“Why… Why does she want to pay my academy fees, and more importantly, why does she want to nominate me?”

Archie's voice echoed with confusion upon hearing that the elderly woman he had just met was willing to nominate him and cover his academy fees.

Archie couldn’t recall anything after meeting Avery. He thought he had fainted mid-sentence, so he was puzzled about why she would nominate him.

Justina found herself equally baffled when she learned from Avery that she intended to nominate Archie in her stead.

---

Beneath the solemn night sky,

Justina and Avery found solace on the balcony, a fire pit crackling before them as they gazed out at the forest. Two steaming cups of coffee sat on a small table between them.

After Avery had conducted her trial, Archie had collapsed into unconsciousness. Swiftly, Justina scooped him up and laid him in her late brother’s room.

While Archie was recuperating, Avery sought out Justina for a discussion about the trials, as the maid had informed her.

As was her habit, Justina found it difficult to kickstart the conversation. To shatter the silence, Avery unveiled a revelation that left Justina stunned.

“Justina, I will nominate that brat Archie.”

“Why?” Justina's voice wavered, suspecting Avery of some hidden agenda.

"It's nothing big. If you were to nominate him, not only would you face backlash, but our clan's reputation would also suffer. Now that I've distanced myself from our clan's activities, I've come to understand this. So, I want to nominate him using my power as President of Rhoman Academy."

Avery explained, reaching out with her right hand to grasp her coffee. As she lifted the cup, her face contorted in pain. She quickly set it down, using her left hand to bring the cup to her lips for a sip.

Even though it was a fleeting moment, Justina caught sight of Avery’s grimace and asked with concern,

“What's wrong? Does your right hand hurt?”

“It's nothing, I’m merely aging. Naturally, I would experience muscle weakness. Let's stick to the topic at hand. No need for distractions.”

Avery's casual dismissal only heightened Justina's worry. Since her childhood, Avery had never shown any signs of frailty in front of her. She feared that something serious was afflicting her grandmother.

“As I mentioned earlier, Justina, I will nominate Archie and cover his academy fees. You must never tell anyone that you knew him or met him. He is under my protection now.”

Avery's declaration was a clear warning to Justina to stay away from Archie, which saddened Justina. She understood that this was the only way to ensure Archie's safety.

Justina rose to leave, but Avery's voice halted her,

"Justina, it appears that news of your arrival has reached your father. He has ordered you to nominate a girl chosen by the clan."

Without turning around or uttering a word, Justina departed, her mind seething with anger and resentment. She feared that if she spoke to Avery now, she would lose control of her emotions.

---

In the present, Archie was grappling with confusion over Justina’s words. Justina attempted to soothe his worries with a white lie,

“That woman is impressed by your abilities, so she wants to nominate you.”

“Pfft!” Even Archie found it hard to believe this blatant lie and retorted,

“Me? She was impressed by my skills? I got Non-Graded ‘F’ Ethereal and I don’t even have an E-Screen.”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“I may not be able to fix your ‘F’ Ethereal, but I have a solution for your E-Screen issue.”

Justina replied, a broad smile on her face. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a single ring and handing it to Archie.

Archie had already read about these rings enough to know that they were used by Originals. Originals who rifted inside the red rifts were unable to use E-Screen, which could only be obtained by consuming a blue egg stone immediately followed by a red egg stone. That was one of the two methods to acquire the E-Screen.

Since Archie had failed to gain E-Screen by not consuming a blue egg stone and had also failed the Ethereal Screening test, Justina believed Archie's last hope lay in wearing this ‘Origin’ Ring.

Before the discovery of egg stones or the Ethereal Screening test, Originals crafted a ring using a Monster’s heart and blood to create their Origin ring. It enabled them to use E-Screen, albeit not as advanced as the current version, but it could display one’s Ethereal and its information.

Justina handed over the ring. Archie hesitated because he had already gained E-Screen in the rift guild. He had only told Justina he didn’t have an E-Screen to keep her from meddling in his affairs.

Archie hadn’t expected Justina to present him with an ’Origin’ ring. His hands trembled as he pondered,

‘Should I reveal my Rift watch that I have E-screen?’

‘NO! NO! Then she will ask how I got this watch.’

‘It might put both of us in danger if she learns something she shouldn’t.’

‘I’m certain that if I told her everything, she wouldn’t remain idle. She would investigate these matters, and it would undoubtedly draw the attention of the Rift Runners. I can’t tell anyone about it.’

As Archie wrestled with his thoughts, Justina noticed his nervousness. She assumed Archie was apprehensive about not gaining E-Screen.

In an attempt to comfort him, Justina placed her hand on Archie’s left wrist and reassured,

“Don’t worry, everything will work out.”

Archie wore a horrified expression because she had placed her hand directly over his Rift watch, yet she didn’t seem to notice it. This left Archie bewildered,

‘Can she not see my Rift watch?’

Until now, Archie had gone to great lengths to hide his watch under his hoodie and avoid physical contact with others. This revelation prompted him to test his suspicions.

Archie gently removed Justina’s hand from his left wrist, rolled up his hoodie sleeve, and asked, “Can you see anything?”

“What! Are you injured somewhere?” Justina queried, looking at his left wrist. In her eyes, there was no watch or any other object on his hand.

Archie swiftly touched his Rift watch, causing it to glow with a golden hue and menu boxes to swirl around it. Archie stuttered as Justina didn’t seem to notice anything unusual about his hands.

“Archie, do you have a fever?”

Justina's voice softened as she expressed her concern.

Archie didn’t hear Justina as his mind was filled with questions.

‘Only I can see the Rift Watch. Relieved for now, but should I wear the ring? Maybe I should give it a try.’

Archie took the ring and slipped it onto his left thumb, as instructed by the books.

It was a gold-colored ring with three small capsules encased in the middle. The ring boasted a unique design with alternating stripes of red and black and clear inlays.

Archie knew how to operate it. He twisted the capsule in a clockwise direction.

“MRRR...” Archie groaned in pain as a small needle retracted from the ring and pierced his finger. After it pierced, the black and red stripes began to glow faintly.

“SWOOSH!”

A new blue prompt screen materialized before him unexpectedly.

“Yes!” Justina let out a cry of joy upon seeing the blue screen appear before him.

“With that over, shall we leave?”

Justina urged Archie to leave. She wanted to escape from this place as soon as possible as painful memories slowly began to resurface in her mind.

“Okay!” Archie responded, feeling rejuvenated. He too had no reason to linger here.

As the night was still young, Archie, Max, and Justina hastily left the mansion without uttering a word to Avery.

From her balcony, Avery watched their hasty retreat from the mansion, sipping coffee from the cup in her right hand.

The cold wind blew, revealing a burn scar on Justina's right wrist. As she gazed at the scar, memories flooded back, and she mused,

‘He is truly an eyesore. You chose well, Justina.’

---

In the abyss of darkness, after Archie had responded to all three questions, he stood in anticipation, ready to depart from this place.

“You are an eyesore that will hinder Justina’s life. You need to die.”

The voice reverberated behind Archie, causing him to whirl around.

“MMM…” Archie found himself gasping for air as a right hand, materializing from a radiant white light, seized his throat and began to choke him.

Archie struggled to liberate himself, suspended in mid-air and rendered helpless.

“SHINE!”

“GRAB!”

Suddenly, Archie found his breath returning. He blinked in disbelief. A golden light, akin to a fog, emerged from behind him, enveloped him, and morphed into two hands that seized the white hand at the wrist.

The white light gradually disintegrated into fragments as the golden hands crushed it.

The white hand shattered and blended into the darkness, allowing Archie to regain consciousness.