<h4>Chapter 245 Home Sweet Home? [2]</h4>


    Ss'' eyes washed over the town-like city. It looked much bigger than when he was a child. He thought thating back here would have the opposite feeling since he was so much smaller, yet, that was not the case.


    A mncholic smile was on his face as he strode through the town with the rest of the students. He could not help but tighten his fists as his eyes fell upon the ces he used to go to.


    Memories of him and his sistering to the town center to buy bread from old Jack shed before his eyes. He could almost see it. The images of him and his sister running around through the town. Images of his sister talking to her friends while he looked on from the distance.


    Images of her trying to take care of him.


    Ss almost smelled the aroma of freshly baked bread waft into his nose. Almost.


    The aroma was quickly interchanged with the stench of animal feces and smoke.


    Men and women sat around, drinking and smoking without care. Almost everyone there was an adventure. There were no bakers anymore. Or at least the ones that Ss used to go to looked rundown, having been reced by a bar that seemed to operate at all hours of the day.


    Ss''s emerald eyes swept over the town-like city of dia, his usually stoic expression bearing a touch of mncholy. The ce appeared more extensive than his childhood memories, a surprising revtion. He had anticipated a feeling of diminishing proportions, given that he was much smaller thest time he had been here. Instead, he felt a pang of nostalgia mingled with something darker.


    As the students strolled through the streets, Ss couldn''t help but tighten his fists, his fingers digging into his palms. The memories surged before him like specters, ghostly images of a long-time time.


    He recalled himself and his sister visiting the town center, their small hands clutching meager coins to purchase bread from Old Jack, the friendly baker. Ss could almost taste the freshly baked loaves'' warmth and feel the dough''s soft texture in his mouth. The sight of his sister, herughter echoing through the cobblestone streets as she chatted with friends while he looked on, returned to him.


    In those memories, Ss''s sister was a beacon of light and warmth, her presence a source of sce and safety.


    But now, the streets told a different tale.


    The once-peaceful town of dia had transformed into a shadow of its former self. A pervasive air of destion hung heavy, like a shroud over the ce. It was as if the very soul of the town had been tainted by the passing years. The cobblestone streets that once gleamed with pristine charm were now marred with grime and dirt, their surfaces worn by countless feet.


    Gone were the quaint, small businesses that had once filled every nook and cranny. The cheerful bakeries, the charming toy shops, and the cozy bookstores had vanished. In their ce, rowdy taverns and smoky dens had sprung up, where adventurers and travelers congregated, their raucousughter and boisterous chatter filling the air.


    The aroma of freshly baked bread had been reced by the acrid stench of tobo smoke and the sour tang of spilled ale. Men and women sat haphazardly around crude wooden tables, indulging in drink and merriment, theirughter ringing harshly in Ss''s ears.


    In the past, carriages had traversed the cobbled streets, carrying goods and townsfolk to their destinations. Now, the streetsy eerily empty of such conveyances, their absence adding to the unsettling transformation. The buildings that had once housed cherished memories of Ss''s childhood now looked dpidated, their windows cracked and boarded up.


    Ss''s heart stirred with mixed emotions, both anger and mncholy. The town he had once known as a ce of sce and simplicity had been overrun by the hustle and bustle of adventurers and the darkness that seemed to apany their presence. It was a stark reminder that even the most cherished memories could be tainted by the relentless march of time and change.


    Ss'' eyes drifted toward the pink-haired figure in the distance who seemed to be looking at everything around her with the same expression as Ss.


    Though, her anger was far more evident than Ss''. However, Ss expected as much. To him, she was a child. She was allowed to get angry and upset at her childhood town changing this much.


    Its warmth was no more, cruelly reced by the coldness of greed.


    In dia, the poor had only gotten poorer, resorting to more profound and dirty ways of earning money rather than the fair andwful lifestyles they held before.


    The poorer women fell into depravity, while the men fell into an endless cycle of viciousness.


    A cold smile extended from the corner of Ss'' lips as he turned his head and gazed at a certain direction.


    Within the church in the middle of the city, an older man felt every hair on his body rise. He looked back hurriedly, causing the two knights next to him to raise their des and point in the same direction.


    "Is everything alright, father?" They asked after not seeing anything in the direction that the man was looking at.


    "I-It''s nothing... Must be those damn demons." he waved his hands before tapping his heart twice in the symbol of Gilea.


    While the priest tried his best to ward off the evil ghosts, the students had walked a couple hundred meters and had reached a significantlyrge building. It had multiple stories, and from what it looked like, it was most likely the ce they would stay at.


    Ss'' eyes quickly moved through the crowds of students before a question emerged in his mind.


    ''Where the hell are the rest of us going to stay?'' He thought to himself.


    There were only about half a thousand of them, but that number alone was high enough to fill arge portion of the town.


    The town itself only had close to 10 thousand residents, from what Ss had counted. It was a lot higher than how many they had before despite half the poption dying almost six years ago.


    Aka, standing at the forefront of the gathered students, surveyed the bustling crowd with a tranquil smile. Slowly, he ced both hands behind his back and addressed the assembled students.


    "Two hundred of you will stay here," he announced, causing a wave of relief to wash over half the students while sending the other half into a state of disbelief. The idea of being left behind in the town was met with mixed emotions.


    Ss, Nymira, Alex, and the remaining two hundred and ny-seven students were destined for the forest. Aka''s voice carried a calm assurance as he continued, "The rest of us will camp in the forest."


    His words hung in the air, a heavy silence following them. The students grappled with the reality of the situation. Two distinct groups were formed: those who would experience theforts of town life, and those who would venture into the depths of dia Forest. The teachers, including Ss and hispanions, would apany therger group into the woods to ensure their safety.


    An array of emotions swirled within the group destined for the forest. Anxiety, excitement, and uncertainty danced in their eyes, each student processing the imminent expedition differently. The prospect of facing the enigmatic forest sparked both fear and curiosity, aplex blend of emotions that they would soon confront head-on.


    The transition from the lively town of dia to the outskirts of the forest was stark. The students, along with their teachers, followed a winding path that gradually led them into the embrace of the dense woods. As the town receded into the distance, the sounds of everyday life were reced by the soft rustling of leaves, the chirping of unseen birds, and the distant murmur of a flowing river.


    The air grew cooler, carrying a crisp, earthy scent that spoke of centuries of untouched wilderness. The golden grasnds were now a distant memory, reced by towering trees, their ancient branches forming a natural canopy that filtered the sunlight. Shafts of golden light pierced through the dense foliage, creating a mesmerizing intery of shadows and illumination.


    The forest itself was a living tapestry of colors and life. Vibrant flowers dotted the forest floor, their petals like scattered jewels amidst the lush green carpet of moss and ferns. asional butterflies flitted by, adding fleeting bursts of color to the otherwise serenendscape.


    As the group delved deeper into the forest, the air grew denser with mana, and the ambiance began to shift. The atmosphere became charged with an otherworldly energy, and the students could sense the subtle change. Even the wildlife seemed to grow more elusive, their distant calls echoing like whispers through the woods.


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