The academy cafeteria was already bustling with students when we arrived. The moment we walked in, the noise level dropped noticeably.
Everyone stared at us, the Class-D cadet who'd beaten an instructor, the scarred giant, the creepy girl with the haunted doll, and the blindfolded boy with the unsettling presence.
We were quite the group.
[ DETECTING ELEVATED HOSTILITY FROM MULTIPLE STUDENTS. ]
[ RECOMMENDATION: FIND ISOLATED SEATING AREA. ]
We grabbed our food and found a table in the far corner, away from the main crowd. I got a simple breakfast of bread, eggs, and coffee. Garrick had enough food to feed three people. Kieran had tea and fruit. Morrigan had indeed gotten pancakes, which she was carefully cutting into tiny pieces and feeding to Lisette.
"Does the doll actually eat?" I asked before I could stop myself.
"She absorbs the spiritual essence of food" Morrigan explained matter-of-factly.
"It sustains her binding to the physical world."
"Right. Of course. Spiritual essence. Totally normal."
Garrick chuckled. "You'll get used to the weird stuff. This academy is full of it."
"Speaking of weird." I said, deciding to take a risk
"can I ask you all something?"
Three pairs of eyes focused on me, one is a doll, but it still has a soul
"Why did you all accept the Special Program invitation? Headmaster basically told us it's a suicide mission. You could have refused."
"I didn't have a choice. Take the mission or get expelled for being 'dangerous.' At least this way, I might prove I'm useful." Garrick answered first.
Kieran was next.
"I made a deal with the Headmaster. Complete this mission, and she'll help me find a way to control my eyes without the bandages. I'm... tired of living in self-imposed darkness."
Morrigan spoke last, her voice barely above a whisper. "Lisette and I... we're not wanted anywhere else. People fear us. Hate us. Call us monsters. But the Headmaster... she doesn't care what we are. She only cares what we can do. That's... that's more than anyone else has ever offered."
The raw honesty in her words hit me hard.
[ ALL THREE UNITS SHOW SIGNS OF SOCIAL ISOLATION AND DESPERATION. ]
[ THEY ACCEPTED THIS MISSION BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE. ]
'And me? What's my excuse?'
[ YOU ACCEPTED BECAUSE YOU HAD NO REAL CHOICE. REFUSING UNIT 'VESPERA' WOULD HAVE DRAWN MORE SUSPICION. ]
"What about you, Edward?" Kieran asked.
"Why did you accept?"
I thought carefully about my answer. I couldn't tell them the truth, that I was a transmigrator trying to survive in a world I'd created. But I could tell them a version of the truth.
"I'm weak." I said simply.
"Physically, magically, in every way that matters in this world. But the Headmaster saw something in me worth investing in. Maybe she's wrong. Maybe I'll die in that forest. But..."
I looked at each of them.
"If there's even a small chance I can become strong enough to matter, to not be a burden, to actually survive in this world... I have to take it."
Silence fell over the table.
Then Garrick raised his cup of juice.
"Then....to survive..."
Kieran raised his tea. "To becoming more than what we were."
Morrigan raised her glass of milk. "To... to having people who don't run away."
I raised my coffee. "To become stronger."
Our cups clinked together, and for just a moment, I felt something I hadn't felt since arriving in this world.
Hope.
[ DETECTING EMOTIONAL STABILIZATION IN ALL UNITS. ]
[ TEAM COHESION: INCREASED TO 23.4% ]
[ SURVIVAL PROBABILITY: UPDATED TO 19.8% ]
'We went up 1.6%?'
[ TEAM SYNERGY IS A CRITICAL FACTOR IN GROUP SURVIVAL SCENARIOS. ]
[ THESE SMALL IMPROVEMENTS MATTER. ]
After breakfast, we agreed to meet for afternoon training. I used the free morning to visit the library again, this time searching for any information about the Heart of Void artifact Vespera wanted us to retrieve.
The forbidden section was just as eerie as before, but now that I knew what to look for, I found the occult artifacts section quickly.
"Cursed Items of the Ancient Age... Sealed Artifacts and Their Dangers... Forbidden Relics of the, wait."
I pulled out a thin, leather-bound book titled
"Catalog of Void-Touched Objects."
[ RELEVANT MATERIAL DETECTED. ]
[ SCANNING FOR REFERENCES TO 'HEART OF VOID'... ]
I flipped through yellowed pages until I found an entry that made my blood run cold.
"The Heart of Void.....Classification...Catastrophic. A crystallized fragment of the void itself, said to contain the essence of nothingness. Sealed away after the Great Collapse when its previous wielder nearly destroyed the Western Kingdoms. Properties include, reality distortion, space manipulation, and the ability to erase existence itself. Current location: Unknown. Last known containment...Grey Shadow Forest, buried beneath the ruins of the Null Sanctum."
"Warn...under no circumstances should this artifact be removed from its seal without proper precautions. The Heart of Void is sentient and actively malevolent. It will corrupt anyone who attempts to claim it."
My hands trembled as I read the next line.
"Previous retrieval attempts....t-twenty three attempts....and...."
[ HOST, YOUR HEART RATE IS INCREASING DANGEROUSLY. ]
[ PLEASE CALM DOWN. ]
'Calm down?! Headmaster is sending us to retrieve something that has killed every single person who's ever tried to take it!'
[ ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THE HEADMASTER IS AWARE OF THIS. ]
[ QUESTION: WHY WOULD SHE SEND STUDENTS ON THIS MISSION? ]
That was the question, wasn't it? Vespera was ancient, powerful, and cunning. She wouldn't waste assets on an impossible mission unless...
Unless she didn't expect us to bring it back.
Maybe the artifact wasn't the real goal. Maybe we were.
Or maybe she knew something the history books didn't.
I continued reading, looking for any clue that might help us survive.
"Note...recent research suggests the Heart of Void can be approached safely by those who possess 'null affinity', individuals with souls that exist outside normal fate or destiny. However, such individuals are extraordinarily rare."
'Edith, what's null affinity?'
[ SEARCHING DATABASE... ]
[ RESULT: NULL AFFINITY REFERS TO SOULS THAT DO NOT BELONG TO THE NATURAL ORDER OF THIS WORLD. ]
[ EXAMPLES: TRANSMIGRATORS, REINCARNATORS, BEINGS FROM OTHER DIMENSIONS. ]
My breath caught.
'You mean...'
[ CORRECT. YOUR STATUS AS A TRANSMIGRATOR MAY GRANT YOU NULL AFFINITY. ]
[ THIS COULD BE WHY VESPERA SPECIFICALLY CHOSE YOU. ]
So she knew. Or at least suspected. That I wasn't really Edward. That I came from somewhere else.
And she was using that fact to send me after an artifact that could only be retrieved by someone like me.
The realization was terrifying and enlightening in equal measure.
I took detailed notes on everything I could find about the Heart of Void, methods of protection, historical accounts, even speculation about its origins.
When I finally left the library, the sun was already high in the sky. I had just enough time to grab lunch before afternoon training.
But as I walked through the courtyard, I noticed someone following me.
[ DETECTION: TAIL IDENTIFIED. ]
[ UNIT: UNKNOWN. MAINTAINING 15-METER DISTANCE. ]
I pretended not to notice, instead taking a winding path through less crowded areas to see if they'd follow.
They did.
Finally, I stopped in a empty corridor and turned around.
"I know you're there. You might as well come out."
For a moment, nothing happened. Then a figure stepped out from behind a pillar.
It was a girl with blue hair and pale eyes, wearing the Class-A uniform.
[ ANALYZING UNIT... ]
[ NAME: Seraphine Slyvius ]
[ THREAT LEVEL: MEDIUM ]
[ DETECTING CONCEALMENT MAGIC AND OBSERVATION SPELLS. ]
"Impressive." she said with a slight smile. "Most people don't notice when I'm tailing them."
"What do you want?"
"My name is Seraphine Slyvius." she introduced herself with a small curtsy. "I've been... curious about you, Edward."
That name... Slyvius...
[ SEARCHING NOBLE FAMILY DATABASE... ]
[ RESULT HOUSE SLYVIUS, KNOWN FOR INTELLIGENCE GATHERING AND INFORMATION BROKERAGE. AND ALSO OF THE GREATEST MAGICIAN FAMILY EVER RECORDED ON HISTORY. ]
[ CURRENT FAMILY HEAD DUKE MARCUS SLYVIUS ]
A spy family. Of course.
"Curious about what?"
"About why a Class-D student suddenly became interesting enough for the Headmaster to personally recruit. About why the Student Council is investigating you. About why you're suddenly training with three of the academy's most dangerous outcasts."
She stepped closer, her pale eyes studying me intently.
"But most of all, I'm curious about what you found in the library just now. You looked quite disturbed when you left."
My blood ran cold. She'd been watching me that entire time?
[ STEALTH CAPABILITIES CONFIRMED. ]
[ THIS UNIT IS HIGHLY SKILLED IN SURVEILLANCE. ]
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Please. I saw you come out of the forbidden section. I saw the look on your face. You discovered something about your upcoming mission, didn't you? Something that scared you."
She pulled out a small notebook, similar to Vespera's.
"I've been collecting information on the Special Program for years. Ever since my sister..."
Her voice caught slightly.
"Ever since my sister died in the last expedition."
The world seemed to tilt.
"Your sister was part of the previous Special Program?"
Seraphine nodded, her expression hardening.
"She was one of the four. And she was one of the three who never came back."
Suddenly, her interest in me made a lot more sense.
"I'm sorry for your loss." I said quietly.
"I don't want your sympathy. I want your cooperation."
She pulled out a small communication crystal.
"Take this. It will allow us to stay in contact even in the Grey Shadow Forest. I can provide you with information, tactical support, even emergency supplies if needed."
"In exchange for what?"
"Information. I want to know what really happened to my sister. The survivor who came back... he refused to talk. Went mad, actually. Now he's locked up in some asylum, muttering about 'the void' and 'the hunger that eats souls.'"
[ ANALYZING OFFER... ]
[ PROBABILITY OF DECEPTION: MODERATE ]
[ HOWEVER, HAVING AN EXTERNAL CONTACT COULD PROVE VALUABLE. ]
"How do I know I can trust you?"
"You don't." she said bluntly.
"But consider this. I have resources, connections, and knowledge that could keep you alive. All I ask in return is the truth about what you find in that forest. Is that really such a terrible trade?"
I thought about it carefully. Having an outside ally could be useful, but it also meant revealing information that Vespera might not want shared.
'Edith, what do you think?'
[ ANALYSIS: RISK VS. REWARD RATIO IS ACCEPTABLE. ]
[ RECOMMENDATION: ACCEPT, BUT MAINTAIN INFORMATION SECURITY PROTOCOLS. ]
I took the crystal. "Fine. But I can't promise I'll be able to tell you everything."
"I understand. Operational security and all that." She smiled slightly.
"Just... please bring them back. All of them. I can't lose anyone else to that cursed forest."
The way she said it, I realized she wasn't just talking about me and my team. She was talking about everyone who might venture into that place.
"I'll do my best."
"That's all I ask." She turned to leave, then paused.
"Oh, and Edward? Be careful around the Headmaster. She's not as benevolent as she seems. Dragons don't do anything without a reason. And their reasons rarely align with what's best for mere mortals."
With that ominous warning, she disappeared in a shimmer of light, some kind of teleportation spell.
I stood alone in the corridor, holding the crystal, my mind spinning with new information and concerns.
[ NEW CONTACT ESTABLISHED: SERAPHINE SLYVIUS ]
[ ALLIANCE STATUS: TENTATIVE ]
[ UPDATING MISSION PARAMETERS... ]
'This just keeps getting more complicated.'
[ WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE, HOST. ]
[ SURVIVAL NOW REQUIRES BOTH COMBAT ABILITY AND INFORMATION WARFARE. ]
I checked my pocket watch. I was going to be late for afternoon training.
As I ran toward Training Ground Seven, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was a chess piece being moved around a board I didn't fully understand.
But maybe, just maybe, with Edith's help and my new allies, I could become a piece that refused to be sacrificed.
_______________________________________________________________________
[ MISSION UPDATE: 'SURVIVAL OF THE STRANGER' ]
[ TIME UNTIL EXPEDITION: 6 DAYS ]
[ TEAM COHESION: 23.4% ]
[ NEW ALLY ACQUIRED: SERAPHINE SLYVIUS ]
[ INFORMATION GATHERED: HEART OF VOID PROPERTIES ]
[ SURVIVAL PROBABILITY: 19.8% ]
[ PROGRESS: MINIMAL BUT STEADY. ]
[ KEEP MOVING FORWARD, HOST. ]