Country of the Radiant Dawn of the Central Contient;

Metropolis: Hammer Port; Special District - Academic Island Bastion

Year: 666 of the Standard Calendar

Lying on a stiff bed, Stephen stared at the dark ceiling of the dormitory without blinking. He didn’t know how long he had maintained such a gaze, but before he had realized it, he registered a steady chiming sound coming from the opposite side of the small room.

The moment of pleasure it provided woke Stephen from his stupor. Knowing that once the day truly began he wouldn’t be able to afford such moments, he closed his eyes and immersed himself in that singular moment.

Yet, after only a couple of breaths, the minute comfort slipped away — replaced by numbness. His smile faded, and he fully opened his eyes.

Stephen knew the function of the device couldn’t be ignored for long; it was an alarm installed into the far wall without his consent. Getting out of bed was the bare minimum requirement for deactivating such appliances.

Stephen was also aware that the State had recently been testing newer models requiring the user to perform various calisthenic maneuvers before the device would deafen.

Such things were still in preliminary testing, as it was important to the State to find the most efficient movements with regards to general morning alertness.

Perhaps out of fear, Stephen found himself visualizing various exercises he might be forced to endure every morning in the near future. His brow furrowed slightly.

‘I have to get out of bed. Efficiently.’

It was a dry thought, with the last word coming off like a reminder. Yet, it did little in actuality. With lifeless eyes, Stephen’s head silently fell to the side, allowing him to see the source of his current woes: the ceaseless reality that time doesn’t wait for anyone.

It was a somewhat dramatic thought, but getting out of bed to continue the daily rat race often felt poignantly arduous.

Noticeably, no light flitted into the room except for the ominous red glow of the alarm. The device was managed by Stephen’s superiors. Essentially, he was being called into work. It wasn’t exactly strange for them to call him in early; however, the red glow signified an emergency.

Of course, the term 'emergency' was defined from the State’s perspective; in other words, it was an exploitative tactic that looked down on the feelings of laborers.

It was like a manager saying the employees’ work mattered, while also admitting that the employees themselves didn’t. In fact, such managers often made it clear that such work was beneath them and would never actually help.

Right now, the steady ringing could be tuned out. This was a luxury afforded to Stephen by the State, which officially recognized him as a model citizen with a Tier 3 classification.

However, under ‘emergency’ protocols, if Stephen didn’t respond promptly, the innocuous sound would be replaced by something many times less pleasant.

The State prided itself on its knowledge and manipulation of various stimuli; there was a time it even rewarded some scientists who studied the nature of inducing auditory trauma.

Annoying.

He would also incur demerit points. Things could be tuned out but not ignored.

Even more annoying.

By this point, Stephen was self-aware that he was usually more punctual. It might have only been a daze that lasted a few minutes, but it was still an irregularity. In normal circumstances, he would have already responded to the summons.

The feeling that something was off thus became more and more tangible.

With a sigh, Stephen finally threw his legs out of bed and sat upright. He still had a few moments, so he cast a glance at his wrist; it was five minutes until ten. His first class would begin in a little over an hour.

With that realization, Stephen raised his eyebrows. He could feel the back of his mind racing, simulating various details, many of which didn’t even enter his conscious thought. They were like random objects bobbing under a deep pool of water.

Dreams? Did I have a dream?

This was the only detail to surface, leaving the other thoughts submerged.

‘The irregularity…’

Stephen scrunched his nose. Meanwhile, across the room, the red light began to flicker in quick succession.

[Override detected. A moment. Connection established.]

‘Hmm?’

[Are you awake, Stephen?]

The first voice used a standard voice module. It was slightly effeminate but overall mechanical and dry. Taking the inflection and other details into consideration, Stephen thought he could recognize the exact serial number. Even if he couldn’t, he knew it was a newer prototype.

The second voice was clearly an actual human or at least simulated one quite well. It was also recognizable.

“Greetings, Headmaster.”

[As humorless as always… you can call me father if you want.]

‘Has this old man finally gone senile?’

With such thoughts, a slightly crooked smile appeared on Stephen’s face.

“Such sentimentality does not flatter your image, Headmaster.”

[Image, huh...]

Stephen felt a tinge of regret in the old man’s voice. This gave Stephen pause.

While it wasn’t Stephen’s first time hearing such an undertone in the man’s voice, the number of such occurrences over the last two decades could be counted on one hand.

It was puzzling, but for the time being, Stephen remained guiltless. Instead, he nonchalantly stretched a bit as he got out of bed. He decided to add a few words to his statement before the Headmaster gave an actual response.

“Anyways, the only father I possess is the State and the Fatherland.”

Stephen heard an audible sigh from the other end. It could be said that the two men belonged to two different factions of power in the Empire.

Stephen was aligned with the bureaucratic government, which held the simple moniker of ‘the State’, while the Headmaster hailed from a powerful noble family and was thus circumstantially aligned with the Noble Houses.

[Proceed with the day as normal.]

Whatever the case, the Headmaster’s voice returned to normal. It was the sound of principle and authority. Stephen felt it suited the man better.

“Yes, Headmaster.”

Stephen listened with one ear while he got to work. He tapped the device attached to his wrist, and his black security uniform seemingly began to crawl out of it and cover his body.

Aesthetically, the suit-like design was similar to those worn by butlers and maids; however, the fabric was synthesized in the State labs using top-end manufacturing techniques. Like the student uniforms, it was enchanted with all kinds of augmentations.

Of course, for the servants, the augmentations were limited to practical kinds like defensive enchantments. Meanwhile, it wasn’t uncommon for the nobles to use unnecessary enhancements like olfactory improvements or flashy visual effects.

For example, a student’s uniform might smell like perfume or glow like a neon sign. The closest thing Stephen’s suit had to such features was its self-cleaning functions.

Nonetheless, the incorporation of multiple disciplines like alchemy and magical engineering to create efficient products was one of the things that Stephen could commend the Radiant Empire for.

[You remember the backup protocols?]

“Yes, Headmaster.”

By this point, Stephen was in front of the mirror in his room, checking for any imperfections in his own image. His soulless, almost black eyes stared back, but aside from the bags that appeared under them, everything was in order. Satisfied, the only thing he did was gather his long black hair and tie it back.

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[Good. That will be all. Farewell, Stephen.]

‘Farewell.’

The voice cut out and the red light disappeared, casting the room in absolute darkness.

‘Lux Oculus.’

Subconsciously, Stephen said the name of a common spell that allowed the user to see in the dark.

Following cultivated pathways, wisps of energy gathered across Stephen’s body and settled in his eyes. His dull red-brown irises gave off a subtle aura. It didn’t require much energy, so the spell could be maintained continuously.

Stephen frowned and splashed some cold water onto his face. He decided not to think about things too hard.

Yet, the cold liquid did little. Without even drying his face, Stephen exited the dormitory.

It was known as the Commoner’s Hall, and compared to the rest of the Academy, it was truly meager in appearance. It was also inconveniently situated on the outskirts of the Academic Island of Bastion.

Given that Bastion was a nepotistic institution, the Commoner’s Hall was almost entirely composed of direct servants and low-level faculty staff. Nominally belonging to the security department, Stephen was categorized under the latter.

This remained true unless his special-operative status was invoked. Until then, he was practically a slave for every student at Bastion to use as they saw fit.

Stephen turned his gaze towards the sky. He recalled that no light had come into his dorm room.

As it turned out, the sun had indeed still risen that morning; however, no light permeated from the celestial body. Instead, a visible darkness seemed to ooze out of an orb of solid, pulsing blackness.

‘Well, according to all the State theorems and… the like…’ Stephen scratched the back of his neck. ‘I would guess that this is not normal… And yet I’m still called into work. Standard operation, huh.’

Stephen tried to laugh to himself — to play things off nonchalantly, but he failed in the end. He tapped his foot against the ground several times before sighing. There was a throbbing heat as his mind raced. It was so intense that it felt like his entire body was sizzling.

‘This is no good. Calm down.’

It wasn’t common for Stephen to be irritable, and the self-awareness of that created a conundrum that furthered the lurking anxiety. Still, he managed to push it down for the time being.

With a deep breath, Stephen once again looked at the sky. The intensity of the light in his eyes increased. Yet, the eerie blackness was only somewhat abated, revealing very little in actuality.

Rows of dark gray clouds drifted about, and just below them, the murky silhouettes of the usually resplendent white towers — the famous and characteristic style of architecture of Bastion — now seemed to loom over the dreary Academic District.

But in the city beyond, past the bridges that connected the Academic Island to the mainland, the towering skyscrapers that should be visible were concealed. No matter how much Stephen traced his gaze across the scene, nothing changed.

It was clear that the darkness possessed unnatural properties. Perhaps, someone of a higher level could pierce the veil, but Stephen could not.

At least he could make out his surroundings. Several human-shaped shadows, shambling like zombies, could be seen moving about — other servants, most likely.

It would be better if the Academy had bothered to turn on the exterior lights, but society, at least the one that composed the Empire, always sought to cut corners. It wasn’t just about money. Although that was the primary factor, there was also the principle: screw over the ones who are worse off than yourself.

Suddenly, under Stephen’s armored uniform, he felt the hairs rise up across his body. At the same time, a mechanical voice seemingly hijacked his inner voice.

There will be fields of corpses when the true sun reveals itself.

It was as if the voice were delivering a prophecy.

Naturally, Stephen was more aware of the mental peculiarities of his condition than anyone else. However, even though he knew his mind was not normal, he didn’t quite understand it.

Stephen possessed the ability of Oracle, and it guided his thoughts. He had to grow accustomed to tuning down his own thoughts, or else be consumed by thousands of thoughts rushing through his mind ceaselessly.

It was part of the reason why Stephen felt like he was overheating earlier. It was also why his thoughts often strayed.

Occasionally, a thought would break free and echo through Stephen’s mind. Those were the thoughts that heralded some kind of prophecy.

‘So, some of the students will perish, huh. Hopefully, it isn’t over the acceptable limit.’

It wasn’t a strange thought; Stephen could even imagine the scene of recovering the corpses.

Paradise was just such a world, a world where finding bodies was a common occurrence.

Another sigh escaped Stephen’s lips as he hurried to the lecture hall to which he was assigned. At the same time, he tapped the device on his wrist again.

“Connect to the network.”

[Affirmative. Connecting to the Academic Network. Authority Level: One.]

“Activate secondary status.”

[Declined. Status maintained. Authority Level: One.]

Stephen clicked his tongue.

The voice module was effeminate, similar to the one that echoed from his alarm, but Stephen could tell it was a different prototype. It was slightly more girlish. He also noted that the pitch was somewhat higher than it had been yesterday. It must have been a hidden micropatch in the software.

Stephen closed his eyes, reopened them, and increased his pace.

The device itself was a military grade artifact that combined the latest magical engineering theorems and technological advances of the State.

Previously, he had used the device to check the time, and later, outfit himself with his uniform.

Now, the artifact displayed a holographic magic circle. This circle functioned like a dial, allowing him to cycle through various audio channels with a touch.

“Enable outside channels,” Stephen didn’t slow down as he gave commands.

[Affirmative. Connecting to licensed Broadcast Centers. Authority Level: Zero.]

While making his way through the Academic District, Stephen occasionally tapped his wrist to cycle through various channels, which were broadcast directly into his ears.

“...”

“It is speculated that the Sixth Demon Lord has just been born…”

“We have new information from a… reliable source… that this event is caused by a failed experiment by some of the archmages from the Black Tower.”

“It is apparent that while everyone has different dreams, they can be split into several categories…”

“There are rumors that what you saw in your dreams will come true…”

‘Dreams, again? What did I dream about last night? Did I dream?’

The various voices continued despite Stephen’s muddled thoughts.

“Multiple new gates have opened up across the city. It is unknown if this is related…”

“Several Outbreaks have been reported. Awakened sponsored by the Association are at the scene to stop the Monster Stampedes from spreading.”

“The Ice Queen says that she will personally help the Association. She reaffirms there is nothing to worry about. As you all know, she is an S Rank Awakened and the guild leader of our very own Darkmoon Guild centered here in Hammer Port.”

“...”

Without even realizing it, Stephen had arrived at the lecture hall. He found himself staring into the darkness beyond the glass window at the back of the classroom. The noises around him blurred into a buzz in his ears.

For the time being, protocol dictated that he proceed as normal. His thoughts lingered on the youngest of the Imperial Princesses, Mel Sol. She was just one of the many high-profile students in the class.

***

Nothing had changed over the last hour, but a bell began to toll. There were five minutes until the lecture would officially begin. Given the temperament of the students, the class wouldn’t actually start until a bit later.

Still, a few of the third-year students had begun to file into the lecture hall of Class A, an elite class to which Stephen was subordinate. Everyone seemed unfazed by the black sun. Gates, monsters, wars, and an abundance of death had numbed their senses.

Granted the soul was eternal, so it wasn’t like death was particularly frightening.

‘Death? What is that? It just means an escape from this shitty world.’

At least that is what Stephen thought.

Nonetheless, even if everyone remained unfazed, a real problem still potentially existed.

Bastion was a martial institution. On paper, it was a facility that fostered the future, yet if a disaster were to truly happen, the status of the students wouldn’t matter. The children of the nobility were neither inherently needed nor directly useful.

Unrealized potential was not of immediate use to the State. Meanwhile, other factions of power, like the Imperial Family and Noble Houses, were generally self-serving.

Furthermore, in a true emergency, the slumbering monster that was the vast industrial complex of the State would wake up and leave the shadows, usurping the other powers.

Once things were set into motion, even the Emperor would only be able to step aside.

As part of the State faction, these were Stephen’s thoughts.

Whatever the case, he didn’t want to become collateral, so he brainstormed various scenarios while he still could.

In particular, he wondered if the war with the Northern Continent, the Moon Rabbit Continent, would resume in earnest. Perhaps he would be dragged to the front lines again.

‘If something does happen, I wonder if everyone will die…’

Stephen’s thoughts took a darker turn. He couldn’t help it. It gave him a sick, even if slight, hint of pleasure. He didn’t show it, though. From his face to his subtle gestures, he was as stiff as a statue.

As soon as he entered the lecture hall, Stephen even stopped his habit of sighing. He was on his best behavior.

Meanwhile, the conversations, laughs, and snickers weren’t dampened in the slightest. Usually the noises were just tedious and boring.

Now, they grated on Stephen’s ears more than ever, and their sounds clashed with the broadcast buzzing in his ear.

He couldn’t complain to them to quiet down. It was important to remain an outsider and not attract the students’ attention.

Commoners, especially laborers like himself, getting involved with the sons and daughters of the aristocratic class only led to misery — unless one was an exceptional bootkisser.

Stephen didn’t particularly enjoy such habits, though. His preference was more aligned with not standing out, which meant acting emotionless and maintaining appropriate etiquette.

It was never that easy. Still, he had his own lukewarm form of retaliation.

He developed such behaviors to satisfy his dwindling pride, and so with almost pettiness, he refused to turn his head as he heard footsteps approaching his rear.

Feeling the temperature rise, a sigh built at the back of his throat, but years of practiced restraint allowed him to maintain proper decorum.

“How can I help the Young Miss of the Red Tower Dukedom?”

If there was one thing that Stephen did incorrectly, it was that he still hadn’t turned around and bowed. However, he calculated that this behavior would probably be fine with this particular individual.