Kaen was lying in bed.
It was Saturday morning. He had just woken up and was still sleepy.
The academy routine was starting to take its toll.
Busy days, intense training, and free time becoming almost a distant dream.
"Having to wake up almost at dawn is insane."
He yawned loudly, turning to the side in bed.
'I think I'll sleep a little more... after all, there's nothing mandatory today.'
Saturdays were reserved for complementary classes, practical activities, or non-compulsory training.
But of course, coming from Veyhart Academy, almost all students were involved in crazy studies Kaen had never even heard of.
"..."
'Yesterday I overdid it... I think I'll start taking it easier.'
Kaen closed his eyes again, sinking his face into the pillow, determined to spend Saturday just sleeping.
KNOCK KNOCK....
"..."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
"..."
KNOOOCK KNOCK BAM BAM BAM!
"WHAT THE HELL...!!!"
Kaen got up irritated, hair messy, his expression loaded with morning rage.
'Who's the bastard knocking at the door at this hour?'
It was Saturday morning. What kind of human being bothers someone at a time like this?
Out of patience, Kaen marched to the door, fuming.
'Better not be you, Marco... if it is, I swear—'
As soon as he opened the door...
He was surprised.
Yenne was standing there.
She stared straight into his eyes, and then... her gaze dropped slightly.
"..."
Shirtless...
"...You pervert!"
She tried to slap Kaen, but he dodged easily.
'What a crazy girl...'
"Are you out of your mind? What do you want here?"
"Put a shirt on!"
She lightly pushed him back and slammed the door in his face, still standing outside.
The scene was surreal.
She was the one who knocked, waited there like he was obligated to answer...
Yet she pushed him back like it was his fault for not wearing a shirt... and still had the audacity to slam the door in his face like she was the offended one.
"Tsk...."
'Now I'm being humiliated in my own room?'
Kaen then went to look for a shirt in the wardrobe...
"...."
".."
Five minutes later...
That's how long it took Kaen to find a shirt he thought was decent. Not a long time, but for someone waiting outside, it probably felt like an eternity.
He returned to the door.
This time, wearing a black shirt that contrasted with the light tone of his hair and eyes.
Opening the door again, Yenne was still waiting outside.
"I'm wearing a shirt now, you can leave."
He said while starting to close the door.
Yenne stopped the door with her hand.
"Are you messing with me?"
'Guess she didn't come here just to complain about the shirt...'
"Are you going to let me in?"
"What do you want this early? Can't you come another time?"
"...Early?? It's already 9:30. You must be kidding."
"My time is different from yours."
"Are you going to let me in or not?"
Seeing he had no choice, Kaen just sighed, giving up on sending her away.
"Uh... Be my guest."
A girl in a guy's room? Kaen didn't remember if that was allowed. Not that he really cared, honestly.
"..."
"...."
"So? What do you want?"
'He seriously doesn't remember?'
Yenne then held out a small wooden box with golden details.
"A gift? I don't have anything to give you back, and even if—"
"Just open it already..."
To Yenne, that moment was torture. Having to walk across the academy, enter the boys' dorm, and hand something so important to someone like him...
When Kaen opened the box, he saw a crystal with a deep red hue, with fine golden veins glowing inside.
It was like holding a pulsing heart made of liquefied ruby.
He recognized it immediately.
It was a Vyralis Core.
She had promised to give it if he agreed to help her.
Kaen looked at her with a satisfied and slightly shy smile.
"You didn't have to..."
'Bastard.'
He had refused to help in every possible way, until she offered a rare and experimental item from her own family. Only then did he agree.
Yenne crossed her arms, trying to keep her composure.
"I'm guessing you don't know how to use it."
Kaen shook his head slowly.
"No idea."
She sighed.
"The process is delicate. You need to be in a closed space with no distractions. Sit on the floor and stay completely still. Controlled breathing. Relaxed body..."
She was trying to be as brief as possible.
Kaen was already looking at the crystal like it was a bomb.
===
The sound of footsteps echoed softly through the inner paths of the academy.
It was Marco, running alone through a peaceful area called the Cloud Trail. It was an oval-shaped path that circled part of the Central Garden.
The path was surrounded by short trees with silvery-blue leaves, swaying gently in the morning breeze.
It wasn't really meant for physical training... but for Marco, it worked just fine.
He was a light magic user. He didn't use swords, spears, or gauntlets, and technically didn't even need to push himself physically.
But being a commoner... he felt he had to work twice as hard just to stay among the best.
He had barely made it into Class S. And he knew that once the month ended, the points would be updated again. If he wanted to stay there, he needed to give his all every single day.
Farther ahead, Rayden was running alongside Darian. The two were always together on that trail, as part of a daily ritual Marco already knew well.
'Should I invite Kaen next time?'
...
'Are you crazy, Marco?!'
He shook his head, already imagining Kaen's bored look and a mocking line:
"Running on a Saturday? Pass."
Marco laughed to himself and continued his training.
===
Somewhere else in the academy, on the high balcony surrounded by golden crystal frames, a girl was calmly sipping tea.
The view from there was perfect.
The place was decorated with light curtains, hanging like veils dancing with the wind, and a fountain sprayed water in delicate spirals at the center of the hall.
This was the Hanging Garden of Vaellen, a space reserved for Iris's family lineage.
Even in an academy that valued merit, some noble families still kept their privileges. Private reading rooms, meeting halls, and, in Iris's case, an exclusive balcony overlooking the campus.
Of course, it didn't guarantee any advantage in classes. Tests, rankings, and results were the same for everyone.
"So it's true then?"
Iris was accompanied by two classmates, casually listening while sipping her tea.
The voices around her talked more than she actually paid attention to. While pretending to be interested, her gaze stayed distant, lost in the ripples of the cup she held with elegance.
The two girls beside her were gossiping about something boring. About optional classes no one cared about or a new set of golden wands released by a prestigious shop.
Iris listened without really listening.
"..."
Until a name popped up in the middle of the conversation.
"Did you see? They say Elena's been hanging around that boy... the one with white hair."
Iris slightly raised an eyebrow. Finally, something worth paying attention to.
She didn't interrupt right away. She just tilted her head slightly and let the others continue.
"He's weird. No one knows where he came from. But they say on the first day he nullified Professor Aeryn's spell without breaking a sweat. And he's always hanging out with that other commoner... Marco, I think."
Iris then spoke, without lifting her eyes from the cup:
"Kaen, right? Tell me more about him."
"You know him?"
The two girls exchanged a glance, then quickly continued, now more excited, trying to impress her.
What the girls were talking about, Iris had already seen in the classroom. That wasn't normal. He used a really strange magic.
And if he seemed close to Elena and lived alongside a commoner named Marco... there was more going on than the others realized.
'Elena gets close to those with potential... but I'm better at that.'
If Kaen had any value, she would bring him to her side.
With or without consent.
Iris took the last sip of tea, calmly.
Already thinking about her next moves.
===
Kaen had finished his conversation with Yenne after listening to all the instructions on how to use the Vyralis Core.
But his problem right now was something else.
"What do you mean, 'reading error'?! I just put money in you!!!"
He was standing in front of a vending machine, glaring at the magical screen flashing red with the message:
Insufficient balance.
"Insufficient balance my ass... You swallowed my coin, you cursed tin can!"
He was shaking the machine back and forth while grumbling.
Kaen sighed in frustration...
That was valuable money. Not because he knew where it came from — actually, he had found the coins in an old drawer while storing the crystal Yenne gave him.
But for someone like him, coming from a different reality, where machines were a synonym for capitalism and rampant consumption... of course he would try to spend it.
And the machine... decided to rebel.
"You piece of junk... if you're not giving me anything, at least give me my money back."
"Excuse me."
A voice came from beside him.
Kaen turned and found himself facing Elena.
Without another word, she inserted a bill and pressed a button on the machine. The system lit up green, and the drink dropped perfectly into the collection tray.
She picked up the bottle casually and looked at him.
"Want something?"
Kaen stared at her. A serious look, almost dramatic.
"..."
Elena sighed.
"I'll pay."
"~Ahh... fine then... I want something expensive."