A Bridge To The Other Side

Once Kalliope and the demon plunged out of the barrier by slamming through where the disciplinary teacher body was, the invisible barrier quickly closed up and regained its original state.

From outside the academy ground, nothing seemed amiss as the situation appeared controlled. No traces of onslaught or split ground. The academy looked as normal as it could be. This was also the ability that Helliot had casted on the barrier - False Façade.

Meanwhile, the teacher's body fell tumbling to the ground in a mess of misery. No breath could be detected from her broken pieces of flesh, mixed with blood and goo. One of her hands was gone, cut in half by the barrier, and there were no parts on the body that were left unbroken. She couldn't be more dead than she already was without her corpse intact.

On the other hand, Kalliope's body came staggering. There was still some remaining after effect from Sanctus Torque and since she was in the process of assimilating with the dead mana, her half-condition made it worse. She hadn't felt the burn yet just now, but after she had escaped and her anger dissipated, her energy seemed to have seeped out of her.

Before her body withered to the ground, a steady arm looped around her thin waist and her body was lifted into a princess hug. Kalliope flinched at the man's action but said nothing. She merely leaned her head against his broad chest and sighed exasperatedly within the devil's arms.

"Let's get out of here soon, so we can stabilize your condition," he said expressionlessly.

Although his lady was strong, continuous use of mana while in the process of integrating posed a great burden to one's body. And in their situation, it would be dangerous since they would be vulnerable.

Kalliope nodded with her eyes half-closed. She said weakly, "In the eastern part of Edelweiss Forest, you'll find Crystal Lake. Go there."

The demon didn't say anything but proceeded to carry his lady towards their destination. His figure soared to the sky in that instance and blended with the night whereby his shadow traced the darkness of night to arrive by the Crystal Lake in a mere ten minutes. Simple and easy as the demon didn't have to spend any mana. After all, darkness was his dominion.

He slowly landed on the edge of the lake before setting Kalliope down. Under the bright full moon, the water within the lake appeared dazzling. The clear cerulean shade was devoid of any stain to the point that one could faintly make out the bottom of the lake. It was not the slightest bit overshadowed by the darkling night or the towering trees surrounding it.

In fact, it appeared even more luminous as every now and then, when the wind brushed against the lake, sparks of shimmering light glimmered on the water surface. It was as though the showering stars in the sky were swimming in the lake, illuminating the surrounding lake in a brilliant shade of light.

However, all of these weren't because the lake was magical or anything. What missed the eyes if not carefully observed was the floating flowers that were scattered at every corner of the lake.

And the reason why it could easily escape one's vision was due to its appearance that corresponded with its name, Glass Flower.

Yes, the petals of this flower were as translucent and clear as a glass that mirrored its surroundings. The glittering sparkle that shimmered on the water surface every now and then was the result of the Glass Flower photosynthesis which acquired it to absorb the full moon. Thus, it appeared as though the stars were reflected by the flowers and floating by the surface.

This was how the name Crystal Lake came to be as the whole lake along with the Glass Flower appeared as though it was a giant sparkling crystal.

But, this magnificent view of the lake didn't move the man as he creased his eyebrows, appearing lost at how they should travel to Earth. The demon didn't have much knowledge of the world as not long after he gained his wits, Dozahr got to him first and then, the academy's research professors.

"So, how do we do this?" He asked directly to Kalliope who was now taking a seat on the edge of the lake with her legs dipped into the water. She then closed her eyes, regulating her mana while she waited.

"We wait," she said. However, in the demon's eyes, Kalliope appeared too relax somehow.

He sighed. "You do realize the gravity of this situation, right? We just wrecked havoc within the academy and two of our victims were important mages."

To the demon's worry, Kalliope only nodded without opening her eyes. She remained still.

The frown on his forehead became even more prominent. "So, do you think they will not give chase in a while?"

This time, Kalliope opened her eyes and stared blankly at him. Then, to his surprise, Kalliope took his hand and pulled him to sit down next to her. "Sit and be quiet then if you don't want them to figure out our location. Besides, there's nothing we can do right now but wait until midnight arrives, which is approximately forty to half an hour."

In actuality, there was nothing for the demon to be afraid of since his power was now on Count level, not just a measly Baron. However, his soul was strictly connected to Kalliope who was his master so whatever she felt, he felt it too.

And if she was accidentally killed, then he wouldn't end well either since his power, although strong, wasn't strong enough to resist countless high mages. Besides, the higher his rank was, the more tainted the sacrificial soul had to be or else, the more soul he had to reap.

In short, he needed Kalliope to obtain power in the present because Kalliope was one of the most powerful witches. This was technically a symbiotic mutualism...until one of them could overpower the other.

The demon stared at the shimmering lake in confusion. However, he didn't disturb her anymore and just watched over her.

Half an hour quickly passed and the demon snapped open his eyes which then narrowed as he looked towards the dense forest behind. The corner of his lips lifted. He sent a telepathic message to Kalliope.

[They're near.]

Kalliope slowly opened her eyes. There was a visible change in her outlook during that short time. The black veins that covered her entire arms had reduced to her shoulder while the ones on her face had gone down to her chin level. Her lovely alabaster skin, although slightly pale now, once again appeared smooth and fair.

[It's time.]

She responded back as she stood up. The demon raised an eyebrow looking at her. Kalliope smiled and stuck out her chin towards the lake before them. It was then the demon noticed the change.

The once beautifully shimmering lake gradually lost its luster. The sparkling light slowly waned as the reflection on the Glass Flowers that was once clear blue, showing the bottom of the lake, and mirroring the night sky as well as the green trees had faded. The reflection on the glass petals blurred making the Crystal Lake appear muddy.

Then, as seconds trickled by, the blurry Glass Flowers gradually regained its original clarity. They once again presented the enchanting starry night sky. Everything seemed to have gone normal. But, the smile on Kalliope's lips turned wider and her eyes beamed.

"Did you see?" Kalliope asked softly.

"What?" The demon knitted his brows as he looked closer at the lake.

Kalliope sighed and pointed at the lake. "Earth."

The demon stared incredulously at Kalliope, "???"

"Don't you see the difference?" Kalliope asked again as she gestured, "Look closer. Pay attention to every detail."

So, he looked again more thoroughly this time, scanning everything, until finally a sharp glint flashed past his eyes. The corner of his lips lifted. "I see."

Everything looked the same. Clear blue lake reflecting its bottom and the starry night sky, shimmering ever so enchantingly. But, the difference was the shadow of the trees in the reflection. It was less dense than before. Even some part where the trees shadow were supposed to exist, weren't present. A very small detail that was easily amiss.

Although they were similar, excluding the existence of mana, the time in Zarronium and Earth ran differently. When a group of mages performed the ritual to create Zarronium, they duplicated the element on Earth. However, since they had wanted to avoid the mundane from pursuing them, the group of mages then constructed Zarronium to orbit towards the opposite direction from Earth.

So, the two realms were like two same poles in a magnet, they repelled each other as they orbited in opposite directions. To phrase it more easily, while Earth moved on through time, Zarronium backtracked in time.

However, the only thing that transformed back to the past was the realm itself, for example the condition of the land, the vegetation and the animals. But even those elements were affected immediately by mana and they changed shape and characteristics. Beside that, the civilization wasn't that much of a difference to Earth.

So that was why it was difficult for either humans or mages to bridge towards the other side because those two realms weren't in the same timeline nor did they exist next to each other. But, they missed something. Nobody cared to think about it for a moment, besides Kalliope.

Indeed, those two realms were getting further as time went by. But, as they circulated, if one was to diligently count, there would be one single day every century where Zarronium and Earth would be aligned in one position within the orbit.

And that was when the magic in Zarronium reacted to Earth since the Four Great Elemental Spirits resided within Earth. The spirits attracted the magic.

But, how did they create the bridge? The answer lied before Kalliope and the demon.

"The glass mirrors both sides and it creates a bridge to the other side. The lake itself is like a lair to those Glass Flowers so it pretty much contains the same ability. Now, the only thing we need to do is to sink."

The demon raised an eyebrow. "You can phrase it better. Just say we need to dive."

Kalliope chuckled as she turned around. Her back facing the lake. She spread her arms wide. "I'm too lazy to even move so I'll just fall and let myself submerge. Doesn't that count as sinking?"

As soon as she finished her sentence, her body swayed backward and Kalliope fell into the lake, creating a splash. The demon laughed in rare hilarity as he jumped as well.

The moment they disappeared into the lake, the academy professors arrived. They had heard a splash but when they looked at the lake, there was not a single soul. There was only a ripple on the surface that slowly calmed down.

"Damn it! They tricked us! Hurry and search around. They must've not gone far!"

So, they left and searched the surroundings thinking Kalliope had tricked them by creating the sound of water splashing.