Morning came again. Too fast.
Royoshi groaned as he slowly opened his eyes.
"…Why is waking up harder than fighting, man…?"
His body still ached from training. Not unbearable—but enough to remind him.
Every. Single. Moment.
He sat up slowly.
"…Yeah. My body definitely needs more time."
Still—
No choice.
Classes.
He dragged himself out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
He brushed his teeth. Cold water hit his face.
"…Okay. I'm awake now."
Barely.
He took a quick bath, changed into his uniform, and stepped out.
Back in his room—he made a quick breakfast. Simple. Nothing special.
He ate quickly. No time to relax.
He glanced at the clock. Pause.
"…Wait."
Another pause.
"WAIT—"
He grabbed his bag instantly and rushed out.
The hallway blurred past him. Footsteps echoed. Breath uneven.
"…I'm late."
He pushed the classroom door open—
Just in time. The Citadel bell rang right after.
Royoshi froze for a second. Then exhaled.
"…Made it."
From the front—Ishara turned slightly. A faint smirk.
"Why are you so late, Royoshi?"
A pause.
"What were you doing last night?"
Royoshi froze.
Then immediately—
"Nothing like you think!"
A little too fast.
"I just slept a bit more than usual!"
A few students turned to look.
Royoshi quickly moved to the back and sat down.
"…That was close."
Then—
A voice echoed in his mind.
"You were seconds away from being marked absent."
Royoshi twitched slightly.
"Can you stop, Rikishu? I just woke up late today."
A pause.
"Won't happen again."
"You said that last time, too."
"…Okay, chill."
A short pause.
"Also—turning off telepathy now."
"You forgot again."
"Yeah, yeah. My bad."
Silence.
The classroom door opened again.
Master Devrik stepped in. The room quieted instantly.
"I have an announcement."
A pause.
"I will be occupied for some time due to internal Citadel matters."
Murmurs spread across the class.
Royoshi leaned back slightly.
"…Something's definitely going on."
"Until further notice—someone else will be taking your class."
A pause.
"Come in."
The door opened, and she walked in.
Blonde hair. Calm presence.
But something about her—felt… different.
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning!" the class responded.
Whispers started immediately.
"Isn't that—"
"Pasithea?"
"The one who saved the Citadel years ago?"
"One of the best in the Citadel."
Royoshi blinked.
"…Wait, seriously?"
Then—
A voice. Inside his mind.
"Pasithea…"
Rikishu forgot to turn off telepathy.
His voice wasn't calm.
Royoshi frowned slightly.
"Yeah… that's her name."
A pause.
Then—
"…I forgot to turn off telepathy."
Royoshi sighed.
"Of course you did."
Silence. The connection cut.
Devrik nodded once.
"She will be taking over Class C."
Then—he left.
Pasithea turned toward the class.
"From today onwards, I will be your instructor."
Her voice was calm. Soft. But it carried weight.
Then—
Her gaze shifted toward the back. Toward Royoshi. Just for a moment—then she looked away.
"There was once a time…"
The classroom fell silent.
"The Citadel was attacked."
A pause.
"Not by an ordinary force."
Royoshi leaned slightly forward.
"The anomaly breached the Citadel itself."
Murmurs spread.
"Most of our forces were injured."
A pause.
"Then—someone stepped forward."
Silence.
"He took the anomaly outside."
Royoshi's eyes narrowed.
"And destroyed it."
A pause.
"The most dangerous anomaly recorded to date."
Silence.
"But it wasn't fully gone."
Her voice softened slightly. "It may return."
The air felt heavier.
"That person… is gone."
A pause.
"His name was kept secret."
Royoshi thought,
"…Rikishu?"
No answer. Telepathy was off.
"The incident happened over twenty years ago."
Then—she straightened.
"That's enough."
A moment passed.
"Focus."
Royoshi leaned back slightly.
"…Yeah. I'll try."
He really did. For a few minutes.
Equations filled the board. Concepts. Explanations.
Pasithea's voice remained calm. Clear.
Easy to follow.
But—
Royoshi's eyes slowly grew heavier.
"…just five minutes…"
His head tilted. Then—gone.
Time passed. Twenty minutes. Then more.
The bell rang. Students began to leave. Some headed toward the cafeteria. Others walked toward the training grounds. Some just wandered—talking, laughing, relaxing.
A one-hour break.
The classroom slowly emptied. Rows of desks. Silence.
One remained. Royoshi.
Still asleep. Head resting against the desk. Breathing steady.
"…Unbelievable."
Ishara stood near the door. She hadn't left.
A quiet step. Then another.
She walked toward him. Stopped beside his desk.
"Royoshi."
No response.
"…Royoshi."
Nothing again.
A pause.
"…Mmmm… this chicken looks so good…"
Ishara froze.
"…I wanna eat it…"
Silence.
"…Please…Just one bite…"
A very small pause.
Then—she grabbed his shoulder and shook him.
"Wake up."
"AHHHHHHHHH—"
Royoshi shot up instantly. Heart racing. Eyes wide.
"…What—where—?!"
Then—
He saw her. Ishara.
"…Oh."
A pause.
"It's just you."
"Don't 'it's just you' me!" she replied.
He rubbed his face.
"…What's up?"
Ishara crossed her arms.
"Come with me."
Royoshi blinked.
"…Again?"
A pause.
Then—
"Sure."
He stood up. Stretched slightly. Still half asleep.
They walked out together.
Back inside the classroom—
Pasithea remained. Seated at the front. Documents spread across the desk.
But her eyes—
Shifted. Toward the door.
She saw Royoshi and Ishara leaving together.
Silence.
Then—
A whisper.
"…Kairo, huh?"
A faint smile appeared on her face, almost… nostalgic. Small. Soft. It was filled with something deeper.
She lowered her gaze. Returned to her documents. But her thoughts were elsewhere.
The cafeteria buzzed with life. Voices overlapped. Trays slid across counters. Laughter echoed through the space.
Royoshi walked beside Ishara. Still slightly tired. Still half-awake.
"…You really enjoy dragging me around, huh?"
"You're slow."
"That's not an answer."
"It is."
Royoshi sighed.
"You're impossible."
They reached the dispenser. Royoshi tapped the panel.
"Chicken."
Ishara glanced at him.
"Of course."
"What?"
"Nothing."
She selected—
"Rice. Curry."
Their trays slid out smoothly. They picked them up. Walked toward a quieter corner. A secluded bench. Away from most of the noise.
Royoshi sat down and started eating immediately.
"…Man, this is good."
Ishara sat across from him. Watching him for a second. Then—she looked away.
"You're always eating chicken."
"It's important."
"How?"
"…It just is."
A pause.
Silence settled between them. Not awkward. Just quiet.
Then—
"You fell asleep again."
Royoshi paused mid-bite.
"…Yeah."
"I tried."
"You didn't try hard enough."
"That's harsh."
"It's the truth."
Royoshi leaned back slightly.
"…Training's messing me up."
A pause.
"My body can't keep up yet."
Ishara looked at him carefully.
"You pushed too far."
"…Had to."
"You didn't…"
"Yeah… I did."
Silence. The air shifted slightly. Heavier.
Then—
"You could've died."
Royoshi looked away.
"…Wouldn't be the first time I almost did."
Silence.
Ishara's grip tightened slightly.
"Don't say that."
Royoshi blinked.
"…What?"
Her voice lowered.
"Stop acting like your life doesn't matter."
Silence.
Royoshi didn't reply immediately.
Then—a small breath.
"You're worried again."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You are."
A pause.
"…Stop that."
Royoshi chuckled slightly.
"Alright, alright."
The tension softened, but not completely.
Royoshi picked up another piece of chicken.
Then—paused.
"…"
Ishara noticed immediately.
"What?"
Royoshi frowned slightly. "…Something feels off."
A pause.
The air around them—subtle but wrong.
Ishara's eyes narrowed.
"…Yeah."
Silence.
The cafeteria still looked normal. Students talking. Laughing. Walking around.
But—something underneath it all was shifting.
Royoshi slowly lowered his hand.
"…It's like—"
A pause.
"Something's watching."
Ishara didn't respond immediately because she felt it too.
Far above the Citadel—hidden beyond sight.
Lucian.
His gaze locked downward. Straight at them.
"…Good instincts."
A faint smirk.
"But instincts alone won't save you."
The air around him distorted slightly, as if reality itself was bending.
"Let's test you… just a little."
He raised his hand.
Then—closed it.
Back below—Royoshi's eyes widened suddenly.
"—!"
The space around him flickered. Just for a split second.
Then—pressure.
Heavy. Invisible. Crushing.
"…!"
Royoshi's breathing hitched.
Ishara immediately stood up.
"Royoshi—?!"
"…I'm fine."
He wasn't.
His Shuryoku—reacted violently.
Like it sensed something dangerous.
Inside him—it surged.
Unstable.
Rikishu's voice suddenly echoed—sharp.
"Don't release it."
Royoshi clenched his fist.
"…I know."
The pressure increased. Just a little. Testing. Probing.
Royoshi's eyes hardened.
"…Whoever you are—"
A pause.
"Stop playing around."
Silence.
Then—a faint voice. Right behind him.
"…Oh?"
Royoshi froze.
Ishara turned instantly.
But—no one was there.
Silence.
Then—the pressure vanished.
Completely. Like nothing had happened.
Royoshi exhaled sharply.
"…What the hell was that?"
Ishara looked around. Alert.
"That wasn't normal."
"No kidding."
Silence.
Royoshi sat back down slowly. But his expression wasn't relaxed anymore. Focused. Serious.
Far above—Lucian smirked.
"…Interesting."
A moment passed.
"You didn't break."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"But you're still far from ready."
Silence.
Then—he turned.
"Let's see how long you last, Royoshi Kairo."
He disappeared again.
Back below—Royoshi stared at his hand. It was shaking slightly.
"…Yeah."
A small breath.
"Something's definitely here."
Ishara didn't deny it.
Because she knew—
This wasn't the last time.