Ives had a dream.

Even after losing consciousness, the afterimage of the four players towering over her lingered. The scene desaturated and folded into itself, merging into a distant memory.

Indeed, it wasn't Ives's first time being cornered like this.

Despite growing up without parents, Ives didn't think her life was any less than other kids. Under the company of her sister Darcie and Grandma Wendy, she was able to spend many days in contentment.

Back in Nolmes, she often entered banters with some kids in the neighbourhood. They'd sneer at her, call her an orphan. At first, Ives ignored them, but when they redirected the insults to her sister, she'd respond with her retort.

The result was childish brawls.

Of course, her opponents were no match for her. With just a couple spells, she'd have them running home, crying to their mothers. As for Ives herself, she'd carefully treat her minor scratches, so that Grandma Wendy and Darcie wouldn't notice back home.

This repeated a couple of times, until one of the children, born with some prestige and connections in the neighbourhood, somehow found their way to Ives's house, bringing adults with them.

It was a full moon night.

Ives could never forget the night filled with tears and yelling, that afternoon when her sister was on her knees, pleading for the woman to stop.

Darcie had locked her in a separate room by the moment she realised trouble was approaching. Gran was still at the bakery, and she had just arrived home with her favourite cupcakes.

Chairs were broken, tables were smashed, and the shrilling sound of shattering glass reverberated throughout the room. But the most piercing sound of all was from Darcie, from her own sister, who was apologising on her behalf and sobbing.

Listening to the unfolding chaos outside the wooden door, Ives couldn't do anything.

Only when the sound subsided did the door creak open.

"Ives? Are you okay?" Darcie peeked through the creaks, her eyes puffy from crying. "Those people, they just left. It's safe to come out now."

Even though it was her fault that those people came, she didn't say a single word to scold her. Instead, Darcie carefully pulled Ives into an embrace, burying her face in her chest.

Her cries echoed throughout the battered, silent space, and Ives listened to her with matching silence.

"You must have been so scared. I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

Ives's vision blurred.

She didn't understand why Darcie was apologising. It wasn't her that entered unnecessary fights with other children; it wasn't her who angered the adults; it wasn't her who brought trouble upon the house—it was all Ives.

That day, Ives learned to endure.

No matter what the others did, the seven-year-old would withstand their attacks in silence, holding it out until they grew bored of her passivity. She'd then carefully hide away her injuries, so that she could face Grandma Wendy and Darcie with a smile.

Even though she was only a child, Ives was quick to understand her situation.

She wasn't in a position to defend herself.

She had no right to do so.

Her parents were dead, and her only family left were Darcie and Grandma Wendy. Though the latter cared for Ives like her own child, Ives didn't want always to be a burden. Fighting the children as she did before would only cause trouble for her family.

Unlike the other kids, she didn't have the luxury to cry or throw a tantrum. Ives needed to grow up as soon as possible, so she could work and take the load off Darcie and Gran's shoulders.

Until then, the only option she had was to endure.

At least, that was what she thought before meeting him.

***

Laying still on the dormitory bed, Ives opened her eyes.

As with the scene in her dream, four figures stared down at her, their faces blurred by the light. Ives fluttered her eyes, waiting for her vision to adjust.

Instead of the players from earlier, she was confronted with four familiar faces, each coated with apprehension.

"You're awake!" No. 39—previously Alicia—exhaled in relief as she pulled the seven-year-old into a tight embrace. "I was so worried!"

"How are you feeling?" The freckled boy leaned forward eagerly, only to be pulled back by Celio. The former scrunched his nose, while the latter rolled his eyes.

"Go find the nurse. Tell her we need another check-up, now that she's awake," Celio said.

"Why are you the one giving orders?" The freckled boy stared at him, but obeyed nonetheless.

Ives watched as No. 12 exited the room, then shifted her gaze to the other three around her.

No. 39 sat on the side of her bed, while Celio was standing by the windows. Owein was here as well. The brown-haired man planted himself in a wooden chair, peering towards her quietly.

"The nurse said you fainted from shock and blood loss," Celio explained. "She bundled up your arm, but you might still experience lightheadedness from the blood loss. You shouldn't move too much for now."

At his words, Ives was reminded of her injury. She glanced down at her left arm, which was now wrapped tightly in bandages.

"The audacity of those students!" No. 39 frowned. "I hope the professors get to them and punish them severely."

Keeping the corners of her lips in control, Ives mustered a stern nod. She needed to uphold her role in front of No. 39, but she was glad to see that, even when assimilated, Alicia's sense of justice remained.

"I'm feeling better. The injuries were only surface level," she replied, gaze moving to the profile interface. "Fortunately, my affinity level did not drop despite me acting out-of-role. That means the students from earlier must be all players.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"They said they were in alliance with No. 2. That's Alton, right? From their conversation, the reason why Alton had told them to kidnap me was to threaten you, Celio. Because you're currently ranked number one.

"In other words, it is extremely probable that his main quest is to overtake your position."

Watching the seven-year-old calmly analyse her current conditions, Celio's expression became complicated.

"Look at you. Trying to act like all mature and mighty at a time like this!" He sighed. "Don't worry too much, and leave everything to us. We're not incompetent enough to be relying on a kid all the time."

Ives blinked.

"I am not trying to act mature nor mighty," she said. "I am just trying to make sense of our current state of things."

"No. 111." Owein tossed her an apple, which Ives caught with both hands. "Eat and rest."

"…I do not like apples." Despite her mumblings, Ives took a small bite out of the fruit, letting the sweetness penetrate her tastebuds. "Thank you, though."

With No. 12 gone to get additional medicine and No. 39 bringing over another apple, the room was left with the three players. Ives silently nibbled on her apple while Owein rested his chin on his palm, gazing out the window.

Celio sat back and tapped his foot, feigning calmness.

With the seven-year-old out of danger, the shift now was to another issue at hand. The beast tamer's mind raced anxiously, taking him back to the alleyway.

"Celio, do you trust me?"

Before he left with Ives, Edris had reassured him that he'd take care of things. While Celio had no doubts about his master's competency, he couldn't help but be worried that the man would resort to something extreme at the risk of positioning himself in danger.

After all, Celio's concerns were not without precedence.

But again, they'd notified Ace before heading there, so the man should have arrived by now. Even though Edris was reckless at times, Ace's presence tended to act as a buffer for his actions, and for whatever reason, the man managed to act more responsibly around him.

Celio gulped.

They should be fine, right?

As though reading his thoughts, Ives's head up perked up. The seven-year-old glanced around her.

"Come to think of it, where is Mister Edris?"

Silence.

Owein's deep gaze steered her direction, while Celio casually cleared his throat. At their reactions, Ives knew something was wrong. She asked again:

"Where is Mister Edris?"

***

MUSIC TOWER. LABYRINTH 53.

With Magenta on his left and Moss on his right, Edris trudged up the music tower.

Soaring into the sky, the tower was the site for the [BELL] and [DETENTION]. Edris's mind flashed to previous students who'd stumbled out in unsightly states, almost hurling as they bypassed Edris on the way. He then thought about Ace's expression, which appeared even more stern than usual as he stared him off into the tower.

Perhaps suspicious of their relationship, Moss had told the white-haired man to stay at the foot of the tower while he and Magenta accompanied Edris to his punishment. Thinking back to Ace's spleenful expression, Edris felt a chill run up his spine.

He pushed the scene to the back of his head and focused on the path ahead.

After who-knows-how-long, they arrived at the end of the spiral—a wooden door. The arch door swung open with a raspy creak, revealing an interminable hallway. It dragged on an absurdly long slope, darkness oozing like a grim invitation.

"After you." Magenta stepped back with a smile.

With the two professors attentive towards his every move, Edris sighed and did as he was told.

The moment he stepped through the door, a message popped up on his profile.

Congratulations! A hidden location has been unlocked!

You have been rewarded [SWAP PORTAL] for your discovery!

The card has been added to your card slot.

Open up details for [SWAP PORTAL]?

[YES]       [NO]

Edris was about to accept when a more striking message caught his eye.

You have entered [THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE]!

The corner of his lips curled up.

Bingo.

Despite his displayed reluctance, Edris had breached Rule #5 on purpose. All along, his goal was to get into the Principal's office.

While discovering the first hidden location, the secret library in Sky's room, he was awarded the [MEDICAL PACK] for his discovery. At the time, he'd noticed a peculiar line in the item's description:

[MEDICAL PACK]

USAGE: When activated, the player can drink one of the tubes in the pack to restore some [AFFINITY].

"Gobble gobble! Take a gulp, save a life!"

NOTE: Rewarded for discovering The Hidden Location (½)!

There were two hidden locations in the Labyrinth.

At that point, he had practically flipped the entire campus inside out—even the academic buildings that his role prohibited him from entering.

After some deliberation, it occurred to him that of all the places, there was one last location he had yet to visit.

The present situation verified his suspicions.

The Principal's office was a vast room in the shape of a half oval. Despite it being mid-afternoon, the entire room was dimmed by the closed curtains.

After sitting Edris down on a nearby couch, Magenta and Moss reached for the door.

"The Principal is speaking to your parents at the moment. He will be here momentarily to give you your punishment," Moss said, peering towards the space past the blinds.

In other words—do not step outside the room.

The two professors stepped out, positioning themselves on either side of the door. Following the direction of their steps, Edris found himself staring at three silhouettes on the ends of a new hallway separate from the one he came from.

Edris blinked twice.

If his spatial perception of the tower was correct, the current location of that hallway corresponded to air.

Labyrinth absurdities.

Edris redirected his attention to the three blurry silhouettes. The shorter one on the right matched the Principal's figure back at the opening ceremony, while the two on the left looked abnormally slender. For a second, Edris could have sworn he saw one of the silhouettes distort at an inhuman angle.

Yeah—the so-called "parents" definitely weren't human.

With a shudder, Edris slid down on his profile interface, reminded of the newly gained item. Just as he was about to press into it, a new message popped up before his eyes:

Congratulations! The [HIDDEN QUEST] has been unlocked!

PLAYER [EDRIS] 'S HIDDEN QUEST:

Find out the [PRINCIPAL] 's secret!

TIME LIMIT: ?????

REWARD: ?????

"...?"

Edris stared at the unexpected quest, then turned his gaze to the silhouette outside the office.

Despite the questionable appearance of his "parents," Edris held confidence in his family's position in the academy. After all, he never forgot how the original owner of this body was admitted.

Given the nature of his role, the "parents" were most likely in a debate with the Principal to cancel his punishment, if not at least lessen it. Until the two parties reached a consensus, negotiations would go on for another round or two at the least.

Edris gave the [HIDDEN QUEST] another glimpse, and a glint flashed across his eyes.

"I suppose it's time to snoop around."