Kim stood in front of the door to his new room.
The number was simple.
East Hall, Room 307.
From the outside...
It looked like any ordinary room.
But Kim didn't enter right away.
Instead, he stood in silence.
Then, a faint smile played on his lips.
> "Three."
>
He whispered softly.
In the darkness...
A figure standing on the opposite rooftop vanished.
And from behind the trees...
A girl holding a magical telescope retreated.
Meanwhile, behind the adjacent wall...
A man quickly closed his book.
Kim finally stepped inside.
Then, he closed the door.
And for the first time since his arrival in this world...
He found himself alone.
A simple room.
A bed.
A desk.
A large window overlooking the academy.
But his eyes didn't drift toward any of them.
Instead, they turned toward the wardrobe.
He opened it.
Empty.
Then, he lifted the bed.
Nothing.
Next, he tapped on the wall.
Excellent.
No surveillance circles.
He finally sat down.
And pulled out the silver ring.
But before he could touch it...
A knock came at the door.
*Knock.*
*Knock.*
Kim opened the door.
And found Iris.
She was holding a small box.
And she looked annoyed.
> "Don't misinterpret this."
>
> "I didn't come because I was worried about you."
>
> "One of the professors asked me to deliver this."
>
Kim took the box.
Then, he looked at her.
> "Bad lie."
>
Iris froze.
Her face flushed red.
> "What?!"
>
Kim closed the box.
> "The professor whose name you mentioned."
>
> "She was at the West Tower ten minutes ago."
>
> "The distance isn't enough."
>
> "Moreover, you stopped three times before getting here."
>
> "And you knocked only after hesitating."
>
Then, he looked at her calmly.
> "So, no."
>
> "No one sent you."
>
Silence filled the room.
As for Iris...
She stared at him as if he were a monster.
Then, she whispered.
> "Are you always this terrifying?"
>
Kim smiled.
> "Only when I'm awake."
>
For the first time...
Iris laughed.
A small laugh.
But it was genuine.
Then, she sat on the opposite chair.
> "Alright."
>
> "Actually..."
>
> "I wanted to thank you."
>
She paused for a moment.
> "At the lake."
>
> "If you hadn't been there..."
>
Kim gave a faint smile.
> "But I was there."
>
She raised her head.
And noticed something strange.
Even though he was smiling...
His eyes were tired.
Painfully tired.
As if they belonged to someone who hadn't slept in years.
Then, she asked him softly.
> "Kim..."
>
> "Are you okay?"
>
Kim's hand paused for a moment.
As for his inside...
He remembered.
Amon.
The angels.
The cosmic graveyard.
The black sea of nothingness.
And his mother's voice.
> "I fear a day will come when my son looks at himself the same way the world looks at him."
>
He smiled.
But this time, his smile...
Didn't reach his eyes.
> "I don't know."
>
Silence filled the room.
As for Iris...
She felt something strange.
For the first time...
Kim seemed lonely.
Extremely lonely.
Not like someone who has no friends.
But like someone...
Who left an entire world behind.
And before she could say anything—
*BOOM!*
The entire academy shook.
Both of them stood up instantly.
Then...
The alarm bells rang out.
For the first time in hundreds of years.
And in the sky...
Dozens of giant magic circles appeared.
Meanwhile, Eldar's voice...
Echoed throughout the whole academy.
> "All students!"
>
> "Stay inside the buildings!"
>
> "This is a direct order!"
>
Everyone's eyes widened.
As for Kim...
His eyes narrowed.
Because he felt it.
That sensation.
That familiar feeling.
A feeling...
That did not belong to this world.
And at the very top of the academy's barrier...
An unknown figure stood.
Wearing a tattered black cloak.
His long white hair dancing with the wind.
Then, he looked toward the sky.
And looked toward the academy.
And looked...
Toward Kim's room.
And smiled.
A smile filled with exhaustion.
Then, he whispered.
> "So..."
>
> "I've finally found you."
>
But this time...
The voice wasn't terrifying.
Rather...
It was sad.
Indescribably sad.