I woke up to the sound of knocking on my door, the sharp raps piercing the last fragments of my dream.

"Young master, if you don’t get up soon, you’ll be late for your class!" a familiar voice called through the wood, firm but polite.

Groaning, I sat up in bed, the warm blankets slipping off me as reality set in. Another day. Another lecture. I rubbed my eyes, still heavy with sleep, and glanced at the clock. Late again. With a sigh, I forced myself out of bed, the cold floor a harsh reminder of the morning chill. After a quick shower, I hurried downstairs.

"Good morning, Mom." My voice was still groggy, but her gentle smile greeted me like a balm.

"They already left for school," she replied, referring to my younger siblings, the twins, as she set a plate down in front of me. "You woke up late today. It seems your grandfather didn’t take it easy on you during training last night."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Grandpa never takes it easy on me. Not once. It’s like he’s trying to break me."

Her eyes twinkled, but her voice held that familiar warmth of pride. "That’s because your grandfather has high expectations for you, Caelan. He sees something in you—just like your father and I do." She placed a hand on my shoulder, the weight of her words sinking in.

"I know," I replied, meeting her gaze. "I won’t let him down. Or you."

She looked at me with love and pride.

After finishing breakfast, I grabbed my school bag and quickly got into the car, heading to school."

In front of the university, I spotted Jin and Shawn—my childhood best friends—lingering near the gate, their eyes occasionally shifting to the cars passing by, as if trying to spot a familiar one.

“Mr. George, stop the car. I’ll get off here,” I said, leaning forward.

“Huh?” He glanced at me through the rearview mirror. “Your classroom building is still a ways off. Why here?”

I pointed at the gate. “Look, there’s Jin and Shawn.”

Mr. George followed my gaze and nodded knowingly. “Ah, I see. Alright then.”

I stepped out, and before I could take a step, Jin’s face lit up as he waved. “Morning, Caelan!”

“Morning, Jin. Shawn,” I greeted, walking toward them. “What are you two doing here at the entrance?”

They exchanged mischievous looks before replying in unison, “Waiting for you, of course!”

I raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “Waiting for me? Why?”

Shawn slung an arm over my shoulder, steering me toward the path leading to our building. “Come on, Caelan. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten what it’s like to walk to class. You’re always chauffeured around in that fancy car. Time to join the rest of us mere mortals.”

I let out a laugh, shaking my head.

“Don’t listen to him,” Jin chimed in, a smirk tugging at his lips. “The real reason we’re here is Shawn’s obsession with making an entrance. He loves strolling into class late so everyone turns to look at him—his favorite ‘main character’ moment.”

“Hey!” Shawn snapped, glaring at Jin. “You talk too much.”

Jin ignored him, grinning. “But not everyone in class is paying attention to you, Shawn. Some of us just want peace and quiet.”

Shawn scoffed, crossing his arms. “I don’t care about everyone’s attention. Just the girls. Especially Lara.”

“Lara, huh?” Jin teased. “Isn’t she close to Eliza ? Why not ask Eliza to help you out?”

Shawn sighed, scratching the back of his head. “If only it were that simple. Eliza and I aren’t exactly close.”

Jin’s eyes gleamed with an idea. “Then you’re in luck. Caelan’s here. Eliza would never turn him down. She likes him—it’s practically written all over her face.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

“Oh, come on, Caelan.” Shawn grinned slyly. “It’s obvious Eliza has a thing for you. What are you waiting for? If you don’t make a move soon, someone else might.”

I let out a sigh. “I’m not interested in that right now. I’ve got too much on my plate.”

Jin frowned, leaning closer. “That’s not an excuse, Caelan. You’re allowed to be a normal teenager too. And relationships are part of that.” He paused, his tone softening. “Be honest, though. Don’t you like her?”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

I opened my mouth to reply, but Jin cut me off.

“Honestly, Shawn, what kind of question is that? This is Eliza we’re talking about. She’s got everything—a great personality, looks, and she’s from a good family. Any guy would be lucky to be with her.”

“Maybe Caelan has someone else in mind,” Shawn suggested, giving me a knowing glance.

Jin tilted his head. “Is that true? Do you like someone else, Caelan?”

“No,” I replied calmly, then added with a small smile, “But if I ever do, you two will be the first to know.”

Shawn gave me a serious look, his usual teasing gone. “Caelan, Eliza isn’t like the others. She doesn’t care about your family’s wealth. She’s different.”

His words made me freeze for a moment.

“Exactly,” Jin said, nodding emphatically. “She’s not like those rich girls who look down on everyone else. She’s kind to everyone—even the scholars students—and treats people like equals. She’s genuinely good.”

I held back a laugh, amused by how earnestly they sang her praises.

But I couldn’t entirely blame them. Eliza had built an unshakable image at the academy—a kind, innocent girl who saw beyond status or wealth. If I hadn’t overheard that conversation with her grandfather, I might still believe it too.

The morning passed quickly with lectures and note-taking, but when lunchtime arrived, Eliza approached me. She seemed nervous, her usual confidence overshadowed by the faint blush on her cheeks.

"Uh, Caelan... would you like to join us for lunch?" Her voice was soft and hesitant. She was looking at the ground, her fingers fidgeting with the strap of her bag.

Before I could respond, Shawn suddenly appeared, throwing his arm across my shoulders. "Of course, we’re all coming!" he said loudly, flashing a smile at Eliza. "Let’s grab a good spot."

Jin, already walking ahead, motioned for us to follow. As I walked with a sigh, I felt the weight of the stares from my male classmates. They didn’t even try to hide their jealousy—Eliza was the type of girl everyone admired, and I had somehow become the center of her attention.

I sighed inwardly, wishing they knew the real reason why this girl was approaching me. But I couldn’t avoid or treat Eliza badly because I knew that would backfire on me. The students had no idea what the real Eliza was like. She was known throughout the academy as kind, innocent, and responsible, and she had many friends. Surely, the students' sympathy would go to her, and my reputation would be ruined. I couldn’t let that happen, so I decided to treat her the same and pretend that I didn’t know anything about her true motives.

We arrived at the academy’s cafeteria, which, despite teachers and students eating lunch at the same time, never seemed to get crowded because of its size. Groups of friends sat at the round wooden tables, each sitting in their own section. The space had beams that resembled tree trunks. The large windows provided light throughout the cafeteria, while modern LED lights and wooden pendant lights added warmth.

We found a good spot in the cafeteria, even though it was a busy lunchtime. Caelan's group sat in the middle, with Eliza sitting to Caelan's right. Jin sat to his left. Shawn sat next to Lara, and Eliza's two friends were seated between Eliza and Lara.

Eliza approached and softly said, "Caelan, I didn't know you were at the banquet last Friday at the Wynn Hotel."

I nodded and smiled. "Yeah, my father brought me along to introduce me to his business associates. But why did you suddenly disappear? I looked for you when I had the chance. My dad knows a lot of people, so I got caught up talking to them," I explained. I couldn’t tell her that I hadn’t noticed her that night, even though she saw me glance at her, even if it was just for a moment.

Eliza said, "I knew it; you just got busy. I thought you didn’t notice me."

"I just went out briefly, and Grandpa wanted to have a serious talk with me," she added.

"Is that so? I thought you all had left. You should've come to me," I replied.

"You know I can’t just approach you like that," Eliza responded.

SHe was right. Aside from being classmates, I had no real connection to Eliza. There was no link between her family and mine. Eliza's family was wealthy too, but they couldn’t be compared to ours.

"You're not any different from me. You're my friend," I said with a smile.

Our food arrived, and the conversation shifted. Shawn was trying to win Lara over, while Jin pretended to be busy eating, but in reality, he was listening closely to the conversation at the table.

As our last class of the day went on, I couldn’t focus on the lesson. My eyes wandered to the window, where I saw dark clouds forming in the sky. It looked like a storm was coming, which felt strange since it was summer.

The bell rang loudly, pulling me out of my thoughts. Class was over. Our teacher said goodbye and left the room. As soon as they were gone, everyone got up to leave. I walked out with Jin and Shawn, ready to head home.

"We need to hurry; we might get caught in the rain," Jin said.

"The weather is so weird. It was so nice just a while ago," Shawn added.

When we got outside the academy building, I had to part ways with them. Jin and Shawn's cars were parked in a different area, a bit farther from where my car was.

"Alright, see you tomorrow, man," Shawn said with a small wave.

"Yeah, take it easy, Caelan," Jin added with a grin.

"You too. Stay safe," I replied as we went our separate ways.

I started walking toward my car when suddenly, heavy rain poured down, followed by a terrifying thunderclap. I looked up at the sky, startled by the deafening sound of the thunder, and began running, hoping to reach my car without getting soaked.

But then, I suddenly felt as though I couldn’t move my legs, as if something heavy was holding me in place. Looking down, I saw that I was standing on what appeared to be a black hole, and it was the thing preventing me from moving. It felt as if I was being pulled downward into the void. My heart raced, and a cold chill swept through my body.

"Help!" I screamed, but there was no one around to hear or help me.

Before I knew it, I was pulled completely into the strange black hole.

It felt like I was falling from an immense height, and as I plummeted, the fall seemed to accelerate, endless and unstoppable. Dizziness overcame me, as though my strength was being drained away. My vision slowly faded to black.

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