Morning arrived quietly at the Imperial Academy.
The dormitories, which had been almost completely silent during the night, slowly came alive.
Doors opened.
Students hurried through corridors.
Some complained about waking too early.
Others rushed to prepare their uniforms.
A few were already discussing the first lesson.
Nihil’s dormitory was different.
Everything was already prepared.
His uniform was perfectly arranged.
His books were organized.
His weapons were placed exactly where they belonged.
Mimi entered carrying Nihil’s breakfast.
“Master.”
Nihil looked up from a book.
“Yes?”
“It’s time for breakfast.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you still reading?”
“I was reading.”
Mimi sighed.
“You can read after eating.”
Nihil closed the book.
“Fine.”
Seraphina entered shortly afterward.
“Are you two ready?”
“Yes,” Mimi answered.
Nihil simply stood.
The three left the dormitory together.
## I — THE FIRST LESSON
The classroom was already filling.
Students talked among themselves.
Some were still discussing Nihil’s entrance examination.
Others were comparing their results.
A few were trying to determine what the word **PERFECT** actually meant.
Nihil entered with Seraphina.
Mimi followed behind him.
They took their usual places.
The conversations gradually became quieter.
Then—
The classroom door opened.
A middle-aged instructor entered carrying a thick ancient textbook.
He placed it on the desk.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning, sir.”
The teacher looked across the classroom.
“Today, we begin with the most important subject you will study at this academy.”
A student raised his hand.
“Magic?”
“No.”
“Combat?”
“No.”
“Politics?”
“No.”
The teacher turned toward the blackboard.
Then wrote two words.
# ORBIT SYSTEM
He turned back.
“The Orbit System.”
The room became silent.
“This system is also known by another name.”
He wrote beneath it.
**SACRIFICE.**
“This is the primary supernatural system of our world.”
# II — THE PRICE OF POWER
The teacher walked slowly across the classroom.
“Every civilization has attempted to understand it.”
“Every race has developed its own interpretation.”
“Some call it magic.”
“Some call it divine authority.”
“Some call it a blessing.”
He stopped.
“But the oldest records call it something else.”
He pointed toward the word on the board.
“Sacrifice.”
A student frowned.
“Why sacrifice?”
The teacher looked at him.
“Because power is never free.”
He raised one hand.
“When the system is activated, the body changes.”
The teacher’s expression became serious.
“Marks can appear.”
“Scars can spread across the face.”
“The eyes can change.”
“Orbit Wheels can manifest around the eyes.”
“And in some cases…”
He paused.
“…flowers begin blooming around the user.”
Several students looked toward one another.
“Flowers?”
“Yes.”
“But that’s not all.”
The teacher pointed toward his eyes.
“Blood may fall from the eyes.”
The classroom became noticeably quieter.
“These are not decorations.”
“They are manifestations of the system.”
# III — LIFE ENERGY
The teacher wrote another term.
**LE — LIFE ENERGY**
“Mortals primarily use Life Energy.”
He drew a simple diagram.
“LE is the energy contained within a living being.”
“Through LE, a person can perform supernatural techniques.”
“Magic.”
“Enhancement.”
“Elemental manipulation.”
“Various other abilities.”
A student raised his hand.
“Then why doesn’t everyone simply use as much as possible?”
The teacher smiled.
“Because LE is connected to your life.”
The room went silent.
“Every time you use it, you are spending something that belongs to you.”
“Your body can recover naturally.”
“But there are limits.”
He tapped the blackboard.
“Excessive use can shorten your lifespan.”
“Overuse can damage your body.”
“And if someone continuously forces their system beyond its natural limit…”
He paused.
“They can die.”
A student swallowed.
“So magic literally uses your life?”
“Precisely.”
The teacher turned toward the class.
“That is why the system is called Sacrifice.”
Nihil remained completely still.
Seraphina looked toward him.
Mimi was listening carefully.
The teacher continued.
“Remember this.”
> **The stronger the miracle, the greater the sacrifice required to create it.**
# IV — DEAD ENERGY
The teacher erased part of the board.
Then wrote:
**DE — DEAD ENERGY**
The atmosphere changed slightly.
“Dead Energy is different.”
“Unlike LE, DE is not primarily used by ordinary mortals.”
“It is associated with immortals.”
“Certain mysterious beings.”
“And beings whose existence is fundamentally different from mortal life.”
A student raised his hand.
“Does DE run out?”
The teacher shook his head.
“No.”
Several students looked surprised.
“Then how do immortals maintain their power?”
The teacher pointed toward the board.
“Because DE can be obtained from the dead.”
A silence followed.
“People die.”
“Empires fall.”
“Battles happen.”
“Life ends.”
“And whenever life ends…”
He looked at the words.
“…Dead Energy remains.”
The teacher continued.
“Immortals can consume or utilize the DE produced by others.”
“That is one reason they do not age like ordinary mortals.”
“Life continues producing death.”
“And death continues producing energy.”
A student looked uncomfortable.
“So immortals can never run out?”
The teacher nodded.
“Not as long as death continues.”
# V — THE ANCIENT BEAST
The teacher opened an old book.
“However, there is one name that repeatedly appears in the oldest records.”
He showed the class a faded illustration.
A monstrous creature.
Its form was difficult to understand.
The students stared.
“Shuen Shinkai.”
Several students whispered.
“I’ve heard that name.”
“Isn’t that just a myth?”
“According to most modern historians, yes.”
The teacher nodded.
“Shuen Shinkai is considered an ancient myth.”
“But the oldest records describe it differently.”
He turned the page.
“They claim it was a beast capable of rivaling the High Rulers.”
The room became silent.
“Some records claim it possessed an inexhaustible connection to Dead Energy.”
“Others claim it existed before many immortal civilizations.”
“And some records claim…”
He closed the book.
“…that it still exists.”
A student nervously laughed.
“That’s impossible.”
The teacher looked at him.
“Perhaps.”
He returned the book to his desk.
“History contains many things we cannot prove.”
# VI — SHINKAI
The teacher wrote another word.
**SHINKAI.**
“This is another manifestation of the Sacrifice System.”
A student raised his hand.
“Is Shinkai the same thing as an Orbit Wheel?”
“No.”
The teacher shook his head.
“They are connected, but they are not identical.”
“Shinkai is an outward manifestation of one’s power.”
A faint mist appeared around the teacher.
The students leaned forward.
The mist changed color.
Gold.
Silver.
Black.
Purple.
Blue.
White.
Each color disappeared before another appeared.
“Shinkai can manifest in different forms and colors.”
“The exact relationship between color and strength is still debated.”
He paused.
“But one thing is certain.”
He looked around the classroom.
“The difference between domains can be overwhelming.”
He pointed toward the white mist.
“If a user possessing a white-domain Shinkai encounters someone whose Shinkai belongs to a vastly superior domain…”
The teacher’s expression became serious.
“…the weaker user’s body may begin failing simply from being exposed to the stronger Shinkai.”
A student stared.
“Without being attacked?”
“Without a direct attack.”
The teacher dismissed the mist.
“Power itself can become pressure.”
# VII — GENESIS AND KENOSIS
The teacher divided the blackboard into two sections.
On the left:
# GENESIS
On the right:
# KENOSIS
“Eventually, scholars divided the Orbit System into two broad categories.”
“Genesis.”
“For mortals.”
“And Kenosis.”
“For immortals and beings beyond ordinary mortal existence.”
He pointed toward Genesis.
“Genesis is primarily associated with Life Energy.”
Then Kenosis.
“Kenosis is primarily associated with Dead Energy.”
A student raised his hand.
“Are the two systems enemies?”
“No.”
“Can they interact?”
“Of course.”
“Then why separate them?”
“Because their foundations are fundamentally different.”
# VIII — GENESIS
The teacher returned to the first side.
“Genesis begins with LE.”
“Life Energy.”
“When Genesis activates, flowers may bloom around the user.”
He drew a simple flower.
“One common manifestation resembles cherry blossoms.”
“Blood may fall from the eyes.”
“Marks and scars can appear.”
“And the user may manifest Vanta Essence.”
A student raised his hand.
“What does Vanta Essence do?”
The teacher answered carefully.
“It allows manipulation of different manifestations.”
“Threads.”
“Mind.”
“And various other forms depending upon the user’s ability.”
He continued.
“Advanced Genesis users may also manipulate fundamental elements.”
“Water.”
“Fire.”
“Wind.”
“Mist.”
“Earth.”
“But remember…”
He looked at the class.
“Having access to an element does not mean mastery of it.”
“Control depends upon the individual.”
The teacher moved to the other side.
“Kenosis begins with DE.”
“When it manifests, the surrounding flowers can resemble spider lilies.”
A student whispered:
“Beautiful.”
The teacher nodded.
“Beautiful.”
Then his expression hardened.
“And dangerous.”
He wrote several words.
**Mukyo.**
**Kurya.**
“These are associated with higher forms of Kenosis.”
“Immortals possessing such abilities can manipulate forces far beyond ordinary magic.”
“Cosmic phenomena.”
“Existential forces.”
“And eventually…”
He stopped.
“…laws themselves.”
The classroom became silent.
“Some immortals can manipulate laws that mortals cannot even perceive.”
# X — HORIN
The teacher hesitated before writing the final word.
**HORIN**
Unlike the other terms, he did not immediately explain it.
A student raised his hand.
“Sir?”
The teacher looked at him.
“We don’t know.”
“Don’t know what?”
“Who uses it.”
The room became silent.
“Ancient ruins have been discovered containing references to Horin.”
“Fragments of records describe it as something capable of complete annihilation.”
“But no surviving record tells us who originally possessed it.”
A student asked:
“Was it a god?”
“Perhaps.”
“An immortal?”
“Perhaps.”
“A High Ruler?”
“Perhaps.”
“Then what do we actually know?”
The teacher looked toward the ancient writing.
“Almost nothing.”
He underlined the word.
“That is precisely why scholars fear it.”
# XI — THE UNKNOWN FIVE
The teacher continued.
“Some ancient records mention another ability associated with Horin.”
He wrote:
**Temonesis Ekstasis.**
The students stared.
“Only one thing is known with certainty.”
The teacher tapped the word.
“It is connected to five domains.”
He wrote:
**The Nemesis of Five Decrees.**
Several students exchanged confused looks.
“What are the five decrees?”
The teacher shook his head.
“We don’t know.”
“Who created them?”
“We don’t know.”
“Who used them?”
“We don’t know.”
“Can they still be used?”
Another pause.
“We don’t know.”
The teacher closed the textbook.
“Everything concerning Horin and the Five Decrees remains incomplete.”
He looked across the classroom.
“But ancient ruins consistently describe them as possessing monstrous power.”
Nihil quietly raised his eyes toward the board.
For the first time during the lesson, he looked genuinely interested.
Not excited.
Not afraid.
Simply attentive.
The teacher noticed.
“Prince Nihil.”
Nihil looked at him.
“Yes?”
“You seem interested.”
“I am.”
“Why?”
Nihil looked at the words written across the board.
“Because you don’t know the answers.”
The classroom became silent.
The teacher stared at him.
Nihil continued.
“That makes them worth investigating.”
A few students exchanged looks.
The teacher smiled faintly.
“Perhaps.”
He turned back toward the board.
“Then perhaps one day you will find answers that history failed to preserve.”
Nihil said nothing.
The lesson continued.
## THE LIBRARY
The curious student slowly lowered the book.
His tired companion stared at him.
“So the system is basically sacrificing your life for power?”
“For mortals, yes.”
“And immortals use dead energy.”
“That’s what the book says.”
“And then there are these mysterious things…”
He counted on his fingers.
“Vanta Essence.
Mukyo.
Kurya.
Horin.
Temonesis Ekstasis.
Five Decrees.”
The curious student nodded.
“And Shuen Shinkai.”
The tired student frowned.
“That ancient beast sounds important.”
“Probably.”
“And Horin sounds even more important.”
“Probably.”
The tired student looked at the ancient book.
“Then why doesn’t the book explain who uses Horin?”
The curious student smiled.
“Because it’s a mystery.”
“That’s your answer to everything.”
“Maybe.”
The tired student leaned closer.
“Then I have a question.”
“What?”
“If the teachers don’t know who used Horin…”
He pointed toward the next page.
“…how does Nihil eventually learn about it?”
The curious student stared at the question.
For a moment, neither student spoke.
Then he slowly turned the page.
“I guess we’ll find out.”
And somewhere inside the Imperial Academy, ten-year-old Nihil had just heard the first incomplete description of a power that history itself had failed to understand.
He did not know who had created it.
He did not know who had used it.
He did not know why it had disappeared.
But unlike the other students—
**he wanted to know.**