The academy corridor buzzed with the usual chaos—students chatting, chairs scraping, random spells misfiring into hallway walls.
Sayaka dragged her tired legs through it all like a zombie from the grave.
Her training session with Greff had been more intense than usual. Her shoulders ached. Her arms barely lifted her bag. But despite everything, there was a faint smile on her lips.
That last downward slash… it finally felt solid. Maybe I'm not a total hopeless case after all.
She pushed open the door to Class 1-A.
Immediately—whispers.
"Oh great, the manaless one is back."
"She still alive? Thought she'd run away after the last spar."
"I bet she bribed the teacher to let her pass the trials."
Sayaka said nothing.
She walked to her seat near the back corner, her desk slightly dented from a week-old fireball. The girl in front of her "accidentally" bumped her elbow hard while placing her bag.
"Ow—" Sayaka winced.
"Oh? My bad~" the girl smirked.
Sayaka kept her gaze down.
Let them talk. Let them mock. Just… ignore it. I came here to survive. Not to please anyone, but one day they will bow..
Still, her stomach twisted. Not from pain. From the building weight of helplessness. The ache she'd grown used to.
As she adjusted her seat, she winced again. Her thigh was still bruised from sparring class.
"Quiet down!" the teacher barked, walking in. Professor Mark—an older man with a crooked back and a love for lightning spells.
"I have an announcement," he said, scribbling something on the floating mana-board behind him.
"You all know our academy is part of the intercontinental network. Today, we're receiving an exchange student from the distant Northern Territory, from Demonica. Once ruled by a demon, but now under humans after the Legendary Hero defeated it."
Huh? Exchange student? From Demonica? Sayaka blinked.
Mark cleared his throat.
"Please welcome Dev. He'll be joining Class 1-A starting today."
The door creaked open.
Boots clicked against the polished floor. The room went dead silent.
And in walked the stranger.
He had spiky red hair that glinted like fire under the sunlight. His crimson eyes, almost glowing, scanned the room like a hawk eyeing prey. He wore the academy's black uniform, but with a long dark coat over it, which flowed behind him dramatically.
Sayaka's breath caught for a second.
That guy looks like… a villain from a video game.
"Yo," Dev said casually. His voice was calm, deep, and dangerously smooth. "Nice to meet you all."
A few girls swooned. One whispered, "He's so cool…"
Another muttered, "Bet he's strong. Look at that aura."
Even the bullies who usually poked Sayaka into silence were momentarily stunned.
The teacher gestured. "Seat… um, take the empty one near Sayaka."
Sayaka blinked.
Wait… what?
Dev walked down the aside, his footsteps unhurried. When he passed Sayaka, she felt it—a chill. Or maybe heat. She couldn't tell. But something flickered under her skin.
He sat down beside her.
No greeting. No smirk. Just stillness.
Sayaka pretended to look at her textbook.
Why do I feel… like I've met him before?
But she was sure she hadn't.
The rest of the class continued, but Sayaka could barely concentrate. Her eyes kept drifting toward Dev. He didn't write. Didn't fidget. He just sat there, arms folded, eyes occasionally glancing out the window.
Like he was watching… waiting.
Meanwhile…
So this is where the anomaly is hiding… somewhere in this academy.
Dev didn't yet know who it was. Only that a person—foreign to this world—had slipped into existence and awakened something ancient.
I'll find them. In time. This academy's full of insects, but one of them will crawl into the open.
His gaze drifted around the room lazily, noting faces, posture, energy levels. Just another scan. Another hunt.
He didn't even glance at the quiet girl beside him.
She didn't register in his focus yet. Just another student.
Unremarkable.
Forgettable.