The news traveled faster than wildfire.
"Roni defeated a level 6 demon!"..
By the time Roni stepped into Haland college the following day, it felt like the entire school had heard. Whispers trailed him like shadows.
"That's him!"
"No way... Roni?"
Even the teachers gave him a second glance.
Students who had never spared him a glance were now waving, smiling, trying to talk to him.
Roni walked through the hallway like a prince returning from battle.
"So… this is what being famous feels like?" he muttered with a grin tugging at his lips.
But his parade didn't last.
"RONIIIIII!"
A sharp voice cut through the atmosphere like a blade.
Everyone turned.
Ms. Kyo.
Face twisted, eyes blazing—pure wrath in human form.
"Damn... not this crazy old lady again," Roni groaned.
"DETENTION. NOW!" she barked, pointing dramatically toward the library.
It wasn't just detention. It was her kind of punishment—sorting dusty books by catalogue.
No mercy. No care. No celebration for his heroic feat.
Ms. Kyo didn't care about magic, achievements, or legends. She cared about rules and books.
Before Roni could blink, she grabbed his shirt.
"No running today, Roni," she said with a wicked grin, dragging him down the hallway like a sack of sin.
Inside the dim, musty library, Mirael was already there, quietly stacking books.
"You'll both handle this section," Ms. Kyo said before vanishing like a villain who had already won.
Roni rubbed his neck and waved awkwardly.
"Hi, Mirael..."
"Hey, Roni," she replied calmly.
No sarcasm. No cold shoulder.
She didn't seem upset about their last fallout, but Roni didn't know what to say. He just stood there awkwardly.
"What are you staring at? It's detention, not date night. Come help me," Mirael teased.
"Ah—right, sorry. Didn't wanna disturb your holy book sanctuary."
"I read books. I don't shelve them," she replied, picking up another stack.
"And we've got a mountain of books to stack."
Roni smirked.
"Alright partner."
They laughed softly, and for a moment, things felt… nice and normal.
Roni's chest tightened slightly. He glanced at her.
Does she like me? No... Mirael? She's cold like ice, No way. I've known her since 4th grade and she's doesn't seems lovable, I'm overthinking.
He slapped himself lightly on the forehead to shake the thoughts away.
"Stop thinking weird stuff, Roni…" he whispered to himself.
They were quietly stacking for hours until—
BAM. CRASH. LAUGHTER.
Trouble entered.
Mobu and his gang barged into the library, loud and grinning.
"Oooh, if it ain't Roni the hero," Mobu mocked. His gang cackled behind him. "Shitt" Roni muttered.
He marched straight to Roni.
"No running today!"
Roni exhaled sharply.
"Mobu, not now. I'm already in detention. Please don't make this worse."
"Worse? You broke my nose, remember.?"
WHAM.
Mobu's punch landed straight in Roni's gut.
He hit the floor hard.
Roni groaned, curling slightly. Tried to stand.
Mobu's hand lit up.
He placed a light of Force Field on him.
Roni's body froze, pinned. He couldn't move.
Panic struck.
"System...!"
Nothing.
"System...!!"
Still nothing.
"The is a threat c'mon SYSTEM!!!!" he screamed in his head, fighting, straining—nothing worked.
" is this the guy who beat a level 6 demon?" one of Mobu's boys mocked.
"Please, I could take a level 10," Mobu snorted.
Then—
BOOM.
A sharp burst of red energy surged through the air.
Mobu's force field shattered like glass.
All heads turned.
Mirael stood calmly, hand still glowing, her voice low but sharp:
"Enough. Leave him."
Mobu blinked.
"Since when do you care about people?"
"Get. Out." Her eyes flared.
Mobu raised his hands.
"Alright, alright. We're going. C'mon boys."
They vanished.
Silence returned.
Everyone at school knew—you don't mess with Mirael.
She might've looked soft on the outside, but her magic was lethal, her system unmatched, her fighting skills insane.
Roni slowly sat up, rubbing his chest. He looked at his hands.
"Why... why couldn't I summon my system? I thought I was finally strong.
His fists clenched.
"Am I still just... weak?"
Before the spiral got deeper, Mirael gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You okay, Roni?"
Time stilled. Her touch was warm.
His heart raced for reasons that had nothing to do with magic.
"Y-Yeah... thanks for your help."
He barely got the words out.
"Good. Now, let's finish this."
She walked back to the shelf like nothing happened.
Roni still sat there for a moment, lost in his thoughts. "Why didn't the system come up? At least this was a threat," he muttered, shaking his head. Then he recalled the notification: [Continue accumulating more stats and you'll gain control.]
"How do I get stats if I can't summon this system?" Roni still battled with his thoughts.
"Why am I the only one stacking books?" Mirael said, cutting through Roni's thoughts.
"Oh, sorry, I was just lost in my head."
"If it's about what happened earlier, just get over it. Mobu and his crew are such fumblefools."
"Hm, fumblefools? Where did you get that from?" Roni asked, and they both burst into laughter.
Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into hours.
"Pheww, finally the last one," Mirael exhaled as she placed the final book on the shelf.
"Great work, Mirael," Roni said, tapping her shoulder.
"Well, we did it together as a team. So great work to you too, Roni."
They both laughed again.
"Umm… Roni," Mirael called out as she stepped closer to him. "I really want to apologize for last time. What I said was awful, and I'm really sorry about it."
"It's okay, Mirael. At least you had my back today." He spoke a bit shyly; he hadn't expected an apology at all. If anything, it only confirmed the thought that had been floating through his mind—that Mirael might possibly have feelings for him.
"So now that detention's over, where are you headed?" Roni asked, scratching his temple as they walked down the school hallway, secretly hoping he could develop something from this.
"Umm, well, I need to meet up with my friends at the woods tonight."
"Woods? Wait a minute—you actually have friends, Mirael?"
"Yeah, I do, Roni. And we train in the woods."
"Woah, that's exciting to hear. Please, can I join you guys for training today?" Roni asked eagerly, mostly hoping to learn more about his system.
"No. The friends I have would devour you. My training ground isn't a place for a weakling like you," Mirael snarled.
"C'mon, Mirael, didn't you hear what I did yesterday? I killed a level 6 demon," Roni persuaded.
"Which I find hard to believe," Mirael replied flatly.
"Please, just let me prove myself today."
"You couldn't even prove yourself a few hours ago," Mirael mocked. "Clevelhill. 5 p.m. Meet us there," she added.
"Thank you, thank you! I'll be there!" Roni said happily as they parted ways.
Headquarters, OCI…
"Sergeant," one of the soldiers called, "an important call from Conor Hills."
"Too important to disturb my tea time?" Sergeant Shaw grinned.
"Sorry, sir, but she said it's urgent—and she'll only speak with you," the soldier replied.
"Alright, give me the phone." Shaw took the receiver. "Hello, Doctor Aiko."
"Sir, something strange happened here," Aiko's voice carried a hint of worry.
"And what's that?" Shaw's tone grew sharper.
"The orb…" she hesitated, then stammered, "Halzora's orb—it's glowing."
Sergeant Shaw shot to his feet. "What the… hell. I'm coming over immediately."
[For over five thousand years, ever since the death of Halzora, that orb had never once glowed.]