The sun had tilted toward the horizon, leaving behind bleeding orange hues that crept through the windows of the ancient academy, when Jenika headed toward her lodging.
Her light steps on the stone floor echoed down the long hallway, but she was not alone.
The very air was whispering.
“Is this the new student?”
“I heard she got in through a bribe…”
“Can she really fight? That type of person breaks down during the first training session with the Professor.”
The words slithered like hidden venom, brushing against her ears before hiding within the walls.
Jenika showed no outward annoyance, but her sharp eyes recorded everything.
Rosalyn walked beside her in regal silence.
A girl who, just hours ago, had been shy and sensitive was now transformed into a statue of cold marble.
Her face was frozen, her gaze frighteningly confident, as if she were an idol unmoved by human winds.
Jenika stared at her for a long time, utterly stunned.
‘Is she truly the same girl who was with me just a moment ago?’
They continued on their way.
When they reached the dining hall, the queue was long, resembling a black serpent.
But the moment the students caught sight of Rosalyn, the line parted as if a hidden magic had pushed everyone aside.
A wide path of fear and respect opened for her.
Jenika was astonished, then realized—with her razor-sharp observation—that the person beside her was no ordinary girl.
‘She was interacting with me so naturally…
we became friends in just a few hours.
How can this cold face be the polar opposite of what I saw?
What kind of experiences has she lived through to become like this?’
They approached the vendor.
Jenika chose a simple soup, a banana, a carton of juice, and a loaf of bread.
As for Rosalyn, the vendor—without her even asking—served her a luxurious plate of tender meat, a rich soup, a fresh fruit salad, a green salad, and several premium drinks.
At that moment, Jenika was completely convinced: this was no ordinary student.
They sat at a table meant for six students.
Four girls had been chatting merrily there, but the instant Rosalyn sat down, they fabricated flimsy excuses: “I’m full,” “I forgot my comb in the room,” “Do you remember my appointment…?” Within seconds, the table turned into a dual island: just Jenika and Rosalyn.
Silence fell between them.
However, the whispers behind them grew sharper—not about Rosalyn this time, but about the “ordinary” girl who dared to sit beside her.
Suddenly, the growl of Jenika’s stomach cut through the tension.
Rosalyn offered a rare, faint smile and said in a calm, gentle voice:
“Shall we begin eating before it gets cold?”
They ate in silence.
Then, Rosalyn elegantly raised her napkin, wiped her lips, and said suddenly:
“You are beautiful… your appearance is a sin. Food should not ruin a face like that.”
Rosalyn looked at Jenika with eyes shining with awe and admiration, as if she were beholding an angel that had suddenly descended.
But the sudden uproar and shouting of the students around Jenika shattered the moment.
Rosalyn slammed her hands onto the table forcefully, casting a terrifying look as cold as ice:
“Silence! I will not hear such nonsense again.”
Jenika trembled under that gaze.
Rosalyn abruptly stood up and left the table, leaving her food unfinished.
Jenika felt a sharp pang in her chest.
‘She left because of me…
all of this is because of me.’
Her pace quickened as she followed her, but Rosalyn slammed the dormitory door shut.
Jenika knocked gently:
“Rosalyn… I’m sorry.”
No response.
“Rosalyn…”
No response.
It was close to passing 10:30 PM.
Jenika cried out in a trembling voice:
“Rosalyn, I’m sorry!”
The door finally opened.
Rosalyn didn’t look her in the face.
She went straight to her bed, lying down with her face toward the wall.
Jenika sat on her own bed and whispered in a tender voice like a morning breeze:
“I’m sorry…”
On the other side of the academy, Lucian and Dastan refused to go to the cafeteria.
Remembering the past was harsher than the hunger of the body itself.
They drowned in their thoughts until they fell asleep.
The next morning…
Rosalyn woke up to the aroma of a delicious breakfast.
She found that Jenika had carefully prepared the food.
She looked at her in surprise:
“Did you make breakfast?”
Jenika smiled shyly: Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“It’s true that the cafeteria provides breakfast, but this is the least I can offer as an apology for yesterday.”
Rosalyn replied quietly:
“I am sorry too…”
They ate breakfast amidst a quiet joy that gradually returned to their faces.
“Are you free today… Lyn?”
Rosalyn raised her eyebrows in surprise:
“Lyn?”
“Aren’t we friends now? We share a room, we meet every day, we’re going to clean it together… ‘Lyn’ means gentleness. I feel it suits you perfectly… your noble, pure appearance, and your kind personality.”
Jenika closed her eyes for a moment, then said:
“I’m busy until 1:00 PM. Did you want something?”
“Let’s go out together… let’s forget what happened yesterday.”
Before Rosalyn left, she flashed a soft smile and said:
“Just the two of us… Jenny.”
Jenika felt a strange warmth spreading through her chest, so she smiled in turn as she arranged her belongings that she had forgotten the previous night.
On the opposite side of the academy, Lucian and Dastan sat in the dining hall, eating their breakfast quietly.
Suddenly, Lucian heard another student speaking in a mocking tone:
“Today is the welcoming day for the new students… the Student Council President will honor everyone herself.”
Lucian and Dastan exchanged a quick glance.
Understanding passed between them without words, as if the long years together had forged a silent telepathic bond.
“Are we going?” Lucian asked calmly.
“Certainly,” Dastan replied, “we want to know who this Council President is.”
The two headed toward the grand auditorium.
But on the way, the same student blocked their path along with his entourage, acting arrogant:
“Look at this commoner… entered thanks to influence and recommendations. How does the academy allow such a thing?”
Lucian’s cold eyes flashed, and he answered in a low voice that was as sharp as a blade:
“Leave.”
Dastan calmly grabbed his friend’s arm and pulled him away, saying:
“No need for delay.”
They entered the auditorium, which was packed with students and their parents.
The place was buzzing with vitality and laughter.
Dastan stood watching a small family exchanging jokes and hugs, and whispered in a broken voice:
“Is this… the meaning of family?”
Lucian felt the weight of the word, so he gently tapped his friend’s shoulder with a light fist:
“We are your family, and you are ours.”
Dastan smiled a sad smile and whispered:
“Sorry…”
“Stop it, mate, the ceremony is about to begin.”
The lights in the vast auditorium gradually dimmed, as if an invisible hand had pulled the curtain of darkness over a world of noise.
Then, a soft golden light burst forth, dancing like sunrise rays, focusing on the stage.
Rosalyn stepped up with a calm, regal stride.
Her long blonde hair swayed like strands of molten gold under the spotlights, and her golden eyes gleamed with a deep brilliance that combined nobility and authority.
She looked like a living statue of luminous marble, her pure white dress flowing around her body with unmatched elegance.
She stood firmly, looked out at the thousands of spellbound faces, and began her speech in a clear, resonant voice that carried the warmth of hope and the coldness of power all at once:
“Dear new students…
Welcome to this ancient citadel, where the dreams of youth intersect with the harshness of reality, and where souls are forged like swords on the grindstone.
Today, you do not just enter an academy…
rather, you step through a gateway into a new world that holds within its folds opportunities as brilliant as stars, and challenges as fierce as the frost of the northern winds in the First Continent.
Do not fear humble beginnings, for every legend began with a fearful step on unfamiliar ground.
Make your mistakes lessons etched into your memory like inscriptions on ancient stone, and from your toil and pain, build a path paved with gold toward excellence.
Distinction does not wait for talent alone; it kneels before the perseverance that knows no surrender, and the heart that beats with determination even in the darkest nights.
Form friendships as deep as the roots of ancient trees, and fill your days with knowledge that illuminates, and memories that will warm your hearts decades from now.
Do not let failure define your destiny, but make it fuel to ignite your ambition to become stronger and greater.
This academy is not just a place to study…
it is a mirror that reveals your true selves, and a laboratory that makes heroes out of you or casts down the weak.
We in the Student Council will be the hand extended to you in the dark, and the voice that encourages you at every step.
Welcome…
and let us make this year the beginning of an unforgettable epic of success.”
Thunderous applause erupted, echoing throughout the auditorium like a storm of admiration.
Then, Rosalyn added with a slight smile:
“And let us conclude this speech with a special salute to the unique genius… Professor Ozox, the author of theories that shake the foundations of the world, and who obtained the license of Lord Beelzebub himself.”
The audience whispered in amazement and curiosity: “Him?
Isn’t he the famous slacker?” “How can a genius like that even keep up with the Numbers?
We’ve lived to see it all…
but this professor is truly a rare case.”
Suddenly, two elegant women in black formal suits appeared, moving with agility and synchronization.
The first shouted in a firm voice:
“Master, wake up! How can you sleep amidst all this noise?”
The second said coldly: “Move aside… one, two, three.”
Then, she poured a generous amount of cold water over the man lying behind the curtain.
Professor Ozox rose slowly, his wet black hair clinging to his forehead, droplets of water streaming down his handsome face, which combined regal laziness with a hidden sharpness.
He wore an elegant classic white suit that accentuated his toned muscles without exaggeration, looking like a sorcerer who had no need for magic.
He raised his hand elegantly, ran his fingers through his hair to adjust it, and then looked at the audience with purple eyes as sharp as a sword’s blade.
He ascended the stage with slow steps, and Rosalyn stepped aside for him respectfully, lowering her head slightly.
A dead silence fell.
Then, Ozox spoke in a deep, calm voice that pierced chests like distant thunder:
“This is no place for weakness… Yet even the strongest find cause to question in the void. We do not choose the path… but we decide how we walk it. And with every step, the question remains to haunt the soul: Is power what we forge… or what chooses us?”
He paused for a moment, letting the words echo in the air.
Then, he continued in an even deeper voice:
“But it is not weakness alone… Some do not choose the right path, And some do not choose a path at all. The void… is sometimes more dangerous than any wrath, and harsher than any power.”
He immediately descended from the stage and returned to his spot to sleep, leaving everyone in deep bewilderment.
Even Rosalyn seemed slightly flustered as she apologized to the students and their parents.
The two assistants stepped out again, standing beside each other elegantly:
“I am Lucy,” the first said firmly.
“And I am Lilia,” the second added softly.
Then they said together in a perfectly synchronized voice:
“We are Professor Ozox’s assistants. We apologize for any confusion caused by the Professor, and we thank you for your understanding.”
They withdrew quickly and elegantly, leaving behind an aura of mystery and respect.
After the ceremony ended, the luxurious banquet hall filled with the aromas of delicious dishes that rose like clouds from paradise.
Food was distributed everywhere: grilled meats with rare spices, fresh fish glistening under the chandelier lights, colorful salads like artistic paintings, and desserts that melted the heart before the tongue.
Lucian and Dastan sat tasting the dishes for the first time in their lives with an irresistible appetite.
Lucian said with his mouth full: “We must change the plan… we will take everything we can in food containers and save it for later.”
Dastan replied with a faint smile: “The feeling is mutual.”
At that moment, Rosalyn returned to her room…
Rosalyn entered packed with luxurious bags from various boutiques, her hair swaying with every step, and her eyes gleaming with a special spark.
Jenika looked at her with surprise mixed with admiration:
“You’ve shopped well, Lyn!”
Rosalyn gently took Jenika’s hand with tender affection, squeezing it with a pearl of emotion, and said in a soft voice that flowed like dew:
“Jenny… all of this is for you.”
Jenika’s eyes widened: “Lyn… how can I take all of this?”
“A simple gift from me to you. In any case, lunch will get cold.”
Rosalyn marvelled greatly at Jenika’s cooking, describing it as “exceptional, surpassing even professional chefs’ dishes.” After finishing the meal, Rosalyn stood up and said with quiet enthusiasm:
“Change your clothes, come on, let’s take a stroll around the academy.”
They headed toward the dense forest surrounding the academy, where ancient trees intertwined their branches like the pillars of an old temple, and the sun’s rays filtered through them like golden fingers.
They reached the peaceful river around 4:00 PM.
The water flowed gently, reflecting the shifting colors of the sky.
Rosalyn sat on a smooth rock, looking at the glistening water, and said in a voice carrying a hidden loneliness:
“This is my favorite place… whenever I feel distressed or suffocated, I come here to breathe.”
She fell silent for a moment, then asked hesitantly:
“Jenny… why did you become my friend? Is it because of my bro—”
Jenika interrupted her with firm gentleness:
“Lyn… we are truly friends. You tolerated me despite me barging into your room without permission and seeing you naked… that alone was enough.”
They returned to the room at 11:30 PM, the silence between them sharp and heavy.
Rosalyn stepped out of the bathroom after bathing, enveloped in the scent of luxurious soap, and said quietly:
“You go in now.”
Jenika took her bath.
After Jenika came out of the bathroom, her attention was caught by Rosalyn standing before her, looking at the ground with deep shyness.
Suddenly, Rosalyn stepped forward and embraced her tightly.
She leaned down slightly—due to the height difference—and began to weep bitterly, her hot tears streaming onto Jenika’s chest.
Jenika gently placed Rosalyn’s head on her lap, whispering with maternal tenderness:
“Lyn… what’s wrong? Tell me.”
Rosalyn raised her tear-reddened eyes and looked at Jenika as if she were a saving angel:
“Tell me the truth… did you befriend me because of my brother?”
“Your brother? Do you even have a brother to begin with?”
The tears stopped for a moment, and then Rosalyn whispered:
“My brother is… the Special Unique Number Five, Narcreon.”
Jenika was shocked, but she broke into a warm smile that could melt ice:
“That explains the secret behind your breathtaking beauty and your serene, noble appearance.”
Then, Jenika revealed her secret, showing the Numbers they had gathered.
Rosalyn’s eyes widened in astonishment:
“Six Numbers?! And even two Special ones… Wait, my brother and Cloud… Have you met my brother?”