"You possess Glacia Ethereal, don't you?"
Archie's words tumbled out as he sauntered towards the bed.
In lieu of a response, he was met with a frosty stare from her.
'I'm an outsider here. Naturally, she won't respond. I need to leave.'
Archie surveyed the room and concluded his belongings were absent because he had mistakenly entered the wrong room. He promptly apologized as he made his exit.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I mistook this for my room. I will leave now."
Archie hastened his steps towards the door.
"You are Archie Troy, a Non-Graded 'F' Ethereal, son of a noodle shop owner. This is your room,"
A soft voice, pleasant yet authoritative, stopped Archie in his tracks. He spun around, confusion painting his face,
"Yes, I'm Archie. But how do you know that?"
Archie, puzzled, settled down on the bed. Locking eyes with her made him hesitate. He felt an eerie fear, similar to the one he felt when he encountered the Special class mammoth. But he braced himself and asserted,
"I'm asking how you know about me. "
"Is this my room? Does that mean it's co-ed?"
"Do you know where my belongings are?"
Archie anticipated a response, but none came. Instead, she rose, strolled to the bookshelf, and picked up a book titled, "The Sun, The Moon, and The Rift."
She returned, flipped open her book to around page 100, and immersed herself in reading, not sparing Archie a single glance.
Archie sat idle, hoping for a response. She seemed like the type to establish ground rules before proceeding. Yet, she maintained her silence.
After a few minutes of waiting, Archie rose and voiced his thoughts,
"I don't know, I feel you are afraid to talk to me."
With that, Archie turned and headed for the door. He didn't sense anything particular from her, he decided to cast his line and try to reel in this elusive 'ice fish.'
Archie had planned to maintain a low profile to avoid any harassment or bullying, but he didn't want a roommate who knew everything about him when he knew nothing about her, except for the mole on the left side of her stomach.
Archie desired to befriend her, to ensure she wouldn't harm him in his sleep, a fear that haunted his mind.
Without a word from the blue-haired beauty, Archie opened the door and stepped outside, only to be met with a sight that made him question his reality.
Archie found himself in a vast, dilapidated corridor. The walls were tainted and overrun with fungus, the floor creaked under his weight, and water dripped from the ceiling, threatening to collapse the floor with any significant movement.
The place was deserted; he even spotted some rats scurrying from gaps in the wall. The stark contrast between the interior and exterior of the room was like comparing a castle to a slum.
"Did I get rifted again or what?"
After witnessing the grandeur of the training room, adorned with a mosaic floor and orange walls illuminated by ceiling lights, this corridor seemed like a gateway to hell.
Archie treaded carefully, making his way to the end of the corridor where he spotted a passage. As he passed, he noticed rooms on both sides with broken doors.
"Even ghosts wouldn't live in this place."
Archie quipped as he observed the dilapidated state of the rooms. He reached the end and spotted a staircase to his right leading to the first floor, but it was in such a state of disrepair that he dared not take a step.
Archie turned left and was surprised to see a sturdy door. He pushed it open, stepped out of the building, and took in the sight.
Archie found himself in front of an unkempt garden, littered with leaves and overgrown with weeds and grass. He turned around, took a few steps back, and looked at the building he resided in.
It was a five-story building, but the top two floors had crumbled down, leaving rubble piled on the floors below. Archie could tell it was a five-story building from the floor pillars that stood above the third floor openly. The remaining floors were in a sorry state, with broken glass and some broken walls.
Archie could tell this building had been abandoned a long time ago from its appearance.
"Is Rhoman Academy really broke?"
Archie smirked at the sorry state of the building and thought sarcastically,
'At least, I'm on the ground floor. Think about all the other floors where people are going to live. They better have a rift ability like me to rift when the building collapses.'
Archie knew why they had assigned him this building. They didn't want him living in the same place as the other high clans' students. Archie masked his anger with sarcasm and jest.
Archie had one lingering question,
"Why is that girl living here? Does she have an F Ethereal like me? But with that arrogance, it doesn't seem so."
Archie meandered towards the garden, his eyes landing on a large gate at the end. The entire building was encased in a prison-like gate with steel bars, a single gate marking the entrance.
Archie's initial intent was to retreat to his room, but the absence of his belongings diverted his plan. He didn't find them in the room, leading him to believe that some staff member might have information about their whereabouts.
Archie was oblivious to the fact that his belongings were stashed in the under-bed storage space. He had kept his eyes shut when the girl was changing her dress, and she hadn't mentioned anything about his things either.
Archie pushed open the deserted, towering front gate and stepped out, his anger simmering at the sight that greeted him.
The building opposite his resembled a grand resort more than a student accommodation.
It was a towering 20-story structure, adorned with neoclassical architecture, featuring a symmetrical facade with evenly spaced rectangular windows. The central part of the building boasted an additional set of tall balconies, capped with an ornate pediment supported by columns.
The surroundings were equally grand, with palm trees, statues, and a fountain. Other lush greenery enveloped the area, creating an oasis-like atmosphere.
In front of the building was a sprawling outdoor swimming pool area with several pools. Numerous lounge chairs were scattered around the pools, some occupied by students his age basking in the sun, with butlers attending to them.
Archie spat on the ground, a bitter taste lingering in his mouth. He took in the smooth tar road and the pristine surroundings; everything here was superior to his building.
Archie was aware that setting foot in the building would only lead to humiliation. So, Archie retreated, thinking,
'I will ask about my belongings at the entrance ceremony.'
Archie returned to his room and closed the door, taken aback to see his bed flipped vertically.
Archie sprinted with fury to confront her, assuming she had played a prank on him. As he approached, he didn't spot the girl, but he noticed a hatch on the ground. He knelt down, pulled it open, and discovered all his things neatly stored inside.
"Who thought this weird kind of storage room?"
Archie murmured, and then he realized why his bed was flipped and a faint smile tugged at his lips, thinking,
'Caught the fish already.'