DONG.
The fourth bell echoed across Aetheris Academy.
Then—
Darkness.
Every magical lamp in the archive extinguished at once.
Kael couldn’t see his own hand.
For several seconds, there was nothing.
No movement.
No voices.
No magical energy.
Just silence.
Then Pi whispered.
“Pi…”
Kael reached up and gently placed a hand over the creature.
“I’m here.”
A faint golden glow appeared from Pi’s eye.
It illuminated Kael’s face.
He looked around.
Lucien was standing near the table.
The Observer was gone.
The second irregularity was gone.
And the third—
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
He was gone too.
“Of course.”
Kael sighed.
“Everyone disappears the moment things get dangerous.”
Lucien looked toward the archive entrance.
“They didn’t disappear.”
Kael glanced at him.
“What do you mean?”
“They were removed.”
Kael’s expression changed.
“Removed?”
Lucien nodded.
“By the lockdown.”
“What does that mean?”
Lucien walked toward the door.
“The academy has activated its highest defensive protocol.”
He placed his hand against the wooden door.
Nothing happened.
“The lockdown doesn’t merely prevent people from entering or leaving.”
He looked at Kael.
“It separates areas of the academy.”
Kael frowned.
“Separates them?”
“Spatially.”
Lucien’s expression became grim.
“Every section is temporarily isolated from the others.”
Kael stared at the door.
“So we’re trapped.”
“Yes.”
Kael sighed.
“Wonderful.”
He looked at Pi.
“At least you’re still here.”
Pi nodded proudly.
“Pi.”
Then—
CRACK.
A thin line appeared across the archive door.
Kael immediately reached for his sword.
“Professor.”
“I see it.”
The crack widened.
Something was being written across the door.
Black letters slowly formed.
«DESIGNATED LOCATION: ARCHIVE»
Kael frowned.
“That’s new.”
Another line appeared.
«AUTHORIZED OCCUPANTS: TWO»
Kael looked at Lucien.
Lucien looked at Kael.
Then they both looked at Pi.
Kael pointed at the creature.
“Does Pi count?”
The System appeared.
[Companion classification remains unknown.]
[Therefore, Companion Pi cannot currently be confirmed as an occupant.]
Kael stared.
“That’s incredibly unhelpful.”
The door changed.
«AUTHORIZED OCCUPANTS: TWO»
«KAEL VEYRON»
«LUCIEN GRAVES»
Kael’s expression hardened.
“How does the academy know my name?”
Lucien didn’t answer.
Kael looked at him.
“Professor?”
Lucien stared at the writing.
“I don’t know.”
“You’re an instructor.”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re telling me Aetheris has magical systems that can identify everyone inside it, but you don’t know how?”
Lucien’s face darkened.
“The academy has existed for centuries.
There are mechanisms even the instructors don’t understand.”
Kael stared at him.
“That sentence is starting to sound like the motto of this world.”
Before Lucien could respond—
A scream echoed outside.
Kael’s expression changed.
“Someone’s in trouble.”
Lucien immediately moved toward the door.
“Don’t.”
Kael stopped him.
“Why?”
“The lockdown.”
“So?”
“If you leave, the academy may classify you as an intruder.”
Kael frowned.
“Would it attack us?”
Lucien hesitated.
“Potentially.”
Kael looked at the door.
Then at Lucien.
Then at Pi.
Another scream echoed.
This time it sounded closer.
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“People are trapped out there.”
Lucien nodded.
“Yes.”
“Then we’re going.”
“Kael—”
Kael placed his hand against the door.
“I’ve spent the last few days discovering that the world I remember isn’t what I thought it was.”
His eyes hardened.
“I’m not going to sit in a room while people get hurt just because some magical lockdown tells me to.”
The System appeared.
[Warning.]
[Leaving designated location violates current academy protocol.]
[Potential consequences: Unknown.]
Kael smiled.
“Of course.”
He looked at Pi.
“Ready?”
Pi spread its tiny wings.
“Pi!”
Kael pushed the door.
Nothing happened.
He pushed harder.
Still nothing.
He sighed.
“Apparently the door disagrees.”
Lucien walked over.
“There may be another way.”
He placed his palm against the wall.
A faint magical circle appeared.
Then vanished.
Lucien’s expression changed.
“What?”
Kael noticed.
“What happened?”
“The academy isn’t responding.”
“What does that mean?”
Lucien looked at him.
“The entire defensive network has gone silent.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“So who activated the lockdown?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then how is the academy still enforcing it?”
Lucien slowly looked at the black book.
Kael followed his gaze.
The book was still sitting on the table.
Its cover was closed.
But something was wrong.
The silver quill symbol was glowing.
Kael approached it.
“That’s not good.”
Lucien shook his head.
“No.”
Kael reached toward the book.
Lucien grabbed his wrist.
“Don’t.”
Kael looked at him.
“You’ve been telling me not to touch everything for the last ten minutes.”
“Because everything you’ve touched has caused a problem.”
Kael thought about it.
“Fair.”
He slowly pulled his hand away.
Then the book opened.
FLAP!
A page turned.
Words appeared.
«KAEL VEYRON REMAINED IN THE ARCHIVE.»
Kael stared.
“No.”
He reached for the book.
Lucien grabbed him again.
“Don’t!”
Kael ignored him.
Another sentence appeared.
«KAEL VEYRON DID NOT LEAVE.»
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
«KAEL VEYRON NEVER CONSIDERED LEAVING.»
Kael froze.
“What?”
The book continued writing.
«HE ACCEPTED THE LOCKDOWN.»
Kael’s expression darkened.
“I didn’t.”
The System appeared.
[Narrative discrepancy detected.]
[Current statement conflicts with Host’s recorded intent.]
[Host did not accept the lockdown.]
[External narrative interference confirmed.]
Kael smiled.
There it was.
Proof.
The book wasn’t merely predicting things.
It was trying to force events into existence.
Kael looked at Lucien.
“Professor.”
“Yes?”
“I have an idea.”
Lucien immediately looked worried.
“That sentence has never ended well.”
Kael grinned.
“Let’s make the book wrong.”
Lucien stared at him.
“…How?”
Kael drew his sword.
“By doing the opposite.”
He raised the sword.
And struck the door.
BOOM!
The wooden door cracked.
The academy’s barrier reacted immediately.
Blue magical lines spread across its surface.
Kael struck again.
BOOM!
The lines became brighter.
The System appeared.
[Unique Action detected.]
[Host is deliberately opposing narrative instruction.]
[Karma response increasing.]
[+5 Karma.]
Kael grinned.
“Again.”
BOOM!
+5 Karma.
Again.
BOOM!
+5 Karma.
Kael laughed.
“Who knew rebellion was profitable?”
Lucien stared at him.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“A little.”
“That’s concerning.”
“Very.”
On the fifth strike—
CRACK!
The door shattered.
A wave of magical energy rushed through the archive.
Kael shielded his face.
When the dust settled—
The doorway was open.
Kael smiled.
“See?”
Lucien stared at the destroyed door.
“I am going to have to explain this to the academy.”
Kael walked past him.
“Tell them the door attacked first.”
“Kael.”
“I’m joking.”
“…I hope so.”
They stepped into the corridor.
The academy was silent.
Too silent.
No students.
No teachers.
No footsteps.
No voices.
Only the faint glow of emergency runes along the walls.
Kael looked around.
“This place feels abandoned.”
Lucien’s expression was tense.
“It wasn’t like this when the lockdown began.”
They walked deeper into the corridor.
Kael noticed something strange.
The portraits.
Every portrait hanging along the wall had changed.
Faces were missing.
Names had disappeared.
Some portraits were completely blank.
Kael stopped.
“Professor.”
Lucien turned.
Kael pointed.
“Who are those people?”
Lucien looked at the paintings.
His expression became confused.
“I don’t know.”
“You’ve taught here for years.”
“Yes.”
“And you don’t recognize any of them?”
Lucien shook his head.
“No.”
Kael stepped closer to one.
The portrait showed an old man in academy robes.
His face had been scratched away.
Only his name remained.
EDRIC HALLOWAY.
Kael read it aloud.
“Edric Halloway.”
Lucien suddenly grabbed his head.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“I…”
He closed his eyes.
“I remember him.”
Kael’s eyes widened.
“What happened?”
“He was…”
Lucien frowned.
“A professor.”
“Which subject?”
“I don’t know.”
“When did he teach?”
“I don’t know.”
“How long ago?”
“I don’t know.”
Lucien opened his eyes.
“But I know his name.”
Kael stared at the portrait.
Then the name began fading.
“Edr—”
The letters disappeared.
The portrait became blank.
Lucien stared.
“What was I saying?”
Kael’s blood ran cold.
He remembered.
Again.
He was resisting the correction.
The System appeared.
[Narrative correction detected.]
[Memory alteration resisted by Host.]
[Resistance increasing.]
[Host’s unique status continues to interfere with narrative authority.]
Kael whispered:
“The academy is being rewritten.”
Lucien looked at him.
“What?”
“People.”
Kael pointed toward the empty portrait.
“Names.”
He looked down the corridor.
“History.”
His expression became grim.
“It’s erasing people.”
Lucien’s face paled.
“No…”
Kael looked at him.
“And I think it started before the lockdown.”
A voice came from behind them.
“Correct.”
Kael spun around.
The second irregularity stood at the end of the corridor.
His gray eyes were fixed on Kael.
Kael immediately drew his sword.
“Where did you go?”
The boy ignored the question.
“Look around.”
Kael did.
“What am I looking for?”
“Students.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“There aren’t any.”
“Exactly.”
The boy walked toward them.
“Before the lockdown, this corridor had forty-three students.”
Lucien frowned.
“How would you know that?”
“I count things.”
Kael stared.
“That’s your special ability?”
“No.”
The boy stopped.
“It’s how I survive.”
Kael lowered his sword slightly.
“What happened to them?”
“They were forgotten.”
“By who?”
“Everyone.”
Lucien looked disturbed.
“That’s impossible.”
The second irregularity shook his head.
He pointed toward a classroom.
“Look.”
Kael entered.
Rows of desks.
Books.
Chalkboard.
But no students.
The blackboard had a lesson written on it.
Magical History — The Founding of Aetheris Academy
Kael looked at the date.
“Today.”
Lucien’s expression became pale.
“Impossible.”
“Why?”
“This class was scheduled for tomorrow.”
Kael frowned.
“Then why is it already written?”
The second irregularity looked at him.
“Because the story is rearranging time.”
Kael’s eyes widened.
“Time?”
“Not exactly.”
The boy looked toward the windows.
“The academy isn’t moving through time.”
He paused.
“Time is moving around the academy.”
Kael stared.
“What does that even mean?”
The boy smiled faintly.
“It means we’re becoming a place that never existed.”
A cold chill ran down Kael’s spine.
Then—
DONG.
The fourth bell rang again.
Kael looked toward the ceiling.
“That bell…”
The second irregularity’s expression became serious.
“Don’t let it ring five times.”
Kael frowned.
“Why?”
“If it does…”
He looked at the empty classroom.
“…the academy will forget itself.”
Silence.
Kael swallowed.
“You’re saying the entire academy could disappear?”
“No.”
The boy shook his head.
“Worse.”
“It will continue existing.”
Kael stared.
“But nobody will remember it.”
Lucien’s face became grim.
“The academy would effectively cease to exist.”
“Exactly.”
Kael looked at the corridor.
Then at Pi.
The little creature was staring at the ceiling.
Its golden eye glowed.
Kael noticed something.
A tiny black quill had appeared again.
But this time—
It wasn’t alone.
A thin silver line had formed beneath it.
Like a crack.
Kael reached toward Pi.
“Pi…”
The creature looked at him.
“Pi?”
Kael gently touched its head.
“What are you?”
Pi blinked.
Then—
A voice echoed through the corridor.
“The answer is behind the fifth bell.”
Kael froze.
The second irregularity immediately turned around.
“Who said that?”
Nobody answered.
The voice continued.
“First…”
Kael’s eyes widened.
“Second…”
The second irregularity clenched his fists.
“Third…”
Somewhere far away, the lights flickered.
Then—
“Fourth…”
The academy trembled.
Kael raised his sword.
The fifth bell mechanism began moving.
Click.
Everyone froze.
Click.
Kael looked at the second irregularity.
“Stop it.”
“I can’t.”
“Observer?”
Nothing.
“Third?”
No answer.
“Professor?”
Lucien shook his head.
“I don’t know how.”
The mechanism moved again.
Click.
Kael suddenly looked at Pi.
The creature was staring directly at him.
Its golden eye changed.
For one instant—
Kael saw a completely different scene.
A white room.
A black door.
A young man standing before him.
Not the second irregularity.
Not the Observer.
Someone else.
Someone Kael had never seen.
The person held a quill.
And spoke.
“If you remember this, everything changes.”
Kael’s eyes widened.
The vision vanished.
The mechanism stopped.
Silence.
The fifth bell did not ring.
Kael breathed heavily.
“What…”
The System appeared.
[Sealed memory detected.]
[Access condition partially fulfilled.]
[Memory fragment recovered: 1%.]
[Warning.]
[Recovered memory contradicts Host’s previous understanding of his death.]
[Do you wish to continue recovery?]
Kael stared at the final line.
For the first time since arriving in this world—
He wasn’t sure he wanted the answer.
But he knew he needed it.
Kael looked at the others.
Then at Pi.
Then toward the dark corridor ahead.
His fear slowly disappeared.
It was replaced by determination.
“Yes.”
The System responded.
[Memory recovery initiated.]
[1%…]
[2%…]
[3%…]
[ERROR.]
[Memory recovery forcibly interrupted.]
[External authority detected.]
Kael’s expression changed.
“Who interrupted it?”
The System displayed one final message.
[Unknown.]
[But the authority is familiar.]
Kael’s eyes widened.
“Familiar?”
The System didn’t answer.
Then the black book appeared.
Not in Lucien’s hands.
Not on the archive table.
It floated at the far end of the corridor.
Its pages turned.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then stopped.
A sentence appeared.
«KAEL VEYRON REMEMBERED THE WHITE ROOM.»
Kael’s expression became cold.
Another sentence appeared.
«THE AUTHOR NOTICED.»
Kael’s heart stopped.
The final line slowly formed.
«NOW THE AUTHOR IS LOOKING BACK.»
The corridor lights went out.
And from somewhere behind Kael—
A voice whispered.
“You shouldn’t have remembered.”
Kael slowly turned.
Nobody was there.
Except Pi.
And reflected in Pi’s golden eye—
Was the image of a man holding a black quill.
Kael stared.
The reflection smiled.
Then vanished.
DONG.
The fourth bell rang for the final time.
And somewhere beyond the academy—
Something began writing.