26

The silver haired young man begun to examine the runes. She openly observed it as people didn't pass by on her location.

While examining the obscure runes that normal individuals would assumed it to be part of the designs of the wall because the designs of the wall were like curvy lines leaning to a perpetual figure that could be described as runic symbols.

In unforeseen manner, Chun felt her eyeballs irritating and her mind numbing.

"What are you doing, Titus?" Chun mind-link the deity.

"I'm helping you. There are words written on the wall."

"Words?"

Chun turned to look at the wall as the irritation of her eyes disappeared. Now unfamiliar yet familiar letters were moving, forming into words.

"Hear him and you'll be touch. Touch him and you'll melt," as if chanting the password, a passage way opened on the wall. It was a small passage that could fit one person.

The silver haired young man went in and the opening of the passage closed.

The surrounding darkened yet a dimly lit light stones illuminated. It led to a tunnel passage and runes were present on it.

"I already dispelled the runes' trigger so you'll be fine," Titus stated.

"How'd you do that? You were still in the silver box right?"

Titus chuckled in responds and went silent.

Knowing that she couldn't get any information from this sly deity, the silver haired young man just proceeded on walking.

For a hour of travelling by foot, Chun was about to collapse. She truly can't handle long walking as she was in person, lazy. Exertion of energy was too much for her.

"You're already giving up now? You'll be killed by those martial practitioners and even the guardian."

She heard what the deity stated and she looked towards the end of the tunnel passage using the qi energy around her to zoom her vision.

Two martial practitioners were guarding a cell door.

They did not yet notice the presence of Chun as the silver haired young man expertly travelled through the shadows, vigilant to incoming enemies.

'From the color of the energy on their bodies, they are Median realm martial practitioners.'

'They'll be easy to take care.'

Chun used a stealth technique that she learned from her butler and hit the pressure points of the two guards that made them fell down.

They're not dead but asleep, the silver haired young man has no intention on dyeing her hands red because it doesn't benefit her at all.

She took a pair of gloves from her spatial storage and wore it. She then gripped the handle with her gloved hands and opened the cell door.

With a short walk, Chun stopped infront of another cell door. Inside of it was calling her, her instincts was telling her to open it and get close to it.

The door has a pressure stone on it, only the familiar aura of qi energy of the individual who was imprinted on it can open the door.

"I know the aura of that man who you had a deal with those amemodites," Titus suddenly offered a help.

"Why are you being so helpful right now?" Chun asked with curiosity.

"I want to see a show."

The silver haired youth wanted to ask the deity what did he meant by that but she was cut off by Titus' instructions.

"Take off your glove on your right hand and put it infront the pressure stone, I'll do the channeling of qi energy."

Chun followed the deity's direction and a strand of energy that was coming from her body went to the pressure stone through her hands.

The pressure stone changed into color red and into yellow until a clicking sound could be heard from it.

She then entered through the door and saw a broken piece that was floating in the middle of the chamber room. It shone brilliantly as it was being powered by the amemodites.

This was the core. The core of Harconia Institute was her first fragment.

If she removes it, would it kill the lives of the people inside the institute as the demons would be attacking? Does she have the guts to be selfish and sacrifice those people? Even her students would be endangered.

"What's your choice, Chun?" Titus asked what she asked on herself.

Simple.

"I'll just take it after the demons attacked the institute," she decided with firmness on her tone but an eerie voice suddenly intervened with her momentum.

"Truthfully, you can't decide. Only Pandora can decide."

A black silhouette emerged from the shadows, it was a murky dark shadow emitting purple colors around it. It formed a stature of a lady but still it was unclear if it was really a woman or just a man with long hair.

Its eerie voice was androgynous as the silver haired young man couldn't identify its gender.

"One can't go when they step on the battlefield,

One can't decide to do two choices at a time,

One is hope and other is despair, choose wisely and one can get what they wish for, choose foolishly and one can die by their choices."

Chun glanced on her back to see if the door was still there and she guessed right, the door vanished as this shadow appeared.

"I am the personification of the first fragment, I am Choices," the shadow with its eerie voice, introduced.

The silver haired young man gazed at the shadow as she observed the murky traces of purple aura.

"If you are Choices, what 'yourself' you can offer ?"

Hearing the interesting question of the young man, a recognizable smirk was heard on its voice, "Lass, let's see what 'myself' can offer."

The dark shadows around Choices with its purple aura forming itself morphed into words.

"This test will determine if you can surrender your selfishness for the greater good or other way around, surrender the people around you and prioritize yourself."

Then it formed again into another words.

"I have a problem here and only the three choices can identify your true self."

"You walk by on a street…" as if the words were in sync with the situation, the scene immediately sprang to life.

The silver haired young man was amazed by the changes as she herself was on the street with few people walking by. There were group of students that were on an unfamiliar uniform, laughing, couples strolling while their hands entertwined and two children were playing with their balloons while chasing each other. And the bright not too hot sunlight was illuminating the place.

It was a heartwarming scene.

The eerie voice with somehow its tone brighten, spoke, "What do you think about this scene?"

Chun ignored its question and asked, "We're not on Xanxia? Where are we?"

As if the eerie voice was amused, it answered, "Lass, you're really a mood-breaker, don't you? Well, right we're not on the same dimension and realm anymore. This is another realm on a big blue planet, where all people doesn't use qi energy here. Feel the surroundings and you'll see."

Chun followed what it said and felt the environment, there's not a hint of qi energy here but some kind of unknown energy and it was somehow calming.

"What kind of energy is this?"

"It's divine energy."

"Divine?"

"Yes, it's a divine connection to their God here."

"Oh, but why is it so vast and roaming everywhere?" Chun asked as she perceived the abundant energy of the surrounding.

"Somehow, few people know how to expend it in a right way while others didn't even use it and just deny it."

The silver haired young man nodded and looked around. Finally, she noticed that the gazes of the people on her was strange.

Chun frowned and asked the eerie voice.

"Probably because they think that you are crazy while talking to the air."

"Eh! They can see me?!"

"Yes. I was about to warn you but I forgot. So talk to me through your thoughts."

["Is this okay?"]

["Yes."]

After finalizing the sudden information, she noticed that she was wearing a uniform that was the same with the students that she saw a while ago. It's a black patterned short skirt just one inch above the knee that made Chun a bit uncomfortable of it and her top was a longsleeve buttoned white shirt with a black ribbon on its neckline.

Realizing what she wore, she exclaimed, "I am wearing a girl's clothing?!"

Obviously, it was a girl's clothing as she observed to those students earlier.

["What's with that tone?"]

["I am happy."]

["Oh."]

She was truly happy to have this kind of freedom, a buried wish that she hoped yet now she could experience.

["Don't forget, you have something to do."]

The eerie voice reminded.

["Right. What is it?"]

["Your identity is an insignificant passerby but you have now the power to choose and perform. Just follow my instructions."]

Even though confused, the silver haired young man agreed to the voice.

["You walk by on a street."]

Chun then followed but she paused in an instant.

["Should I head north or south?"]

["Just continue to your path."]

["Okay."]

["You saw an old man that was about to cross the street."]

At that moment, an old man with his unusual wooden stick on his hand as he leaned on it, he was waiting for the traffic light to turned red in order for the carriage-like transportation to stop.

'Car?' Chun thought.

She was amused that she knew the name of that transportation.

In Xanxia, their transportations were unlike these moving vehicles yet it has similarities with it due to the machine that was used but the cars here were a bit 'stylish' as it had varied designs. Chun found it cool yet strange though.

The eerie voice continued.

["And a child was running towards the road unaware to the cars, and lastly a student at the same age like you was pushed by someone to the running cars."]

The eerie voice narrated the exact scenes that was about to happen in a minute.

["Wait! Can we slow down a bit?"]

As if on cue the whole situation slowed like in a movie, it slowed down still it was moving a snail pace.

["This time control had only a duration of thirty seconds."]

["Alright. So what's the question and the choices?!"]

["Who will you save? The old man who will about to be run by a car, a blameless child who is unaware of it or the students who was being schemed by her rival."]

["Choose wisely and if you decide wrongly, you'll die."]

The time hits at ten-second count when the silver haired youth with no delay, replied.

"I choose..."