The Anomaly's Path

I left the banquet hall and stepped outside. Most of the students had already moved toward the eastern bridges and the courtyard to set up defenses. The lower-ranks students were being led to the shelters by the teachers.

Helene stood near the archway, her face serious as she gave orders to the guards.

She wasn’t leaving the Academy. Since the headmaster was gone, she was in charge of holding the Academy’s defenses and directing the evacuation from inside. She couldn’t go to the front lines even if she wanted to.

"The VIP guests from the second hall are already at the Central Shelter," Helene had told me moments before, looking at the reports in her hand. "Your family are in Room 4B in the eastern wing. Go if you have to, Leo, but don’t stay long. The rifts near the valley are getting worse."

I didn’t waste time replying. I turned and moved.

_

The Central Shelter wasn’t a normal underground bunker. Built into the rocky cliffs on the edge of Aegis Prime, it was once an old temple before the Academy added walls and iron doors to protect it.

The city itself stretched for miles around the central towers, with its stone streets, high balconies, and shop, but now it was empty. The shelter sat at the edge of that city, a grim stone fortress acting as the last safe place.

I walked through the dark, cold hallways of the shelter. The narrow passages echoed with the quiet whispers of scared nobles and the heavy steps of guards at every corner. The air was dry, freezing, and thick with the smell of old dust.

I reached Room 4B, a massive, reinforced chamber secured by a iron door etched with defensive runes. I raised my hand and knocked three times.

A second later, the lock clicked, and the door swung open. Lyra stood in the doorway, her right hand resting on her short sword, her eyes sharp and watchful. The moment she saw me, her shoulders relaxed.

"Young Master..." she said softly, stepping aside.

I nodded and stepped into the big, tall room.

The room was large, lit by lamps on the walls that gave off a soft, warm light. In the far corner, my mother sat on a bed, her silver hair bright against her blue dress. Mia was sitting right beside her, leaning against her side, her small hands gripping her mother’s sleeve.

She looked up, her small face pale, her red, swollen eyes locking onto me.

I stopped and looked at her tear-stained cheeks, the way her tiny hands were tightly knotted into my mother’s sleeve, trembling. A heavy weight settled in my chest, a mix of guilt and frustration. She was never supposed to be here.

I slowly walked over and crouched down in front of her, bringing myself level with her eyes.

"Mia..." I said softly.

She let out a ragged, hiccuping breath and threw her arms around my neck, burying her face into my shoulder. "Leo... Leo... Leo..." she sobbed, her small body shaking against my chest. "You’re here... there were loud noises... and the floor shook... and everyone was running..."

I didn’t move for a second, my body stiff, before I slowly raised my arms and wrapped them around her, resting my hand against the back of her head. I could feel the cold sweat on her skin.

"...I’m here, Mia," I said, my voice softer. "I’m sorry I was late. But I’m here now. It’s okay."

Mia pulled back slightly, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her dress, her lip trembling as she tried to force her breathing to slow down. "I... I was scared, Big Bro...," she hiccuped, her voice small and desperate to prove something.

"But I remembered what Dad said... He said Celestials are strong... Celestials don’t cry when things get dark... I didn’t cry loud."

I looked into her tear-filled eyes. A strange mix of pride and shame pricked at my mind.

I reached up, my thumb gently wiping away a tear from her cheek, and lightly ruffled her hair. "Our old man says a lot of useless things," I said dryly, a faint smile pulling at my lips. "...But you’re right. You didn’t cry loud. You’re braver than your big brother."

Mia sniffled, wiping her eyes again, a tiny, fragile smile breaking through her pale face. "Hehe. I know I am..."

"Right," I said, reaching into my space ring and pulling out a small box of sweet candies I had picked up a few days ago.

"Here," I said, slipping the sweets into her hands. "These are for you. Stay here with Mom and eat them, alright?"

Her eyes brightened slightly as she clutched the box to her chest. "Okay... I will."

I turned, my gaze shifting toward my mother.

She was watching me silently. I stood up and walked over to where she was sitting. Isabella looked up at me, her green eyes filled with deep, quiet warmth, though the slight worry on her face showed her concern.

"Are you alright, Mom?" I asked, stopping in front of her.

"I am fine, Leo," she replied softly, her voice calm and steady. "And you? Are you hurt? What about Sylvia?"

"I’m fine," I said. "Sylvia is fine too. She’s outside helping vice president organize the defenses."

Isabella searched my face for a moment, letting out a quiet sigh. "...And you’re going out there as well, aren’t you?"

"..."

My silence was answer enough.

"I know what you’re thinking, Mom," I continued, meeting her gaze. "I know you’re thinking that your kids are out there fighting while you’re hiding here. I know you’re strong, Mom. I know you’re a Grandmaster. But stay here."

I took a step closer, lowering my voice so Mia wouldn’t hear. "Mia needs you here. If you go out there, she panics. I need you to hold this shelter. If any monsters come, heal the wounded and hold the doors. Leave the fighting to us."

"I need you to stay here," I said firmly.

"Besides, we both know how our old man is. If any of us are in real danger, that old monster will know. And you know better than anyone that he won’t let his family die. So stay here, and protect the people inside."

Isabella stared at me, searching my face, before a soft, sad smile touched her lips. She reached out, her fingers brushing a strand of white hair from my forehead. "I can’t win against you, can I? Very well. I will stay."

"Good," I nodded. I glanced around the room, noticing a missing presence. "By the way... where is Julian?"

Mom’s smile faded into a look of tired disbelief. She pointed a finger toward a narrow, wooden closet built into the wall. "In there."

Leo blinked. "...What?"

"When the alarm went off and the words ’Grade 8’ spread through the crowd," Lyra said from near the doorway, her voice flat, "he walked into the closet, pulled a stack of blankets over his head, and refused to come out."

I walked over to the closet, pulled the door open, and looked down.

Julian was squeezed into the bottom shelf, sitting with his knees pulled up to his chin, his hands over his ears, his eyes shut tight. He was pale as a ghost, his lips moving in a fast, quiet mumble.

"...we’re going to die... we’re all going to die... that bastard is going to kill me first... then the monsters are going to eat my legs... why did I come to this academy... why am I even alive..."

I stared at the boy for three full seconds, completely speechless. I reached down, grabbed Julian by the collar of his fine silk tunic, and yanked him out of the closet like a wet cat.

"AHHH! DEMON! WHITE-HAIRED DEMON—" Julian shrieked, swinging his arms wildly with his eyes still squeezed shut.

Smack!

I flicked him hard on the forehead.

"Open your eyes, brat," I said. "Your savior is here."

Julian froze. He opened one eye, saw my bored face staring down at him, and slumped to his feet with a heavy thud. He fixed his wrinkled tunic, coughing awkwardly to hide his embarrassment.

"I... I was checking the wood," Julian mumbled, looking everywhere except at me. "In case of an attack."

"Right," I said, giving his shoulder a hard pat that nearly made his knees buckle. "Stay in this room. If you wander out and get eaten, I’m not coming back for your shoes."

I turned back toward my mother and Lyra. "I’m leaving now."

"Be careful, Leo," Isabella said, her emerald eyes tracking my every step. "Please."

"Don’t worry, Mom," I said, a small, smirk playing on my lips. "I won’t die even if I wanted to. I still have a few stubborn idiots clinging to me outside, who won’t let me kick the bucket so easily."

I turned to Lyra. "Take care of yourself and others."

"With my life, Young Master," Lyra replied, bowing her head.

I gave Mia one last look, gave her a quick nod, and stepped out of the room, hearing the door lock behind me.

I left the shelter and made my way toward the gates leading to the surface.

_

The moment I stepped out into the open air of Aegis Prime, the sheer size of the disaster hit me.

The big city that usually buzzed with life was empty. Its wide streets were covered in a thin layer of purple mist. Red warning lights blazed across the distant towers of the Academy, casting a blood-like glow over the empty buildings.

I took a slow breath, resting my hand on the handle of Tempest. Most of the fighters were gathered around the main plaza and the central towers.

But I was heading somewhere else.

I was going toward the edge of the Sealed Valley, the dead, ruined land right next to the Academy’s outer wall. The valley was the buffer zone between the school and the wild lands. If its defenses failed, monsters would flood the city from behind.

Of course, I wasn’t stupid enough to actually go inside the Sealed Valley itself. At my current rank, stepping into a Grade 8 warzone would just be suicide. I’d only get in the way of fighters like Morgana and Damon, who were actually strong enough to handle the high-level threats.

My goal was simple: clear the area around the outer wall, kill any beasts that slipped through, and pull back right away if anything too dangerous showed up.

...Or at least, that was what I hoped.

Knowing my terrible, cursed luck, the universe probably had something very different planned for me today.

I took a step forward, ready to drop into the lower street—

Whoosh!

A soft, almost silent shift in the air happened right behind my left shoulder.

I stopped moving, my body tensing as black lightning flickered along my hands. I didn’t draw my sword, but I turned my head slowly, looking back at the shadow of a pillar. A pale, black-haired girl stepped out of the darkness.

"Damn it, Malva," I exhaled, letting out a sharp breath as my shoulders relaxed. "At least make some noise when you come near me. When did you even get here?"

"I was standing here waiting for you for twenty minutes," Malva said, her voice flat, her pale face showing nothing. "You didn’t notice."

I frowned slightly, shaking my head. Normally, slipping past me like that was almost impossible. My senses were sharp enough to catch the faint shift of air or a small ripple of mana from almost anyone nearby.

But I hadn’t felt a thing from her until she spoke. Her control over her Void affinity was getting ridiculous, she was hiding her presence so well now that she could almost disappear into the world around her.

"Why aren’t you with the others?" I asked, pushing the thought aside for now. "Roan was supposed to take our class to the inner defenses."

"Roan sent me," she said in her usual flat voice. "He took Alice and the others to defend the eastern bridge. He told me to come here because he knew your sense of direction is worse than his gambling skills. And he knew you’d probably do something stupid if you went alone."

I let out a short, dry laugh. "Of course he did."

I looked toward the dark, misty sky near the valley wall. Even if Roan was just making excuses, having her along wasn’t a bad thing. Her Void affinity had grown incredibly strong over the past few weeks, making her far more dangerous in a mess like this than most students.

"Fine. Stay behind me," I said, resting my hand on the grip of my sword. "We’re clearing the area along the valley edge. The rift energy is heavy over there, so keep your guard up."

"Understood," she said simply.

_

We moved together through the empty streets, heading straight for the outer wall. As we ran through the lower shopping area, the quiet was broken by sudden, harsh shrieks of Void-Crawlers, Grade 3 and Grade 4 beasts.

I didn’t slow my pace.

Volt Step.

I shot forward like a dark streak, pulling Tempest from its sheath in a fast, smooth arc. Black lightning burst out in a sharp, crackling wave, cutting three armored crawlers in half before they could even turn toward me.

Beside me, Malva moved like a ghost. She didn’t use flashy moves or loud mana bursts.

She just stepped into a shadow, appearing behind a huge, armored hound. Her hand reached out. A thin, black line of Void energy cut through the air, silently slicing the creature’s neck and erasing the wound from existence, no blood, no sound, just instant death.

Watching her from the corner of my eye, I had to admit she had grown fast since the Gate exam. Her movements were sharper, her Void control better. Even with her lower rank, she moved with me perfectly, a result of the battles we had fought together during the exam.

Together, we cut through three groups of beasts, clearing the path for a squad of retreating city guards who stared at us with wide, shocked eyes before running toward the shelter entrances.

Within twenty minutes, we reached the empty stretch of land bordering the Sealed Valley.

The air here was thick with a strange, purple mist. The fog was so dense it swallowed light and messed with normal mana senses. The tall stone walls separating the city from the valley were covered in thin cracks, gray rot seeping from the runes.

"Stay close to me, Malva," I said, slowing down as I pulled Tempest half an inch from its sheath. "This mist isn’t natural. It’s energy leaking from the valley barrier. If you get lost, your senses will get twisted."

I took three steps into the swirling fog. Suddenly, a strange silence fell over the area. The heavy pressure vanished, and the sound of footsteps behind me completely stopped. I stopped instantly, turning my head back into the purple haze.

"Malva...?" I called out.

There was no answer. The thick, purple mist swirled quietly around my boots, swallowing the road, the outer wall, and any sign of her.