The Academy courtyard buzzed like a disturbed beehive.
Whispers followed me everywhere.
"They say he apologized…"
"He helped a commoner."
"No way. That's impossible."
"Maybe he's planning something worse."
I walked forward calmly while internally screaming.
Great. I changed fate, and the universe replaced hatred with suspicion.
This was worse.
People didn't know whether to fear me or fear what I was about to do.
[PASSIVE EFFECT: SOCIAL DREAD – STILL ACTIVE]
[BONUS EFFECT: UNEASY CURIOSITY – UNLOCKED]
"Why does everything sound like a horror movie status effect," I muttered.
Students headed toward the massive examination hall. The white stone building rose like a cathedral, sunlight reflecting painfully off its polished surface.
Inside this place, power levels would be revealed.
Talent would be measured.
Futures would be decided.
And somewhere in here…
Seraphina Dawncrest was walking calmly as if she hadn't just destabilized my emotional state with one look.
I headed toward my assigned section.
Nobles sat on elevated platforms.
Commoners stood below.
A clear, cruel division.
The original Kyle would have revelled in this.
I just wanted a corner seat and emotional peace.
I found my name engraved on a black crystal tablet:
Kyle von Blackthorn – Section A (High Nobility)
"…Of course."
I took my seat.
The moment I sat down, the space around me emptied instantly.
An invisible radius of fear formed.
Three seats to my right.
Five to my left.
Completely vacant.
"It's like social distancing, but sponsored by terror," I murmured.
[CRINGE OPPORTUNITY MISSED: LOW SOCIAL INTERACTION]
"Please stop suggesting I talk to people. I know how this ends."
Across the hall, I saw familiar faces from memory.
Future villains.
Future generals.
Future corpses.
And then—
I saw her again.
Seraphina Dawncrest.
She stood among the commoner candidates, her silver hair tied in a simple ribbon, eyes calm and unreadable as she watched the stage.
Her posture was straight.
Her presence quiet.
Yet wherever she stood, the background felt irrelevant.
She did not look at me.
Not once.
And yet…
[ABNORMAL OBSERVATION: TARGET AWARENESS DETECTED]
"…That doesn't make me feel better," I whispered.
--
Talent Evaluation
The ceremony began with thunderous magical bells.
An elderly mage floated above the stage using magic circles beneath his feet.
"Welcome to the Imperial Academy," he announced. "Today, your value will be measured not by birth, but by potential."
The crowd cheered.
The nobles clapped politely.
The commoners looked like they were about to faint.
One by one, candidates stepped forward and placed their hands on a glowing crystal orb.
Elements flared.
Ranks were announced.
Applause followed.
Fire. Wind. Earth. Water.
Occasionally, someone awakened a rare attribute and the hall erupted in cheers.
Then—
"Seraphina Dawncrest."
The hall fell into complete silence.
She walked forward.
Calm.
Unhurried.
Unafraid.
Her hand touched the crystal.
For one heartbeat—
Nothing happened.
Then the orb exploded with blinding silver-white light.
A pressure like a divine breath washed over the hall.
Students gasped.
Some fell to their knees.
The elderly mage's eyes widened in shock.
"…Light and Ice dual affinity," he whispered. "And at this density…"
The crystal fractured.
The hall erupted.
"Saint-level talent!"
"She's a monster!"
"She's a commoner?!"
Seraphina simply stepped back and bowed quietly.
No smile.
No pride.
No reaction.
As if this was expected.
Her eyes flicked, briefly.
For a fraction of a second—
They landed on me.
And moved away.
My chest felt tight for reasons I refused to acknowledge.
[TARGET'S INTEREST LEVEL: UNSTABLE]
---
Eventually, my name was called.
"Kyle von Blackthorn"
The mood shifted instantly.
Fear replaced excitement.
Resentment replaced admiration.
I stood and walked to the stage.
Every step echoed.
I placed my hand on the crystal.
The orb glowed deep crimson.
Violent.
Ferocious.
Aura surged like a storm.
The mage's expression darkened.
"Dark-affinity. High-grade combat type. Rank… far above average."
Whispers turned into dread.
"This confirms it…"
"He's truly a monster…"
I removed my hand and stepped back without a word.
No insults.
No threats.
No cruelty.
The crowd felt… confused.
[CANON DIVERGENCE: INCREASING]
[MINOR FATE DISTORTION +2%]
Good.
Distort harder.
Please.
---
After the evaluation, students dispersed to their assigned dormitories.
Mine was, predictably, in the Blackthorn Wing.
Private rooms.
Private guards.
Private paranoia.
Inside my room, I collapsed onto the bed.
18 hours.
That was my remaining time.
18 hours until I had to publicly confess to the most dangerous woman in this academy.
Or suffer an immediate heart attack like a rejected extra.
"This is emotional terrorism," I muttered.
[SUB-QUEST REMINDER: CONFESSION REQUIRED]
[SUGGESTED STRATEGY: THINK OF SOMETHING CRINGE]
"I will not plan my own humiliation with enthusiasm."
[REFUSAL NOTED.]
I stared at the ceiling.
The original Kyle would have marched into Seraphina's path with arrogance.
I needed the opposite.
Something so awkward…
So painfully embarrassing…
That fate itself would recoil.
A knock came at the door.
I nearly jumped.
"Yes?"
The door opened slightly.
A female attendant peeked in. "Young Master Kyle, a message has arrived for you."
"A… message?"
She handed me a folded slip of enchanted paper and quickly retreated.
I opened it.
Blank.
Completely blank.
No words.
No sender.
Only a faint chill lingering on the surface.
[UNKNOWN MAGIC SIGNATURE DETECTED]
My skin prickled.
"Let me guess. Not dangerous at all."
[DANGER LEVEL: UNCLEAR BUT CONCERNING]
I folded it slowly.
Somewhere deep inside the academy…
Someone had already started watching me.
Not out of fear.
Not out of hatred.
But with something else.
Something unfamiliar.
And unsettling.
---
Night fell over the Imperial Academy.
Moonlight washed over the white towers, turning the campus into something eerily beautiful.
Students gathered in groups.
Friendships were forming.
Rivalries were igniting.
And I was standing alone beneath a dimly lit walkway, rehearsing the worst speech of my nonexistent romantic career.
"L–Lady Seraphina," I whispered under my breath, "the weather is nice today even though my heart is collapsing—no, that's too poetic. Too cool."
[WARNING: EXCESSIVE COOLNESS DETECTED]
"Why are you monitoring my imaginary dialogue!?"
[BECAUSE FAILURE MEANS DEATH.]
I dragged a hand down my face.
"I need witnesses. I need stuttering. I need disaster."
My dignity screamed in protest.
Suddenly—
Footsteps echoed ahead.
Soft.
Even.
Controlled.
I froze.
A familiar silver shimmer appeared under the moonlight.
Seraphina Dawncrest walked alone through the garden path.
No guards.
No companions.
Only her.
The distance between us was about twenty steps.
This was not planned.
This was accidental.
This was fate preparing to body-slam me.
[SUB-QUEST WINDOW FLASHING RED]
[CONFESSION OPPORTUNITY DETECTED]
My heart began beating violently.
Now?
Already?
There were barely three people nearby.
That wasn't enough witnesses.
"NO," I whispered urgently.
But Seraphina stopped.
Slowly.
She turned.
Her golden eyes met mine beneath the moonlight.
The world went silent.
Not romantically.
Oppressively.
Like standing before a predator that chose not to hunt—yet.
"You," she said softly.
Just one word.
Yet my entire body tightened.
"Yes?" I answered weakly.
She studied me.
Not with curiosity now.
Not with hostility.
But with analytic focus.
As if she were examining an anomaly that should not exist.
"You changed your behavior today," she said.
Not a question.
A statement.
My mouth went dry.
"I… had a lot of time to think," I replied carefully.
She walked closer.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Each step tightened the space between us.
"I have observed many liars," she said. "You do not resemble one."
That was… not comforting.
Her gaze drifted to my chest.
Not flirtatiously.
Not shyly.
But assessing.
"Your fate should be darker than this," she murmured.
I stiffened.
"…Excuse me?"
Her eyes lifted to meet mine again.
For just half a second—
Something deep in them flickered.
A strange hunger.
Gone instantly.
"I was mistaken," she said calmly. "Good night, Kyle von Blackthorn."
She turned and walked away.
Leaving me rooted in place.
Cold.
Sweaty.
Shaken to my core.
[TARGET'S INTEREST LEVEL: RISING – ABNORMAL PATTERN]
[WARNING: OBSERVATION DEPTH INCREASING]
"…I feel like I was just examined by something far scarier than a saint," I whispered.
And then—
The system chimed like a laughing executioner.
[SUB-QUEST TIME REMAINING: 11 HOURS, 42 MINUTES]
[PUBLIC CONFESSION STILL REQUIRED]
I slowly lowered my head.
"I'm going to die of embarrassment before she ever gets the chance to kill me."
Far across the academy grounds—
Unseen by me—
Seraphina stood on a balcony, looking down at the garden path where I had been standing.
Her fingers tightened slowly against the railing.
Her expression remained calm.
Too calm.
"He does not follow the pattern," she whispered.
Her shadow stretched unnaturally long behind her.