Morning at the Celestial Academy always began with an unyielding ritual. Sunlight pierced through the colossal glass windows, illuminating sterile white corridors whose walls mirrored reflections of power and perfection. Students marched with military precision—synchronized steps, unified uniforms, and artificial smiles plastered across most of their faces.
In every corner, screens displayed the live ranking of the students. Names and numbers. Numbers and names. Here, no one asked who you were; the only question that mattered was: *What is your rank?*
Professors passed by, shrouded in colored auras—blue, gold, green—each hue reflecting a rank and a degree of Response. The system left no room for interpretation. Everyone knew their place. Everyone stayed in their place.
**Sheena** and **Iris** walked through the main corridor, their footsteps pulsing with a deserved confidence—they were the first and second in the rankings, though Sheena cared little for such classifications.
Sheena held a small computer in her hands, her amber eyes fixed on the data streaming across the screen. Her long, brilliant yellow hair was tied meticulously behind her back. She wore the black academic uniform with geometric elegance; everything was in its right place.
Beside her, Iris was more kinetic—her glowing white hair swayed with her steps, her blue eyes scanning her surroundings with instinctive caution. Despite her usual cold aura, her movements were less structured but far more vibrant than Sheena's.
**Iris:** "Are you still thinking about him? The person we met yesterday?"
**Sheena:** [Without lifting her eyes from her device] "Uzuki. That's his name. We met him by the garden swing, sitting in the middle of the rain. I don't know what he was trying to achieve."
**Iris:** "He looked broken. No, not just broken. He looked as if… he didn't truly exist. His aura was dead, Sheena. Completely dead."
**Sheena:** [Finally looking up] "A dead aura? Iris, dead auras only exist in ancient books used to describe someone hollow, like a void. He was just wearing worn-out black sportswear. Maybe it was just the lighting…"
**Iris:** "You analyze with your mind. I feel with my instinct. And my instinct tells me this person is not ordinary."
**Sheena:** [Pausing for a moment] "Strange. Yes. The atmosphere around him was… different. When we saw him at the swing in the rain, the lights seemed to fade near him, as if he was absorbing the energy from his surroundings."
**Iris:** "Finally, you're listening to me."
[A short silence]
**Sheena:** "But it doesn't matter, does it? We won't see him again. The Academy is a complex place. People come and go, and everyone has their own story."
**Iris:** "Yes. You're right. It doesn't matter."
[But both knew they were lying.]
They continued walking. The conversation shifted to lighter matters.
**Sheena:** "Did you study for today's exam? The Spiritual Physics test was… complicated."
**Iris:** "Yes, I was working on the equations all night. I think I'm ready. Of course, you won't be better than me." [A faint smile]
**Sheena:** [Nudging her shoulder gently] "Arrogant as always. At least I have something you lack—a social life."
**Iris:** "Your social life is why you failed last week's test."
**Sheena:** "First, I didn't fail. I got a ninety. Second, hurtful comments are no way to build trust."
They laughed quietly—the kind of laughter that comes from genuine friendship. A rarity in this place.
**Sheena:** "Anyway, the Response System test is today. It'll be boring, as usual."
**Iris:** "I know. Same people, same results. Just different numbers."
As they approached the testing hall, the collision occurred.
**Zekro** appeared from the corner with his entourage. His physique was of medium build but tightly muscled, his light brown hair styled carefully, falling slightly over his sharp green eyes. He walked with the confidence of the third-ranked student—a confidence bordering on arrogance but not far from respect.
Beside him was **Phili**—her long green hair shimmering under the lights, black glasses partially obscuring her brown eyes. She carried a massive electronic tablet, her fingers moving swiftly across its screen. She was sharp and beautiful, with a presence suggesting she wasn't just an assistant—but a strategic partner.
The collision wasn't violent, but it was intentional on Zekro's part.
**Zekro:** "Ah, Sheena and Iris. The perfect pair, one and two. How are you both?"
**Sheena:** [In a calm yet sharp tone] "I see you're still playing the game of 'strong and weak,' Zekro. It's not boring yet—but it's getting close."
**Zekro:** [A cold smile] "I help the weak become better. This isn't a game—it's a responsibility."
**Iris:** [Stepping forward, her eyes glowing faintly] "If you truly help the weak, shouldn't you help yourself first? You, the weakling at rank three."
Zekro was about to retort—the tension visible in his jaw—but Phili placed her hand on his arm.
**Phili:** [With total calm] "Ignore them. The data says they will fail today's exam. They aren't worth the attention."
It was a lie, and everyone knew it. But this was her way of keeping Zekro under control—by reminding him that there were priorities more important than pride.
**Zekro:** "Indeed. Follow me, Phili."
They passed them with an air of superiority.
**Iris:** [Whispering after they walked away] "I hate him."
**Sheena:** "No, you don't. You enjoy this. The conflict."
**Iris:** "There might actually be some truth to that."
Time passed. Students began entering the massive testing hall. Sterile white walls, large screens on every side, and testing devices in the center—metallic capsules gleaming under the lights.
Everyone took their seats. **Professor Muraki**—a man surrounded by a direct golden aura—began the test.
**Muraki:** "Today we will test your Response levels. Remember, this is not a measurement of your worth as people. It is a measurement of the quality of your energy."
[Another lie. Everyone knew they were one and the same here.]
The testing began. Student after student entered the capsule. Numbers appeared on the screen: grades, rankings, evaluations. Each one received their specific digit.
Zekro scored an **8.7**. The room erupted in applause.
Phili scored an **8.9**. A brief silence followed—a sign that she had prepared for war.
Sheena was waiting for her turn when…
The back door opened.
**Uzuki** entered.
The first thing Sheena and Iris noticed was the aura. Or rather, the total absence of one. The void around his body was tangible—as if the air itself denied his existence. He wore baggy black sportswear, far too large for his fragile, broken frame, with a hood partially obscuring his face. Beneath the clothes, one could see the outlines of a small, weak, shattered body.
The entire class froze.
**Muraki:** [In a sharp tone, with underlying resentment] "Uzuki. I haven't seen you all year. How dare you come and go as you please? This is not a cafe."
The class erupted in laughter and mockery. But the laughter felt strange—chaotic, as if the void around Uzuki was rattling something deep within everyone's soul.
**Muraki:** "Enter the capsule. Let's see what you have."
Uzuki walked slowly toward the capsule. No one moved out of his way; instead, students seemed to lean away, as if recoiling from the emptiness surrounding him.
He entered the capsule.
The machine began to hum.
Then… silence.
The screen flashed red:
**«ERROR: COMPLETELY BEYOND THE SYSTEM.»**
**«NO MEASURABLE RESPONSE DETECTED.»**
**«PHYSICAL CONDITION: SEVERE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. DISSEMINATED SCARS. IMPROPERLY HEALED FRACTURES.»**
The machine stopped, as if it didn't know what to say next.
The mockery exploded again—deeper, harsher.
Zekro stood up.
His face was flushed with anger, but not from fear—from something else. A deep resentment, a sense of betrayal.
**Zekro:** [A deep, booming voice that shook the hall] "You bastard. This isn't a playground. Here, everyone earns their place. Here, we fight to deserve the very air we breathe."
[He stepped forward]
**Zekro:** "You got in here through connections, through your father's influence. You don't even deserve to be here. You are an insult to everyone who worked hard to reach this place."
The entire class watched.
**Zekro:** "I challenge you to a duel. The Virtual World. Now."
The hall exploded with noise and excitement. A duel? Now? Against this weakling?
But Sheena and Iris were in a world of their own.
Sheena was analyzing—her eyes following every small movement of Uzuki's. The way he stood in the capsule. The incredible geometric balance he maintained despite his broken body. She knew the data seemed wrong, but even beyond the error, something felt unsettling.
Iris felt something different—something older, deeper. Looking at Uzuki reminded her of her old self. The old pain. The loneliness. The feeling of not belonging.
**Iris:** [Whispering to Sheena, barely audible] "He reminds me of me."
**Sheena:** [Without looking] "What?"
**Iris:** "Uzuki. The dead aura around him. The way he looks at everyone as if he doesn't belong. I was like that. Years ago."
**Sheena:** "Your concern is illogical. He is just a weak person. It's true he resembles you, but there is something vastly different about you and him back then."
But Sheena was lying. Data doesn't lie, and the data was saying something entirely different about Uzuki.
Uzuki stepped out of the capsule. He entered the Virtual Combat Capsule with a funeral-like calm.
Zekro entered his. His blue aura began to glow intensely.
The massive screens lit up—one for each of them.
Zekro began to prepare, with a radiant aura and confident movements.
Uzuki… just stood there.
The entire class watched the screens.
Zekro, waiting to prove his logic—that the weak who exert no effort must know their place.
Phili was staring at Uzuki's data, trying to solve the puzzle. "The machine isn't saying he's weak," she whispered, "the machine is saying it *cannot see him*."
Sheena analyzed every move, searching for a pattern, trying to find the truth behind the digit.
Iris was anxious. Her instinct told her there was something much larger at stake here.
In the Virtual World, the duel was about to explode.
Would the dissonance shatter… or would the system itself be torn apart?