Scumbag Fate System-Chapter 39: Void Eruption (1)

Three days passed, and Reinhard was walking toward the Entertainment Department.

When a blue screen suddenly appeared in his vision.

[Host! Something is very wrong!]

Reinhard froze mid-step.

The system almost never panicked unless it was really terrifying or dangerous.

Students flowed around him in noisy groups, laughing and talking about weekend plans, completely unaware of the sudden tension locking his body in place.

Reinhard’s voice dropped in his mind.

Yor?

There was a brief pause from the system.

Then the response came back far more urgent than usual.

[Yes! Her mental stability just dropped sharply!]

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed.

How bad?

The answer appeared instantly.

[Future catastrophe probability has exceeded sixty percent... And it’s still rising.]

For the first time since arriving at the academy, Reinhard felt a genuine alarm twist in his chest.

What’s happening to her?

The system responded immediately.

[It’s the vision, it had come earlier than intended! Yor is currently experiencing a severe episode inside the Entertainment Department mall.]

That was all he needed to hear.

Reinhard instantly rushed past the students ahead and shoved others aside when they blocked his path. Angry shouts followed him, but he kept running toward the tall Entertainment Department building ahead.

If Yor lost control now...

The system’s voice cut in again.

[Host... her magic output is spiking.]

Reinhard moved even faster, crashing through the entrance doors with a bang. Guards yelled at him to stop, but Reinhard paid no attention. Following directions from the system in his mind, he darted through crowds of startled students who jumped away as he passed.

Up ahead, the mall area opened wide with bright shops on both sides. Near the central fountain, a crowd had gathered in a tight circle. Reinhard pushed through the mass of people, ignoring their complaints until he broke through to the front.

There was Yor, kneeling on the ground.

She clutched her head with white-knuckled hands, her body shaking, her face twisted in pain. Three students stood over her, arms crossed, looking both annoyed and worried.

Reinhard caught the tail end of it as he pushed through the crowd.

"...for your own good. You know what happens to people who get close to you."

"They are my friends!" Yor shouted, and her voice cracked with desperation. "I’m allowed to have friends!"

The three students paused with their brows furrowing while one of them opened their mouth to respond.

Reinhard moved toward her, and that’s when he heard it.

The sound of glass breaking.

Reality cracked. Not like breaking glass, but something deeper giving way. Yor’s face twisted in pain as she clutched her head and groaned.

Then the world lost color.

It didn’t dim or fade away, but it was instantly stolen. The entire mall drained into lifeless gray as if reality itself had been drained dry.

The air felt hollow, like the world had briefly forgotten how to exist.

Gray washed over everything as if life itself had been drained away. Black and white lightning sparked around Yor where she knelt, spreading outward too fast to escape. The energy waves touched everyone in the mall.

Time seemed to stop.

A girl walking nearby froze mid-step. Her eyes emptied, becoming hollow and vacant. She turned mechanically toward Yor, took three slow steps, then collapsed like a marionette with severed strings.

Others followed the same pattern.

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed as he saw it wasn’t random. It wasn’t just the closet students dropping but the ones that seemed to be older.

The third years! Reinhard quickly saw those students dropping, then the 2nd years, who also started to drop and finally the first years.

His eyes glanced back at Yor; it was just like in the vision. She was the source of it all, and most likely, this will expand if nothing is done.

Then the students began rising up, and they looked different. Their eyes dulled, and their faces went blank, matching Yor’s empty expression. They stood straight and still, like statues waiting for orders that wouldn’t come.

When the black-white energy reached Reinhard. A blue light flashed from his body, pushing the strange power away. Unlike everyone else trapped in this frozen moment, he could still move.

Through the lightning and the cracking gray, Yor’s eyes found him for half a second. He watched her expression change when she saw he was still standing.

It wasn’t relief but horror and fear as if the sight of him being near was a terrible nightmare for her.

[Don’t worry, Host! You are safe with me here protecting you!]

Reinhard nodded once while his eyes stayed locked on Yor. But then he saw ripples inside the frozen water fountain. Instead of stopping, they were drifting out of the fountain and moving towards Yor.

The void was pulling the water.

That can’t be good... Reinhard frowned before he quickly asked. How do I stop this and help her?

[We can create a miniature seal if you can kiss her. This will only fix the current problem and won’t stop future episodes, but it should contain the outbreak.]

Not good enough, but the alternative was to just let this continue and hope it stops somehow.

We’ll deal with it for now. No matter what, he had to help Yor for the mission and her well-being.

[Understood!]

The system prompt appeared again.

[Emergency sealing method available. Awaiting Host target]

Reinhard didn’t even finish reading it before rushing toward Yor. She was still kneeling in the center with black-white lightning crackling all around her trembling form. He made it three steps before an invisible wall of pressure slammed into him and pushed him backward. The force was strong enough to make his boots slide across the smooth floor.

Is this a barrier around her?

[It’s her magic exploding outward from her body uncontrolled! You will need to push through the pressure before you can reach her and perform the seal!]

The system’s text seemed to vibrate with urgency.

[I believe you can do it, Host!]

Reinhard chuckled despite the situation while a grin spread across his face. "Guess I don’t have a choice."

He lowered his stance and began forcing his way forward step by step while the pressure increased with each movement closer to Yor. The invisible force tried to drive him down to his knees, but he refused to bend. He kept pushing through with muscles straining and sweat beading on his forehead.

Five steps.

Ten steps.

The pressure became crushing, but he kept moving while his teeth ground together and his hands clenched into fists.

Fifteen steps and he was almost there.

Yor’s head lifted slightly, and her blank eyes met his for just a moment. Before her expression crumpled and tears started streaming down her face.

"I’m sorry," she whispered, and her voice was broken. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I can’t stop it."

"I know," Reinhard said while taking the final step that brought him right in front of her.

He dropped to his knees and cupped her face gently with both hands while tilting her head up to look at him properly. Her tears wet his palms, and her whole body shook with the effort of trying to contain something that had already broken free.

"It’s okay." He said softly. "I’ve got you."

Yor’s fingers clawed weakly at his uniform.

"No... You have to run... Please..." She whispered. "I don’t want to hurt you."

The lightning surged violently.

The system spoke again.

[Host... you may only get one chance.]

It’s enough.

Then Reinhard leaned forward and kissed her.

The moment their lips met, brilliant blue light erupted from Reinhard’s body. It rushed over Yor in waves that pushed back the black-white lightning. The grey world around them began to crack while lines of light spread through the colorless space like fractures in ice.

Reinhard pulled back slightly with his hands still on her arms while keeping her steady. They both watched as the cracks multiplied. It spread until the entire grey reality shattered like broken glass.

Color flooded back in an instant.

The frozen students collapsed all at once, with bodies hitting the floor throughout the mall while creating a sound like rain on stone. Yor fell forward into Reinhard’s arms while her eyes rolled back and consciousness left her completely.

Screaming started immediately.

Students who were frozen had all begun to fall to the ground unconscious. While others who hadn’t been affected began shouting for help. The sound of running footsteps echoed from multiple directions while disciplinary staff rushed toward the scene.

Reinhard sighed while cradling Yor’s unconscious form against his chest. "This just became a lot more complicated."

Guards surrounded them within seconds with weapons drawn while their faces showed equal parts fear and determination.

Their weapons were already pointed directly at him and Yor. One of them stepped forward with a pale face.

"Step away from the girl."

Reinhard tightened his hold on Yor instead as he saw for the first time. Every weapon in the room was aimed at him.

Yor stirred weakly in his arms.

Reinhard tightened his hold on her slightly.

Then he spoke calmly.

"I’m afraid I can’t do that."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop as the magic around the guards flared up. But at that moment, they realized something unsettling.

The calm expression on Reinhard’s face hadn’t changed at all. He simply held Yor closer and waited to see what the guards would do next.