Chapter 7: Presence Without Life
I arrived at the university.
My feet moved across the polished marble corridors as if they carried no weight.
The watch on my wrist blinked lightly, informing me I was late.
But I didn't hurry—because I had no reason to.
In front of the gates of the First University of the Kingdom of Elysan, a few students lifted their heads toward me, but none paid real attention.
However, the moment I entered the main hall, a voice called from behind—sharp, slightly trembling.
"Knox! Is that you?!"
I turned around slowly.
It was Ryan—Knox's friend.
As close to a friend as one could get in a life I no longer truly owned.
His face showed clear worry, his brows knotted with tension.
"Ryan."
I said his name flatly, as if I were speaking it for the first time.
He rushed toward me, stopping me by grabbing my arm.
"Where have you been? You disappeared for two whole weeks. Before that, you were acting strange... crying sometimes... then looking at us like we weren't even there. And now—what's going on with you?"
I looked at him without expression—
A look that didn't belong in this world.
I didn't answer.
"Knox, you're seriously scaring me…"
I didn't let him finish.
I pulled my arm away and walked past him quietly, as if nothing had been said.
He didn't know what else to say.
Knox's strange behavior had shaken him more than he wanted to admit.
…
When I entered the lecture hall, dozens of eyes turned toward me all at once.
Whispers.
Widened eyes.
Faces frozen in shock.
It wasn't because I was late.
It was because of my disappearance.
Their reaction mirrored Ryan's—though without his depth of concern.
And it wasn't just that.
My expression didn't help.
A face without emotion.
Calm steps.
I looked like someone soulless.
Someone… dead.
I sat in my seat without glancing at anyone.
The teaching platform wasn't empty.
She was already there.
Professor Dylan Sophia.
A 26-year-old woman with a calm yet commanding presence, eyes sharp enough to catch any detail.
A technological and scientific genius—one of the brightest minds on the continent.
She wore a sleek gray coat over a black blouse. Her long hair was tied up neatly, a sign of her unwavering focus.
"Would you like additional information, sir?"
She looked at me for a long time.
But she didn't speak.
Inside her mind, thoughts collided.
"A month ago, his face was hopeful... then it began to fade... until it turned afraid. Then, he vanished."
"And now... this body that returned, doesn't feel like it truly came back."
"I'll watch him. I have to help him… or at least understand what happened."
Despite always seeming calm and stern, there was a kind heart within her—one that cared deeply for her students, even if she wasn't much older than them.
…
Before the lecture began, the familiar transparent window appeared before my eyes.
> ● System: Two folders have been unlocked by request of previous Hosts.
● Contents include encrypted messages that can only be accessed at their original locations.
● Notice: Some additional messages will auto-unlock when you visit certain places previously explored by past Hosts.
I whispered softly:
"So they knew something would happen to them…
The old stories are beginning to rise from the dark."
I noticed a few heads turn toward me—but I ignored them.
> ● System: Would you like to open the folders now?
"No. Not here."
I dismissed the window with a tap.
…
Dylan began the lecture.
Her words flowed clearly and confidently as she wrote complex equations on the digital board.
I heard her, but I wasn't listening.
My mind was elsewhere.
Twenty minutes in, I found myself fiddling with my watch.
A hidden menu opened.
I started to navigate through it.
Whispers spread behind me.
They were staring—as if seeing a ghost.
Knox, the ideal student, never missed a word.
Never played around during class.
Never acted oddly.
But this Knox…
Wasn't him.
…
The lecture ended.
Students exited in a mild clamor, a few stealing glances at me with expressions they couldn't explain.
I left silently.
Walked to the abandoned courtyard—rarely used, just like the system told me.
Its scanning capabilities were incredible.
It could identify detailed information about anyone I encountered.
And yet, the system told me this was one of its basic features.
I sat under an old withering tree, raised my wrist, and accessed my F-Stream channel.
> ● System: Channel Accessed.
Name: "Dark Web."
The background was completely black.
The name was… ominous.
No profile picture.
No description.
No followers.
> ● System: Channel is active, but no previous activity recorded.
● Would you like to edit or publish?
I closed my eyes.
"Maybe soon...
When I understand what kind of hell I've fallen into."
.............
Author's Note: