The walk to the vendor street was surprisingly fast.
Before Lune even realized it, he was already there—moving through rows of stalls packed tightly together, customers filling the street from one end to the other.
His grandma's stall was near the end, but the thick crowd made it impossible to spot from a distance.
Only when he stood a few meters away did he finally see it.
It was small, far smaller than the other stalls.
A simple table stood slightly crooked on the cobblestone street, its surface covered in countless handcrafted ornaments, each one waiting to catch the eye of a passing customer.
Handcrafted ornaments weren't particularly profitable. Far from it. But his grandma loved making them, and the modest income was just enough to support the two of them in their small house on the city's outskirts.
Lune paused, watching as she sold an ornament to a customer. A bright smile spread across her face, a smile he had seen countless times before. Yet seeing it again filled him with a sudden warmth.
Lune waited for the customer to leave before approaching.
"Grandma," he called as he stepped forward.
She lifted her gaze toward him.
But instead of warmth or recognition, she looked back at him with a confused look on her face.
"H-how can I help you, young man?" she asked, her voice hesitant, clearly taken aback by his lack of formality.
'How… can I help you?'
The words echoed in his head as he staggered back.
An awkward silence stretched between them while his thoughts raced—until it clicked.
The description of his title.
His encounter with Lia in the female dormitory.
And now his grandma.
The words resurfaced in his mind:
[You are the Void's Heir. Your existence cannot be remembered.]
'They… they can't remember me.'
The sudden realization washed over him like a cold tide, stealing his breath as clarity struck.
Before he could steady himself, his grandma spoke again, her voice woven with concern.
"Young man?"
"Oh, I…" He hesitated, unsure what to say. His gaze drifted away from her worried expression and settled on the items displayed on the table.
She misunderstood.
"They're all handmade," she said gently. "Every one of them is unique—perfect as a gift for someone dear to you."
Half panicked and half disoriented, Lune picked up one of the ornaments, pretending to examine it despite having seen it countless times before.
"That's a great choice. I'm sure whoever you wish to give it to will be beyond happy."
Lune simply nodded, lost in thought, doing his best not to come across as impolite.
"Should I wrap it up for you?" his grandma asked.
He nodded without thinking.
Then, suddenly, he remembered he had no money on him.
"Umm… I…" he hesitated, clenching his empty pocket.
His grandma realized what was happening without missing a beat. She continued wrapping the lotus-shaped hair ornament and handed it to him.
"It's okay," she said with a warm smile.
'That's just like her…' Lune thought. She always put others before herself. She didn't remember who he was, and yet she gave him the ornament without hesitation.
"Thank you," he said, bowing low before turning and leaving the vendor street behind.
Lune took his time walking back to the academy.
The knot in his heart never left, only tightened as he thought more and more about his situation.
His existence became forgotten.
But what did that really mean? Would they remember him now after meeting him again? Or would he never be remembered again?
There was no answer to the countless questions in his head and before he could come to any conclusion or understanding, he arrived at the academy grounds.
He took a swift glance at his wrist, looking for his old mechanical watch only to realise just now that it was gone, probably lost during his first expedition.
He let out a long exhale before heading toward the lecture hall.
The academy halls were crowded, surprisingly so, but Lune didn't linger, pushing through the crowd and entering the lecture hall without skipping a beat.
He appeared to be early as only a handful of seats were taken, among them, a half familiar figure sat alone near the back of the hall.
A girl with short black hair and an eye patch. The girl he met right after his First Expedition, Elise Moreau.
'Seems like she really did return from the First Expedition at similar time as me'
He moved past the countless rows of empty seats and found a seat at the far back of the hall, far away from anyone present.
He sat there idly for around twenty more minutes as more and more students entered the hall. Only once the number of students reached around eighty, did a middle aged man with countless scars and long hair neatly tied behind, made himself present, stepping forward toward the small podium.
"Welcome everyone. My name is Darius and I will be conducting your Pre-Awakened Lecture. First of all, I would like to you congratulate every one of you for completing your First Expedition. I'm sure it must've been hard but believe me when I say that it is nothing compared to the Second one."
The man's voice snapped everyone's attention toward him, including Lune's.
He listened as the man explained the intricacies of the expeditions, mostly things Lune already knew.
The second expedition starts exactly ten days after the person returns from the first one
The First Expedition begins at the Harvest, while the Second Expedition begins exactly ten days after one's return to Earth.
It left basically no room for preparations, only a moment of rest before taking on another trial in the Realm Beyond. That is exactly why the real academy curriculum begins once the person returns from the second expedition and only provides accommodation to those who return from the first one.
Of course Lune, as well as everyone else, knew that already.
The initial intrigue of the lecture turned to a sudden boredom as the man continued repeating things that everyone knew already. Some students even left the hall prematurely, feeling like the whole lecture was just a waste of time during their limited time back on Earth.
But before the lecture could near its end, Darius' expression suddenly turned more serious, his tone carrying a wave of sudden seriousness.
"...that's why you must kill or be killed. There is no law, no trust, no justice in the Realm Beyond. Those who return write history while those who fall are forgotten, that's why you must do whatever you can to survive."
'...those who fall are forgotten...' the words echoed in Lune's head.
They struck closer to home than to most students. He already became forgotten, what if he died one? With no one that remembers him, it would've been as if he never existed.
A sudden resolve burnt up in his heart.
No.
No matter what, he would not die forgotten.
He would not live a life only to be erased in silence.
Whatever entity, whatever it was that would try to keep him forgotten he would oppose it all.
His fist clenched at his side, resolve burning through him, but before he could continue with his silent vows, a sudden, soft, female voice cut through his thoughts.
"Lecture's over"