The tranquil lake mirrored the twilight sky, its surface undisturbed save for the occasional ripple from our fishing lines. But my mind was anything but calm.
A thought had been nagging at me since yesterday’s fight—something Vex had said.
"...Master," I spoke, turning back to Virion. "There’s something else I’ve been meaning to ask."
He raised an inquisitive brow.
"It’s about Vex," I said. "Back when we talked... he asked me something. He wanted to know where I hid the assassins’ bodies and their belongings. But not once did he ask who they were, or if they were alive at all. Isn’t that... strange?"
Virion’s tail stopped mid-swish. His eyes narrowed slightly before he gave a slow, understanding nod.
"It’s not strange in their line of work," he said. "People like him... they don’t waste thoughts on the dead. Only on what they can take from them."
He looked off into the sky for a moment before continuing, his tone deepening.
"Assassins, spies, agents of organizations like the Black Star... their loyalty is tied to incentives, not lives. Especially in a group like that. But you mentioning the bodies and belongings—hmph. That explains a lot."
My brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Virion turned back to me, emerald eyes glowing faintly.
"From what I heard, this so-called Black Star Organization has a peculiar rule," he said. "They can collect Star Points—a sort of internal currency. And it seems like they can collect it by retrieving the belongings of fallen members. Especially if those members died on a mission."
I blinked. "...So their deaths are just transactions?"
"In a way, yes," Virion replied grimly. "The more dangerous the mission and the higher the rank of the fallen, the more points their items are worth. Information, weapons, personal artifacts, even internal tokens... anything tied to a mission becomes loot."
My stomach turned. "That’s disgusting."
"That’s right, it’s disgusting." Virion shrugged. "But, it’s disgustingly efficient too, actually. It incentivizes loyalty without relying on emotion. No mourning. No weakness. Just profit. That’s why that guy didn’t care who died—he wanted their belongings."
I fell silent, the gentle lapping of the lake filling the space between us. My gaze dropped to the water, now darkening under the twilight sky.
When there’s good, there will always be bad too...
The thought echoed like a whisper in my mind.
Especially in worlds like these.
For every act of kindness, there lurked an evil like the Star Points—cold, pragmatic, inhumane. This world wasn’t made for comfort. It was forged in harsh truths and hidden rot.
And this... this was just a reminder.
A reminder to think bigger.
A reminder that getting stronger wasn’t a luxury—it was survival.
Who knew what other disturbing, twisted things the world still kept hidden behind its veil of aura resonance and civility?
My only hope was that it wasn’t worse than I imagined. But deep down, I wasn’t sure I could believe that anymore.
But I also knew I shouldn’t only focus on the bad things and forget about the good.
The world was broken, yes—but it wasn’t entirely empty.
There were still people worth protecting. Bonds worth cherishing. Lessons worth learning.
Even in a world tainted by systems like the Black Star, there were moments of warmth—small, flickering lights like Aeron’s lively group, Cassandra’s teasings, Zephyr and Luna’s frustrating but sweet exchanges, the shop, the orphanage, even the academy, and the simple peace of casting a line into a lake at dusk.
And those lights, no matter how faint, deserved to be guarded.
That was reason enough to get stronger.
Virion broke the silence, his voice calm yet probing."Got any more questions?"
I shook my head slowly. "No... that’s all I wanted to ask."
"Good." With a flick of his tail, Virion summoned a swirling emerald portal beside me. "Then you can return to your studying. And don’t forget—tomorrow’s training starts at the usual time."
I turned toward the portal, my mind already shifting to the next task—researching Black Star, refining my abilities, preparing for whatever came next.
But just as I was about to step through, Virion’s voice cut in again, laced with that familiar teasing edge.
"Make sure to thank Zephyr when you see him." A smirk curled at the edge of his words. "If not for his training, you wouldn’t have won that fight half as easily."
A wry huff escaped me. He wasn’t wrong.
Without turning back, I gave a short nod. "I know."
"See you tomorrow then, Master."
The portal swallowed me whole, leaving behind only the faintest ripple on the lake’s surface—a fleeting disturbance before the water stilled once more.
The portal spat me out directly into my dorm room—not the library, where I’d intended to go.
I sighed, shaking my head. Virion must have opened the portal to my room out of habit again. The old serpent’s memory was as selective as his patience.
"Alright," I muttered to myself, dropping my bag onto the desk. "Let’s finish all the assignments today, then head to Zephyr’s training."
The pile of books and scrolls glared at me from the study desk, a silent accusation of waiting homework. With a grunt, I pulled out the chair and slumped into it, reaching for the first textbook—
The familiar chime echoed in my skull, sharp as a knife tap against glass. Before I could react, glowing blue text flooded my vision:
[Hidden Scenario Completed: A Bloom Beneath the Ashes - A Light in the Abyss]
"Even in the bleakest void, a single act of defiance can spark a pulse—a fragile hope to a soul long forgotten; but to kindle such hope in the deepest dark is to invite the gaze of the abyss itself."
- Unlocked [Fifth Storyline: ???]
- System Update Initiated (Temporary Downtime)
Compensation Granted: [Status Check] & [Inventory] Functions
Note: System will be unavailable during update.
Estimated reactivation: Unknown.
My breath caught, my attention being drawn to the reward immediately.
What did that even mean? I didn’t do anything, you know. And if it was about Vex, these messages should have appeared yesterday. So how?
Had I triggered something without realizing? A new thread?
Before I could dwell on it, a new panel materialized:
[Status] and [Inventory]