What do normal people do at midnight?
Sleep? Well, yeah–if you're an adult or if your mom scolds you to.
Study? Sure, If you've got exams tomorrow.
Gaming or binge-watching your favorite show? That too—if you live alone.
But here I am, sneaking into my academy's campus at midnight. Why, you ask?
To break into the headmistress's office, obviously. Now don't judge me—I have my reasons.
Tapping the sleek surface of my wristwatch, I watched as a familiar holographic window appeared above it.
12:00 a.m. Friday.
The time glowed softly on the display. Closing it, I glanced around.
'It's dark, alright.'
The sky above me was pitch black. My clothes were black. My shoes were black. Even the katana in my dimensional ring was black. Perfect for sneaking around.
Okay, I admit it—I'm obsessed with the color black. Reason? Because black things matter!
My gaze shifted to the towering structure ahead—the Horizon Building, a fifty-story giant building nestled to the sides of the NOVA Academy campus. This was where the professors, and most importantly, where the headmistress, lives.
My destination. Ruby Oliver's room.
I activated my skill [Elemental Sense]. A skill that allows me to see, hear and feel almost every thing around fifty kilometers radius.
Skills come naturally to people when they are born, we don't know why or how. But we do know one thing, that skills are necessary for survival in this world. Every living being possesses at least one skill. And the greater the power of a skill, the more lethal are its side effects.
A faint ripple coursed through the air around me. My ability wasn't just a sensory skill—it was a manifestation of Elemental Essence, the fundamental fabric of this very world. Every single object, Every single living or non-living, radiated Essence, a unique energy that connected everything.
As I closed my eyes, I took a deep breath to steady my focus. The world around me blurred, and then it came alive inside my mind.
A distorted, glowing map of the entire area took shape. Tiny particles of energy flowed through every structure, every tree, and every living being, forming a vivid blueprint that covered across a fifty-kilometer radius. It wasn't a perfect—image, it was blurry and distorted like a painting on water—but it was enough for me.
Amidst the vast map of glowing auras, I locked in the Horizon Building. The outlines of its fifty stories became clear, and within, I sensed the 257 individuals scattered throughout. Every person emitted their own signature, unique and distinguishable like a fingerprint. And then I saw her—Ruby Oliver.
Her Essence burned like a bright red flame, vibrant and intense, almost impossible to miss. It was radiating from the top floor.
"Found you," I muttered under my breath.
I opened my eyes, the map was fading from my mind as though pulling back to reality. But there was one more thing to do. I activated [Elemental Sense] again, this time concentrating on the building's ground and interior corridors. The distorted image returned, revealing the positions of 35 guards—both inside and outside the building.
I smirked. 'Childs play.'
They moved in predictable patterns, their paths was intersecting each other but they never once overlapped.
Moving inside, I snuck in the shadows, my footsteps silent against the white floors. My every step was calculated, every pause was precise. The guards movements were nothing more than obstacles in this game, easily bypassing them as I witnessed their positions in real-time, I stayed out of their sight.
By the time I reached the top floor, my breathing was steady. The hallway was quiet and lit only by dim overhead lights. Only a single metallic door stood in this floor. A biometric scanner and door cam were mounted on its surface, and the name Ruby Oliver was engraved in bold letters across the name plate.
I stopped in front of the door, my hands hovering on the door bell.
'Should I press the bell? No, that would be too formal.' I decided to knock lightly, the sound was barely audible but enough for Ruby to hear.
A second later I heard the faint buzz of the door cam activating. I stood still, letting Ruby to get a good look at me.
The door creaked open slightly, as Ruby peeked her head out. Her crimson red hair was tied in a messy bun, and her sharp eyes were filled with surprise and worry.
"Zane?" she whispered, her voice was soft but ringed with concern. "What happened? At this hour? Are you okay?"
"Let's talk inside."
She hesitated for a moment, then nodding she moved aside letting me in.
Ruby was dressed casually—a loose T-shirt and pajama shorts. It caught me off guard.
". . ."
"So?"
"I have something to discuss." I said with a straight face.
"is this about Glory?"
"Yeah."
Sitting on the sofa, I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees as I laid out the details of my plan to Ruby. Her eyes stayed locked on mine, I didn't hold back—I told her everything. Every move Glory will possibly make, every calculated risk I will take to counter him, and every step of the strategy I had devised to ensure he will dealt with.
". . ."
By the time I finished, silence filled the room. Ruby leaned back, her arms crossed as she processed what I just said. Finally, she broke the silence.
"That's . . . flawless," she said, her crimson eyes stared at me. "Zane, how did you even come up with this? And how far ahead have you seen through his plan?"
A faint smile appeared on my face. "Far enough to know his next few moves before he does. I've worked with him on enough missions to understand his habits, his alliances, and his false façade. Glory's overconfident. He thinks he's untouchable, but that's his greatest weakness."
"And you're sure this will work? That it'll keep me, NOVA and even you out of the Hero Association's suspicion?"
"It will," I said firmly. "If everything goes as planned, Glory will be eliminated without the Association having any reason to point their fingers at you or NOVA. But. . ." I hesitated, studying her expression. "I'll need your help to pull it off."
Ruby's eyes softened. For a moment, she looked uncertain. Then she exhaled deeply, her shoulders relaxing as she nodded. "If it's you, Zane, then I'll help."
I knew what I was asking from her, and the risks involved weren't something I could ignore.
"Its fine, I'll do anything to help you." Ruby reached out taking my hands in hers. Her touch was warm, melting me in the moment. She rested her head lightly on my shoulder, her voice was a soft murmur. "Promise me something, Zane."
"What is it?"
"Don't do anything dangerous," she said, her tone carrying a heavy weight I couldn't ignore. "I believe in you—I always have. I know you're powerful, probably the strongest person I've ever met. But going against the Hero Association… that's not something you can take lightly. They'll come after you eventually, Zane. They'll do everything in their power to harm you. And I—" Her voice wavered for a fraction of second. "I don't have any family, you are the only one I have, and. . . I don't want to loose you."
Her words hit harder than I expected, my chest ached, and the way she clung to me as if I might just disappear if she let go. For a moment, I couldn't speak. What could I say?
Ruby Oliver was a strong girl, despite her age only being three years older to mine. And unlike me she tackled every hardship people thrown at her, without any complain she did her job confidently. But above all she had always been there for me, even when no one else was. She was the one who hugged me when I came to her, broken and crying after I killed for the very first time in my mission. She was the one who worried about me, even when I didn't deserve it.
I owed her everything.
And I would do anything to protect her.
If it came to it, I wouldn't just eliminate Glory. I would destroy anyone who dares to harm her—be it the Hero Association, or even an entire nation.
I turned to her, my voice quiet but steady. "I promise I'll be careful. But Ruby… I can't let this go. Not when someone threatens you. You mean so much to me."
Her head tilted up slightly, her crimson eyes searching mine. She didn't say anything, but a faintest smile tugged at her lips, hiding her cheeks in my shoulder, she squeezed my hand gently.
That was enough for now.
"Its getting late, I should move out."
But before I stood up Ruby held me back, her fingers tightened around mine. Her eyes met mine. "It's late, why don't you. . . spend the night."
". . ."
End of chapter.