"It's all a cycle, a cycle that keeps repeating, explosions tearing through the sky," a male voice rang out, his words devoid of emotion. "I had everything—yet everything but the one thing I couldn't find,"

A white bus drove through a dark tunnel on the highway, barely visible despite its light colors. At the back, a male student gazed out the window, his fist pressed against his cheek, elbow resting on the worn frame. He took a single blink, his light gray eyes were emotionless, his hair waving in the autumn wind.

He stared into the darkness, detached from the excited students in front of him. Their enthusiasm for the trip held no significance for him. He remained neutral, showing no hint of joy or excitement, in stark contrast to their energetic demeanor.

Unfazed by the noise around him and the cold autumn wind with nothing in his mind but shrouding darkness that seemed inescapable, he barely reacted when bright light pierced his eyes as the bus emerged from the tunnel. While others shielded their eyes, he hardly moved. He wore his uniform with minimal customization, opting for a black coat over it despite the academy's allowance for personalization.

The autumn air revealed vast greenery outside. Trees with thick trunks and various leaf shapes dotted the landscape. Several houses passed by, and peaceful creatures like foxes and birds roamed the area. More aggressive creatures, like giant toads and wolves, showed aggression but were taken down by adventurers in coordinated attacks.

It was as if he purposely wanted to remain in the background, a mere passerby, someone who avoided attention and preferred to ignore or be ignored, creating a distance between himself and the world around him in Stracia.