Kyler's eyes snapped open, his body stiff and aching as though he had been frozen in place. He stood upright, his arms hanging at his sides, and as he glanced down, he noticed crimson drops staining his hands. Blood.
His stomach twisted, but his attention was quickly pulled to the scene before him. Four bodies littered the ground, the closest one barely resembling a human form. Limbs were grotesquely distorted, bent at impossible angles, and the face was unrecognizable beneath the caved-in skull.
The other three, however, appeared almost hauntingly deliberate in their deaths. Their weapons were clutched tightly, plunged deep into their own chests. Their expressions were frozen in a mix of pain and unnatural calm, as though they had been compelled to end their own lives.
Kyler staggered back, his heart pounding in his chest. What happened here?
A faint sound drew his gaze upward. Beneath the shadow of the VIP viewing area, the Appraiser was being helped into a premade tunnel. His face was contorted in agony, his fingers hanging limp and shattered, and his left leg dragged uselessly behind him. A single lackey supported him, struggling to maneuver him into the tunnel.
As Kyler watched, the lackey threw a desperate glance over his shoulder before the tunnel began to collapse behind them. The sound of falling debris sealed their escape.
Kyler took a step forward, intending to say something, but his movement halted as a sharp pain shot through his foot. "Ah!" he hissed, lifting his boot to reveal a jagged crystal shard embedded in the sole.
He plucked it free, holding it up to the dim light. More shards lay scattered around him, their shapes oddly familiar. His chest tightened as he followed the trail of fragments, his eyes widening as he saw the source.
The Triune Gauge.
The Power level Crystal stood in ruin, its once-pristine crystalline form fractured and shattered. The core that had glowed with radiant energy was dark, its light extinguished.
"What…" Kyler breathed, his voice barely audible.
Around him, muffled groans signaled that the students were beginning to stir. One by one, they sat up, their expressions groggy and confused. It took only moments for their confusion to turn to horror as they noticed the shattered relic and the bodies scattered across the colosseum floor.
"What… happened?" a boy whispered, his voice trembling.
Another student's gaze fell on the broken Gauge. "The Triune Gauge," she muttered, her voice quivering. "It's… destroyed?"
The panic spread quickly, and instructors rushed toward the ruined artifact. One knelt beside the fragments, his face pale. "This… this is impossible. The Gauge… it's a divine relic!"
"There are only five of its kind," another added, their voice barely steady. "It's a gift from the deities themselves! To lose it… it's catastrophic!"
The students' fear escalated into chaos as whispers turned to shouts. Some pointed toward the bodies, others toward Kyler, and a few simply stood frozen, unable to process what they were seeing.
Kyler's heart pounded as he glanced at his bloodstained hands, the shattered relic, and the bodies. His mind raced with questions. Did I do this? How? Why don't I remember?
A wave of silence fell as others turned to look, their confusion quickly giving way to horrified gasps and muffled cries.
"That can't be real," a boy whispered, backing away as his foot brushed against a discarded blade. "This has to be a nightmare… right?"
A girl staggered forward, her breathing uneven as she took in the sight of the mangled body near Kyler's feet. "They… they killed themselves?" she said, her voice shrill with disbelief.
The murmurs grew louder, chaos brewing as panic began to set in.
One student collapsed to their knees, their hands trembling. "What's going on? I don't… I don't remember anything!"
"Why is the Triune Gauge…?" an older looking student gasped, noticing the shattered relic for the first time. Their expression twisted into one of terror. "That's impossible. It's a divine relic—one of only five in existence! How could it break?!"
Another student grabbed the first by the shoulders, shaking them in desperation. "Does anyone remember what happened?! What did we do?!"
A loud voice broke through the chaos. "What is going on here?"
Kyler turned to see Kiki rushing into the colosseum, her expression one of confusion and urgency. She was flanked by two others, who slowed to a stop as they took in the carnage.
"Report This," Caesar ordered, his voice unusually sharp as his gaze darted between the relic and the bodies.
No one answered.
Caesar's face darkened. He turned to Kiki. "Send an urgent message to the military branch headmaster. Now."
Kiki hesitated, her brow furrowed. "But—"
"Now, Kiki!" Caesar snapped, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Startled, Kiki nodded and turned to leave, her footsteps echoing through the tense silence.
Amid the confusion, one student's gaze lingered on Rebbeca, who stood apart from the group. Her crimson eyes were fixed on Kyler, her expression unreadable and cold.
But beneath that icy exterior, Rebbeca's thoughts swirled with a singular, obsessive focus. She didn't care about the destroyed relic, the bodies, or the chaos around her. All that mattered was Kyler. Is he alright? What if he's hurt? Is that blood on his hands? Her heart raced as she fought the urge to rush to his side.
No, she thought bitterly. He should look at me?
"Are you… staring at him, do you think he did this?" A student asked hesitantly, their voice barely audible.
Rebbeca's head snapped toward them, her eyes narrowing. "What are you implying, you ignorant peasant?" she demanded, her tone dripping with disdain.
The student flinched. "I… I wasn't—"
Before they could finish, a gust of wind swept them off their feet, sending them stumbling backward. Rebbeca crossed her arms, her expression one of haughty arrogance. "Know your place," she sneered.
The student scrambled to their feet, shooting her a wary glance before retreating into the crowd.
Kyler's chest tightened as he watched the scene unfold. The shattered relic, the bodies, the confusion—none of it made sense, but one thing was clear: whatever had happened, it had changed everything.
***
The Appraiser bit down on the strip of fabric shoved into his mouth, each step jarring his broken leg and sending white-hot pain through his body. His fingers throbbed, useless and shattered, and every breath he took felt like knives scraping against his ribs.
As the lackey helped him limp through the narrow, collapsing tunnel, the Appraiser's thoughts churned bitterly.
Why? Why did that boy spare me and kill the others? Its like he knew my worth. he wondered, his brow furrowed against the pain. Those three were reduced to nothing—killed with such brutal efficiency— he didnt even lift a finger,but me? No, the bastered tortured me and let me crawl away like a wounded animal.
The memory of Kyler's cold, vacant eyes sent a shiver through him. His personality—it's like it changed entirely in that moment. A Machine, That wasn't the same kid I was dealing with earlier. And what was with that nonsense he was saying?
His lip curled as anger began to outweigh his fear. When I get healed, I'll find whoever gave me that worthless intel—the fool who claimed Kyler was a weak, amnesiac. I'll make them pay dearly for this.
The tunnel finally opened into a hidden cavern, the cool air a stark contrast to the stifling heat of the collapsing passage behind them. The lackey paused to catch his breath, sweat dripping from his face, but their reprieve was short-lived.
"Oi, you incompetent sacks of trash!"
The voice was shrill, childlike, and laced with venom. Both men froze as a young man stepped out from the shadows. He was dressed impeccably in a butler's uniform, but his harsh speech pattern and wild eyes clashed with the image of sophistication.
The lackey barely had time to react before a sharp, unseen force swept through the cavern. He let out a strangled cry as both his arms were severed at the shoulders, blood spraying across the cavern walls.
"Ah, crap, look at this mess!" the butler snapped, his tone oscillating between childish whining and vicious glee. "You idiots collapsed the whole bloody tunnel system! Boss is gonna be so mad, you know that?"
The Appraiser stumbled back, his face pale. "W-we didn't—"
"Shut it!" The butler's gaze snapped to him, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Do you have any idea what kind of pain you're causing? The boss worked hard to set this whole thing up, and you—YOU—just ruined it like a couple of brain-dead toddlers with hammers!"
The butler's mood shifted in an instant, and his voice took on a dreamy quality. "The boss is perfect, you know? Beautiful, strong, and smart. I'd kill a thousand idiots like you to keep her happy."
Then his expression darkened again, his lips curling into a snarl. "Now, what the hell did you do to cause such a big commotion without her orders, huh? You collapsed the only damn entrance to the academy!"
The Appraiser tried to stand straighter, but his broken body made it difficult. "I was… trying to give her a surprise," he said through gritted teeth. "Something she'd want. More power to make her stronger."
The butler's wild demeanor faltered for a moment, his eyes narrowing. "Wait… You didn't—"
"I wanted to expose Kyler," the Appraiser said, his voice growing more confident despite his injuries. "To strip away his façade and have free access to his power. She would've thanked me for it once she saw what he was capable of!"
For the first time, the butler looked genuinely unnerved. His face paled, and his fingers twitched at his sides. "Oh, no. Oh, you stupid, stupid—" He clutched at his head, groaning in frustration. "Do you have ANY idea what you've just done? You really think the boss is gonna THANK you for this?!"
The Appraiser scowled, his tone defensive. "I did it for her!"
"You idiot!" the butler snapped. His voice trembled, not with anger, but with genuine fear. "You're the one who's gonna tell her. I'm not breaking that kind of news. No way."
The butler took a step back, muttering to himself. "Boss is gonna kill me for letting this happen. No—she's gonna kill you first, then me, then probably half the people in this damn place just for good measure."
His gaze snapped back to the Appraiser, filled with equal parts rage and panic. "If I were you, I'd pray you die before she finds out about this."
***
The headmaster's office was an imposing chamber of stone and iron, tucked deep within the heart of the academy. The dim light from the high windows cast long shadows on the polished oak desk, its surface cluttered with military reports, sealed documents, and a single cup of steaming tea.
Seated behind the desk was Headmaster Varkain, a man whose presence alone could silence a room. His sharp, angular features seemed carved from stone, and his gray eyes were cold and unfeeling, like a predator surveying its prey. The crimson uniform he wore was pristine, the rows of medals across his chest gleaming faintly in the low light.
When the door creaked open, Varkain didn't look up from the document in his hands. "Enter," he said, his voice low and clipped.
A courier stepped in, sweat glistening on his brow despite the chill in the air. He clutched a sealed letter marked with the academy's insignia. "Urgent message, sir," the courier said, his voice trembling slightly as he approached the desk.
Varkain finally looked up, his gray eyes narrowing as he reached for the letter. His fingers, adorned with simple black rings, tore through the wax seal with practiced ease.
As he read the letter, his expression didn't change, but the air in the room seemed to grow heavier. The silence stretched on, broken only by the rustling of the paper. When he finished, he folded the letter neatly and placed it on the desk, his movements deliberate.
"Collapse of the tunnel system," he murmured, his tone devoid of surprise. "Destruction of a divine relic. Casualties, including instructors and intruders alike."
He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "And the students…" His lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smirk. "None of them remember anything. Convenient."
The courier shifted uncomfortably, but Varkain paid him no mind. He picked up the letter again, scanning its contents once more before his eyes flicked to the courier. "Was there anything else?"
The courier hesitated, his mouth opening and closing as if searching for the right words. "N-no, sir. Just the letter."
"Then you are dismissed."
The courier nodded quickly and hurried out, the door shutting behind him with a soft thud.
For a moment, the headmaster sat in silence, staring at the letter. Then he reached into a drawer, pulling out a black notebook. He flipped it open, his eyes scanning the pages until they settled on a specific entry.
"Kyler…" he murmured, tapping the pen against the page. "A name that keeps appearing where it shouldn't."
His smirk widened, though it didn't reach his eyes. "An anomaly. A liability. and perhaps… an opportunity."
He set the notebook down and stood, his crimson coat shifting with the movement. Striding to the window, he looked out over the academy grounds, where students milled about, blissfully unaware of the chaos that had unfolded.
"Let's see how this plays out," he said to no one in particular, his voice carrying a note of intrigue. "But if this Kyler boy proves troublesome, I'll ensure he doesn't disrupt my plans."
His reflection in the window smirked back at him, its cold, calculating eyes mirroring his own.