A building burned against the cold night, flames licking at its wooden frame, consuming it with an insatiable hunger. Above, the heavens wept, rain cascading in steady sheets, each drop enforcing a sense of solitude upon all it touched.
"Dad?!"
Drenched in the downpour, Faust's voice trembled, uncertainty carving itself into his features. His wide eyes searched desperately for familiarity in the scene before him.
A figure floated above the wreckage, eerily still. For a fleeting moment, Faust thought it was Dominic—his father. But as he focused, horror twisted his gut. It wasn't him.
Dark tendrils sprouted from the figure's back, writhing and curling unnaturally, as though they had minds of their own. Then, in a violent frenzy, they lashed out, spreading chaos, shattering structures, and consuming everything in their path.
One of them shot toward Faust.
He couldn't move.
The tendril closed in—
Gasping for breath, Faust jolted upright. His chest rose and fell in rapid succession as he wiped a sheen of sweat from his forehead. His heart pounded.
"W-What was that…? A dream?" His voice was hoarse, raw from the shock still gripping him.
As he steadied himself, he finally took in his surroundings. The dim glow of moonlight seeped through a single window, its knotted curtain swaying slightly from the draft. The room was modest a desk, a chair, a few other pieces of basic furniture. A door stood off to the side, likely leading to a restroom.
Only then did Faust notice the presence of two other boys, fast asleep in their respective beds.
Yawning, he slid out of his bed, careful not to make noise. His limbs still felt heavy with lingering exhaustion, but he pushed forward, drawn toward the window.
Outside, he spotted a stream, its surface shimmering under the pale light. He frowned walking towards the rooms exit.
The hallway which was shrouded in a fog was now clear as Faust could now see other doors which he assumed where the rooms of the other students. Wasn't there a fog covering this place before?
That thought clung to him as he turned back to enter his room...
A sudden scream shattered the silence.
One of his roommates shot upright, gasping for air, his body trembling.
"Bad dream?" Faust found himself asking, the words slipping out instinctively.
The boy's wild gaze darted around, his breaths uneven. He barely seemed aware of Faust, still caught between waking and whatever nightmare had plagued him.
Faust stepped forward, reaching for what appeared to be a gas lamp on the desk. As he lit it, the warm glow illuminated the room, revealing more details. Strange design for a lamp…
The scream roused the third boy, who groggily sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"My goodness, Erif, did you have to scream?"
The first boy - Erif ,turned to face him, looking sheepish. "Pardon me."
Still visibly shaken, he stood, disappearing into the restroom. Moments later, he emerged with his face damp, droplets of water clinging to his dark curls.
Stretching, he made his way toward Faust, hesitating for only a moment before extending his hand. "I'm Erif."
Faust blinked at the gesture, momentarily uncertain. He's definitely not from Asperbone.
After a brief pause, he took Erif's hand, shaking it awkwardly. "Dante Faust. Just call me Faust."
Erif gave a small nod before settling onto his bed.
"You had a strange dream too, didn't you?"
Faust narrowed his eyes. "Yeah… How did you know?"
Erif sighed, glancing at Jared—the third boy—who was still sitting up, watching their conversation unfold with mild interest. "Back home, I heard new students usually have strange dreams on their first night here."
Faust exhaled slowly, removing his gloves as he listened.
"When Jared and I arrived, we saw you already asleep," Erif continued. "We kind of expected you to wake up screaming or something, but you just kept sleeping until now."
Jared, who had been silent thus far, finally stood, his stark white hair catching Faust's attention.
Thou Spirit… White hair? Even my father hasn't shown a single strand of gray. Is hair dye a trend in other parts of Alderia?
He lowered his head slightly, the absurdity of his own thoughts amusing him.
Noticing Faust's reaction, Erif leaned closer and whispered, "You know, Jared is sensitive about his hair color. It seems to be a side effect of something."
Before Faust could respond, Jared cut in with a sharp sigh. "That's enough already."
Walking over to Faust, he grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. "This is how you properly respond to a handshake,where are you from...Asperbone? ." He said with a chuckle.
Turning to Erif, he scoffed, "And yes, my hair is white. And no, it's not a dye but because I don't have a Spirit gear. This…" He gestured to his hair. "…is a side effect of having a Metaphor without a Spirit Gear. At least, that's what I've been told."
With that, he released Faust's hand and stepped away, exhaling deeply as he sank onto his bed.
***
Before the twin suns had fully risen over the horizon, the three had already arranged their room to their liking. Faust had argued with Erif over bed placement but ultimately won, securing the spot nearest the window.
As Faust and Jared dressed, Erif stepped out of the bathroom, steam wafting around him.
"Sorry, I do that sometimes," he muttered before turning to Faust. "I've been meaning to ask—what's your Metaphor? And how does your Spirit Gear look?"
Faust paused, raising an eyebrow before glancing at Jared. We're roommates. They'll find out eventually, even if I keep it a secret now.
"Well, my Metaphor is W—"
A book smacked into his chest.
"Thou Spirit!" Jared hissed, shaking his head. "Are you seriously about to tell your Metaphor to a stranger you barely know?"
Faust blinked, taken aback.
Erif hesitated, looking guilty. "I… I was just trying to get to know you guys."
Jared scoffed, adjusting his top hat before striding toward the door. "If you want to know someone, give it time. We just arrived here. "
With that, he left the room.
***
The corridors buzzed with activity as students gathered outside their rooms, some clutching journals, others adjusting their belongings.
Faust observed the crowd, his gaze lingering on a particular boy—Viktor. Faust could tell he was part of Nobility, as it literally dripped from his posture, and a flock of students surrounded him like moths to a flame.
"That's Viktor," Erif muttered beside him. "His Metaphor is 'Conquer.' At least that's what I heard from the other boys".
Faust's brows furrowed. Conquer… That could mean a lot of things. But it's probably better than mine, whatever it is.
***
The students were led back to the entrance of the Academia. The place where the Echoes had appeared.
Faust's eyes swept across the group, searching...
There!
He had spotted the lone girl.
Her outfit was identical to the one she had worn the other day, save for the color. Strange… Why does she keep her distance from everyone?
His thoughts were interrupted as the instructor stepped forward, flanked by the two women from the previous day.
"Good day to you all," the man greeted, exhaling as a mischievous smile tugged at his lips.
"We all had sweet dreams, didn't we?"
A murmur passed through the students.
The man chuckled, eyes glinting. "Today, we'll be taking you around the Academia. Get familiar with the surroundings. You'll be doing yourselves a favor."
One of the women stepped forward, her ethereal three headed monkey-like spirit manifesting at her shoulder as it handed her a list. The three heads where hard to miss as one had no eyes, the other no mouth and the other no ears.
Clearing her throat, she spoke—her voice surprisingly coarse despite her composed demeanor.
"Your total number this year will be divided into two classes, each led by…"
The students listened intently as their names were called, the first real step into the academia beginning now.