Everyone worked hard to learn sorcery. Those were such innocent days, where all were simply eagerly looking forward to their future. Their days were filled with studies as they progressed quickly. The world was such a wonderful place back then.

As Peranos noticed Grimm's yearning for the past, he waved his hand and said, "Go on, now. After you have experienced all these, you'll be an official sorcerer."

Grimm nodded and turned to leave.

...

He took out his crystal ball and charged it with some magical energy before sending a signal to a channel that he had not contacted for two hundred years.

Quite a while later, the crystal ball connected. An overjoyed voice came through the crystal ball, having a tone of disbelief. "Grimm?"

A pale, old face appeared in the crystal ball. Beneath the Mask of Truth, Grimm was momentarily stunned. Slowly, the image of the crystal ball overlapped with the cute, shy Nina York from Grimm's memories.

Grimm recalled the day where her brother, Chris York, died. Her sorrow was utterly depressing.

He then reminisced about the wonderful moments during the last prom before the qualification battles of the holy tower, when she danced with Heimloch, the plain and introverted sorcerer-apprentice.

He thought about how she had proved her strengths during the qualification wars of the Holy Tower and how she finally became confident in herself and her achievements.

Memories of the past always seemed so wonderful as they looked forward to an even better future.

But in reality…

He remembered the little girl who addressed him as "Big Brother Grimm" each time she saw him. But now, even though the little girl was now an old, pale sorcerer, and that she was still happy to see him again, things just weren't like before.

Were these the nuances of the pa.s.sage of time?

Grimm let out a smile. His voice was gentle. He tried to recall his old voice that was filled with vigor. "Nina."

But as the words came out of his mouth, it was already tainted by the hoa.r.s.e voice of a Dark Sorcerer. Even the little hints of joy in his voice were overshadowed by the cold, calmness of his voice.

Beneath the Mask of Truth, Grimm carried a stiff facial expression. He wanted to appear friendlier but soon discovered that he had lost that side of him.

He couldn't do it unless he thought of this whole ordeal as an infiltration mission.

Nina carried the same stiff expression but soon resumed her cheerful looks. The once innocent, shy, little girl too, had become mature.

What a cruel kind of maturity this was!

Nina stared at Grimm's mask. Although it had turned grayish from a pale white, and that the small spiral pattern had grown larger, it still carried the same mysterious aura.

"Grimm, where are you? I'll come pick you up." Nina sent out an invitation.

...

A little over half an hourgla.s.s later.

In a small cottage filled with the fragrance of coffee, Grimm sat across Nina as they looked at each other. There were two guardian knights standing behind Nina. A beautiful-looking female humanoid slave carried trays of refined cakes.

Yet, coffees and cakes did not appeal to Grimm and Nina who were already real sorcerers.

"Grimm, I never thought you would ever return."

Nina's face was filled with wrinkles. She raised her coffee with her frail hand that looked like an old bark of a tree. Her dimples were deeply depressed, and her eyes were a little murky. Two guardian knights stood behind her attentively.

Grimm smiled as he placed his cup of coffee on the table.

"Nina, I didn't think you would be a sorcerer. Congratulations."

Nina shook her head and smiled gently. "I'd never thought so too. But somehow, without realizing it, both my and my brother's wishes were all fulfilled."

Restoring Nina's disfigured face during the sea disaster and becoming a real sorcerer. Those were the York sibling's wishes.

A sense of yearning filled Grimm's eyes. He spoke slowly, "Nina, what about the others…"

Nina appeared stiff. She remained silent for a few seconds. The air was a bit heavy.

"We've lost contact with Robin a hundred and twenty years ago. We heard that she never came back after her travels through the Ruby Seas."

"What about Robinson?" Grimm asked anxiously.

"Robinson...he never became an official sorcerer. Seventy-five years ago, he died in Scathom City which was under the jurisdiction of Black Isotta Sorcerer Academy. I personally oversaw his pa.s.sing. Robinson and Robin had a son called Silent. He did not succeed during the Black Isotta's recruit tryout."

"Dead, huh…"

Grimm's voice appeared to be trembling in fear.

Grimm looked at Nina with begging eyes as he asked in a faltering tone, "What...what about Lefay? How is she now?"

"Lefay, Lefay's…"

Nina York quietly looked at Grimm. She pursed her lips and couldn't say another word.

Grimm felt breathless as if he's taken a punch to the chest. He leaned against the couch lifelessly and slowly closed his eyes.

"Did Lefay fail to become an official sorcerer and died as well?" Grimm asked sadly. His voice was choked with tears.

So this was how it felt to part with life. The pain from never meeting a loved one again and the regret of not loving and appreciating his beloved more…

If only…

If only he had chosen to abandon the path of a demon-hunter and spent the remaining time of his life with his beloved, would he feel any different now?

Grimm had no idea. He had already lost his chance.

Although Grimm was farsighted and had already antic.i.p.ated the piercing pain when he decided to leave the academy, he never thought it would be so painful when it really hit him.

The soreness at the tip of his nose and within his heart made Grimm's eyes tear up.

It was irreparable, hopeless remorse.

"No! Lefay...Lefay didn't die! Her Symbiotic Insect was the Bollworm! She's still alive!" Nina was struggling to explain as she looked squarely into Grimm's eyes.

Grimm couldn't believe the sudden great news. He stared at Nina with shuddering eyes.

His mouth was wide open. He was trying to make sure if this whole thing was an illusion. He mumbled, "Did you say that… Lefay, Lefay didn't die?"

"Yes, although Lefay did not become an official sorcerer, she's not dead yet. I'm sure of it!" Nina bit her lips tightly trying to hold in her emotions. Her eyes became red.

Grimm stood up suddenly feeling surprised, puzzled, and overjoyed. "Where is she now, I want to meet her, I want to meet her now!"

Nina looked at Grimm's truthful eyes. Her sunken, murky eyes became even redder. Was she crying?

An official sorcerer, crying?

Grimm was absolutely confounded.

He didn't care if Lefay hadn't made it in becoming an official sorcerer. As long as he still had a chance to see Lefay, he would spend the best days of his life with her. He would make up for all the good times that they had missed.

He wanted to watch the sunset quietly with Lefay. He wanted to hold a grand wedding in her father's castle in Bi Seer City. He wanted to hold her hands, telling her how much he loved her ten thousand times or more.

He still had the chance to make up for all the lost time with these wonderful moments, but why did Nina show such a strange expression?

Grimm stared at Nina, waiting for an answer.

Nina looked at the mysterious, powerful, but somewhat pitiful person in front of her. She slowly closed her eyes and spoke out tearfully.

"Lefay… she and many of the apprentices had been tricked by the evil, Black Sorcerer Hattori the Hidden, from the Bone Tower Academy who was from our batch and later became his follower. I am certain that she's still alive because her name's still on the bounty list."

Nina's words struck Grimm like a bolt of lightning. He was in disbelief.

A scroll, filled with a list of apprentices' names appeared slowly. The bounty list comprised of hundreds of Black Sorcerer-apprentices. Lefay's name was on it.