Night descended upon the dormitory of Class 001, bringing with it a deceptive sense of tranquility.
The frantic energy of the past few days had evaporated, replaced by the heavy silence of necessity.
Even Riven, whose silhouette was usually visible through the frosted glass of the training hall late into the night, had retired early.
Her determination was a burning fire, but she was no fool; she knew that a weary body was a liability in the trial to come.
Silver moonlight spilled across the corridors, casting long, ethereal shadows that danced upon the polished floors. It was a moment of rare, fragile peace—a brief intermission before the curtain rose on a tragedy.
Tap—tap—
The rhythmic, muffled sound of footsteps broke the stillness. Ash moved through the darkness like a ghost. Sleep had become a distant acquaintance to him.
Thanks to the constant activation of [Adaptation], his body had grown accustomed to functioning on the barest margins of rest. His endurance had been forged in the crucible of The First Door, where closing one's eyes for too long meant never opening them again.
Seeking air that didn't smell of artificial pine and cleaning chemicals, he made his way toward the communal balcony. He craved a moment of solitude to let the static in his mind settle.
"Hmm?"
He paused. He wasn't alone.
A tall, broad-shouldered figure stood at the railing, silhouetted against the glittering expanse of the academy grounds below. It was Kael.
The "Knight" of Class 001 stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the sprawling castle that housed their uncertain futures.
"You can't sleep either," Kael stated, his voice low and steady. He didn't turn around; he didn't need to. The air seemed to shift whenever Ash entered a room.
Ash didn't offer a verbal reply. He simply walked to the railing, standing a few paces away.
The cool night air bit at his skin, a sharp reminder of the world's reality. Below them, the academy was a masterpiece of obsidian and glass, its dim exterior lights glowing like embers in the dark.
It was a sight that could easily enchant the unwary, masking the lethal "sieve" hidden within its walls.
Kael finally turned his head, his blue eyes searching Ash's face.
"You don't truly want to be the Class President, do you? In fact, I suspect you don't even want to be part of this 'Hunter' trial at all."
Ash remained silent, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Kael took the silence as an invitation to continue.
"I've spent five days observing you, Ashfei. You are the most peculiar person in this class. Everyone here carries the weight of a legacy, a name, or a desperate ambition. We are all struggling against the gravity of our backgrounds."
Kael shifted his weight, his eyes never leaving the figure beside him. Ash was standing just inches away, yet Kael felt an unsettling sensation—as if he were standing next to a hole in reality.
"But you... you look entirely unburdened. As if you have nothing left to lose, no strings to tie you to this world. My knight's intuition allows me to read people, to sense the core of their character through their posture and their eyes. But when I look at you, the only thing I find is a profound emptiness."
Kael's expression grew grimmer, his voice dropping an octave.
"I have seen others with a Core of Manipulation—like Isolde. Their presence screams of royalty, of a calculated, educated superiority. But yours is different. It isn't regal; it's tyrannical. It doesn't ask for loyalty; it demands submission through sheer, primal pressure. It feels... innate."
Finally, Kael faced Ash fully, his expression a mask of deadly seriousness.
"Who are you, Ashfei? And what is your purpose here?"
The questions hung in the air, heavy and sharp. For the first time, Ash turned inward. He realized how much he had changed since stepping through the Door.
He had become colder, more detached, his empathy eroded by the constant need for survival. He looked at his classmates—Isolde, Fenrir, Kairos—and wondered if he even considered them humans, or just variables in a survival equation.
He knew that if he stared at someone long enough, they would flinch. His gaze made them feel small, vulnerable, as if they were being scrutinized by a predator from a higher dimension. Even Karl, a high-ranking Chosen, felt that fleeting shadow of a threat, though he dismissed it as a trick of the wind.
Ash looked into Kael's eyes and understood the source of his transformation.
The world believed that emotions were born in the heart, that the thumping organ in one's chest was the seat of love and fear. But they were wrong. The soul was the true engine of emotion; the heart was merely the speaker through which the soul screamed. But what happens when the soul itself is void?
'It's the [Void Soul] skill,' Ash realized with a start. 'It's making me pragmatic and ruthless, but it's also hollowing out my humanity. It's turning me into a machine of pure benefit and purpose. If I do not become aware of it and control it, I will lose my humanity.'
And yet, he wasn't completely gone. Sometimes he still feel emotions like helplessness and complain to Isolde, Fenrir, Kairos, Riven, Aurelia, and Soren. He feel a sense of empathy with Kael, Leo, and Seraphina, and he sense the cuteness from Lyra. These things help he still hold onto his emotions..
Then, a memory flickered—a smile, gentle and radiant, and a voice that echoed from a life that felt like a dream.
"Happy birthday... my dear..."
The ghost of that warmth was the only thing keeping the abyss at bay.
Kael, seeing Ash's prolonged silence, assumed the conversation was over.
He began to turn away, but Ash finally spoke. His voice was calm, but for the first time, it didn't sound like a recording.
"Who am I?" Ash repeated, a faint trace of something human touching his lips.
"I am just a person named Ashfei. And my current purpose is simple: to survive."
He looked at Kael with a piercing clarity.
"Is that answer sufficient for a Knight?"
Kael was stunned. He sensed the subtle shift in Ash—the way the crushing pressure had receded just enough to let a sliver of light through.
"It isn't a particularly satisfying answer," Kael admitted, a small, weary smile appearing on his face. "But it is enough for now."
Ash said nothing more. He turned to leave the balcony, his footsteps silent on the stone. But as he reached the threshold of the glass door, he paused and looked back over his shoulder.
"Kael."
Kael started, surprised to hear Ash use his name for the first time.
Then, Ash did something that caused the Knight's heart to skip a beat. He tilted his head slightly and offered a small, fleeting smile.
It wasn't the grin of a predator or the smirk of a rival. It was the smile of a boy.
"Get some sleep for tomorrow. And... thank you."
Before Kael could respond, Ash vanished into the shadows of the hallway. Kael stood alone on the balcony, frozen in surprise.
He reached up and scratched the back of his head, a helpless, bewildered laugh escaping his throat.
He didn't know what that slight change is, but it doesn't seem bad.