Its halls were wide enough to swallow crowds, ceilings stretching high with symbols etched into stone—runes I didn’t recognise, yet somehow felt familiar.
“Stay in line,” Ray muttered ahead of us.
I nodded… but my attention drifted away anyway.
I dragged a hand through my dark hair, the red-tipped strands stiff where dried sweat had settled.
For a split second, I thought I saw a crow carved into one of the pillars.
When I looked again—
It was gone.
I had no idea why I kept seeing things like that in the first place.
Hallucinations, instincts, whatever it was—it already felt like it was lining up to ruin my day.
Then again… if things did go south, I’d just end up with another lecture from Ray.
And honestly?
I’d survived worse. Heh.
“H-hey… his eyes—”
“Unbelievable…”
“Is he the one…?”
As expected, whispers spread through the hallway.
About me.
On my left, a mirror caught my attention—and with it, the reflection staring back.
Cold crimson eyes, marked by orange-triangular patterns embedded within the pupils.
That’s me—an anomaly.
No one else in the world had eyes like these, and everyone knew it. That alone was enough to earn their stares.
Not everyone treats me that way anymore…but some never stopped.
Strangely enough, a faint smile tugged at my lips. It had been a while since I’d felt this… isolated.
The last time was probably when my parents died.
…No wonder I’d left home.
“Hmph.”
Shin and Ray stepped forward without a word, positioning themselves in front of me, their gazes sharp—daring anyone to say more.
These idiots.
Still… warmth spread quietly through my chest.
After all—
They were my only family now.
Shortly after, we entered the classroom.
As expected from a university of this calibre, the interior didn’t disappoint us.
The floor was layered with manastones, veins of faint light pulsing beneath translucent crystal panels, constantly regulating the room’s ambient mystic pressure.
Benches were suspended above it to align exactly—one suspects to avoid interference with runic inscriptions etched into its surface.
Holographic projectors were embedded in the walls, creating translucent glyph screens that flickered between mystical symbols and digital diagrams. These included mana graphs in motion and three-dimensional spell structures revolving in midair, disassembled and rebuilt on the fly.
Thin strands of light travelled across the ceiling like nerves, supplying energy to hovering balls of light that functioned simultaneously as lighting and surveillance.
Honestly, even the air felt filtered—clean, stable, and designed to dampen mana spillover before it became dangerous.
Yep, this wasn’t just a classroom.
It was more of a controlled environment—
part academy, part laboratory, part battlefield.
Click!
The door chirped open, and a woman draped in elegant white stepped into the classroom.
“Wow!!”
“Is she our homeroom teacher?”
“I’m finally blessed!!”
…And there it was.
The boys erupted as they’d just been granted divine revelation.
I sighed internally.
“Hmm… approximately one hundred and twenty students, huh?”
A faint smirk tugged at her lips as ocean-blue eyes swept across the room.
“Not bad.”
I could tell every boy’s eyes were gleaming with excitement…
Well—except two.
“No, no, no—!”
Ray adjusted his glasses frantically, muttering under his breath.
“I won’t let desire take over! I’m an honoured student! Suppress it—don’t let these childish urges bloom!”
…Hopeless.
“Damn,” Shin clicked his tongue, slouching in his seat.
“I was hoping for some buff old professor I could spar with. What a letdown.”
These two.
For a second, I thought I was the only one unaffected.
…Guess not.
“Well then, kids. The name’s Erika Wilson,” she said brightly.
“And I’ll be your homeroom teacher from now on.”
The boys erupted—cheers, whistles, borderline worship.
“Silence.”
She smiled and clapped once.
Creak.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
…Huh?
The classroom froze.
Not metaphorically—literally.
Mouths moved.
No sound came out.
Wait—
Had they lost their voices?
I glanced sideways. Shin. Ray. Me.
We were fine.
Every boy who’d been yelling, though? Silent.
“…Good boys,” Erika grinned, clapping again.
And just like that—
“Awk?!”
“M-my voice—!”
“It’s back…!”
Relief washed over them, tangled with panic.
This woman…
I could feel my eyes fixated on her, alerted.
She hadn’t raised her voice.
Hadn’t cast anything obvious.
And yet—she’d shut them down effortlessly.
Dangerous.
For some reason, a faint chill crept up my spine.
“Hehe~”
Her soft chuckle echoed and then—
“—?!”
Her gaze met mine.
Just for a moment.
The room felt… wrong.
Like something unseen had brushed against my senses.
A pressure. A pull.
Haunting…But not for me.
I glared back, and her eyes faltered.
She passed a smile and averted her gaze.
Eh, she thought she could intimidate me. In her dream, probably.
Erika turned toward the board, and the holographic glyphs behind her shifted slightly.
“Now then,” she said calmly, clasping her hands behind her back.
“Before we begin with rules, evaluations, and your beloved ranking systems…”
A faint smirk crept onto her face.
“…we should talk about why this academy exists in the first place.”
The room went quiet. Even the excited ones leaned in to hear her.
“Seven hundred and sixty-eight years ago,” Erika continued, “This world was nearly erased.”
The holograms reshaped—battlefields, fractured skies, and distorted mana flows, which appeared like bleeding out of the history itself.
“A war between the Seven Greatest Mystic Users erupted. No one knows why the war even erupted because to date, their motives…are unclear.” She paused, “…at least for now.”
Images flickered—figures were blurred…maybe by censorship sigils.
“One of them, however,” she said, voice lowering slightly,
“was the Mystic Master known as Zero.”
A ripple went through the class. I even felt it.
“They say he ended the war,” Erika continued.
“Well, some also say he started it. Both statements are officially correct, actually.”
My fingers curled slightly as her gaze sharpened.
“History claims Zero vanished alongside his greatest enemy—an unnamed being whose identity remains unresolved.”
The projection glitched for half a second.
“Records beyond that point,” she said smoothly, “no longer exist!”
And just like that—my attention slipped.
Zero…the way they spoke about him was like a sealed coffin to me. He is a legend shaped by omissions.
If I had been there…If only I had that level of power—but no. There's no use thinking about it. I should focus here.
“…From that war,” Erika went on,
“The modern mystic hierarchy was born.
Which brings us to you.”
And suddenly, seven stars bloomed above us.
Not ordinary lights—they were in colours.
The colour of a rainbow.
Violet.
Indigo.
Blue.
Green.
Yellow.
Orange.
Red.
They floated in a slow orbit, radiant and alive, as if freshly born into this world.
“In this academy,” Erika said, her voice steady, “stars are not ranks. They are permissions. Each colour represents a different threshold of authority, power, and access.”
She raised a finger.
“Every student can earn stars,” Erika continued, her fingers tracing a slow arc through the air.
“However, just so you know, stars are not distributed by seniority or raw power.”
The seven colours pulsed again.
“Each colour represents a condition—a trait the academy recognises.”
She pointed toward the crimson glow.
“Red is awarded for courage.
Facing overwhelming odds. Standing when retreating would be easier.”
Her finger moved.
“Orange represents resolve—endurance through failure, pain, or loss.”
“Yellow signifies clarity of will. Making the right decision under pressure.”
“Green is adaptability—growth, evolution, survival.”
“Blue reflects control. Precision. Mastery over one’s mystic flow.”
“Indigo marks perception—the ability to see beyond the obvious.”
“And Violet…”
Her voice dipped slightly with a grin, slightly menacing creeping in.
“…is granted only to those who act beyond themselves. Sacrifice, conviction and purpose.”
The colours rotated, slow and solemn.
“No student is guaranteed any star,” Erika said.
“And no star can be taken by force.”
A pause.
“They manifest only when the condition is met.”
Then, quietly—
“And only when all seven resonate together…”
A brief flash of white flickered at the centre.
“…does the final star respond.”
The room held its breath.
The colours pulsed faintly, responding to her words.
“But understand this,” she continued, eyes narrowing slightly.
“These seven are not the end.”
The stars slowed.
After that, a void of white light flickered briefly at the centre.
Gone in an instant.
A chill brushed my spine.
“There exists an eighth star,” Erika said quietly.
“White. Unrecorded. Unassigned.”
A murmur rippled through the class.
“It is not earned through points or exams,” she went on.
“It manifests only when all seven resonate in unison.”
Her gaze sharpened.
“Those who reach it stand closest to a title this world has not seen since the war.”
She paused.
“…Mystic Master.”
The moment the words left her mouth, the atmosphere shifted.
Not loud—but heavier.
I could tell what everyone was thinking.
Zero.
Of course, they wanted to be him.
Everyone wants the title. No one wants the cost.
I clicked my tongue quietly while Erika continued, as if she hadn’t just dropped a name that rewired half the room.
Okay, this was getting boring.
I rested my chin against my palm, elbow propped on the floating bench, and let my gaze wander—anywhere but the front of the class. Erika’s voice blurred into background noise, words stacking without sticking.
I mean, duh. Boredom’s a jinx, right?
‘…Hmm?’
Something caught my eye.
To my left—just a little lower—metal glinted beneath the classroom lights.
A flintlock. A little too polished and elegant. Too clean for something meant to kill.
It was holstered at the waist of the girl sitting beside me, her posture straight and composed—as if she belonged in a portrait rather than a classroom. The way she sat alone already screamed one thing.
“Noble, huh?”
I tilted my head slightly as I said it, voice low and casual.
“...”
No response.
Her teal eyes flicked toward me for half a second—cold, assessing—then slid right back to the front as if I’d never opened my mouth.
…
Oh.
Did she just ignore me?
I blinked once, then let out a slow breath, leaning back into my seat.
“Alright, alright. I won’t disturb,” I muttered, shifting a little, adjusting my posture.
“…I would like to have a friendly chat.”
Her voice brushed past my ear, quiet but clear.
Huh? Did this cold princess just speak to me?
“But for Lord’s sake,” she added flatly,
“Don't disturb me right now. Miss Erika is teaching us something.”
I paused slightly.
Then exhaled through my nose.
These noble kids…
“Sure, sure,” I murmured, lips curling.
“Miss Do-Not-Disturb.”
A small chuckle slipped out—maybe accidental. Maybe not.
“…Aria Velshine.”
Hearing this, I glanced sideways.
“Hm?”
“My name,” she said, sounding almost tired of herself. Then, surprisingly—a faint, wry smile tugged at her lips.
“Oh,” I said lightly. “Not bad. Suits you.”
I straightened a little and extended a hand lazily in her direction.
“Eden Crestfall. Pleasure meeting you, miss.”
Her eyes narrowed instantly upon my words.
“Just call me Aria,” she said, shooting me a glare sharp enough to cut. “If you please.”
Ah, welp, there it was. I pulled my hand back, grin still intact—though something sour twisted faintly in my chest.
“Alright, alright,” I said, shrugging.
“Aria it is.”
Maybe I could’ve been more polite. Maybe I should’ve. But when it came to nobles—well, I tend to get a little salty.
Yawn~!
No matter how hard I tried, the yawn slipped out anyway—slow, wide and unapologetic.
Gosh, why did it have to be this boring? It was only the first day. The first hour, even.
I let my gaze drift sideways towards Aria. She sat perfectly still, posture straight, eyes forward—so focused it was almost intimidating.
…Guess I’d have to endure the boredom after all.
Yawn~~!
“Eden Crestfall.”
“—Aap!”
My mouth snapped shut mid-yawn, teeth clicking awkwardly as my head jerked forward.
Great. Perfect timing.
My eyes lifted, and I noticed Erika—staring straight at me.
No shouting, no raising her voice.
Just…staring. Like a predator that had finally noticed movement.
“Does my explanation,” she asked calmly,
“...seem funny to you?”
“Oh—no, no, no, Miss. It was quite amusing.”
…
…
Ah, crap.
I meant to say amazing.
“Oh~~ is that so~~?” The temperature dropped suddenly.
CRACK—
The marble desk beneath her fingers fractured slightly, thin spiderweb lines spreading from where her hand pressed down.
“Ed…en…” Ray’s soul visibly evacuated his body. I swear I saw it float away.
Around us, murmurs spread like ripples—students whispering as if I’d just committed a capital crime.
Oh, come on! It was just a tongue slip!
“Bro…” Shin leaned closer, eyes sparkling.
“You’re aura farming, aren’t you?”
Of course, this idiot looked proud.
“I—I mean amazing, Miss. It was just a—”
“Why not,” Erika cut in smoothly, eyes still closed.
“Meet more funny people like me, then…Sir Crestfall~?”
Sir Crestfall…Not gonna lie, I kinda liked that.
But the veins twitching faintly along her temple suggested she really didn’t.
“M-M-Miss Erika!” Ray burst out, panic incarnate.
“Eden’s just joking! Please don’t take it seriously! Eden, say something, you fool!”
“R-right…”
I averted my gaze before I even realised I was doing it. I didn't know why. It just felt safer.
“Well,” Shin muttered casually, digging his pinky into his ear,
“Boss isn’t wrong, though.”
“YOU SHUT UP!” Ray snapped, face turning a brilliant shade of beet red.
“Ray Night. Shin Inochi.”
“—?!” Erika’s voice dropped, and both of them stiffened instantly.
“Off to the Headmaster’s office,” she said, opening her eyes at last.
“Now.” No anger in her tone, which somehow made it worse.
And just like that—trouble had already found us on our first day at the Academy of Mystic Walkers.
[Location: ACADEMY OF MYSTIC WALKERS]
[Subject ID: ???]
[Anomaly Detected: ZER?-ECHO]
[Secondary Interaction: REGISTERED]
→ Eden Crestfall
[Timeline Sync: FAILURE]
[Threat Level: UN??WN]