The sixth day after leaving Erys, Zeke returned with Azmer and Julia. Even waking up, the two were awfully silent, especially the latter. Her habit of inquiring about every little thing was absent, her eyes lowered as she pondered about something.

Azmer, on the other hand, was expressionless and though he walked a little at the back, he also seemed to be in a daze. Either they were traumatized by facing that strange meteor, or there was something Zeke was unaware of.

‘It’s natural for them to have suspicions. They couldn’t have noticed that the meteor was aimed straight at me as if controlled by something, but its abrupt arrival can’t be ignored. Why would the Dean send them there? Also, how did he knows where I was? No no… maybe he told them about that strange portal. It’s odd and uncanny, so much so that I find it difficult to trust the Dean.’

Zeke caressed the Rune of Line out of habit, a sigh escaping his lips. He succeeded in acquiring the Crown and saving his life from imminent death, but he failed in saving Amelia.

‘I have a decent amount of points waiting to be allocated, and I’m about to level up again. Still, Jonathan was using Amelia as a vessel, however, the way he reacted was strange. He had no reason to take her with him. Then again, it could be that I’m lacking sensitive information.’

The trip back to Erys was filled with a tense silence; Around 8 in the morning, a bit after the first lessons started, the three students snuck into Erys but, fortunately, weren’t seen.

Julia absent-mindedly waved her hand and swiftly left whereas Azmer stood still and stared at Zeke.

“You did something, didn’t you?”

Confused by his vague words, Zeke frowned and opted for silence.

“You resorted to the taboo. It couldn’t have been a late awakening.”

Zeke let out a hoarse laugh in response, thoughtfully retorting, “It’s none of your business what I did. Your unsolicited actions absolve nothing.”

After voicing his thoughts, he clicked his tongue and walked away, his back intensely stared at by the blond-haired Azmer.

…

Zeke knew that, by going against the notice and leaving Erys, there would be consequences. Therefore, he didn’t go to the dormitory or join his classmates for the first lesson, instead of heading directly to the Administration Bureau.

He paused in front of the largest building in Erys, feeling half-hesitant half-apprehensive. If he wanted to maintain his status as a student, he had to face either the Student Council or the Special Investigation Squad which Maxine was part of. He had ditched Celestia and tried to deny any sort of involvement would only complicate the situation.

Thus, he concocted a believable lie, one that held a bit of truth in it. Of course, he was going to omit any detail about his fight against Jonathan outside of the city, and from the looks of it, neither Julia nor Azmer were going to disclose anything.

Even though they acted on the behest of the Dean, there was a high possibility they would be punished. Azmer, especially, wanted to avoid getting more Black Stars.

Zeke took a deep breath and just as he was about to enter, he heard a disembodied voice reverberate in his head. It was that of a woman, an elderly one, from the sound of it.

“The Principal is expecting you. Top floor, main office.”

He nodded to himself and instinctively gulped.

‘Principal Solas, one of the strongest human beings on the Aether Planet. Will he detect the System? I sure hope not…’

The existence and origin of the Paths of Extinction were still shrouded in deep mystery. Zeke acquired it only recently but experienced many strange and dangerous events, but the most terrifying was the Tribulation, which totally came out of the blue.

‘It granted me magical abilities, strengthened my body, and sometimes provided me with unknown historical events. It literally plucked a comet from the stars… and now, Jonathan, the only clue about it, had fled.’

Zeke neither had the connection the monetary capabilities to launch an extensive investigation. He considered himself well-versed in History yet there wasn’t a shred of information about the System or anything similar to it.

Either the government or a secret organization was purposely hiding anything about the System, or it was truly a mystical and far-reaching ‘entity’ from outside the Aether Planet. Then again, the fact that Jonathan Stellar Link knew about it indicated that definitive clues existence, one just had to look hard enough, possibly even outside of the Sunken Metropolis.

Soon, after taking the elevator, Zeke arrived at the top floor and headed to the place mentioned by the disembodied voice.

Twin and exquisite black doors were in front of him, and at their side stood an old woman taller than he was. She had a pointy nose, slightly grey-ish eyes, and snow-white hair tied into a small bun.

‘The hair color is similar to Vanessa’s. A relative, perhaps?’

The elderly woman leaned forward and opened the twin doors, beckoning him to enter before closing them and remaining outside.

As he stepped into the warm and extravagant office, Zeke a chill down his spines as a pair of eyes were carefully probing him.

A couple of meters away, sitting behind a large granite desk was Principal Solas, the founder of Erys and an individual whose profound powers were almost unrivaled.

“Don’t be so nervous, Zeke Orland.”

While caressing his small beard, Solas motioned for the quiet Zeke to sit down.

However, even after he did that, Zeke did not speak and felt uncomfortable and slightly suffocated. He didn’t like the tense silence, nor did he like the scrutinizing stare of Solas.

When an indeterminate amount of time passed, the old man sat back, his right arm resting on the desk.

“Whether it’s Erys, the government, or society itself, there are Laws and Rules to uphold. The notice, and- by extension- the curfew, were laid out to stop the students from endangering themselves. I trust that, on more than one occasion, you’ve seen what a lunatic like Jonathan was capable of.”

Zeke understood what Principal Solas was getting at, but it was too late for regrets. Ironically, it was staying in Erys and doing nothing that endangered his life, therefore, he had to seek an option outside, by following the System.

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Hearing no response from the stone-faced youth, Solas chuckled and added,

“Do you know that we have a counselor? If any student or teacher has issues, they could seek help from our professional. When enrolling into Erys, all students gloss over the contract and ignore the offered Terms and Services, which is why I have to empathize that we do indeed have someone capable of helping troubled students. Instead of breaking the rules and going off on your own, you could have gone to the counselor, or even to a teacher for help.”

“A few words of reassurance would have done naught.” Retorted Zeke with a determined expression.

“With all due respect, sir, the only help I required was the ability to freely leave the school. I doubt the counselor or the teachers would have agreed to that.”

Solas leaned forward and extended his hand toward a seemingly standard black pen. He held it tightly and scribbled on a blank piece of paper but either the pen wasn’t working, or he was just playing around as no words were written.

The elder nodded to himself and whispered under his breath then focus his attention back on Zeke.

“Regardless of background and talent, appropriate punishment is warranted for any misbehaving student. On the account that the Dean himself let you leave, I will not go as far as expelling you, but you will receive two Black Stars.”

Hearing this, Zeke breathed a sigh of relief, not particularly bothered by the black stars. Yes, after a certain amount of received black stars, the student would be expelled, but Erys didn’t go around giving black stars to any unruly students. If it was the case, the ‘delinquents’ that would leave their dormitory at night to do clandestine things would have been expelled already after their repeated and fairly regular ‘hang-outs’.

“In addition…”

Zeke thought it was over, but it wasn’t, unfortunately. He tensed up and waited for Solas to continue.

“You are to visit counselor Mary once a week for two months, maybe more depending on her judgment.”

Just as he finished speaking, the twin black doors were pushed open a small group of students came in. At their lead was the ashen-haired Vanessa, who stopped dead in her tracks, surprised to see Zeke sitting in front of her Solas.

The rest of her squad was astonished too, especially Maxine. She barely held herself back from running to him and inquiring about every little him.

Solas threw a cursory glance at the six students before staring at Zeke and resuming,

“Last but not least, you will join this lot as a probationary member. I don’t have to remind you that refusing is not an option… unless you want to quit, hehe.”

‘He must know about me and Azmer, so the Counselor thing is to be expected. But why force me to join them? It doesn’t make any sense.’

“Yes, sir.” Perfunctorily replied Zeke, but Celestia immediately voiced her objection.

“We can’t let a First-Year join the Special Investigation Squad. As the Vice-President of the Student Council, I don’t think it’s fair or necessary. Sir, please reconsider.”

The big-breasted Celestia didn’t like Zeke, especially after he had ditched her. She gave him an angry and venomous glare as she protested.

“Grandfather, I think it’s unwise. The investigation is not over and he could be in danger aga-”

Vanessa too, disagreed, but Solas raised his hand, interrupting her.

“I’ve just received a report that Jonathan had fled the city. It’s neither beneficial nor within my jurisdiction for us to continue investigating. For his own safety… and to avoid any more unnecessary complications, I believe you should observe Zeke. Keep him in check too.”

‘I’m still here, you know!’ inwardly thought Zeke as he sighed and kept quiet.

“Sir, Zeke just awakened and should not be…”

Maxine wanted to change the Principal’s mind but he interrupted again, chuckling heartily. His jet black eyes pierced through Zeke, making him feel as if all of his secrets were unveiled and laid bare.

Before he said anything, he put the black pen aside, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers, causing a momentary ringing sound.

Although Zeke didn’t understand, Maxine and co knew that it was a spell that isolated the office from the outside.

“I believe it has become quite clear that it wasn’t a late awakening, wouldn’t you agree, Zeke?”

Upon hearing his words, Zeke stiffened and tried to control his expression.

Celestia and the rest were either surprised or confused, but they didn’t say anything.

“I know for a fact you didn’t resort to Black Magic or anything taboo, so you don’t need to be nervous. Whether it was coincidental or not, it is yours now. Since you’re so adamant about keeping your counsel, I will not say anything else.”

Solas turned his head towards his granddaughter and her team members.

“I told you this so you lot can stop having weird ideas and suspecting Zeke. Yes, I’m talking about you, James.”

The person in question lowered his head apologetically.

“Regardless of his ability, Zeke Orland is a student of Erys and should be treated as such. Admittedly, he’s a little bit special, but that wouldn’t change anything. From now on, I want to hear nothing about his involvement with Jonathan Stellar Link. Additionally, you are to mention this to no one. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” The six responded in unison.

“Good. If the Department of Defense sends anyone, including Edward Orland, to inquire about the case, do not mention Zeke. Hehe.”

Solas softly laughed and snapped his fingers again. He dismissively waved his hand, so they all turned around to leave.

“Ah! I almost forgot. Vanessa, stay for a bit.”

The girl furrowed her brows and looked at her grandfather. She glanced at the stoic Zeke then nodded her head.

‘He must know about the System, that’s the only explanation. Will he tell me if I ask? Probably not…’

As he followed his sister out of the principal’s office, Zeke was in deep thought. Things out turned out better than he had expected, but the fact that his secret was exposed made him feel restless. The lack of information regarding the System notwithstanding, he felt safe that no one knew the truth, but things have changed now. Moreover, Solas had partially revealed the truth to Maxine and the other five, and though he warned them not to say anything, there was bound to be repercussions born out of morbid curiosity.

Unknowingly, Zeke followed his seniors to the cozy lounge, which was on the second to the top floor, the same one in which the office of the Student Council was located.

Apart from Celestia, Maxine, V, and James, he noticed the unfamiliar youth wearing a black hoodie on top of his student uniform.

Celestia sat down on the couch and massaged her aching temples as she glared at the quiet Zeke.

“How are you? Were you hurt?”

Maxine, on the other hand, was worried as she inspected his body and asked with a soft voice.

“I’m fine, Max. Nothing happened.”

“Why were you-... never mind. At least you’re okay.” Even though Maxine wanted to know why her brother was behaving strangely, she held back and refrained from asking any questions.

V, however, wasn’t as sensitive, and after closing the door, he dashed next to Zeke.

“You’re going to tell us how you got your abilities, right? We’re officially colleagues now!”

“Cut it out, V.” James pulled his friend to the side and, with menacing eyes, silently warned him to keep quiet.

The room was dominated by an awkward bout of silence, which was broken by the leader of the Special Investigation Squad, Celestia Black.

“Did you have fun outside?”

Out of all five colleagues of his sister, Zeke disliked Celestia the most. Maybe it had to do with her notorious reputation or venomous tongue, either way, he didn’t hold any respect for her. Even when he talked back to her, his voice lacked politeness.

“I did. Thank you for your help.”

“Hah! You don’t look that grateful.” She gritted her teeth and calmed herself down, plastering a wide and cold smile.

“You went on your own and nearly got both of us killed.”

Zeke shrugged his shoulders and retorted on the spot, “I didn’t expect what I was looking for to be there. An unfortunate coincidence, truly.”

“...”

“Don’t mind her. Go rest for a bit and don’t forget to visit Miss Mary later. She is usually out in the morning.”

Maxine patted his shoulder and urged him to leave, which he did. He didn’t like being stared at so intensely by six people, all their inquisitive eyes silently demanding answers.