Chapter 5 - Part 12 (Book 1 - Fantasy World)

Helania's words were like a soothing balm to his turbulent subconscious. The words filled with love reached his heart and mind the more her full bosoms pressed against his arm, and her heated breath and sultry words made his ears turn slightly red.

As the image of energy surging through his hands felt similar to the muscles throughout his body, Han knew it only existed in his mind. But even if the energy felt more personal and connected to him than when he created Helania and his other creations or the Stronghold, Han didn't fully understand how such power was activated when he had made no intentional thoughts behind them. It was why Helania's words helped to pull him back to the present and assisted him in guiding the uncontrolled energy.

Regardless of his intentions, the growing fear began to soak into the surrounding air as more students became aware of what he had done. Some had wide eyes and trembled like mice in front of a tiger.

"Breathe, Master."

Listening to Helania's words, Han tried to take a slow, deep breath. He imagined a tranquil ocean surging and rolling about, hoping to pull existence into its watery depths like mermaids dragging wretched sailors into the chilling darkness. While his actions from the outside would lead those nearby to believe the power was uncontrollable, deep down, he couldn't help but feel that the situation wasn't beyond something he could manage. A part of him discerned as if something was waiting for him to do something and take dominion.

With his single and simple thought, the ocean in his mind began to calm as if nothing had ever happened. The change was practically instant, though something inside of him couldn't help but feel his power possibly going out of control without his continual conscious thought, keeping some kind of barrier in place to hold back the immense and indescribable force that constantly pressed against it and would tear asunder any fortifications that weakened even for a moment.

Han's chest slowly rose and fell, his forehead clammy from the sweat.

Helania leaned forward and rested her forehead on her Master's head. "Wonderfully done, Master. Welcome back, My Love." The last words were softly whispered so only he could hear them.

While Han couldn't help but ponder on what happened and why things had taken such a drastic turn when there were no issues beforehand, a part of him couldn't help but imagine a connection between his ability to see whatever was in the air and aura that surrounded many of the students. He wanted to try and understand the origin of his powers that surged without warning; his mind felt weary and exhausted. The kind of feeling that would exist even after a whole night's sleep.

"I did not even use that much power," Han nuzzled his head against Helania, not caring about his mental state and desiring a moment of peace.

Parts of Valessandria's hair slowly lowered back down after being raised slightly as the arcs of electricity dissipated into the air. A shuddering breath flowed out from between her teeth, having moments ago been clenched tightly as her eyes were glued to the figure in front of her. The pupils in her eyes trembled like a leaf desperately holding on during a hurricane. She looked down, her eyes widening slightly upon seeing how her hands trembled even after the danger had passed.

"Thank the gods," Valessandria prayed.

Many of the students nearby simply stood. The air had an aftertaste of dread and panic, though a flavor of confusion began to creep in as people were drawn away from their trance-like state.

One of the students raised a finger to point at Han before another student standing next to her desperately clutched the hand before the mistake of drawing attention towards them could be made.

Han surveyed the faces of the students. He saw the fright and mixed emotions displayed, fully understanding the harm that he had committed, though not caring as much as he thought he would. He took a slow breath, not desiring to make a hasty decision as he observed those who watched him.

"Those students..." Han lifted an eyebrow, catching a few students in the back, none standing close to the others who shared an expression of boredom. While they each were alone, something about their behavior gave them the impression of having a common background.

If he was back on Earth, Han didn't think it would be unforeseen to see them roll their eyes as though watching a child who learned to beat a game designed for a toddler. Contempt in their eyes.

"I wonder if they are the students related to the nobility?" Han casually counted how many there were in the crowd.

Seeing how the students behaved, he didn't have a tough time remembering people who behaved similarly, purely due to the environment in which they were raised -- without having to desire anything. An image of Sam's overconfident grin brought Han back to the many moments Han would travel with Sam, who acted as though no concerns would ever touch him.

Han gripped his fist tight as he clenched his teeth.

"Master," Helania breathed in her Master's ear.

Admitting what he was about to do, Han closed his eyes, slowly unclenched his jaw, and took a deep breath. As the air gradually filled his lungs, he thought about the love and care being shown to him. He could feel Helania pressed against his skin, her body warm and soft, in addition to enjoying all her sensual curves. As the air was released from his body unhurriedly, a calmness settled on his body like a bedsheet floating down from the air as it was placed on the bed by a loving and attentive wife.

"I think I need to be more prudent about my power," Han half chuckled to himself.

Even as he had felt the madness bubbling up from within, the barrier that held back the boundless ocean thinned and cracked in a few areas before quickly healing and restoring itself. Waves as towering and massive as mountains crashed against the barrier with unrestrained fury, desiring to be unleashed into the world. Feeling the unresolved emotions deep within his soul, Han couldn't help but realize how immature he was despite having been an adult for so long. He knew the wild emotions would've caused him to do something he regretted even if the action had been unconsciously done. Opening his eyes, he examined the students who watched him as though he were a deadly animal waiting to devour them all. Little did they know that all of them were moments away from being vaporized in a process that would've taken less time for the eye to see what happened and send the electrical signals to the brain.

"My Lord?" Valessandria quivered as she stepped forward.

Though petrified, Valessandria's actions appeared to be a teacher walking toward the peril to save her students and give them an opportunity to flee. Her eyes quivered but had a hint of a conclusion, unwilling to back down regardless of how hopeless it would be for her to do her duty as the Lady Knight of the Academy. Her footsteps echoed on the stone floor but sounded like an explosion of noise inside the silence.

Seeing how Valessandria approached him despite her apparent fear, the smell permeating her body and mixing with the scent from the other students, Han couldn't help but feel admiration towards the woman. The sight reminded him of mothers who would place themselves between danger and their own children, disregarding any thoughts of saving themselves even if every fiber of their being wanted to crumple in hysteria. Han glanced at Queen, still standing a bit away from him, to keep an eye on their surroundings.

Queen's head was slightly tilted as she observed the Lady Knight, a subtle frown on her lips but a gleam of approval in her eyes.

Taking a moment to gather himself, Han sighed, disappointed at himself for garnering so much attention on himself even though he wanted to remain moderately unknown. He accepted that some attention would be directed towards him due to the enchanting beauty of his creations and how the school treated him. Still, there was longing that it wouldn't be any greater than what nobles would receive. The fact that his self-created background was a young adolescent of noble birth would allow people to fill in the gaps and make their own assumptions about him.

"My Lord, are you alright?" Valessandria carefully observed his face, her eyes periodically peeking at Han's hands as though expecting a bolt of lightning to arc toward her.

Knowing that he was in the wrong, even if the affair wasn't something he meant, Han gave a slight bow, "I seem to have done something untoward to all those who are on this floor. I apologize to the Lady Knight for my misdeeds."

Many of the students stared at Han, a few with their eyebrows raised and their mouths slightly parted.

Valessandria took a deep breath, placing a hand to her brow, shaking her head as though attempting to shake off a dreadful dream that still haunted her mind.

"In the future, you must be careful about releasing your powers. I understand that you and your family have isolated themselves from the world. Still, it does not provide an excuse for you to behave in such a manner." She stopped, her eyes slightly widening upon remembering who she was talking to. Her voice quickly softened, "But I also feel that understanding accidents is necessary since it does not appear as though you did such actions with malice in your heart."

Valessandria took a deep shuddering breath and slowly released the air.

There was an uncomfortable silence as students began talking amongst themselves. The sound was like a slow storm rumbling towards them. Many students lightly pulled the arm of a nearby classmate or friend, making clear that they would prefer to be anywhere but where they currently stood.

"In the place of my Master, I would like to express my gratitude for your benevolence. My Master is someone who has extraordinary talent with magic that has been untouched and laid dormant. All of us hope that our Master will be able to learn much from this school about how to control his powers." Helania gracefully bowed her head like a swan on a tranquil lake.

Her movements mesmerized many of the nearby students, who were unable to pry their eyes from his creation.

Helania's voice was like the sound of soothing waves on a beach. It was as if a sense of tranquility spread around her as nearby students were captivated by the woman.

Brittany and Queen also bowed their head.

Han appreciated how his creations had the humility to acknowledge when a mistake was made, not escalating the issue and instead taking responsibility even if they hadn't been the ones to cause the incident. Though he hadn't done anything during their creation to make them behave in such a manner, he did think that they were adequately developing their own sense of self, something he had wanted that day. Though it was important for a leader to place some level of control on his subjects, Han wanted subordinates who would be proactive in how they interacted with the various societies they would face in the future. They may be in a fantasy world that they may further explore; there is no telling where their journey will lead them. It was also within the realm of possibilities that they may act independently as Han tried to search for what was buried within his heart.

While Han was lost in thought, Valessandria straightened her back and turned toward the students before clapping her hands, "The situation is now under control. I know many of you have duties you must complete." She pointed at a student, "Amalia, I know your teacher has indicated how disappointed she is with the monsters you have submitted to the Adventurer's Guild. Do you expect to improve your grades by standing around?"

A young, petite girl with black hair that covered much of her face jumped upon being directly addressed by the Lady Knight.

"Y-yes, My Lady. I'll make sure to do a better j-job."

Bowing her head before dashing towards one of the lines in front of a long counter with workers handling various tasks. Her long black hair nearly dragged behind her. If people didn't see how she looked from the front, it would've been easy to mistake her for a walking heap of hair.

With Valessandria yelling at a few more students, much of the crowd either made their way toward the lines off to the side or decided it was a good time to make their way up or down the tower. It was clear that they wanted to avoid sticking around while one of the Student Council leaders was taking notes of students who needed to perform better to sweep what had occurred earlier under the rug.

The few students who had stood out, not showing any fear and instead finding the incident interesting, also appeared not to be concerned by Valessandria's sharp tongue, but whether due to boredom or something else, they made their way towards the lower floor. As they walked past where Han and his creations stood, they looked at him as though he was either a toy or something else that could amuse them.

While they didn't move as a group, their behavior gave Han the image of students who were familiar with one another and led their own groups inside a private school or, later on, in a corporation owned by their parents.

Not interested in getting involved in any type of drama, Han didn't bother to take note of their appearance but reckoned that he would inevitably run into them again in the future.

Even with the Academy being as large as it was, the fact that Valessandria knew a few of the students on sight meant that many students were connected to one another, just like how many active employees would often be recognized due to leaders talking about them. Han even remembered a friend during an outing with other college study friends at one of the nearby pubs, chatting about how when he had been in the military and stationed at one of the largest bases in the country mention how other soldiers were aware of who he was due to officers and sergeants talking about him during meal times. Han reminisced about how he had laughed at his friend, who was rolling his eyes and sighing deeply. His friend had been a student who would often not be seen as reliable but would try their best to avoid being a burden during group projects in their program.

"My Lord, please freely give me an order, and I will make it as though the events which just occurred will no longer be remembered by anyone."

Han glanced at Queen as her voice entered his mind through their connection. The way her voice sounded gave him the impression of her kneeling in front of him, waiting for him to decree for the Academy to be erased from history.

Mentally waving a hand, dismissing her concerns, Han shook his head. "While I am regretful to have lost control of myself, wiping all evidence of my blunder feels slightly reactionary and disproportionate to me making a slight fool of myself," Han smirked, laughing at how childish he behaved.

"But, Master...," Queen turned to look at her Master.

Imagining brushing aside her hair and running a finger along her smooth and pale ivory skin, Han projected his desires to his creation, who was desperate to regain the perceived lost honor.

Queen placed a hand on her cheek, which gained a little warmth as it reddened. The reddish tinge contrasted with her natural skin tone, like a field of freshly laid snow on a calm day. "M-master..." She tried to hide how shy she felt, attracting such affection from him. Her eyes now looked towards the stone floor, hoping to distract her from such a display of affection from the one who held her heart in his loving hands.

"I do agree with our Master." Helania joined the conversation. "There is nothing to gain, considering our Master wishes for his life to be quiet and not attract unwanted attention." Before Queen could retort, Helania added, "While no eyes are paying us attention, do you think that no one would realize what had happened. I doubt that there are many beings who would be able to easily do what you are suggesting." Her tone was flat, annoyed that Queen hadn't thoroughly evaluated the consequences.

Brittany tilted her head, listening to the conversation.

He placed a hand on her head and said, "Just because we do not see anyone watching us, it would be wise to believe that there are entities or individuals with the ability to observe clues that could be inadvertently left behind." Han explained.

To himself, "While my powers may appear to be without limits, I also do not know what others are capable of doing, so I need to act with some restraint. The question is whether my experience could be a limiting factor regarding what I can do." He thought about how something inside of him reacted when being able to observe something new, "Something inside does seem to react by instinct, but wholely relying on such luck would be thoughtless."

"But, Master. Could you not just prevent them from observing clues about what had happened?" Brittany placed her head on his chest as she looked up at him, her eyes wide with curiosity.

He chuckled, his chest making Brittany's head move a little. "Instead of relying on my abilities to solve any problem and thinking of it as a way to cover up any mistakes I make, I feel that my powers should be seen as a way to make my life easier. While I could wave a hand, there is always the possibility that I miss something that someone keen to fluctuations of this world could detect."