Galactus Academy: Rise of Cyrus Aurelius
Chapter 3 — The First Maneuver
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🌘 Day 3 — Galactus Academy, Observation Deck 17
The glass balcony extended like a blade from the edge of the tower. Far below, floating arenas drifted lazily across the mana currents, each carrying duels, political games, and secret pacts within them. The Academy was alive — breathing, growing, devouring.
Cyrus stood alone, hands clasped behind his back.
Every student here had power.
But few had vision.
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> Observation:
The majority have predictable behavioral loops.
Warriors gravitate toward strength.
Mindbenders toward influence.
Assassins toward information control.
Reality-benders toward rule manipulation.
Energy wielders toward domination.
He was not here to follow these loops.
He was here to build a system above them.
> And to do that, I need to provoke the first ripple.
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💡 The First Move: Controlled Exposure
The first class of Applied Multiversal Tactics had concluded just hours earlier. Instructor Kaelvar had spoken of dimensional instability and the dangers of unchecked ambition, while the students barely concealed their hunger for dominance.
Cyrus left the room deliberately late. As expected, his movements were being tracked.
> Test One: Confirm interest.
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🔮 Encounter: Selene Drakonis
Waiting casually outside the hall, as if by coincidence, stood Selene Drakonis.
Her golden-red uniform shimmered under the neon mana-light. A strand of her silver-blonde hair caught the wind as she smiled, eyes half-lidded.
> "Cyrus Aurelius," she greeted softly. "You're not what they expected."
He stopped.
Met her eyes.
Spoke flatly.
> "Neither are you."
The faintest twitch of amusement danced across her lips. This was no idle meeting. She wanted to measure him — to test his emotional calibration, his ability to read intent.
> "You don't wear a house crest. No support. No recorded lineage now. Yet you walk like a tactician," she continued. "The others are watching. Ren Valerius, Vera Nocturnis, even Kaito Solarius. They're trying to decide if you're a threat."
> "And you?" Cyrus asked.
Selene's voice dropped, her tone calm but sharp.
> "I already know you're a threat."
A brief silence.
Cyrus processed her statement:
Direct. Confident. Testing my reaction. A calculated opening gambit.
He finally replied:
> "Then you're more perceptive than most."
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🕷 Beneath the Surface: The First Web
While Selene made her move, Vera Nocturnis watched silently from an upper walkway. She blended into the shadows so perfectly that only a mind like Cyrus's might suspect her presence.
Vera studied both of them:
> Selene seeks influence first. Always the long game with House Drakonis.
> But him... he doesn't play like the rest. His aura is dead, like a void with eyes.
In her private analysis, Vera assigned Cyrus his first internal codename:
The Hollow Strategist.
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⚔ Second Encounter: Ren Valerius
Later that day, during combat observation trials, Cyrus sat alone at the far end of the elevated spectator platform. Below, students clashed with summoned beasts.
A familiar presence approached.
> "Mind if I sit?"
Ren Valerius.
Muscular, steady, and far more aware than his relaxed posture suggested. His signature flame aura was restrained, barely flickering under his control.
> "Go ahead," Cyrus answered.
They sat in silence for several moments, watching as two Stormgrave heirs dueled a dimensional wyrm into submission.
Finally, Ren spoke:
> "Everyone's testing you. Selene, Vera, Kaito... even the instructors."
"You're not worried?"
Cyrus answered without looking away from the match.
> "If I feared being tested, I wouldn't belong here."
Ren gave a small grin.
> "You're interesting, Aurelius. I respect people who don't pretend to be what they're not. Most of us are trying to prove something to someone."
Cyrus turned his head slightly, observing Ren.
> Ren's strength is his honesty. His weakness is his pride.
But among them, he may be useful in the opening phases.
Cyrus spoke deliberately:
> "And you, Valerius? Who are you trying to prove yourself to?"
Ren's smile faded slightly, the first crack in his self-assurance.
> "That's personal," he said after a pause.
"But I respect the question."
A silent agreement passed between them.
No friendship yet — but the first seed of alliance was planted.
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🕸 Multiple Threads Converge
> Selene initiated contact.
Vera watched both, gathering data.
Ren opened a possible neutral relationship.
Kaito was yet to approach — calculating the shifting network before acting.
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🌑 Cyrus's Mind — That Night
Back in Room 707, Cyrus constructed the mental framework he'd spent years perfecting — an invisible web of influence.
> The Galactus Algorithm:
1. Identify key players.
2. Map personal motives.
3. Control their points of friction.
4. Induce controlled conflict when necessary.
5. Remain neutral publicly.
6. Feed both sides with half-truths.
He whispered under his breath:
> "They are all playing their family games."
"I will play the one above them all."
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END OF CHAPTER 3