OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 515: Affinity To Death

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The midterms ended with the start of a new week, and naturally, the Academy halls buzzed with talk of the results.

But unlike any a time before, the students remained talking about a certain test, the weekend diminishing not a single bit of their feelings towards it.

Word of it spread like wildfire in the middle of the driest of forests.

Besides the reason for that being the subject those talks mentioned, the ones who did the talking were also why it became so popular.

The SS-1 class, the Elite first years.

And yes, that meant that the one they were talking about was Emir, more specifically, his test.

Staff, professors, and even people outside the academy were talking about it.

His test had caught everyone off guard, and the unique way it pushed students to their limits, literally at times, had created some sort of legend all its own.

Emir noticed its rising popularity, though he didn't think much about it, the buzz didn't particularly excite him, perhaps because he had already anticipated something similar.

Still, he couldn't ignore the effect it had on the students.

He had been sent more requests from students to join his class in the past few days than he had since he first became a professor combined.

That, in turn, made those in his class more motivated, more determined.

They weren't going to lose their spot.

Those that assumed themselves to have done an 'agreeable' job in the test, didn't worry too much.

Rather, they were relaxed in class, waiting for Emir to arrive, muttering about something or the other.

"I heard Prof Faulkner tried it."

"Yeah, apparently he couldn't even get halfway through."

"Heh, Lannis said it was... 'ingenious,' or something, never heard him compliment someone before."

"I know right?! He said something about how it's the kind of test that makes people think way outside the box."

"He doesn't look it, but I know that Emir is grinning from ear to ear right now."

***

Inside his office, Emir, was in fact, grinning from ear to ear.

Though the reason for that wasn't anything closely related to the test.

It was more regarding... well, that could be saved for later.

He leaned back in his chair, glancing over at the hologram of Sofia's Ability path.

Turning it off with a flick, he let his mind drift and began to cultivate, using the few minutes before class as best he could.

Though, before he could immerse himself in it, his door slid open without a knock.

He looked up, expecting it to be Amon, or one of the twins, ready to scold whoever barged in. But the figure in the doorway made him stop.

It was neither of the three.

Dressed in a deep, dark robe with strange embroidered patterns across the sleeves, stood a man he'd never seen up close before-at least not this close.

"Ah, I hope I'm not intruding... didn't think the door would just open like that."

The man's voice was low and gravelly, as if he hadn't spoken in a very, very long time.

Emir, immediately hiding his surprise, straightened and said:

"You must be Professor Vadryn. I honestly had never expected a visit from you... I heard Reapers aren't the socializing type."

Vadryn smiled, it was slight but real.

"Yes, been a while since I left my quarters for anything other than a lecture, I believe. And it's Vadryn. No need for titles."

Emir blinked, stood up, and gestured for him to sit opposite him.

"Right, Vadryn. It's good to meet you in person."

This rare show of respect wasn't for no reason, he knew of Vadryn from the 'novel,' and it spoke of him in a great light.

He was rarely mentioned, sure, but each time he was, the 'readers' would remember it, his presence was similar to Amon's, even though they were leagues apart.

The reason for that was obvious.

Vadryn was a professor who had been around longer than most.

He was here at a time similar to the principal, a founder of sorts.

So while he was similar in rank to Judas and Judal, being a High Lord Seraphim, his experience through his long age more than made up for it.

"So, what brought you here? I'm curious."

Vadryn smiled and sat down.

"As I am, Emir. Your test... it reached me... us. Can't say we're not surprised by what we saw. It was difficult, to a level that we can't imagine a single student succeeding."

Emir lightly chuckled.

"But one did."

"Sofia... Mhm. Path Optimization was it? Quite the innovation, care to share it with us?"

The Reaper probed and the prince politely declined:

"Well, it's mostly for my students. Figured they needed something to keep them sharp, you

know?"

Vadryn nodded, not bothered in the least.

"Sharp is an understatement. I've never seen students grow this much from a single test

before... You are an incredible professor."

"Thank you. And you are too, if Elijah's progress is anything to judge by."

Vadryn hummed and then eyed Emir with a calculating look.

"I assume you've heard of the special classes for Reapers."

Emir nodded, not afraid to reveal that he knew of this open secret, not only from whispers but also from the 'novel' itself, though Vadryn didn't need to know that last part.

Reapers had always been considered a more unique Specialization within the common ten within the Celestial Hierarchy, with their ties to death, the Nether's River, and their ability to manipulate souls, which led to the formation of this "special class."

"I've heard bits and pieces, but nothing big."

Vadryn gave a small nod.

"There's a reason for that, the Reaper class isn't like the others. Our... resources are a bit harder to come by. We can't simply hone our abilities without access to souls. And souls aren't

exactly easy to obtain, at least not ones with any life left."

Emir raised an eyebrow, acting confused.

"So how do you train? I mean, souls don't just linger."

Vadryn's face didn't change.

"They don't, which is why we have... arrangements. Channels, let's call them, where we obtain what we need. ID-less individuals, dregs who live below sector management's systems, these people sometimes sell the bodies of their own to support themselves. And... some enter into... agreements before death, leaving us the rights to their body in case something happened to them."

Emir's brow furrowed, this time for real.

He'd known about the former but not the latter, something that sounded like it came straight

out of a dark fable.

"Regulation isn't really a thing in most of the Academy, is it?"

Vadryn softly chuckled

"The gray is needed in our line of work. It just is. We Reapers need experiences the battlefield

alone can provide, where death is raw and souls are freshly severed, so we have no other option. This is the most discreet way, a beneficial transaction for both sides where everyone benefits. Otherwise, without that, it's impossible to refine our craft. Even students like Elijah, for example, would struggle without that exposure."

Emir nodded slowly, understanding exactly what he said.

As he did to Aether, or Lyra did to shadows, to wield death, one had to know it, to touch it

closely.

"So..."

Vadryn continued, breaking into Emir's thoughts.

"There's something else I wanted to mention. I couldn't help but notice upon meeting you..."

"Notice what?"

Emir asked, tilting his head.

Vadryn looked him over and stood up.

"You have an affinity with Death. It's subtle, but it's there. I can feel it, like a faint trace of the

Reaper element. Yet, you're clearly not aligned with that path, you have no connection with

the Nether's River."

Emir blinked in surprise.

"I'm no Reaper. I haven't trained in anything close to it or its abilities."

Vadryn didn't waver.

"Perhaps not. But there's something... distinct. Something about you that feels... tethered to

Death. Maybe it's buried deep, but it's there. I would know."

Emir sat back, his mind racing.

An affinity with Death?

He hadn't spent a single moment cultivating anything like that.

But then, a memory flickered, and the obvious arrived his own 'death,' his rebirth, the

fabricated reality of having lived a second life of sorts.

And perhaps... the promised day had somehow affected him, even though it was in the not-

so-far future.

"You're sure of this?"

He asked, a strange weight settling in his chest.

Vadryn nodded and moved to leave, pausing by the door to speak his final words:

"I don't know the cause, but I know what I feel. Perhaps it's your past, perhaps something

else entirely. But that shadow will follow you. I suggest you consider 'it,' Emir. Even without

a Reaper's training, the path may still find you."

With that, Vadryn left, and Emir remained still in his chair, eyes locked on where the Reaper

was.

In moments, he revisited his past, his rebirth, and his future, his death.

Death had always seemed like an end, but here he was, standing on the precipice of something

that felt more like a beginning.

What kind of 'beginning' was it going to be? He didn't know, but all he knew was that it would

change him completely at some point in the future. That was... if he could pass his promised day.