Caelum sat under the big tree in the academy courtyard. Students walked around him, training and talking, but he barely noticed. His book lay open on his lap, pages flipping in the wind.
He was thinking about staying alive.
Yesterday, he had avoided his first death. The banquet where he was supposed to insult the heroine and start a fight with the hero. Instead, he pretended to be sick and ran away.
It worked. He was still breathing.
A small blue screen appeared in front of his eyes, like a floating window only he could see.
> Survival Tip: Find a friend. Pick someone who doesn't matter to the story.
> Warning: Stay away from important characters. They bring trouble.
Caelum nodded. That made sense. In the novel, all the main characters were dangerous. The hero, the heroine, the villains, even the side characters had their own plots. Getting close to any of them meant getting pulled into their stories.
And their stories always ended with people dying.
He needed someone invisible. Someone the story would ignore completely.
Caelum looked around the courtyard, studying each student.
That girl? Too pretty. Probably a hidden princess.
That boy? Too strong. Definitely becomes a knight.
Those twins? Too mysterious. Definitely have a secret.
Then he saw him.
A thin boy sat alone by the wall, drawing on the stones with chalk. His clothes were old and patched. His shoes had holes. No family crest anywhere.
Other students walked past him like he wasn't there.
Perfect.
Caelum got up and walked over. Some nobles stared at him, confused. Why would a lord talk to a nobody?
Let them wonder. Being unpredictable was good. It meant the story couldn't guess what he would do next.
"What are you drawing?" Caelum asked.
The boy looked up, surprised. He had messy black hair and tired eyes.
"Nothing important," the boy said quietly.
"Good. I like unimportant things," Caelum said, sitting down next to him.
He looked at the chalk drawings. Strange symbols and circles covered the wall. They looked like magic runes, but incomplete. Like the boy was trying to remember something he had forgotten.
"I'm Caelum," he said, holding out his hand.
The boy stared at it for a long moment.
"Reed," he finally said. He didn't shake hands.
No last name. That meant he was really poor. Maybe an orphan.
Even better.
A new message appeared in Caelum's vision.
> New person found: Reed
> Danger level: Zero
> Story importance: None
> Survival chance increased by 2%
Only two percent, but it was something.
"Are you hungry?" Caelum asked. "I'll buy you lunch."
Reed looked confused. "Why would you do that?"
"Because you're the safest person here," Caelum said honestly. "Everyone else wants something from me, or wants to use me, or wants to kill me. You just want to draw on walls."
Reed almost smiled at that. Almost.
"You're weird," he said.
"Maybe. But you're still coming with me."
Caelum stood up and waited. After a moment, Reed got up too.
They walked to the dining hall together. Students whispered and pointed. A noble walking with a commoner? Unheard of.
But something strange happened as they walked. The whispers got quieter. People started looking away. It was like they were becoming invisible.
Another message appeared.
> New bond created: Reed (Background Support)
>
> New ability unlocked: Deviation Cloak Level 1
>
> Effect: Makes you harder to notice when with unimportant people.
> Plot characters will ignore you more often.
> Survival chance: Now 11%
Caelum felt it immediately. The weight of everyone watching him lifted. Students who had been staring now looked right through him. Even a teacher who usually glared at him just walked past.
It was like Reed's invisibility was spreading to him too.
This was incredible. Reed wasn't just a friend. He was camouflage. A way to hide from the story itself.
"Do you like the food here?" Caelum asked as they entered the dining hall.
Reed shrugged. "It's food. Better than being hungry."
They got their meals and found a table in the back corner. Nobody bothered them. Nobody even looked at them.
For the first time since coming to this world, Caelum felt safe.
"Tell me about those drawings," he said.
Reed picked at his food. "I see them sometimes. In dreams. Like they mean something, but I can't remember what."
Caelum nodded. That was interesting, but not dangerous. Reed might have some small magic talent, but nothing that would attract the main story.
"Keep drawing them," Caelum said. "Maybe you'll remember eventually."
Reed looked at him strangely. "You really are weird. Most nobles would call me crazy."
"I'm not most nobles," Caelum said.
That was true. The old Caelum would have laughed at Reed, maybe even kicked over his chalk drawings. But the old Caelum was destined to die.
The new Caelum was going to survive.
And Reed was going to help him do it.
"Want to sit together in class tomorrow?" Caelum asked.
Reed nodded. "Sure. If you don't mind people thinking you're strange."
"I don't mind at all," Caelum said, and meant it.
Being strange was keeping him alive.
As they ate, Caelum felt the story's attention sliding away from him. The hero and heroine were probably having their own adventures somewhere else. The villains were plotting their schemes. The side characters were living out their roles.
And Caelum was becoming invisible, one friendship at a time.
It was the perfect plan.