Jaden stared at the manual of Seven Gate Sword Art for a good minute as his finger rubbed across the dark, cracked cover.

He exhaled slowly and opened the manual, but before he could read it, a sound from the hallway reached his ears.

Knock Knock...

Someone was hurriedly knocking at his door. A frown appeared on his face as he stood up from the bed and walked towards the main door.

He pulled the door open and glanced at the visitor. Surprisingly, Selina stood outside his dorm.

She took a few quick breaths before asking, "Can I come in?"

He nodded and gestured for her to enter before speaking, "Get in."

She didn't make him wait and quickly stepped into the dorm and made her way into his bedroom. He raised an eyebrow at her and thought, 'Why is she acting... so strangely?'

He closed the door and stepped into the bedroom, just in time to see her checking his bed.

His frown deepened as he asked, "What are you doing, Selina?"

"A-ah, it's nothing... I just dropped something," Selina lied without even batting an eye.

"Oh..." A look of understanding appeared on his face as he nodded and spoke, "Did you find it?"

"Yes, I did find it," she replied as she clasped her hands behind her back. She clenched her fist and thought, 'That bitch was acting...' her fingers turned pale because of how tight she was clenching them.

He nodded and pointed at the chair while taking a seat on the bed, "You can take the chair."

She didn't hesitate and sat in the chair while staring at the puppies in the corners.

"Are they yours?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

A smile appeared on his face as he nodded and spoke, "They are..."

Her tone softened as she asked, "What about the other one?"

His lips dropped into a frown as he looked at her in confusion and asked, "Other one?"

"The one you used to talk... ah..." she spoke, but turned silent as she remembered his memory loss.

He also lowered his head and thought, 'I had someone before?'

The room fell into silence until the devouring pups chirped softly.

"Breee!"

"Bruuu!"

He smiled and gestured for them to turn silent before asking, "So, why did you come here?"

"I thought you'd need someone by your side..." she answered.

"I see..." he mumbled.

Silence clouded the room once again, and Selina spoke, "Isn't it weird? To live a life without knowing how you got here?"

A bittersweet smile took his face as he answered with a nod, "It is weird, very weird. I don't even know the people who consider me as their friend or... their lover."

A dark look appeared on her face upon his words as she mumbled, "It's fine... You will get your memories back one day."

He let out a chuckle, "I hope so."

She lifted her head, looked at him with saddened eyes, stood up and commented before leaving, "It seems you are handling yourself quite well without the help of anyone... do call me if you need someone to accompany you."

He smiled and nodded, "Sure."

She bit her lower lip and left.

The soft click of the door lock resounded in his dorm room as he slouched on his bed and mumbled, "She said it like she's fine herself."

A bitter chuckle let his lips as he let himself drown in sleep.

The sun moved further, and the moon rose, overtaking the boundless sky.

Jaden made his way inside the House of Nature with the devouring pups in his hands. Just as he walked into the hall, his eyes landed on the students of the House of Nature.

The hall was still filled with activity as the students moved from one place to another

He walked further in and saw the attire of different houses at the far end.

He hurried over, and just as he had expected, the receptionist counter was there.

"Hello, I want to register my... pets," he said as he raised the pups higher.

At the reception sat a gaunt man with dark circles under his eyes. He adjusted his spectacles and asked in a fatigued and hoarse voice, "Name...?"

He leaned forward and answered, "Jaden Cross."

The receptionist wrote his name and questioned, "How many...?"

"Two," Jaden replied instantly.

The receptionist lifted his head and looked at him with an irritated expression as he spoke, "Why don't you sit here and list the pets of all the students if you are that full of energy?"

Jaden gulped and spoke, "I didn't mean to be disrespectful. I am sorry."

The receptionist heaved a sigh and spoke, "Hah... You don't have to be sorry..."

He finished writing the entry, took out two scrolls with a magic circle and gave them to Jaden, "Go back to your dorm and make them sit in the magic circles. After that, flow your mana into the circles."

Jaden took the scrolls and replied with a nod, "Thanks."

He left the House of Nature and returned to his dorm.

He spread the scrolls on the floor and placed the devouring pups within the magic circles. The pups looked at the magic circles with curious eyes, but before they tried to do anything with them, Jaden reprimanded.

"Just sit straight, both of you."

The pups raised their little heads and stared at him with eyes that seemed to say: What are you being so noisy for?

He placed his hands on the magic circles and channelled his mana into them. The circles shone with a dim lime coloured light which brightened with each passing moment until it brightened the whole room.

Jaden opened his eyes and looked at the entity floating before him. She appeared to be a human, but her ears were long and sharp, and her hair seemed to be alive.

The strangest thing, however, was her stature. She was as big as an adult human's palm—

"You are calling me short in your head, aren't you?"

______

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Goals

• 100 power stones = extra 1 chapter.

• 100 golden tickets = extra 1 chapter.

• 100 collections = extra 1 chapter.

• Golden Castle = extra 5 chapters.

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