The capital of Feryan was everything Zein remembered… and more. Floating towers, levitating carriages, streets lined with memory crystals. The heart of the empire beat with pride and arrogance, fueled by magic, science, and tradition.
Zein walked under a gray cloak and a false identity: Kael Nure, orphan from the provinces, aspiring to the Central Academy of Abilities.
—The artifact will be unearthed in four days —he murmured, recalling the Lyssara node—. I have to reach the chamber before they do.
And the fastest way to access the core… was from the inside.
The Academy of Abilities was a massive fossil of a legendary ancient monster, a great golem of marble and obsidian, repurposed into an Academy. Thousands of students, nobles and commoners alike, passed through its gates each cycle. Only a few were admitted… and fewer still survived their first year.
Zein handed over his modified registration seal. The guard scanned it.
—New applicant, huh? You've been assigned to Group Zero.
—Perfect —Zein replied with a fake smile—. Just what I wanted.
Group Zero: the sector for impossible cases, rejects with unstable… or dangerous potential. The perfect place for someone who shouldn't stand out.
His classroom was half-empty. Barely a dozen students, all with suspicious eyes. Among them, one figure stood out: crimson hair tied in a braid, uniform slightly unbuttoned, boots stained with dried blood.
Zein recognized her immediately.
—It can't be… Elaine Redthorne?
In his time, she would be known as the Crimson Rose of the Abyss, the deadliest warrior of the eastern front… and his personal assassin in another timeline.
Now, she was just another student, yawning as she sharpened a dagger.
—What are you staring at, new face? —she said without looking up.
—Just admiring your way of ignoring the magical safety regulations —Zein replied, sitting beside her.
Elaine glanced at him with disdain… and a hint of interest.
—And who the hell are you?
—Kael Nure. I guess we're classmates now.
She let out a dry laugh.
—Bad news for you, then. Classmates don't last long here.
Zein smiled calmly. He knew what she was… and what she would become. But not yet.
Classes began. Affinity evaluations, combat tests, mental challenges. Zein passed each one without standing out, hiding his true potential. But he didn't go unnoticed by Elaine.
—You've got a soldier's movements —she told him after a sparring match—. But not the scent of someone who kills for fun.
—And you smell like compressed explosive.
—Touché.
That night, while everyone else slept, Elaine waited for him outside the dorm.
—I know you're not who you say you are —she said quietly—. But I don't care. Not if you help me escape this hole disguised as an academy.
Zein raised an eyebrow.
—Why would I do that?
—Because I found something. Something buried beneath the foundations.
She led him to a hidden chamber behind an abandoned storage room. The walls were covered in ancient symbols, and in the center… a fragment of the same code he'd seen in the Lyssara node.
—How did you get this? —Zein asked, alarmed.
—I heard voices… and followed them —she said, serious for the first time—. They showed me things. Things that haven't happened yet.
Zein looked at her with a mix of suspicion and respect. She wasn't just brute force… Elaine was connected to the Nexus, somehow.
—Maybe fate left me no choice —he whispered.
—What?
—Nothing. I'll help you. But in return… I'll need your loyalty.
Elaine stared at him. For a moment, everything was silent.
—I'm not the loyal type. But I do survive.
—Then we already have something in common.
The alliance was sealed in secret. Zein and Elaine began working together: exploring tunnels, stealing sealed maps, evading instructors. In just three days, they were already the ghosts of the academy.
And each night, their conversations grew less cold.
—Ever wondered what you'd do if you had another chance? —she asked once, staring at the stars.
Zein smiled sadly.
—I have one. I just hope I don't mess it up.
Elaine glanced sideways… and for the first time, lowered her guard.
—If you mess it up… I'll kill you. And I'll start over.
One day remained until the excavation of the artifact.
Zein already had the chamber's blueprint, an alternative route, and a master code stolen from the instructors' room. But something unsettled him.
That night, he dreamed of fire. But it wasn't the end of the world.
It was Elaine… bathed in blood. Her body fused with a dark core, screaming his name before turning against him.
He woke up sweating, heart ablaze.
—Not this time —he murmured—. I won't let her be lost.
The next morning, the tunnels trembled. The artifact was awakening. The plan was in motion.
Elaine awaited him by the southern access, a crooked smile on her face, ready to destroy whatever stood in their way.
Zein, armed with knowledge and his singularity, took the first step toward the ruins.
—Let's go, Crimson Rose —he said, using it for the first time.
Elaine looked at him, surprised.
—What did you say?
—Nothing. Dumb name. Forget it.
She didn't reply. But the smile remained.
When they crossed the sealed chamber, they felt it instantly. A presence. A heartbeat in the air.
And in the center… the artifact. A floating obelisk with runes burning in purple fire.
Elaine stopped, motionless.
—Zein… it's talking to me.
—What's it saying?
—It says… the cycle begins again.
Zein frowned.
—Then it's time to break it.
And as he extended his hand… the obelisk awakened.