my past. I'm afraid. The years I spent in that cell, the darkness talking to me – it made me forget who I was, made me forget my real name. Every night, every day, every second, I could hear them. Calling me 'Soul'. Whispers inside my head, my brain rotting with a growing black mold. I'm afraid to move forward – because I know I'll repeat my past. I won't move. This is safer… this is smarter.'

"Hey, we're back," Hyun-Ki called, waving to Nia and Lore, who were sitting on the edge of a broken fountain in the Academy's garden. "Are you guys hungry?"

"Yeah, I could eat," Lore replied, stretching her arms. "You seem off, Hyun-Ki. Something wrong?"

"Ah, no." he was still thinking about the scene at the market. "It's nothing."

"I'm hungry, too," Nia said, her eyes lighting up. "What's on the menu?"

Hyun-Ki grinned. "I was thinking about grabbing some street food. You know, those spicy skewers?"

Nia nodded eagerly, and Lore smiled at the idea. Hyun-Ki then turned to Soul, who stood with his hands in his pockets, his expression blank. "What about you, Soul? Are you hungry?"

"I'm good. I need to go back to my room – I forgot something. See you guys."

"Oh, okay, sure. See ya," Hyun-Ki said, slightly disappointed.

"Can't you come with us, Soul?" Lore asked, tilting her head to the side, her eyes hopeful. "It would be safer If we stick to each other."

"No, sorry." He could feel the pressure of their expectations, but he had no desire to meet them.

'Just shut up and go away, please,'

He walked quite a bit. When he was sure he'd lost them from his sights, he finally stopped, letting out a long breath. The bench nearby looked inviting, so he sat down, leaning back against the cool wood.

Soul's eyes tracked the shifting patterns in the clouds, the shapes drifting and morphing with the wind.

"Hey, Soul." Ayame said coming from his left. "How are you? The news must've shaken you up."

"Hmm." He murmured, barely acknowledging her words.

Ayame didn't know what to say next. She'd expected more from him, maybe a sign of concern or even a 'I'm good. How are you?'. But Soul's reaction – or lack thereof, made it clear he wasn't interested in discussing the latest grim developments. The silence stretched, awkward but not uncomfortable, as if Soul's brief response was all she could expect.

"So, how are you doing? How's the D Class treating you?" Ayame asked, trying to keep the conversation light.

"I've been good. Thanks."

"I – uh, I've been good, too. Thanks for asking."

"Hmm."

"Okay, I get it. You don't want no bullshit. So I'll get straight to the point." She said. "I suspect you murdered those students. You can fool everyone else but not me, Soul. You can't."

Soul's gaze shifted from the clouds to her, his expression impassive. His eyes were like stone, revealing nothing.

"Is that so? Why would I do that?"

"I don't know, you tell me." Ayame shot back, her gaze fixed on him, searching for a crack in his armor.

"I can only use basic enchantment spells, Ayame. How would I even start killing them? Impossible."

"Talkative now, are you?" Ayame replied, with a sarcastic voice.

"People get defensive and talkative when you accuse them of killing someone. It's a normal reaction. Besides, what got you thinking that me, a Class D student, can actually kill someone?"

"Ayame!" Professor Yuu yelled from afar. He was at the entrance doors of the Academy. "I need to talk to you about something."

"I'm coming, Professor!" Ayame called back, her voice carrying across the courtyard. She turned back to Soul, her eyes locking with his. "We're not done yet."

"Hmm."

He watched her as she walked toward Professor Yuu with quick steps.

'I should visit Ruby, see how's doing.'

He stood up.

'She can't live with Melissa forever. She needs money and a place to stay.'

He put his hands in his pockets.

'But before that – The Topple needs to die. I can use Lore as a bait, draw him in. He's obsessed with her.'

He felt the cold breeze.

'And I should handle Ayame somehow. Why is she suspecting me?'

He shut his boring eyes.

'Too much to do, too much to do…'