The Refectory of the Mahashunya Vishwavidyalaya of Shunyagarbha stretched endlessly beneath a ceiling of artificial constellations.
Cold silver light flowed across the black glass floor like silent water while thousands of students filled the colossal chamber beneath the drifting surveillance spheres that hovered near the ceiling.
Holographic menus shimmered above long obsidian tables.
Steam rose from luminous cups.
Voices overlapped.
Laughter.
Arguments.
Whispers spread through the crowded Refectory about examinations, politics, divine bloodlines, and the terrifying rumors surrounding the University’s newest Genius from the western sectors.
Outside the transparent walls of the Refectory, the endless skyline of Shunyagarbha shimmered beneath the clear light of the morning.
Sunlight poured between the colossal towers, reflecting off endless layers of glass and metal until the entire city seemed forged from gold and chrome.
Streams of flying vehicles moved steadily through the bright sky, their shadows gliding across the buildings below, while gigantic digital scriptures drifted high above the skyline like luminous prayers suspended in daylight, their neon radiance softened but not diminished by the morning sun.
Meanwhile —
Urvashi sat near the quietest corner of the Refectory, far from the restless noise of the crowd.
Beside her, Meenakshi lay unconscious across the seat, completely motionless.
Vikrant stared at the scene in confusion.
“Urvi… why is Meenakshi unconscious here?”
“I knocked her out earlier,” Urvashi replied coldly without even looking at him.
The moment those words left her mouth, the entire Refectory fell silent.
It was as if making even the slightest sound had suddenly become a crime punishable by death.
A pin-drop silence fell across the colossal chamber.
Thousands of eyes instantly turned toward her.
Vikrant’s heartbeat skipped.
Inside his mind, only one thought echoed repeatedly.
“Among all the students in the University, Meenakshi is one of the rare few capable of approaching Urvashi without fear… and now she’s unconscious.”
His gaze slowly shifted toward Urvashi.
“Because of Urvashi herself.”
He quietly cleared his throat, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Without daring to ask another question, Vikrant silently pulled a nearby chair and sat down, afraid that even looking suspicious in front of her would become a disaster.
The silence around their table grew heavier with every passing second.
No one in the surrounding area dared to speak anymore.
Even the students who had been whispering moments earlier immediately lowered their heads and pretended not to notice anything.
The floating surveillance spheres continued to hover silently near the ceiling, their pale blue lights sweeping across the Refectory like cold mechanical eyes.
Vikrant slowly pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen, pretending to be busy while avoiding Urvashi’s gaze.
Suddenly, his expression stiffened when he noticed an unknown number among the recently dialed calls on his phone.
Obviously, no one else was allowed to touch his phone.
Then, a memory abruptly surfaced inside his mind.
In the next instant, his mind flashed back to the Eastern District.
At that time, Urvashi had casually asked for his phone.
Cold sweat immediately formed on his face.
Slowly, almost mechanically, Vikrant raised his head and looked toward her.
Meanwhile, Urvashi remained completely calm, as if nothing had happened at all.
Under the soft white lights of the refectory,
She casually tapped the floating holographic menu above the table, its translucent blue panels shifting softly beneath her fingertips.
After scrolling through a few options,
Her gaze lingered on the holographic menu for a moment.
“There’s nothing healthy here…” she whispered to herself.
“That’s why I prefer homemade food.”
Then—
A female student suddenly approached their table while carefully holding a neatly packed lunchbox in both hands.
“President,” she said respectfully.
“This is my way of thanking you for yesterday’s help.”
Urvashi quietly looked at her for a moment before accepting the lunchbox with graceful composure.
“Many thanks, I appreciate your kindness.”
*
*
*
Bhagavat ran through an unfamiliar landscape.
Before he could take another step, the space around him began to distort.
His vision twisted violently as countless streams of energy surged through the surrounding space, pressing against his body from every direction.
The ground beneath his feet seemed to dissolve.
For a moment, he felt as though he were falling.
Not downward.
Through reality itself.
Infinite layers of reality flashed past his eyes.
Strange symbols appeared and vanished in an instant.
Oceans floated upside down.
Dead stars drifted through the darkness like ashes.
Distant voices whispered inside his mind, speaking in forgotten languages.
Bhagavat couldn’t tell whether he was moving or whether reality itself was moving around him.
Then—
His foot struck a black stone.
He stumbled forward and crashed hard onto the ground.
Bhagavat coughed violently and looked upward.
The sky was red, not sunset red.
A living, bleeding red.
Several broken moons floated overhead while gigantic skeletal structures stretched across the horizon like the remains of colossal beings.
“…Where… am I?” he whispered.
His voice echoed faintly through the thin, lifeless atmosphere.
Suddenly, a sound rang out—
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Slow applause emerged from the darkness.
A tall figure stepped forward from behind a ruined pillar, wrapped in a long black coat that moved like liquid shadows.
Half of the assassin’s face was covered by a metallic mask engraved with ancient Sanskrit-like markings.
“You adapted faster than I expected,” the assassin said calmly.
Bhagavat immediately stood up.
“Who are you?”
The assassin ignored the question.
Instead, he looked toward the crimson sky.
“This universe died 11,000 years ago.”
Bhagavat narrowed his eyes, unable to understand the assassin’s words.
“No life.
No gods.
No destiny.” The assassin’s gaze slowly returned to him.
“And here… nobody will hear your screams.”
A terrifying pressure burst outward, spreading across the area.
Even breathing suddenly became difficult.
Cracks spread instantly beneath Bhagavat’s feet.
His pupils shrank.
For the first time in a long while—
Bhagavat felt genuine danger.
The assassin extended one hand.
A black blade emerged from the empty space before him, covered in shifting runes that distorted reality around it.
“My mission is to erase you completely,” the assassin said emotionlessly.
“Not merely your body.”
Bhagavat clenched his fists.
“…Then come.”
For a moment, both figures stood motionless beneath the dead crimson sky.
“Interesting,” the assassin murmured.
“You are still conscious.”
The assassin studied Bhagavat in silence for a moment.
“Y’know why I brought you here?
Because you are nothing more than an ordinary human creature.
This universe is saturated with cosmic energy.”
He paused for a moment.
“And the cosmic energy here alone is enough to shatter you completely.”
“Oh, my…
my…
what a magnificent actor.
And an even better scriptwriter.” Bhagavat looked directly into the assassin’s eyes as he spoke.
“I’m honestly jealous.
Your acting skills deserve an Oscar.”
For the first time, the assassin looked slightly confused.
“You’re mocking me…
in front of your own death?”
A casual smile appeared on the assassin’s face.
“By the way, you’re right.”
Bhagavat smirked faintly.
“The real reason you brought me here is because of my sister.
You know she could erase you instantly…
what a loser.”
For a moment, the assassin remained silent.
Then he laughed loudly, his laughter filled with malice.
“Hahaha…”
The assassin’s laughter echoed beneath the crimson sky.
Then he replied calmly, though danger lingered in his voice.
“Who cares?
To me, only the mission matters.”
* New chapters come out on g.com first.
*
*
A phone rang loudly through the silent library.
Its sharp tone pierced the stillness like an airplane roaring across a quiet skyline.
Every student inside the grand library of Mahashunya Vishwavidyalaya suddenly looked up from their books and holographic screens.
The atmosphere became tense instantly.
A male student sitting in the reading area quickly silenced his phone as irritation spread among the surrounding students.
Even the floating librarian drones paused midair, their blue scanning lights focusing on the source of the disturbance.
A few moments later, he sensed someone sit beside him.
Slowly, he turned his gaze to the left.
“Wonderful…”
The words got stuck in his throat.
Because a young woman was sitting beside him, her beauty quiet yet impossible to ignore.
Smooth fair skin, soft crimson lips, and long dark hair framing her face gave her an almost unreal elegance.
Her deep eyes carried a gentle shine beneath the library lights, making even a brief glance at her difficult to forget.
There was something naturally graceful about her presence.
She did not need expensive jewelry or extravagant expressions to stand out.
Even sitting silently beside him, she seemed to draw the surrounding attention effortlessly.
A soft smile curved her lips as she looked at him.
“Hey…” he muttered nervously.
“New student?” she asked softly, her graceful smile making him even more flustered.
He blinked for a moment before awkwardly nodding.
“Y-Yeah.”
His voice almost disappeared beneath the silence of the library.
She quietly observed him.
He looked ordinary.
Black hair, slightly messy.
Simple uniform.
No overwhelming aura.
No visible confidence either.
Yet for some reason—
There was something strangely different about him compared to the others around him.
“First day at Mahashunya Vishwavidyalaya?” she asked softly.
“Is it that obvious?”
A faint laugh escaped her lips.
“You’ve been holding your book upside down for the last three minutes.”
“…”
The young man immediately looked down at the book in horror.
The young woman covered her mouth slightly, trying not to laugh louder.
His ears turned red instantly.
“I-I knew that…” he muttered defensively.
“Of course you did.” Her teasing tone only made him more embarrassed.
He realized a faint transparent acoustic barrier had formed around them, preventing their conversation from reaching the surrounding students.
“Let me tell you something,” she said.
“Mahashunya Vishwavidyalaya is the most prestigious and highest-ranked university in Shunyagarbha City.
This campus alone contains twelve massive libraries…
so make sure your smartphone is on silent mode before entering any of them.”
A brief pause followed.
“By the way… your name?”
The young man hesitated for a moment, as if he were debating whether or not to answer.
She quietly waited, resting her chin on her left hand while observing him with calm curiosity.
“…Nalakuber,” he finally said.
The moment those words left his mouth—
Her expression froze slightly.
A faint flicker passed through her eyes.
“Nalakuber?” she repeated softly.
The boy looked confused.
“Is something wrong with my name?”
She quickly regained her composure and shook her head.
“No… it’s just unusual.”
He awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“People usually say it sounds old-fashioned.”
“They’re not entirely wrong,” she replied calmly.
“I’m Rambika.
Nice to meet you.”
Some universes die silently.
Others continue existing long after death.
What do you think?