(Flashback)
Lior watched the students from a distance, their smiles bright and unrestrained. For a moment, he allowed himself to return the gesture.
Their happiness… it's worth any trouble, he thought.
The Academy's higher authorities had rejected his request for the Xyrrhal Ruins exploration outright. Their reasoning: too dangerous. Not yet prepared. Protocol.
Protocol doesn't teach joy, Lior mused.
He straightened his back and decided there was only one solution: go directly to the Empress.
The throne room was immense, gold reflecting the Beacon-light in soft pulses. Lior entered, knees bending instinctively as he bowed.
"Your Majesty," he said, voice steady.
Rose Hanover's gaze swept over him, sharp as ever. A faint smile tugged at her lips.
"It's been a long time, Lior. How are you as a tutor? Has… something happened?"
She tilted her head, teasing, noting his thinner frame.
Lost weight? Lior thought, but the teasing passed unnoticed.
Then her expression shifted. Cold. Regal. Empress.
"So… why are you here?" she asked, the air suddenly heavy.
Lior's voice was measured. "I need permission."
"For what?" Rose's brow rose, a challenge in her tone.
"Ruins exploration."
Rose's eyes narrowed. "You know I cannot allow this."
"I know," Lior replied. "But you will."
Her laugh was low, amused, and dangerous. "Do you think this is a game, Lior? You know the danger—"
"As per your former knight's teachings," Lior interrupted, "is it disrespectful to pursue knowledge for their happiness?"
Rose's lips curved into a confident, almost imperceptible smile.
She reached beneath the throne and retrieved a small relic, placing it carefully into his hands.
"Take this. It will store food for Orynth."
Lior's eyes flickered. "It's just a small exploration…"
"Small," Rose said lightly.
"but still, for your care… thanks."
He bowed again, carefully hiding the relief in his chest. The relic was more than storage—it was trust.
As he turned to leave, Lior glanced back at her, silently vowing: I will return them safe. Every one of them.
The flashback ended, and the present day waited: the Xyrrhal Ruins, and the first steps of the Academy's chosen explorers.
"So… we're finally going," Shura said quietly.
The Academy gates opened behind them with a deep mechanical hum, Beacon lines glowing faintly along the walls.
Beyond the safety of Ossuarium, the land felt wider.
Less structured.
Less controlled.
Luna adjusted her cloak and faced the group.
"If anyone gets separated, do not attempt to find us. Follow the Beacon lines. They will guide you back to Ossuarium safely."
Her tone was gentle.
But final.
Lior nodded once. "No heroics. Survival first. Curiosity second."
Shura blinked. "That's reversed."
Lior smiled faintly. "Exactly."
The students began walking.
The massive walls of Ossuarium slowly shrank behind them. The golden Beacon lines ran across the ground like veins beneath translucent stone — humming softly, alive but restrained.
For many of them, this was the furthest they had ever stepped from the Kingdom.
The air felt different.
Thinner.
Unwatched.
Questions, As Always
After half an hour of walking, Shura pulled out his notebook.
Yura noticed immediately.
"Now what question is in your mind?"
Adrian didn't look back. "Obviously something strange."
Yura tilted her head slightly. "What did you write?"
Shura hesitated.
"…Why it's not dark."
Adrian slowed. "What?"
Shura scratched his cheek.
"I mean… the Beacon spreads light everywhere. Across the ground. Across the mountains. Even this far out."
He looked upward at the dim glowing ceiling of the Hollow World.
"But if the Beacon is artificial… why doesn't it flicker? Why doesn't it weaken this far from the capital?"
A few nearby students overheard.
"That's a dumb question," one muttered.
Shura turned instantly. "Why?"
"Because it just works."
"That's not an answer."
Adrian sighed. "Who even thinks about Beacon mechanics while walking toward ancient ruins?"
"Who doesn't?" Shura shot back.
Adrian stopped walking.
"…You're exhausting."
"And yet you keep walking next to me."
"…Unfortunately."
Yura exhaled softly.
But the corner of her mouth lifted.
Luna & Lior
Behind them, a small group clustered near Luna.
"Miss Luna… how will you help us if we're in trouble?"
She smiled gently.
"There's no need to worry. Lior is with us."
A student frowned. "But what if he isn't there at that moment?"
Luna didn't hesitate.
"He won't leave us."
Up ahead, Lior was pretending not to hear.
He absolutely heard.
One student whispered quietly, "He gathers loyalty without effort."
Lior turned his head without stopping.
"I heard that."
The student straightened instantly. "I meant— respected. Highly respected."
Luna covered her smile with her sleeve.
Lior glanced back at her. "You encourage this."
"I do not," she replied calmly.
"You absolutely do."
Their tone was light.
Comfortable.
Old.
Shura noticed.
Adrian noticed too.
"…They're close," Adrian muttered.
"Obviously," Shura said. "You don't say 'he won't leave us' like that unless—"
Adrian elbowed him.
"Stop narrating."
The Race
The land began to slope upward slightly.
One of the students — tall, competitive — suddenly grinned.
"Race to the ridge?"
Shura's eyes lit up instantly.
"Yes."
Adrian groaned. "No."
Too late.
Three students bolted forward.
Shura followed immediately.
"First one there gets to ask Lior the first question at Xyrrhal!"
Adrian cursed under his breath.
"…Idiot."
But he started running too.
Yura walked.
Calm.
Measured.
Within seconds, the race became chaos.
One student tripped over uneven stone.
Another tried to use Viora enhancement too early and lost balance.
Shura was laughing while sprinting.
Adrian overtook him smoothly.
"You're too loud."
"You're too boring!"
They reached the ridge nearly together—
And stopped.
Because Lior was already there.
Standing casually.
Arms folded.
Waiting.
Silence.
"How—?" one student gasped.
Lior shrugged. "You were noisy."
Shura bent over, breathing hard. "You didn't even run."
"Correct."
Adrian stared at him.
"…I hate that."
Luna arrived seconds later, perfectly composed.
She hadn't run either.
Shura looked between them.
"…Are you two cheating?"
Lior smiled faintly. "Experience."
Luna added softly, "And positioning."
The students collapsed dramatically onto the stone.
Even Yura, when she arrived, simply shook her head.
"You're all children."
"Yes," Shura replied proudly. "That's the point."
The Shift
The Beacon lines grew thinner the farther they walked.
Less reinforced.
Less controlled.
The land changed.
Stone became darker.
Sharper.
The air quieter.
Conversation slowly decreased.
Even Shura noticed.
After another stretch of walking, he slowed.
And looked back.
Ossuarium was now distant.
Smaller.
The glowing capital felt… fragile.
"So that's where lost humanity lives…" he murmured.
Adrian glanced at him.
"Lost?"
Shura didn't answer.
Instead, Adrian looked forward.
"So where exactly is Xyrrhal?"
Lior raised his hand and pointed.
"See that mountain range?"
Far ahead — jagged silhouettes cut across the glowing ceiling.
A student squinted. "That's too far. There's nothing there."
Lior smiled slightly.
"Not yet."
He pointed again.
"First, we cross the valley between the twin ridges."
The students followed his gaze.
"Then we climb the eastern peak."
"And only when we reach the summit…"
His voice softened slightly.
"…will Xyrrhal reveal itself."
No one laughed this time.
No one raced.
The tone had shifted.
They could feel it.
Something about that mountain range felt—
Watching.
Final Check
They stopped briefly before entering the valley path.
Lior turned around slowly.
"If anyone still wishes to turn back… you may."
Silence.
No one moved.
Shura looked around dramatically.
"See? No one's scared."
Adrian muttered, "They're scared. They're just pretending."
Lior's smile deepened slightly.
"Good," he said.
He looked toward the mountains one last time.
"…Strange."
Luna glanced at him.
"You feel it too?"
"Yes."
A pause.
But neither explained.
The students didn't ask.
For once—
Even Shura didn't ask.
And they continued forward—
toward stone that remembered.
toward silence that listened.
toward mountains that did not welcome visitors.
The mountain range of Xyrrhal now stood before them.
And the journey had only just begun.