The sky above Eryndor was covered in a pale gray that morning.
Not the gray of storms.
Not the kind that warned of disaster.
A calm gray.
A tired one.
As if the city itself had stopped hoping for sunlight long ago.
From the rooftop of his apartment building, Seven silently watched the suspended rails stretching across the upper districts. Trains glided through the skyline with metallic hums while holographic advertisements flickered above the rain-soaked streets below.
The city kept moving.
Always.
Even after death.
Even after monsters.
Even after screams.
He slowly raised his cigarette toward his lips before stopping halfway.
Then sighed.
— …I should quit this stuff.
He slipped the pack back into the pocket of his coat.
Silence returned.
A strange kind of silence.
Ever since the Nexus Animarum, his nights had become heavier. He barely slept anymore. And when he did…
he rarely dreamed of anything normal.
Voices.
Souls.
Eyes staring at him from the dark.
Sometimes, he could still hear the little girl whispering "thank you" somewhere deep inside his mind.
The thought tightened something painfully inside his chest.
So he looked away toward the city again.
Humans walked through the streets.
Some laughed.
Others argued.
A woman ran after her bus.
A couple held hands near a vending machine.
And above them…
silent guardian angels drifted through the morning haze.
Farther away, clinging to the side of a building like a monstrous spider, a demon stared hungrily at the people below.
The everyday reality of the Awakened.
Seven closed his eyes for a moment.
Then finally left the rooftop.
His apartment was a disaster.
Clothes scattered across the floor. Open books covering part of the couch. Several empty cans abandoned near a still-running computer screen.
Seven stared at the chaos for a few seconds.
— …This place is a damn mess.
He removed his coat.
Collapsed onto the bed.
And immediately fell asleep again.
— SEVEN!
Someone pounded violently against his door.
A muffled groan escaped him.
— I'm gonna die…
— You're already dead inside. Open the door.
Kael.
Obviously.
Seven stayed motionless for a few more seconds before finally dragging himself out of bed with the grace of a resurrected corpse.
When he opened the door, Kael instantly raised an eyebrow.
— You slept in your clothes again?
— It was a tactical decision.
— You smell like exhaustion.
— Thanks. You too.
She sighed before handing him a hot coffee.
— Here.
Seven stared silently at the cup for a moment.
Then took it.
Kael watched him discreetly.
She could tell he was getting worse.
For several days now.
But like always…
Seven kept that strange distance between himself and the rest of the world. As if he was constantly looking at something nobody else could see.
— You could at least pretend to be a normal high school student sometimes.
— Sounds exhausting.
— One day I'm seriously leaving you unconscious on a sidewalk.
— You'd come back for me.
Kael smiled despite herself.
— Unfortunately, yes.
They eventually left the apartment together.
The cold winds of Eryndor moved through the streets carrying the scent of rain and electricity.
Seven walked calmly with his hands in his pockets.
And like always…
he saw the monsters.
A thin demon crawled beneath a railway bridge.
A wandering spirit lingered beside a vending machine.
A corrupted entity followed a drunken man into a dark alley.
But this time…
he simply looked away.
The noise of Celesthra High School already echoed through the hallways by the time they arrived.
Groups of students gathered around lockers. Some pretended to study. Others talked excitedly about the upcoming sports tournament.
And in the middle of that perfectly ordinary chaos…
Seven immediately felt it.
Liah.
His gaze instinctively shifted toward the far end of the corridor.
She stood near a window, quietly reading a book.
But around her…
her ether still trembled faintly.
Unstable.
Like a soul that had only just opened its eyes to another world.
Their gazes met briefly.
Then—
— OI, SEVEN!
A hand slammed heavily onto his shoulder.
Seven slowly turned his head.
A boy with messy brown hair grinned at him with absurd confidence.
Tall.
Athletic.
Pure chaotic energy.
— …Who are you?
The boy looked genuinely offended.
— Bro. That hurts.
Kael sighed immediately.
— Ignore him. He survives somehow.
— Name's Nils. Captain of the soccer team. Incredibly handsome. Charismatic. Athletic. Probably your future best friend.
Seven stared at him for a few seconds.
— No.
— Too late. I already decided.
Kael nearly laughed.
Nils casually wrapped an arm around Seven's shoulders as if they had known each other for years.
— Seriously, man, you look like the depressed protagonist of some tragic indie movie. It's concerning.
— Does he always talk this much?
— Yes, Kael answered. It gets worse when he lacks sleep.
— Women love my energy.
— Women are afraid of you.
— That's different.
Against all expectations…
a faint smile appeared on Seven's lips.
Tiny.
But real.
Nils immediately noticed.
— OOOOOH. HE SMILED. WE HAVE WITNESSES, RIGHT?
— Shut up.
— We're making progress already.
And for a few brief seconds…
Seven almost felt normal.
The days slowly began to pass.
And with them…
a strange routine was born.
In the mornings:
Kael came to pick him up before class.
During school:
Nils continued invading his life without permission.
And after class…
Seven met with Liah.
Always in the same place.
The ruins.
The district destroyed during the battle against Adonis had been sealed off from the public.
Metal barriers surrounded collapsed buildings. Reconstruction crews still worked through some of the streets.
But despite everything…
the place still smelled like death.
Liah slowly stopped in the middle of the ruins.
The wind moved gently through her pale hair as she stared at the destroyed buildings.
Then she frowned slightly.
— This place…
Her voice was quiet.
— There's something wrong here.
Seven remained silent.
Liah finally turned toward him.
— What happened here?
The silence lasted for several seconds.
Then Seven answered calmly:
— Me.
The wind passed between the shattered buildings.
— This district was destroyed during my fight against Adonis.
His eyes remained fixed on the ruins.
— And all these people…
His voice lowered slightly.
— …died because of me.
Liah immediately sensed something in his tone.
No visible sadness.
No anger.
Something worse.
A guilt that had existed for too long to bleed properly anymore.
She stared at him silently.
Then finally asked:
— What exactly are you…?
Seven slowly turned toward her.
— Are you an Awakened too… like me?
A faint sigh escaped him.
— I know you already know the answer.
His blue eyes met her amethyst gaze.
— So why ask such a pointless question?
Silence fell again.
Then Seven slowly raised one hand.
Ether vibrated.
— Arcane:
Silent Fold — Boundary of the Damned.
An invisible pressure instantly spread around them.
Space itself warped slightly.
The sounds of the city disappeared.
As if reality had been muffled beneath layers of something unnatural.
The wind slowed.
Noise died.
The world folded inward around them.
And for a brief second…
Liah heard whispers.
Distant voices.
Regrets.
Invisible presences.
Her breath caught slightly.
— This barrier prevents normal humans from noticing us.
Seven slowly walked deeper into the ruins.
— Alright. Let's start with the basics.
The training was brutally simple.
No spectacle.
No heroics.
First, Seven taught her how to breathe properly.
How to feel ether.
How to circulate it.
— Ether isn't an external energy.
His voice echoed calmly within the silent boundary.
— It's an extension of your soul.
Liah slowly closed her eyes.
She felt something moving beneath her skin.
A strange warmth.
Alive.
Then—
a pulse of light immediately spread through her body.
The air vibrated faintly around her.
Seven frowned.
— …Already?
Liah opened her eyes again.
— Was that supposed to be difficult?
Silence.
Then Seven slowly looked away.
Normally…
an Awakened needed several days.
Sometimes weeks.
But she…
had done it instantly.
And there was nothing normal about that.
The following days only confirmed his suspicions.
Liah progressed far too quickly.
She rapidly mastered:
- Ether Flow,
- Veil Sense,
- Astral Thread,
- Soul Guard,
- Resonantia.
And every single time…
Seven felt the same quiet discomfort.
As if ether itself already recognized her soul.
As if she wasn't truly learning any of this.
As if she was remembering it.
Meanwhile…
Nils continued his daily social assault.
— Seven.
— No.
— You don't even know the question yet.
— I refuse anyway.
— Come to the field after class.
— No.
— There'll be girls.
— Still no.
— Very pretty girls.
Seven slowly looked up from his book.
— You're hopeless.
— And you're depressed. We all got talents.
Kael quietly burst into laughter nearby.
Even Seven eventually let out a defeated sigh.
Then—
a faint smile appeared again.
Nils instantly raised a triumphant fist.
— LET'S GOOOO. I KNEW IT.
And slowly…
without even realizing it…
Seven started talking more.
A little more every day.
The sun was beginning to disappear behind the buildings when they finally finished training.
The Silent Fold slowly dissolved around the ruins.
The sounds of the world suddenly returned.
Wind.
Cars.
Distant voices.
Liah quietly watched the lights of Eryndor.
Then slowly turned toward Seven.
He looked tired.
Even more than usual.
As if something inside him was constantly consuming him from within.
She hesitated for a few seconds.
Then finally spoke in a quieter voice.
— Seven…
— Hm?
She slightly looked away.
Almost embarrassed.
— Do you… want to come over to my place?
Silence lingered briefly.
Then Seven answered simply:
— Okay.
This time…
Liah was the one who looked surprised.
The wind moved softly between the buildings of Eryndor.
And for one very brief moment…
the world almost felt peaceful.