Lumine walked through the empty corridors, his footsteps echoing with each step.
His face was grim as he replayed yesterday's entrance exam in his mind.
It was currently 11:00 p.m., and most students had either returned to their rooms or gone out for the evening, leaving the academy eerily quiet.
"I didn't even become the apex..."
The realization had hit him the moment he was shown to his room—on the floor just below the highest one.
It was a clear sign: Lumine was ranked second, not first.
He had failed the quest.
Since then, he hadn't left his room, too disheartened to face anyone.
Thankfully, his childhood friend Yelena hadn't pressed the matter, giving him space to process everything.
Lumine muttered, his voice laced with frustration.
What truly gnawed at him wasn't just losing the apex title, but the events that transpired during the entrance exam.
"If only I had controlled my powers better…!"
Lumine had been trained by the system to fight void creatures and survive in the void realm, but humans?
That was a different story.
It hadn't even been a year since he'd acquired the system, which allowed him to unlock countless skills, affinities, and even buy health potions using the system points he earned from quests.
But never had he been tasked with fighting another human.
This was his first time.
Now, he understood a critical flaw: having power didn't mean mastering it.
"I need to fix this."
If he had better control over his abilities, he wouldn't have accidentally sent that cadet to the infirmary.
He needed more training.
"The system won't be able to help me with this…"
Trying to shake off the gloom, Lumine continued to explore the academy.
The place was vast, and he chuckled to himself, thinking he might get lost if he wasn't careful.
Still, he knew he couldn't wander for too long.
Tomorrow, classes would start, and it was better to get some rest.
He had no idea who the apex really was, even though they lived just one floor above him.
He didn't want to seem annoying by seeking them out.
"I wonder if it's him…"
The name had been circulating in rumors—stories of the prince who would attend the academy.
Unfortunately, neither Lumine nor Yelena had caught a glimpse of him.
They didn't even know what he looked like.
If Azriel was indeed the apex, Lumine was relieved he hadn't gone knocking on his door yet.
Even if Azriel was the most mysterious of the princes, with a past shrouded in negativity before his two-year disappearance, he was still a prince.
Lumine couldn't afford to accidentally offend him.
As Lumine wandered through the dimly lit corridors, his mind lost in thought, he suddenly came to an abrupt halt.
In the soft glow of the sparse lights, the corridors seemed cloaked in shadow.
Yet, ahead of him, an azure glow pierced through the darkness, making him squint.
It was a tiny, floating blue orb that danced in the air, casting an ethereal light on its surroundings.
The orb shimmered with a gentle luminescence, beckoning him closer.
With no one around, Lumine moved forward cautiously.
Each step he took seemed to dim the light, but the orb remained steadfast in its brilliance.
As he drew nearer, the orb's light softened, allowing him to see clearly.
It wasn't a mere orb—it was a butterfly.
Its wings were a mesmerizing expanse of blue, alive with a radiant shimmer that seemed to pulse with an inner light.
The wingspan, nearly the length of his hand, fluttered gracefully, catching the faintest glimmers of light and painting the air with an enchanting dance of colors.
The butterfly's beauty was otherworldly, and Lumine, captivated, extended a trembling finger towards it.
As if sensing his intention, the butterfly alighted gently on his finger.
A smile unwittingly spread across Lumine's face.
There was something profoundly serene about this delicate creature, an inexplicable calm that washed over him.
Suddenly, the butterfly took flight, circling around his head before darting away.
Lumine's eyes widened in surprise.
An inexplicable urge drove him to follow.
The butterfly fluttered ahead, moving leisurely despite its absence of a mana core, and Lumine, driven by a curious sense of purpose, ran after it.
The corridors blurred past him as he sprinted, his breath growing ragged and his legs aching.
He was grateful no one was around to witness his frenzied chase.
Bursting out into the open, Lumine continued his pursuit under the starlit sky.
But as the butterfly turned a corner, it vanished from sight.
Panting heavily, Lumine searched desperately, his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of the creature.
Sweat clung to his skin, and exhaustion weighed on him as he trudged forward.
Suddenly, he came to a halt.
In his distracted state, he had wandered into an unfamiliar place.
His breath caught in his throat as he took in his surroundings.
All around him were rows upon rows of tombstones.
"I didn't know the academy had such a place..."
His voice came out as a hushed whisper, as if speaking louder might disturb the tranquility of the resting souls.
A pang of guilt pricked at him for his earlier heedless sprint through this solemn ground.
Slowly, he walked among the gravestones, reading the names etched into the stone—names he didn't recognize.
The dates of birth and death varied widely: some from over fifty years ago, others from just ten years past, and some from this very year.
Flowers adorned the stones, adding a touch of color to the otherwise somber scene.
Lumine was about to resign himself to the fact that the butterfly was nowhere to be found when he abruptly stopped again.
Standing directly in his path was a stranger—a person he had never seen before.
His hair was a deep, obsidian black, and his eyes were a striking crimson that mirrored the intensity of the setting sun.
He stared at the tombstones with an expression of solemn contemplation.
The stranger, though appearing no older than Lumine, carried an aura of maturity beyond his years.
Lumine hesitated, unsure whether this individual was a fellow student or an instructor, and uncertain how to approach.
Not wanting to intrude, Lumine was about to turn away, but their eyes met.
The intensity of the crimson gaze seemed to freeze him in place, and he felt an inexplicable itch on his back before it quickly faded.
The stranger, equally surprised to see Lumine here at this hour, quickly regained his composure.
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
"It's nice to meet you. My name is Azriel Crimson."