The elevator doors slid open with a whisper, revealing the rooftop garden—a wild, tangled paradise suspended above the sprawling madness of Dream College. This wasn't some ordinary campus rooftop. No, this was a beast of glowing vines, flowers pulsing with eerie light, and trees so massive their shadows swallowed the ground like hungry demons.
The air hummed with magic, thick and sweet, mixing the scent of blooming nightflowers and something sharper—blood, sweat, power.
Students filled the garden—some sparring with crackling fireballs, others cloaked in shadow that shifted like living smoke. Wings fluttered, tails flicked, and eyes glowed in colors I'd never seen before. This place was a kaleidoscope of chaos and control.
Near the far edge, where the air shimmered with raw energy, Lisa waited.
She stood with perfect grace, framed by the crimson glow of the setting sun and the twisting black tattoos crawling over her arms. Her glasses caught the light, hiding nothing and everything at once. She looked like a predator who knew exactly what kind of prey I was.
"Late, Blank," she said, voice smooth like silk over steel.
I swallowed hard. "Sorry."
Lisa's smile was a razor. "You're lucky the Headmistress is merciful today. Orientation is starting, and I'm here to make sure you don't embarrass yourself."
I wanted to ask why she cared. Why she cared. But instead, I nodded and followed her through the garden.
The path twisted between giant, glowing flowers that pulsed with energy. Floating platforms drifted lazily above us, and students teleported short distances, disappearing in blurs of light.
"This place," Lisa said, "is more than a garden. It's a training ground, a battlefield, and a proving ground. Dream College isn't just about learning magic or strategy. It's about power. Control. Survival."
Her eyes flicked to me, sharp and unblinking. "And you? You're a question mark wrapped in a puzzle."
We reached a clearing where dozens of students gathered around a glowing platform—the orientation stage. The Headmistress stood there, an imposing figure cloaked in shadows, her voice ringing out like thunder.
"New Bloods," she announced, "today you begin the path to power. Your first challenge is simple: claim your Sigil. It will define your path, your abilities, your fate."
I glanced down at my chest. The red spiral was still faintly glowing beneath my shirt—a brand, a curse, a promise.
Lisa leaned close. "Most students get their Sigil assigned by the system. You? You'll have to claim yours. And that means showing the system you're worth it."
Her voice dropped, low and dangerous. "Or breaking it."
The challenge was brutal.
One by one, students stepped onto the platform, their bodies glowing as the system scanned them, awarding Sigils that sparked like fireworks—Celestial Flames, Demonic Shadows, Beastkin Fangs.
Then came my turn.
I stepped onto the platform, heart pounding.
The system hesitated. Symbols spun chaotically beneath me—random, wild, uncontrolled. The red spiral flared, hot and angry.
Lisa's voice echoed in my mind.
"Show them who you are, Blank."
I focused, reaching deep inside, pulling whatever ancient power stirred beneath the surface.
Suddenly, a pulse of crimson energy burst from my chest, blasting outward in waves.
The platform shattered, sending sparks flying.
The crowd gasped.
Lisa's eyes gleamed with something fierce—pride? Excitement? Maybe just the thrill of watching chaos unfold.
The system blinked—then assigned me a Sigil:
"Nullfire — The Flame That Defies Order."
The words burned in the air like a curse.
Lisa smirked, voice dripping with dark amusement.
"Well done, Blank. You just made sure you'll never be ignored again."
---
After the chaos settled, Lisa pulled me aside.
"This Sigil," she explained, "is rare. Dangerous. It doesn't fit the neat categories the system likes. You're an anomaly, and anomalies get attention—good and bad."
She tapped her glasses with a finger. "You'll need training. Control. Guidance."
Her gaze locked on mine, intense and unyielding.
"And that's my job. But don't get comfortable."
She smiled wickedly.
"In Dream College, power always comes with a price. Are you ready to pay it?"
I nodded.
Because I didn't have a choice.
---
That night, in the luxury of my sky-high dorm, I thought about Lisa's words.
She wasn't just my advisor.
She was my link to a world I barely understood—a world of gods and demons, power and betrayal.
And if I wanted to survive, if I wanted to win, I'd have to learn from the devil herself.