He hated bullies. True. But he hated schools even more. So why the hell did he just agree to work in one?
Short answer—he's feared.For what? Because of his mother's SMS.
Long answer—again, he's feared. Feared to die.
In his life, his mother had SMSed him only seventeen times. Sixteen times, what she said happened.
And his hunch told him that the seventeenth time would happen too.
'I hope you will follow your father's footsteps.'
'Mom, you are really a bitch.'
So before that happened, his only choice was to escape. Escape to a faraway distance his mother couldn't reach.
[Welcome, student #0, to Starveil High.]
Dimitrios didn't flinch when the world turned sideways. It wasn't the first time something surreal happened to him.
Once, during his sixth expulsion, he swore his teacher's shadow laughed at him before strangling itself.
Another time, he saw a classmate disappear mid-fight after calling himself 'The Glitch.'
Strange things happened around him always. Nothing special… nothing extraordinary too.
So, floating in midair while the world paused like a broken film reel? Nothing new. But what was new—was the silence.
A suffocating, stretched-out kind of silence.
Like the universe had taken a breath and forgotten how to exhale. Leaves hovered mid-tumble outside the bus window.The orange cat from earlier hung in the air like a cheap sticker pasted on glass.
Even the hum of the engine vanished.
A paper magically appeared in his hands. Together with it was an ID card—his face plastered on it, with other weird things that made him frown.
Then the ID suddenly flashed into his eyes, a blue screen appearing before him.
Name: Dimitrios Diamantakos
Title: #0
Virtus: Fatebreaker (O), Echoing Eternity (O)
Rank: Novice (Red 0%)
Depth: 10 (1/s)
Eidos: Not registered
Manifestations: Threads of Fate, Eternal Echo
Spells: Not registered
"What does this mean?"
[Purpose: Stop the bullies.]
[Pay: Increase the depth.]
"Wait… what the fuck is 'pay'? I revoke—"
[You can't. All the best.]
The atmosphere around him swirled. Like it enjoyed his helplessness. A single thread of golden light floated toward him, curling like a snake.
It brushed against his chest. His instincts screamed—but not in warning. In hunger.
His body moved on its own, pushing the bus door open as he stepped out. The scenery around him changed as the world scattered like glass—
And revealed her.
She stood barefoot atop a cliff, her silver hair dancing in the sky breeze. Sweat mingled with blood flowed down her forehead.
Her light blue eyes sparkled with anger, above all, desperation. She wore what looked like a school uniform.
Star-shaped pins lined her collar. Total: three. Her white uniform was speared with blood, uneven claw marks slashing across her body.
Her head suddenly snapped toward his direction, hope flashing in her exhausted eyes. Then it disappeared, like a shooting star.
"I failed again…" her voice was soft.
"Hahah…" a boy laughed. "I thought you were gonna pull some divine shit. And here—here's a normal human? Is he your summon? Haha!"
Only then did Dimitri notice the group of people cornering the girl. Three boys, about her age.
Their uniforms had the same number of stars. He guessed they were in the same class.
'So this is typical high school bullying…' Dimitri thought.Looking at the girl once more, he shook his head. 'It's more than ordinary bullying. They're going to kill her…'
His eyes wandered between the girl and the cliff. One step back, and she would die.
"I know this may not be what you expected. You're also confused, like me," the girl spoke to him."I am Luna. I'm the one who asked for your help."
"What? You asked help from a commoner peasant? How laughable." The boy tried to mock, but Luna never once glanced in his direction.
Her eyes were locked with Dimitri's. In them, he saw something he never saw in the bullied.
Defiance. The extreme urge to break free. And that made him smile.
"Dimitrios… Dimitrios Diamantakos."
He saw a smile appear on her face. While the three boys wore confused expressions, Dimitri realised something. Only she could hear his voice.
No… he wasn't speaking. At least, not through his mouth. They were talking—through their minds.
He felt a slight pull on his chest. He looked down. A golden thread stretched from there, connecting him to Luna.
Through it, he could feel her every emotion, her every thought… even her scent. It was almost magical.
"I awakened two Virtus…" she seemed to read his doubts.
"Slut..how could a null like you awaken a Virtus? Lest two?" the boy before laughed again. Dimitri understood something again. Everything she said could be heard by others.
"Virtus…?" he asked visibly confused.
"Innate traits. That's all I can tell you now. We have no time. They will never give us time."Her eyes pointed at the three approaching figures.
"One of my Virtus is called Stellar Bound. It allows me to forge an eternal soul-bond with an individual from another realm, destined to become their fated companion." Her voice paused.
"So this peasant is your fated companion? Haha..Trash x trash...matching..." Dimitri wanted to kill that boy now, he coldly glanced at him.
"I'm that individual? But why me?"
"That… I don't know. I really don't. It only said everything depends on my fate—and you are here.I'm really sorry. I seem to have pulled you into danger…"
He felt sadness in her tone, along with disappointment. Sadness for pulling a clueless guy like him into this mess.
Disappointment for pulling a weak guy like him.
"I might call you 'mother'," he shrugged.
"What?"
"Nothing. Sounds like you wanted a slave and got a defective one, so now you're offended."
"No!" she flared up, folding her arms."It's sacred! A connection between two fates! Forged by the Well of Stars!"
"Still sounds like slavery with extra steps."
The girl looked offended. A smirk appeared on Dimitri's face as he shrugged.
"You know I can sense your emotions… that counts lies too."
He saw her face drain of color. Her outburst seemed to catalyze the bullies, who now started moving toward her with wide grins.
"Slut. I wanna see where you run now…" the lead boy taunted, grinning with crooked teeth.
"No…" Dimitri saw Luna's calm façade scatter like glass as the distance closed in.
"Help me… I can tell you everything after…"
"That's it." Dimitri laughed, taking a step forward. The golden thread connecting them pulsed, then pulled.
His body passed through space like flipping pages. And appeared in front of her.
He turned toward her. Luna, visibly alarmed, tried to wave him off.
"W-wait! If you touch me, the ceremony will complete—you can't go ba—!"
Too late.
Dimitri poked her forehead with one finger. "Oh you are warm.."
She yelped. Not from pain, but from surprise. Like no one had ever touched her before.
"Again, you're lying, 'mother'," Dimitri curled his lips, "we are already bonded right? And that seemed to irreversible."