The explosion happened before anyone finished introducing themselves.
A sharp crack—like the air itself being torn open—split the room.
Heat slammed into the far wall hard enough to rattle the windows.
"WAIT—WAIT—WAIT—"
BOOM
Fire bloomed across the center of the classroom.
Desks were hurled aside like toys.
The polished floor scorched black in a jagged spiral as stabilizing runes etched into the walls flared violently, glowing red while struggling to contain the sudden surge of mana. Smoke rolled upward in thick, choking waves, curling against the ceiling before spreading outward.
For a brief moment, there was nothing.
Then coughing.
Someone swore.
Someone laughed.
"Okay," a girl's voice said brightly from the back of the room, completely unbothered.
"That one was definitely better than the last one."
"That was NOT better!" someone shouted hoarsely.
At the center of the destruction stood Toma Hexley.
His arms were still raised, palms smoking faintly.
Messy hair singed at the tips.
His uniform scorched in several places.
And his grin was wide, Shameless, Proud.
"In my defense," he said, pointing upward like a lecturer making a serious point,
"the mana feedback was totally unexpected."
"You are unexpected," snapped a sharp, elegant voice.
Arielle Fen stood near the window.
Posture flawless, uniform immaculate despite the explosion.Not a single thread was out of place. She hadn't flinched when the blast went off—but the faint shimmer of mana that had tried to form around her flickered and died instantly, like something refusing to cooperate.
Her jaw tightened.
"I refuse to believe this is where I belong," she said coldly, eyes locked on Toma.
"This place is—this is—"
"Fun?" Lyra Voss supplied, leaning forward on her desk, eyes gleaming.
"Because I'm having fun."
Arielle shot her a look sharp enough to cut steel.
"You enjoy instability?"
Lyra tilted her head, smiling.
"I enjoy honesty. His magic doesn't pretend to be pretty."
Toma placed a hand over his chest, visibly moved.
"Finally. Someone who understands me."
"Please don't encourage him," groaned Marek Voln, dragging a half-melted desk back into something that vaguely resembled alignment.
"The floor is still on fire."
"Minor detail," Toma said cheerfully.
Near the side wall, Kian Frost sat quietly.
Elbows resting on his desk, chin supported by one hand. His expression was unreadable—calm to the point of cold.
The heat from the explosion never reached him.
Thin frost crept along the metal leg of his chair, spreading slowly and silently.
Unnoticed by everyone except Arielle, whose eyes flicked toward it for just a second.
The classroom door opened.
A man in a standard academy coat stepped inside.
He stopped.
He stared at the scorched floor, the broken desks, the lingering smoke, the faintly glowing runes embedded in the walls.
He sighed.
"…I see we're already living up to expectations."
No one argued.
"Welcome to Classroom Omega," the instructor said flatly.
"If you're hoping for an apology—don't.
If you're hoping this is temporary—also don't."
Arielle straightened immediately.
"Sir, there must be some mistake. My mana regulation scores—"
"I've read your file, Fen," he interrupted calmly.
Her breath caught.
"And you're right where you're supposed to be."
Her hands curled slowly into fists.
The instructor tapped his wrist, the wall display flickered to life.
Twenty names appeared.
All marked the same way.
CLASSIFICATION: OMEGA
TIER: UNINDEXED
Murmurs rippled through the room.
"Unindexed?" someone whispered.
"That means broken, right?" another muttered.
"It means," the instructor said, turning to face them fully, "that the system cannot reliably measure you."
Toma raised his hand.
"So we're special."
"You're unstable," the instructor replied without missing a beat.
"Ah."
"You lack consistent control," he continued.
"Your Aether Cores behave unpredictably.
Some of you spike too high.
Some of you collapse too fast.
Some of you—"
His eyes flicked briefly toward Arielle.
Then Kian.
"—show potential that refuses to behave."
Arielle bristled, teeth clenched.
Lyra leaned back, satisfied.
"I like that description."
"You will train," the instructor said.
"You will attend theory and combat classes.
You will be monitored closely.
And until further notice, you will not be deployed like the rest of the academy."
Toma frowned.
"So we're the rejects."
"You're the risks."
The door creaked open again.
Footsteps entered the room—calm, unhurried.
Smoke still lingered in the air.
But the moment Klaus Viren stepped inside Something shifted.
Not magically.
Not visibly.
Just… quietly.
The room didn't hush, No one gasped.
And yet—
Something leaned.
Klaus paused at the doorway, taking in the destruction with mild curiosity.
Like someone walking into a café that had already survived a minor riot.
"…Did I miss roll call?"
Every head turned.
Arielle felt it first.
A strange pressure in her chest—like her mana had leaned forward on its own.
Who is that…?
He wasn't tall in an overwhelming way.
Not intimidating but clean, neat, composed.
His uniform sat effortlessly on him—like it belonged to him more than the academy did.
Lyra squinted, then smiled slowly.
"Oh. He's handsome."
Toma blinked. "Is he late?"
The instructor stared at him for a long second.
"…Name."
"Klaus Viren," he replied politely.
"Sorry. I took the wrong corridor."
The display updated.
KLAUS VIREN — OMEGA
The room reacted instantly.
"No way."
"Another one?"
"He doesn't look unstable."
Arielle stared harder.
He feels… normal.
Too normal.
Klaus stepped fully into the room.
At that exact moment—
A loose chunk of debris broke free from the damaged ceiling. It dropped straight toward him.
He shifted just half a step.
The debris smashed into the floor where he would have been.
Shattered loudly.
No magic, No reaction, Just timing.
Kian's eyes narrowed slightly.
Klaus took an empty seat near the middle of the room.
"Hi," he said easily.
"I'm Klaus."
Lyra waved enthusiastically.
"Welcome to the disaster zone."
He smiled.
"I had a feeling."
Arielle looked away, annoyed with herself for noticing the calm confidence in his voice.
Omega, she reminded herself.
He's Omega.
But her mana stirred uneasily.
Like something had just entered the room that the system hadn't planned for.
Somewhere deep inside the academy's systems— Sensors attempted to register Klaus Viren's presence.
They failed.
And Classroom Omega
Already chaotic.
Already unpredictable.
Had just gained its final variable.