As Seth opened the briefcase, he found a photo—just a simple picture of him and his parents, framed and slightly worn with age. A soft wave of nostalgia washed over him.

  Thally peeked over his shoulder. "You looked much cuter when you were small."

  Seth smiled at the remark. "Yeah, those were good times."

  He placed the photo on his desk before glancing at Jake. Jake immediately noticed and scowled. "Why are you looking at me like that?!"

  Seth shrugged with a friendly grin. "No reason. I just want to know you better. We could be good friends."

  Jake’s face twitched, irritation simmering. "Look here, you insignificant little bastard. We’re not friends. We’re just roommates."

  Seth rolled his eyes, picked up Thally with one hand, and said, "Thally, use flying tackle."

  With a war cry of “I am a flying plant!” Thally soared through the air and smacked into Jake. Though light, the surprise impact made Jake stumble back.

  "Thally, use Harass and Bite!"

  Thally took the command seriously. She latched onto Jake’s shirt, nipping at the fabric with her tiny teeth while rustling gleefully.

  Jake flailed. "Get this thing off me!"

  Thally replied with mock seriousness, "I’m conducting a hostile takeover."

  Seth burst out laughing. "Alright, ease up, Thally. We don’t want him going nuclear."

  Thally hopped off with a smug huff. "Fine. No fun anyway."

  Jake flushed red. "You... You’re insane!"

  "Maybe," Seth said with a grin, "but I grow on people."

  Jake glared, straightened his clothes, and growled, "Just stay out of my way."

  Seth gave a light shrug. "Nothing personal. Just trying to make things less intense."

  Jake didn’t answer, retreating to his side of the room. The silence that followed was thick, broken only by the rustling of Thally nestling onto Seth’s shoulder.

  After a long while, Seth was bored so he went outside.

  Seth left the room, letting the cool air hit his face. He wandered aimlessly, Thally clinging to him.

  "I wonder if there’s a reason Dad gave me that photo," he muttered.

  "Maybe William’s just pranking you again," Thally said, trying to soothe his unease.

  They walked past the dorm buildings. Seth stopped, unsure of where to go. That’s when the light came.

  "Damn! Too bright!" Thally hissed.

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  Seth shielded his eyes. "I sense a troublesome person incoming."

  Thally squinted. "If they're annoying, we walk. If they're friendly, we smile cautiously."

  As the brightness faded, it revealed a tall, serene young man with golden hair and a gentle aura. His eyes were kind.

  "Good evening," he greeted. "Didn’t mean to startle you."

  "No problem," Seth replied. "Just… not used to human glowsticks."

  The stranger smiled. "I get that a lot. I’m Lucian—a second year. I help first-years get settled and scout for recruits."

  Seth noticed the number 300 on Lucian’s wristband—Level 1.

  He mentally reviewed the level structure:

  1–100: Level 0

  150–300: Level 1

  500–1,000: Level 1.5

  1,000–5,000: Level 2

  5,000–12,000: Level 2.5

  12,000–20,000: Level 3

  20,000–35,000: Level 3.5

  100,000–500,000: Level 4

  500,000–1.5M: Level 4.5

  5M–500M: Level 5

  Getting to Level 4 took more than just power—it demanded mastery of one's core ability. Anything beyond that was mythic.

  "Name’s Seth. This here’s Thally—she’s part of my ability," he said with a smile.

  Lucian nodded, glancing at Thally. "A pleasure. She seems... spirited."

  Thally puffed her leaves. "I’m the best companion a guy could have!"

  Seth chuckled. "What do you mean by ‘recruiting’?"

  Lucian’s eyes sparkled with purpose. "The Academy allows students to form groups—teams, factions, call them what you like. My group is Radiant Light. We only take in people with a strong moral compass. Righteous hearts."

  Seth found it suspicious that Lucien would approach him so suddenly just as he stepped outside. He narrowed his eyes.

  "Well, that's great, I guess. I'll see you later."

  "Ah, wait a minute," Lucien called in a warm, gentle tone. But Seth felt an unspoken threat behind the voice—like if he didn’t stop, something bad might happen.

  He turned slowly. "Yeah?"

  "Would you like to join?"

  "No."

  "Oh…" Lucien blinked, genuinely surprised. He thought his flashy entrance would be enough to leave Seth dazzled. But he didn’t show his disappointment outright. No—he saw an opportunity. Seth's rejection only made him more eager to make an example.

  Lucien’s smile didn’t falter, but Seth caught something in his eyes—irritation, maybe. It was gone in a blink, replaced by his usual charismatic charm. Lucien wasn’t just known for his friendly demeanor. He was infamous for how fast his mood could flip.

  "Well, if you ever change your mind," Lucien said smoothly, "the offer stands. We could use someone with your potential."

  Seth nodded, but every instinct screamed at him to stay away. Lucien had connections. Followers. Influence. And all of it reeked of manipulation.

  Lucien stepped a little closer, voice low. "You might want to think about it, Seth. People who say ‘no’ to me don’t always get second chances."

  A cold chill slid down Seth’s spine, but he stood firm, expression unreadable. "I’ll keep that in mind."

  He turned and walked away without waiting for a response, Lucien's gaze heavy on his back. Thally shifted on his shoulder, sensing the tension. Since that was now over, he needs to go fine Emily.

  “That guy gives me the creeps,” she whispered, her tone playful but edged with warning.

  “Yeah,” Seth muttered, scanning the area. “Let’s just stay clear of him.”

  As he continued walking, he spotted someone familiar ahead—and immediately wanted to go the other way.

  But before he could slip away, Haiki's eyes flicked toward him with a spark of curiosity. She silently began following.

  Thally turned her leafy head.

  'That Haiki girl is following you,' she informed him telepathically.

  Seth’s irritation flared.

  '…So we’ve got Golden Eyes #2. Can I please just find Emily in peace?'

  A tired sigh escaped him, along with a single, silent tear. He turned around. Haiki, pretending to look at the scenery, acted as though she hadn’t been trailing him at all. Her white skirt fluttered gently in the breeze, and her relaxed posture only made her more suspicious.

  “May I ask why you’re following me?” he said, forcing a polite smile.

  Haiki returned a bright one of her own. “Because you’re interesting. So let’s be playmates!”

  Thally froze. She sensed something—a strange reaction—but couldn’t pinpoint where it came from. She shrugged it off and kept watch.

  Seth stared at Haiki blankly. He wasn’t in the mood for any more games.

  “Sure, we can be friends, but I’m not really in the mood for playing right now.”

  Haiki pouted. "Fine, but can I ask a question."

  Seth tilted his head. "Sure."

  Haiaki smiled, a smile that undoubtedly reached her eyes—Seth suddenly felt something strange. "You're like me right?."

  "What do you mean?." Seth asked confused, the way her gold eyes stared at him made him feel like he was–beneath her.

  Haiki placed a finger on her lips and squinted her eyes at him. "Oh...it seems you're not aware....that's fun, I guess I'll be seeing you soon friend."

  She walked off with a smile on her face and a cheerful aura around her.

  Thally's eyes twitched, why did weirdo's come to disturb them the moment they were in this school.

  ---

  After failing to find Emily, Seth returned to his dorm and collapsed onto his bed. Thally settled into her pot, curling her leaves.

  —

  Meanwhile, in the Endless Expanse of space…

  On a futuristic moon, an academy stood nestled between two massive twin towers.

  Serid, wearing glasses, paced nervously, her tail twitching side to side.

  “Why am I a teacher now… and a battle teacher at that?” she muttered. “I’ve been reduced to a glorified babysitter…”

  With a scowl, she ripped the glasses from her face and crushed them beneath her heel.

  “Whatever. Let’s just get the schedule from the Overseer.”

  Serid walked into the school—Ignoring everybody until she finally reached rhe overseers office.

  When she opened the door—She immediately scowled. On the seats, the overseer—A man with four red flames floating above his head and two pale white wings behind, and his hair was white and messy, he looked at Serid mockingly.

  Thr mam was larger than Serid by a lot and his presence was suffocating but in that aspect, Serid did not fall. The two co tinued to stare St one another before the Overseer spoke. "Welcome Professor Serid in charge of the Etha–Class Student's."

  Serid continued staring at him gloomily. "Cock faced bastard, just give me the fucking schedule and I hopefully won't see you for a month."

  The overseer placed a hand on his chin, his crimson eyes stared at Serid with pity. "It's truly unfortunate someone as talented as you was born with a very Bersrk and Unstable star factor."

  The blue-flame on Serids tail suddenly turned a darker shade, her spiral iris seemed to spin and her eyes glowed blue.

  The temperature in the room seemed to have risen by quite a few degrees.