The warm, enchanted glow of the Grand Archive's ceiling had dimmed by the time Shane closed the last book. The section on Ṣopona still lingered in his mind, a god of disease and decay unleashed upon the world like a blight. It was hard to tell where myth ended and history began, but one thing was clear: 'this world had known true chaos, and the gods weren't just metaphors, so am in a world where beings powerful enough to erase a million lives in a minute existed' it was truly unnerving.
He stood, stretching as joints cracked faintly, and slid the book back into its labeled section. The silence in the library was almost too perfect. Even the turning of pages and the scribbling of pens made no noise, some kind of suppression enchantment, Effective… and eerie.
Shane stepped out into the corridor, and the moment the door closed behind him, the world's volume returned in a soft rush the distant footsteps, humming, and the low murmur of evening conversation. The violet sky had deepened into indigo, the moons casting long shadows through the stained-glass archways.
And now… he was hungry.
It took some wandering again but this time he followed the smell. Warm bread. Grilled meat. Something spiced and slightly sweet wafts through the west corridor. A sign in flowing silver script read: Dining Hall
The doors opened into a vast, open chamber with floating lanterns bobbing above long wooden tables. High arched windows framed the moons outside, and a massive runed hearth blazed on the far end, though no wood or coal fueled its flames.
Students sat in clusters, some laughing, some arguing, some reading while absentmindedly chewing on meat skewers or flirting. Shane paused just inside the threshold.
The moment he stepped in, dozens of eyes turned.
The room didn't go silent—but the shift was noticeable. Whispered voices. Side glances. A girl with crystalline tattoos elbowed her friend and muttered something behind her hand.
Shane kept walking, head high. He passed a group of beastkin boys who stared at him like he was made of glass.
"That's him," one whispered.
"Didn't he cause that explosion last week?" another added
"He's probably possessed. Look at his eyes, I don't understand why he hasn't been expelled yet"
Shane ignored them and made his way toward the serving area, a wide counter where students queued beneath softly glowing crystal lanterns. Behind it, uniformed staff, mostly lower-ranked academy aides or junior mages, stood behind the counter, taking requests.
Above the counter, a glowing board displayed the available meal tiers:
✦ Bronze Tier – Basic Ration (Free)
✦ Silver Tier – Standard Meal (10 marks)
✦ Gold Tier – Enhanced Nutrition + Mana Infusion (25 marks)
✦ Platinum Tier – Personalized Gourmet Spell-Crafted Meal (75 marks)
'hummm.. even food are paid for by the students, do they allow students to bring money or are they earned here' Shane took his time to observe the other students in line, and he noticed the student about to pay bring out a green card and gave it to server, who placed the card on a metal box and gave the card back.
Shane joined the queue, the line moving at a steady pace as trays clinked and the scent of roasted meat and steamed herbs wafted through the hall, as the murmurs behind him died down into a low buzz, he took the chance to pat down his pockets, wondering how he was expected to pay for anything in this place.
His fingers brushed against something smooth and rigid.
He pulled out not one, but two cards, one a dull brown, and the other a sleek, obsidian black, his name was engraved into the cards, he remembered the black card because it was returned to him along with the debt list by Headmaster Orin earlier, but this was his first time seeing the green one.
'Three cards? Brown, green, and black… Different colors, different meanings?'
He turned them over, inspecting each one; they all looked the same and were etched with a visible crest of the Larzano Institute.
His thoughts were interrupted as the server ahead of him nodded. "Next."
Shane stepped up.
The serving station was manned by two junior aides, both sharp-eyed, long-eared, and curt. "Tier?" one of them asked.
Shane glanced at the board, mentally weighing his options. "Standard meal," he replied.
The server gave a nod, then gestured toward the scanner.
Shane slid the brown card across the glowing reader.
A chime echoed—sharp and loud.
> "Insufficient Marks."
A few heads turned, but seeing who it was, they either laughed or turned back to what they were doing.
The aide raised an eyebrow, expression unimpressed. "Next."
"Wait," Shane said quickly, pulling out the black card and sliding it onto the reader instead.
This time, the scanner glowed with a soft, deep pulse of blue. The crest on the black card shimmered—and the glow spread outward, flickering briefly across the payment station before dying down.
> " Authorized. Identity: Rothmaek, Shane."
A heavier silence settled.
The junior aides exchanged glances. One of them straightened slightly, and the other inclined his head just a touch—half respect, half caution.
Behind Shane, the murmurs began again.
"That was a black card—wasn't it?"
"When did he get that back?.. I thought he said he could survive without his family handout" another laughed
"Seems like he's finally letting go of his ego... if it wasn't because of the siblings, he would have made a great companion now that he has the black card"
Ignoring the whispers, Shane accepted the tray placed before him still a standard meal, though perhaps plated a little more carefully this time. Grilled root slices, a thick, charred meat cut, and a small dish of luminous broth.
He turned and scanned the room again.
Same stares. Same hushed talk. A few students looked away quickly when he met their eyes. Others held his gaze.
He made his way to an isolated bench near one of the arching crystal-glass windows. He sat and picked up his fork. He wasn't particularly hungry anymore, but he needed the energy, and he needed to gather his thoughts.
What he read in the library was really fascinating, a world where Gods and monsters exist and is apart of everyday life, which could explain the scenario going on with him, he new he wasn't originally from this world but he doesn't know where he came from or if it was just in his mind, since he was known to be going mad.
Maybe he was just suffering from amnesia from the explosion and his minds were playing treats on him, and he was blindly following or if he was actually from other worlds, according to Elroy, the old Shane claimed to be able to see other worlds which was were his designs came from, which would explain the advanced robotics technology design draft he saw in his room.
From the things he had seen so far, this world was more on the magical science side, not full-blown robotics engineering, but was it really possible to see into other worlds, was there even other worlds, or was he just going crazy?
He'd barely finished his third bite when a shadow fell across the table.
A student dropped into the seat across from him without asking. He was tall, muscular, with obsidian-dark hair, green skin, and green eyes. His uniform bore gold lining and a sharp silver crest of some noble house, Shane guessed.
"Enjoying your last meal, Rothmaek?" the boy asked.
Shane swallowed slowly. "Do you always invite yourself to people's tables, or am I just that charming?"
"Neither," the boy said flatly. "I'm here because I personally came to get you." He added with a snarky grin. "Among many things we hate is someone making us wait and you my friend had done just that, you made us wait for over 6 hours in the tree house"
Shane blinked. 'Shit the treehouse, I totally forgot about that' he coughed and straightened his posture "Ohhh the meeting, would you believe me if I said I accidentally got lost, for the life of me I can't even remember where it was"
The boy's eyes narrowed. "Aimee said you made up a new personality. Do you honestly think this would get you out of the deal, let alone after all this time of claiming your "intelligence" was all the talent you needed, and all I thought was maybe you finally got your shit together after you successfully blew up the nexus.
But now you are pulling a stupid trick like this?... "
The boy began to rant about how he didn't understand the siblings' obsession with him, "Fine I know you are supposed to be the 4 son of King Grey Rothmaek, the menace of the West but compared to your other family members you are just there, nothing really immersive about you"
From the boy's rant Shane also learnt new info about himself, things he couldn't ask Elroy. His father's name is Grey Rothmaek, and from the nickname, it sounds like a well-known and powerful man.
Before Shane could respond, the boy spat into his luminous broth. The glob landed with a sickening plop, rippling across the surface.
Shane stared at the contaminated food, then at the smirking students around them. The dining hall had gone dead silent, but from the lack of surprise on their faces, it was obvious that this wasn't the first time a scenario like this had happened. "Seriously.. I was eating that, you could have at least let me finish," Shane said while pushing back his chair.
As he turned to stand, the green-skinned youth lunged across the table, grabbing Shane's wrist with crushing force. "Where do you think you're going, Rothmaek?"
Laughter erupted from nearby tables. A raccoon-looking girl pointed and whispered to her friend. Shane tried to wrench free, but the grip was iron.
"On your knees," the green-skinned boy hissed. "Beg forgiveness for wasting our time, and I'll only break a few bones."
Shane's mismatched eyes flashed, before his thoughts could catch up with his body, he broke the hold, using his other arm, he grabbed the green-skinned boy's head, then slammed it into the table. The hall was quiet; even the people passing through had to stop in their tracks.
From the looks on everyone's face, Shane realized he might have done something he shouldn't have, so he immediately turned around, walking away as fast as he could.
Shane was already walking away when frost crackled across the floor. Ice crawled up his boots, rooting him to the spot. He looked down to see glacial tendrils wrapping his legs.
The green-skinned boy raised his face from the table, blood trickling from his nose. He took out a white cloth and cleaned the blood away. He then turned towards the rooted Shane, his face purpled with rage.
"Wow.. I didn't know you had it in you.. that really caught me by surprise, that was good, really good," the boy sneered, releasing killing intent that made nearby students recoil. In a blur of motion, he appeared before Shane impossibly fast.
[SYSTEM ALERT: HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED]
> NAME: VARKOL LONAIS.
> LEVEL: 5 [MORTAL]
> MAIN CLASS: CRYOMANCER
> RACE: HALF-ORC
> STR: 3.3 | AGI: 4.8 | STA: 4.0 | INT: 5.9
Varkol grabbed Shane's hair, yanking his head down toward his rising knee. "This is for my face"
*CRACK.* Shane's nose exploded in a spray of blood. Stars danced in his vision as another blow rocked his jaw.
He crumpled to the frost-covered floor, tasting copper. Through swelling eyes, he saw Varkol looming over him, the half-orc's green face twisted in triumph.
'"Pathetic." Varkol grabbed Shane's hair, forcing eye contact. "All that 'otherworld' nonsense, and you can't even take a punch." His free hand glowed with hoarfrost. "Let's freeze that lying tongue—"
Shane spat blood in his face.
Varkol's face dropped, and he immediately brought out another cloth to clean his face. "Why do you keep going for the face? Don't blame me for what happens next," Varkol said, forming Ice gauntlets from ice. Close to a hundred ice gauntlets rained down on Shane's ribs, which cracked. Vision blurred. Shane collapsed, crimson pooling on frost-laced stone.
[HEALTH CRITICAL]
[RING OF GRACE ACTIVATED: Fatal damage negated]
Through swollen eyes, Shane saw Varkol raise a glacial spike aimed at his heart—then pause. "Tch. We still need you Alive and you are already becoming one of us." He snapped his fingers. "Bind him."
Two hulking beastkin emerged from the crowd, smirking. Shane's world tilted as they hauled him up, arms wrenched behind his back.
"Treehouse. Now." Varkol wiped Shane's blood from his knuckles onto his victim's uniform.
As they dragged Shane past silent tables, a girl whispered: "He's dead before graduation."
Varkol chuckled, kicking open the moonlit courtyard doors. "He might be dead tomorrow ."