Chapter 331
Before the question could fully take shape, his consciousness was ambushed by another presence.
A woman's voice emerged within the throne room of his mind—clear, cold, and perfectly carved, like a crystal that could speak.
Its tone was flat, sterile of all emotional color, neither a question nor a command, but merely a statement that existed as it was.
The voice pierced straight into the core of his awareness, bypassing every sensory intermediary—a form of pure communication that could only occur through telepathy.
"Meet me in the bathroom. There is an urgent matter we need to discuss, and your location is not safe. Go there quickly."
That certainty struck Theo like a short circuit inside his mind.
Yes, there was no mistaking it.
The structured coolness, the near-painful clarity, and the lingering sense of ambivalence—everything bore the psychic signature of Aldraya Kansh Que.
That telepathic transmission was no longer a foreign voice, but a frequency he knew intimately, a wave originating from the very essence of existence that had already taken residence within his RWIA.
The request itself sounded simple, yet its context made it anything but ordinary.
The restroom?
An ordinary, even trivial place, chosen as the location for an "important" conversation by a former Highest Angel who was now part of his own consciousness.
Theo's thoughts immediately shot forward, analyzing layer upon layer.
Aldraya was not the type to make jokes, especially not through a communication channel this serious.
If she declared something important, then the urgency and the consequences were undeniably real.
The choice of a covert location was itself a message—this was a conversation that must not be witnessed, or even overheard, by anyone in the physical world.
Perhaps there were limitations, perhaps there were unwanted listeners, or perhaps the nature of the discussion itself demanded absolute secrecy.
The school restroom, with its solitude and temporary isolation, abruptly transformed from a functional space into a hidden chamber, a transitional room suited for the exchange of information between two entities bound by a single fate.
"Excuse me, sir. May I go to the restroom for a moment?"
"Go ahead, Theo. But don't take too long, and don't you dare detour to the cafeteria."
Theo's steps as he left the classroom felt like crossing an invisible membrane.
The solemn, slightly stuffy atmosphere of the study room was instantly replaced by the wide, cool silence of the corridor.
Only the sound of his shoes echoed softly against the gleaming ceramic floor, creating a solitary rhythm that accompanied his walk.
His mind, previously crowded with speculation about Erietta and future narratives, was now wiped clean and clear, like a screen prepared to display an important message.
'Her hair is still as white as snow, not blemished in the slightest.
Too pure for a world that never stops trying to stain it. And she still hasn't realized that I've arrived.'
Theo froze at the intersection of the corridor, as though an unseen line had been drawn before him, separating the ordinary hallway from a scene that felt lifted from an entirely different canvas.
Across from him, occupying the space with statue-like certainty, stood Aldraya.
Her long, immaculate white hair—like the first snow atop high mountains—fell straight down her back, catching the pale light of the neon lamps and reflecting it with a paradoxical softness.
She stood upright, perfect, with a posture that was no longer entirely human—more like a single-edged sword sheathed within a school uniform.
The gaze that was usually filled with cold sarcasm or distant divine light was now empty.
Or rather, fixed far ahead, piercing through the concrete wall at the end of the corridor, drifting toward a horizon visible only to her.
That stare was devoid of awareness of her surroundings.
She was a monument submerged in her own interior contemplation, isolated within a bubble of time and space entirely her own.
The fact that she did not notice Theo's presence—something nearly impossible given their symbiotic connection—only made the moment feel all the more strange and significant.
Her position, "slightly to the right" of the corridor's center, was no coincidence.
It placed her precisely within a frame of shadow and light, carving her silhouette sharply against an otherwise mundane backdrop.
Theo held his breath and observed.
There was no movement, no prolonged blinking, no trace of the Aldraya he knew—neither the cold and cynical one, nor the one who unconsciously radiated cosmic harmony in her sleep.
This was Aldraya in a third state.
An entity locked in an intense standby mode, a weapon not yet aimed, an angel receiving a transmission from an unknown frequency.
The silence between them, separated only by the width of the corridor, felt louder than any scream, and Theo knew that the restroom meeting he had imagined would begin with a scene far more complex than he had anticipated.
'Too innocent for someone who is supposed to be the epicenter of destruction.'
Hoooooh!
'She doesn't even glance left or right. Not guarding. Not alert.
Just standing there, frozen, staring ahead as if the world might answer her if she remains still long enough.'
"Sorry. Have you been waiting long?"
Theo could only murmur inwardly, transfixed by the simultaneously innocent and alien impression radiating from the figure before him.
The Aldraya who was usually so sharp, so acutely aware of every detail around her, now stood like a marble sculpture in the middle of an empty school corridor.
She paid absolutely no attention to her surroundings, neither left nor right, as though the world beyond herself had faded into meaningless noise.
Her calm was not a relaxed calm, but an intense freeze, a singular focus directed either deep inward or toward a distant point invisible to ordinary eyes.
Her awareness, usually ever-present and vigilant, was now wholly drawn elsewhere.
After observing for several moments in the heavy silence, Theo finally moved his feet.
His steps were slow and careful, as though approaching a feral cat that might flee—or suddenly strike.
Each footstep echoed softly on the ceramic floor, marking the steadily shrinking distance between himself and the white-haired living statue.
Only a few steps were needed before he stood close enough, feeling the cool yet tranquil aura emanating from Aldraya's body.
He was right beside her, yet the girl did not stir, as though his presence was still insufficient to pull her out of that strange trance.
Theo finally broke the silence.
His voice came out softly, both a greeting and a question, attempting to reach Aldraya's awareness without startling her.
He asked whether she had been waiting there for long.
His words were spoken neither with panic nor condescension, but evenly and with curiosity, as though trying to measure the depth of the mental absence being experienced by half of his own soul.
"You're almost late."
Awareness returned to those ruby eyes with a gentleness that was nearly imperceptible.
Her blink was exceedingly slow, like a curtain being lifted after a long solo performance within her own mind.
In that single, meaningful second, all the emptiness and separation from the surrounding space evaporated, replaced by a presence that was fully conscious and focused.
Her gaze, now alive again, turned and landed squarely on Theo standing before her, absorbing every detail of him in an instant.
Her voice followed immediately—clear, flat, and precise, like the ticking of a clock.
Aldraya responded, offering an observation about time that was not merely a casual remark, but a measured, subtle reprimand.
She stated that Theo had nearly crossed into the category of "late."
To be continued…