The last pulse of the HUD scanner faded into the corridor's cold air, leaving behind a faint shimmer that slowly dissolved. Conversations resumed in hesitant fragments, yet the atmosphere had not fully recovered. Something heavy still lingered—born from the clash of presence, emotion, and tension that had ignited moments before.
Muhan stood near the threshold, the glow of the scanner brushing the edge of his shadow. But his attention drifted to Mi-cha, whose soft smile still lingered like a warm echo in his chest. Before the silence could stretch further, the academy's system cut through the moment:
"Registration confirmed. Welcome to Wysteria Academy."
The doors slid open.
Light spilled out—gold, blue, and violet—as Wysteria revealed itself.
The atrium was a cathedral of living brilliance.
Glass towers spiraled upward like frozen lightning.
Ether currents wove through the air like celestial rivers, humming with an intelligence too ancient and too aware to be mere machinery.
Wysteria wasn't built.
Wysteria was alive.
Mi-cha exhaled softly. "It's beautiful…"
"Intense for a school," Muhan replied, lips curving faintly.
But then—footsteps.
A familiar, arrogant aura slipped into the atrium.
The golden-haired boy from before stepped forward, crimson eyes fixed ahead with quiet authority. A hologram flickered to life above him:
"Student: Nagant Nazus — Void Candidate."
A shockwave of whispers followed.
"Nazus? His bloodline actually sent someone here?"
"A Void Candidate… at his age?"
"Those are the ones who inherit the abyss…"
Nagant's smirk reappeared—sharper now, controlled.
He met Muhan's eyes.
"Don't fall behind, Lockhart. I enjoy a challenge, not pity."
Muhan's calm reply was almost too soft for the crowd to handle.
"I'll make sure you keep enjoying yourself, then."
Several students inhaled sharply.
But then—another presence.
Soft.
Melodic.
Yet unbearably powerful.
The air itself shifted.
A girl stepped through the opening crowd like she was gliding across the world's rhythm. Her dark-starlight hair framed her gentle face, and her aura—subtle, flowing, harmonic—made reality tighten around her like a tuned instrument.
Vibe Fasue.
She smiled faintly, her voice warm, controlled.
"So you're Muhan Lockhart."
Muhan felt it instantly.
Her presence.
Her flow.
Her pressure.
Not less than him.
Not more.
Equal.
The realization stirred something low in him—interest, edge, instinct.
His smirk appeared before he realized it. Soft. Dangerous.
"…You're strong."
Vibe's eyes sparkled. "And you noticed. Good."
Then she turned to Mi-cha with the same elegance.
"And you must be Mi-cha Lawson. Your name reached me long ago."
Mi-cha blinked in surprise. "You know me…?"
"Not your face. But your potential." Vibe's smile deepened. "I'm glad we're the same year."
Mi-cha smiled back—already sensing something familiar, something fierce behind Vibe's calm.
Suddenly—
"HEYYY! New faces!"
A figure burst into the scene with a leap.
A girl—bright-eyed, energetic, and full of chaotic life—landed near them with a grin so wide it could split the sky.
Short black hair tied in a messy ponytail, jacket slung over her shoulder, radiating uncontainable energy.
"I'm Jinnah! Jinnah Wrexford—future top student, future troublemaker, future probably-expelled-but-totally-worth-it girl!!!"
Mi-cha giggled. "She's cute."
Muhan, deadpan: "She's loud."
Behind Jinnah stepped a taller boy with calm eyes and a calm aura.
Kamaro Alsten.
He sighed.
"Please ignore her. She's been excited since sunrise."
Jinnah placed a hand dramatically on her chest.
"Kamaro, we talked about this—you're supposed to SUPPORT my drama."
"No."
"Tch."
But then another presence approached—quiet, composed, refined.
A boy with snow-white hair and pure white eyes.
Eyes like uncut marble—calm, serene, unreadable.
He stopped before Mi-cha, posture elegant.
"Mi-cha Lawson," he said quietly.
She blinked. "Yes?"
He bowed—not deeply, but respectfully, gracefully.
"I am Dillar Villar. My family speaks highly of yours. I wished to introduce myself early."
His white eyes softened the slightest bit.
"It is… an honor."
Nearby students whispered sharply.
"Dillar Villar actually went to her first?"
"He never acknowledges anyone…"
Mi-cha nervously smiled. "Ah—I'm honored too."
Muhan's eyebrow lowered—not jealousy, but awareness.
Dillar stepped back.
"I hope we can be allies, Miss Lawson. Fate seems to favor those who move together."
Before anyone could reply—
Light exploded downward from above.
A single beam struck the atrium floor.
No sound.
No shockwave.
Just absolute stillness.
When the light faded, a figure stood where it had touched.
Robed in indigo.
Eyes swirling with Ether older than civilizations.
Presence warping space.
The Overseer of Wysteria Academy.
Their voice rolled like truth.
Not loud.
Not soft.
Just final.
"Welcome, students…
to the academy that measures the infinite."
Silence swallowed the atrium.
"This institution acknowledges neither nobility nor reputation.
Only your potential.
Only your truth."
Their gaze passed over Muhan.
Over Mi-cha.
Over Vibe.
Over Nagant.
Over Dillar, Jinnah, Kamaro.
"Tomorrow at 0600…
you face the Ether Synchronization Trial."
A ripple of fear and excitement swept the crowd.
"Fail,
and your journey ends."
The Overseer vanished.
Leaving the atrium trembling.
Mi-cha looked at Muhan.
"…So it begins."
Muhan nodded, blue eyes glinting.
"Yeah."
Vibe's voice chimed gently.
"I hope you're all ready."
Jinnah pumped her fists. "LET'S GOOO!!"
Kamaro sighed.
"Not again."
Dillar simply stared forward—calm, unreadable.
Muhan looked at the now-flickering HUD panel:
[ Ether Synchronization Trial — 0600 HOURS ]
Aether stirred inside him—quiet, electric.
He smirked softly.
"Tomorrow's going to be interesting."