The Perfect Aemeath

In the empty and deathly silent training pod, only Aemeath's suppressed, intermittent sobs echoed.

I don't know how long I cried, until my tears were almost all gone and my vision became blurry.

While she was still immersed in the grief of Lu Yan's departure.

"Laugh--!"

A dull, mechanical hum suddenly sounded from behind.

Immediately afterwards, as the air pressure was rapidly released, the heavy, sealed metal door of the training cabin began to open slowly.

The outside light, streaming through the widening gap, pierced the darkness inside the cabin like a sharp sword.

Along with the light, came the cacophony of voices, hurried footsteps, and the piercing echo of an alarm.

"Quickly! Medical team, follow!"

"Hydraulic system normal, hatch open!"

"Quickly check what's inside!"

Upon hearing these sounds, Aemeath's golden eyes, which were filled with tears and almost unfocused, suddenly narrowed.

Her brain reacted in a fraction of a second.

She took a deep breath and swallowed back the agonizing Lamentation that threatened to tear her apart.

Aemeath quickly raised her hands and vigorously wiped her cheeks and the corners of her eyes with the sleeves of her training uniform.

The fabric left red marks on her fair and delicate skin, but she was completely unaware, only desperately wiping away her tears.

Then, she reached out and patted her pale, stiff cheeks, which had become stiff with grief.

"Slap! Slap!" The crisp sound of slaps rang out in the small space, forcibly bringing a trace of color to the cheeks of the living.

The moment the training pod opened completely, the blinding sunlight filled the entire cockpit.

The fragile girl who sat on the ground crying disappeared.

Instead, the top student of the Labelle Department of Rinascita Star Torch Academy was appointed.

That eternally sunny, cheerful, lively, confident, and impeccable Aemeath.

Her beautiful face was now adorned with the smile everyone knew so well.

"Aemeath!"

A hurried yet authoritative voice rang out first.

Saga, the instructor from the Labelle Department, didn't even wait for the hatch to be fully secured before darting into the cockpit.

Saga was known for his strictness and composure, and he always wore a crisp instructor's uniform.

But at this moment, this usually composed mentor's face was filled with barely concealed panic and lingering fear.

Her gaze swept over Aemeath's body like radar, and only after confirming that Amy's limbs were intact and there were no obvious external injuries did her tense shoulders suddenly relax, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

"Thank God you're alright..."

Saga quickly walked up to Aemeath and knelt down.

Just as she was about to reach out and help Aemeath up, Saga's gaze suddenly stopped.

She noticed the very noticeable red mark at the corner of Aemeath's eye.

That wasn't caused by strenuous exercise or training fatigue; those were clearly marks left from intense crying.

"Aemeath, are you hurt somewhere? Why are your eyes red?"

Saga's tone instantly became tense, and his brows furrowed tightly:

"Don't push yourself! The concentration of Void Matter underground suddenly surged exponentially, causing not only a strong spatial tremor but also a Lament!"

As Saga spoke, he glanced nervously at the control panel in the cockpit:

"The entire training ground's communication system completely collapsed at that moment. We completely lost communication with you, and even the forced exit program failed."

"We have no idea what you went through in there... Aemeath, are you alright?"

Despite her mentor's anxious questioning, Aemeath's smile remained perfectly natural.

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes curving into two beautiful crescent moons, and answered lightly in a tone that was both playful and slightly exhausted:

"It's alright, Teacher Saga ~"

Aemeath's acting was flawless.

She even deliberately made her voice sound slightly hoarse, as if she had just undergone intense training.

"It's really nothing. It's just that when the communication suddenly dropped, the screen was full of gibberish, and then the training pod started shaking violently. I thought it was going to explode!"

As Aemeath spoke, she extended her right hand and, somewhat embarrassed, rubbed the corner of her reddened eye. The movement was so natural and fluid that it was flawless.

"Teacher, you know I'm usually pretty brave, but that feeling of losing control is really scary..."

"I was so anxious inside that I cried. I was pulling the lever with all my might, and my eyes were blurred with sweat and tears. I rubbed them so hard that they turned red."

"Is that really all?" Saga looked at her with a skeptical expression.

Looking into Aemeath's clear, confident golden eyes, she finally sighed, the doubt in her eyes replaced by heartache.

"It's alright, it's alright. This time, the academy's security system had a major malfunction, which must have given you a fright."

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps and chattering shouts came from outside the training cabin.

"Aemeath! Aemeath, are you inside?!"

Excuse me! Excuse me! We need to get through!

Aemeath's four best friends at the academy, Lynn, Nova, Elara, and Celeste, disregarded the obstruction of the surrounding medical personnel and squeezed through the crowd, rushing to the door of the training pod covered in sweat.

Lin, who was at the very front, had tears welling up in her eyes, looking like a frightened rabbit.

She saw Aemeath sitting on the ground, and immediately rushed over to her, hugging her tightly, her voice trembling with tears:

"Waaaaah... Aemeath, you idiot! You scared us to death, you know! The alarm was blaring like Rinascita was going to be destroyed, we thought you weren't going to make it out!"

Nova, her face also pale, quickly stepped forward and examined Aemeath's body from head to toe. Only after confirming that no limbs were missing did she let out a heavy sigh.

"It's good that everyone is alright."

Elara, her eyes red, wiped away tears and patted her chest with lingering fear.

"You don't know, the Star Torch Academy's barrier was flickering just now, and all communications were cut off. I thought Rinascita was going to be destroyed!"

Celeste stood at the very back. Although she wasn't as excited as the others, her gentle eyes were now filled with tears. She said softly:

"Aemeath, are you really alright? Do you feel any pain anywhere, or any strange feelings?"

Surrounded by her four friends, feeling their most sincere care and tears, Aemeath felt a complex mix of emotions.

In the past, she might have hugged them and cried and laughed together.

But now, it's as if a large part of her soul has been taken away, and the remaining half has been completely filled with the obsession left behind by Lu Yan before he disappeared.

Her heart had become a bottomless well, and the warmth of the outside world could no longer stir even the slightest ripple within it.

However, she had to continue wearing this perfect disguise.

"Okay, okay, stop crying. You're making it sound like something really terrible has happened to me."

Aemeath reached out and gently patted Lynn's back, then looked up and surveyed her four best friends.

Aemeath's smile grew even brighter, a radiant, sun-like smile that almost fooled everyone present.

"It's okay, I'm really okay. Look at me, I'm perfectly fine here."

She broke free from Lin's embrace, stood up, and spun around lightly to show off her perfectly intact training clothes.

"Only..."

Aemeath stopped moving, lowered her eyes slightly, letting her long eyelashes conceal the fleeting deathly stillness in them. She perfectly conveyed a hint of weariness, and her voice softened slightly:

"I was on edge the whole time in the training pod, but now that I've relaxed, I feel a bit tired."

"I feel like I don't even want to move a single finger right now..."

Aemeath hung her hands at her sides, looking dejected.

Then, Aemeath turned to look at her mentor Saga standing to the side, clasped her hands together, adopted a docile and pitiful expression, and softly pleaded:

"Teacher, I'm under a lot of mental stress right now, and I really don't want to attend any accident reports."

"Can I go back and rest first?"

Aemeath winked adorably at Teacher Saga.

Looking at Aemeath's pale face, which was smiling but still showed signs of exhaustion, Saga's heart softened.

After such a serious accident, other students would probably have broken down and cried long ago.

It's quite remarkable that Aemeath can maintain her composure.

"Of course. All training and assessments today are cancelled."

Saga nodded, his tone gentle yet still carrying a hint of authority as he spoke:

"However, make sure you get plenty of rest when you get back. If you feel any discomfort in your nerves tonight or tomorrow, or Frequency becomes irregular, don't try to tough it out. If you really can't take it, be sure to go to the school clinic, okay?"

"Okay!"

Aemeath smiled and drawled, her tone as light as a lark about to fly out of its cage, "No problem~ I'll be fine after a good night's sleep!"

After saying that, she turned around and walked to the floor next to the cockpit control panel.

There, lying quietly, was her backpack and the volunteer form that had fallen onto the metal floor, dusty with a trace of dirt.

Aemeath bent down.

When her fingertips touched the thin piece of paper that read "Save the world" again, she paused for a full second.

Four hours earlier, when she wrote those four words, she was full of anticipation, wondering how A-Yan would view her when he returned.

Four hours later, the paper remained intact, the world continued to turn as usual, but the person who had been with her had been utterly destroyed before her eyes because of the outrageous words written on that paper.

Aemeath's gaze turned as cold as ice for a moment, but when she straightened up and turned her head, the expression on her face was still that of a carefree girl.

She casually dusted off the application form, carefully folded it, and put it into her inner pocket. Then she carefully put away Lu Yan's uniform next to her.

Then, he picked up the slightly heavy schoolbag from the ground with one hand and casually tossed it over his shoulder.

"I'll be going now! Lynn, Nova, Elara, Celeste, see you tomorrow!"

She waved to her friends, her smile so radiant it could melt the first snowflakes.

Lin called out to Aemeath, a little worried, "Hey! Slow down! Do you need us to take you back to your dorm?"

"No, no! I just want to go back and hug my cozy little bed!"

Aemeath waved without turning her head, took long strides, and lightly left the rooftop of the Labelle Department, walking alone past the busy medical staff and security personnel.