The day I returned to Planet 173, the sky was clearer than I had ever seen it. The spaceport broadcast droned on with the schedules of landings and departures, and the crowd bustled in restless motion. Yet my heart was quieter than ever.
My comms unit vibrated.
[Wang Mian: Congratulations! You really did it! First place!]
A second message followed almost instantly.
[Actually, I've decided to apply to Nightmare Academy too. I can't stand Babula's ways. Better to go somewhere despised by everyone and build something new with you than to be someone else's follower.]
I stared at the words, my eyes trembling for a moment before a smile tugged at my lips.
"Wang Mian…" I whispered to myself, a warmth blooming quietly in my chest.
...
Before leaving, I went to the training grounds one last time.
Teacher Song stood in his usual place, the wind carrying with it a faint trace of dust.
"Teacher." I stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Thank you for these five years of guidance. Without the mech you gave me, I would never have survived the trial."
He looked at me for a long moment. His silence was heavy, but I could see a glimmer in his eyes that he didn't try to hide.
"You came this far by your own strength," he finally said, his voice low and steady. "Remember this. A mech is only a tool. What protects you is your own heart and your own will."
I nodded solemnly. "I'll remember. Thank you."
He reached out, resting a hand on my shoulder, his expression unusually gentle.
"Go. Nightmare may have fallen, but if it's you, perhaps it will rise again."
...
When I boarded the ship bound for Planet 11, I turned back for one last look at the night sky of 173. My chest tightened with a storm of feelings, farewell, anticipation, and that burning determination that refused to be put out.
"Nightmare Academy…" I murmured, my gaze steady. "If they call it ruins, then I'll create a new legend from those ruins."
The starship engines roared, streaks of light cutting through the dark. My path had begun.
The ship pierced layers of mist before descending onto the blackened soil of Planet 11.
The moment I stepped off the ramp, a cold wind rushed against my face, carrying dampness and the tang of rust. The sky was eternally gray, as if it had forgotten how to clear.
The academy gates, once spoken of in legend, looked pitiful in reality—rusted, cracked stone pillars ready to collapse at any time. The oppressive weight of the place pressed down like unseen eyes peering out from the walls.
And yet, against all expectations, the registration grounds were overflowing with people. The plaza buzzed with excitement, packed with new students hauling luggage and chatting with wild energy.
"That's her! The champion of the death match!"
"I saw her videos on the net—godlike moves!"
"To study alongside Aurora, we're lucky!"
The noise crashed over me like a wave. Some even held up hand-painted signs that read: Aurora, Boss!
I froze for a second. Beside me, Wang Mian burst out laughing. "Look at that. Nightmare Academy turned into your fan club."
He wasn't wrong. Many had come because of me, swept up by the spectacle of that match. Others came simply because Nightmare's tuition was dirt cheap. The lofty costs of Babula and the other elite academies had shut them out. Nightmare was their only chance.
The crowd was larger than I ever imagined.
When I received my dorm key, I learned Wang Mian had been assigned to another building.
"Tomorrow we check out the cafeteria together," he grinned.
I nodded, then went alone toward my dorm.
The building's exterior was weathered, some windows boarded shut. Inside, dust clung to the air.
[Four-person dormitory, Room 7-314]
But when I opened the door, the silence was almost too much. Four beds, three buried in dust. Only mine was clean, clearly prepared for me in advance.
I stood at the doorway for a few seconds, then stepped inside.
The whole room was mine.
The dim light stretched the shadows into strange shapes. Too quiet, as if something unseen lingered in the corners, watching.
I set my luggage down and sat on the edge of my bed, gazing at the ceiling. A faint crack ran across it, and through it seeped a breath of cold air.
"…Nightmare," I whispered. "Even more desolate than I thought."
But my eyes stayed sharp.
"Good. This place suits me even better."
Night fell completely. At the academy gates, the digital clock gave a harsh beep.
A cold mechanical voice rang out:
"Curfew initiated. After 22:00, no exits permitted. Violators will be penalized."
At once, a blue energy barrier lit up across the gates and dorms, sealing the entire campus like a cage. Students hurried back to their rooms, chatter fading into a heavy silence.
From my balcony, I watched the dark outside the walls. My brow furrowed. The liveliness of this school was a facade. Nightmare's true face was hiding in the shadows.
"Curfew, huh?" I murmured, a small smile tugging at me.
Minutes later, I was already outside the wall, having vaulted over it in silence.
Far off, atop the teaching block, a figure stood still.
A teacher of Nightmare Academy, coat unbuttoned, a faint trail of smoke rising from his hand. He watched me vanish into the night, his eyes narrowing.
"Climbing walls on day one?" he muttered. There was a chill in his tone, yet also the ghost of a smile.
He exhaled slowly, smoke curling into the dark.
"A troublemaker… maybe that's exactly what Nightmare needs."
—
The main streets of Planet 11 were far livelier than I had expected. Neon lights tangled with giant holographic ads, while vagrants and black market peddlers filled the alleys. The air reeked of spice and iron.
I hadn't gone far when a boy of barely ten stopped me.
"Hey, big sis, want to make some quick cash?" His eyes sparkled with mischief, his grin edged with excitement.
I froze for a heartbeat. The tone was the same as that boy I'd once met back on 173.
I crouched slightly, giving him a faint smile. "Quick cash? What's the job?"
He lowered his voice. "Underground dueling pits. You look like you can fight. One win, and you'll earn a month's tuition."
I couldn't help a quiet laugh. Just as I thought. This planet was no different from 173. Its darkness was far more honest than the surface glamour.
"Show me the way," I said.