Noah didn’t sleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the same thing.
His reflection.
Smiling.
And that single word remained buried inside his mind.
Soon.
By morning, Noah had decided on something very simple.
He was going to pretend none of it had happened.
It was a terrible plan.
Sophia noticed immediately.
"You look dead."
Noah slowly lifted his head from the table.
"Good morning to you too."
Sophia sat opposite him.
"It wasn’t a greeting."
"I noticed."
Luna placed a cup beside Noah.
"Did you sleep?"
Noah stared at the drink.
"A little."
Laura, sitting beside Luna, quietly looked at him.
"How little?"
Noah glanced toward her.
"Why?"
"Because you look exhausted."
Eric arrived with a plate of food.
"He’s always exhausted."
"Thank you, Eric," Noah said flatly.
"You’re welcome."
Damien sat farther away, unusually quiet.
His eyes rested on Noah for a moment.
Then he looked away.
Noah noticed.
Everyone was watching him.
Fantastic.
The academy district had become livelier since the transport announcement.
Students had accepted that they wouldn’t be leaving Hildgard anytime soon.
Some were already making plans.
Others were complaining.
A few appeared genuinely happy about having extra days in the city.
Eric belonged to the third category.
"This is perfect."
Sophia looked horrified.
"Perfect?"
"Five more days."
"You’re forgetting that we still have classes when we return."
Eric stopped chewing.
His expression darkened.
"...I hate you."
Sophia smiled.
Luna laughed softly.
Laura looked down at her food.
Noah watched them.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Then—
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION.]
Noah froze.
The others continued talking.
The blue screen appeared before him.
Only he could see it.
[HOST STATUS: ANALYZING.]
Noah frowned.
Analyzing what?
The screen flickered.
[CURRENT RANK: F]
Noah leaned forward.
Then the letters distorted.
[WARNING.]
[WARNING.]
[WARNING.]
The notification multiplied.
Once.
Twice.
Five times.
Then—
The entire screen filled.
[WARNING: F-RANK STATUS UNSTABLE.]
Noah’s heartbeat quickened.
The system began glitching violently.
[F-RANK...]
[F-RANK...]
[F-RANK...]
[F-RANK...]
[F-RANK...]
The words continued.
Over and over.
Noah slowly stood from his chair.
Sophia looked up.
"Noah?"
He didn’t answer.
The notifications suddenly stopped.
Silence.
Then one message appeared.
[F-RANK STATUS: ELIMINATED.]
Noah’s eyes widened.
"What...?"
The screen flickered.
A new line appeared.
[REASSESSING.]
Static.
[RANK: A]
Noah’s breathing stopped.
A.
A-Rank?
That was impossible.
His hands slowly clenched.
The system had always identified him as F-Rank.
Even before Ragnarok.
Even after everything that had happened.
Why was it changing now?
The screen suddenly shook.
ZZZZZT—
The A disappeared.
Static filled the entire interface.
Then—
[RANK: S]
Noah froze.
The letters remained for less than a second.
Then—
[ERROR.]
[INVALID.]
[ERROR.]
The system violently distorted.
Sophia suddenly grabbed Noah’s arm.
"Noah!"
The screen disappeared.
Noah blinked.
He was standing beside the table.
Everyone was staring at him.
Laura had risen from her seat.
"What happened?" Luna asked.
Noah looked down.
His fingers were shaking.
"...Nothing."
Sophia’s expression immediately darkened.
"Stop saying that."
Noah looked toward her.
"I said I’m fine."
The words came out sharper than he intended.
Silence followed.
Sophia stared at him.
Noah immediately regretted it.
"...Sorry."
Sophia looked away.
"It’s fine."
But it wasn’t.
Laura stepped closer.
"Noah."
He looked toward her.
Her eyes were serious.
"What happened?"
Noah opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
How was he supposed to explain it?
Hey, my rank just changed from F to A, then S, and apparently the system thinks something is wrong with me.
He rubbed his forehead.
"I just need some air."
Then he walked away.
The streets outside were quieter than usual.
Noah walked without paying attention to where he was going.
His mind kept replaying the messages.
F-Rank eliminated.
A-Rank.
Then—
S-Rank.
Invalid.
What did invalid even mean?
Noah stopped.
He was standing in an empty alley between two ancient buildings.
The sounds of Hildgard seemed distant here.
His breathing slowly steadied.
Then his reflection appeared in a nearby window.
Noah immediately turned.
The reflection was staring back.
Normal.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you?"
Nothing.
No smile.
No movement.
No voice.
Noah turned away.
Then—
You’re asking the wrong question.
He froze.
The voice was directly behind him.
Noah spun around.
The alley was empty.
His heart pounded.
You should be asking...
The temperature dropped.
Noah’s shadow stretched across the ground.
Farther than it should have.
His eyes widened.
...who are you?
The world suddenly went dark.
Noah couldn’t breathe.
For one brief second, he stood somewhere else.
A vast black space.
Endless.
And far ahead—
A figure stood in the darkness.
Noah couldn’t see its face.
But he knew.
He knew exactly who it was.
Ragnarok Dead Zone.
The figure slowly raised its head.
Two eyes opened.
Cold.
Violent.
Filled with something Noah couldn’t understand.
Then—
THUMP!
Noah slammed against the alley wall.
The world returned.
His knees nearly gave out.
He grabbed the stone beside him.
Sweat ran down his face.
"What the hell..."
A laugh echoed inside his mind.
Low.
Quiet.
Almost amused.
Not yet, Noah.
The voice faded.
We’re only beginning.
Noah stood there alone.
Above the buildings, one of Hildgard’s distant towers caught the sunlight.
And somewhere else in the city...
A young man stopped walking.
Alcris slowly turned his head.
His eyes narrowed.
For the briefest moment—
His perception had felt something.
Something cold.
Something ancient.
The same sensation.
The sensation he had felt near Noah Blackwood.
Alcris stared toward the distant academy district.
His expression slowly changed.
"...What are you?"
By the time Noah returned to the academy district, the sun had begun sinking behind Hildgard’s distant towers.
The city changed as night approached.
One by one, magical lamps ignited along the streets.
Golden lights floated above market stalls.
Runes carved into ancient walls began glowing.
And slowly, almost imperceptibly, the three moons returned to the sky.
Noah kept his head down.
He didn’t want anyone asking questions.
Unfortunately—
"Noah!"
He stopped.
Sophia stood several meters away.
Luna was beside her.
Laura stood behind them.
Eric was carrying a paper bag filled with food.
Damien leaned against a stone pillar.
Every single one of them was looking at him.
Noah sighed.
"...What?"
Sophia folded her arms.
"You disappeared."
"I went for a walk."
"For nearly two hours."
Noah looked toward Eric.
"Is she always this annoying?"
"Yes."
Sophia turned toward Eric.
"Shut up."
Luna covered her mouth.
Laura didn’t smile.
That was what Noah noticed first.
She was staring at him.
Again.
"You don’t look well," Laura said.
Noah rubbed the back of his neck.
"I’m fine."
Sophia’s eyes narrowed.
"Don’t."
"Don’t what?"
"Say that."
Noah blinked.
Sophia stepped closer.
"You’ve been acting strange since yesterday."
"I told you, I’m tired."
"And I told you that excuse is becoming boring."
Eric slowly backed away.
Damien remained where he was.
Luna looked between them.
Noah sighed.
"I just needed some time alone."
That wasn’t entirely a lie.
Sophia stared at him for several seconds.
Then her expression softened.
"Fine."
Noah raised an eyebrow.
"That’s it?"
"For now."
The words somehow sounded worse.
They returned to the main streets together.
Hildgard at night was completely different.
During the day, the city felt ancient.
At night—
It felt alive.
The three moons illuminated the enormous stone roads.
The left moon burned crimson.
The right moon carried a cold blue glow.
And between them, the central moon watched silently over the city.
Their lights mixed across the buildings.
Red.
Blue.
Pale violet.
Sophia stopped beside a merchant stall.
"Oh."
Eric immediately became suspicious.
"No."
"I haven’t even said anything."
"You made that face."
"What face?"
"That face."
Sophia turned toward Luna.
"Do you see why he’s irritating?"
Luna smiled.
"I think both of you are."
Sophia stared at her.
Luna immediately looked away.
Noah laughed quietly.
For a few minutes, he forgot about the system.
Forgot about the voice.
Forgot about Ragnarok Dead Zone.
That was enough.
They eventually reached a wide plaza.
Students from several academies filled the area.
Some were eating.
Others were sparring.
Music played somewhere nearby.
Hildgard citizens moved casually among them.
Noah watched everything.
"So this is what the city is normally like?"
Laura nodded.
"Hildgard has always been crowded during academy events."
Noah glanced toward her.
"You know a lot about it."
"I read."
Eric groaned.
"There are too many people here who enjoy reading."
Sophia looked toward him.
"You haven’t read a book voluntarily in months."
"Incorrect."
"When?"
Eric thought.
Everyone waited.
"...Instructions count."
Sophia laughed.
Even Damien briefly looked amused.
Noah moved toward the edge of the plaza.
A massive map had been carved into a stone wall.
It showed Hildgard and its surrounding regions.
Noah studied it.
The academy district.
The central city.
The old historical quarter.
The northern gates.
Then—
His eyes stopped.
There was another section.
Farther away.
Separated by a long boundary.
The name had been partially scratched away.
But Noah could still read it.
Demi-Hildgard.
"Don’t go there."
Noah turned.
Laura stood beside him.
He looked back at the map.
"What is it?"
Laura hesitated.
"A place most people don’t talk about."
That caught Noah’s attention.
"Why?"
"It’s dangerous."
"That doesn’t explain anything."
Laura remained quiet for a moment.
Then she pointed toward the boundary on the map.
"Most of it is sealed."
"Sealed?"
"Yes."
"By who?"
Laura’s expression changed slightly.
"I don’t know."
Noah looked at her.
"You don’t know?"
"I said most people don’t talk about it."
Before Noah could ask anything else, Sophia called from across the plaza.
"Noah!"
He turned.
"What?"
"Come here!"
"Why?"
"We found food!"
Eric immediately shouted:
"THE GOOD KIND!"
Noah looked back toward Laura.
She was still staring at the map.
"Demi-Hildgard," Noah muttered.
Laura looked at him.
"Forget about it."
Noah smiled faintly.
"That makes me want to know more."
Laura sighed.
Then she walked away.
Much later that night, Noah returned to his room.
He closed the door.
Locked it.
Then stood silently in the darkness.
Nothing happened.
No system.
No voice.
No strange reflection.
Noah slowly relaxed.
"Maybe it was just stress."
The moment he said it—
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION.]
Noah’s face darkened.
A blue screen appeared.
[HOST MENTAL CONDITION: UNSTABLE.]
[RECOMMENDED ACTION: REST.]
Noah stared.
"Seriously?"
The screen flickered.
Then another message appeared.
[WARNING.]
Noah didn’t move.
[RAGNAROK DEAD ZONE RESONANCE DETECTED.]
A number appeared beneath it.
0.3%
Noah’s eyes narrowed.
Yesterday, it had been 0.1%.
Now—
0.3%.
"What does that mean?"
The system didn’t respond.
The room suddenly became cold.
Noah’s shadow moved across the floor.
He froze.
The light behind him hadn’t changed.
Yet his shadow stretched farther.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Toward the opposite wall.
Then—
The shadow’s head lifted.
Noah’s breath stopped.
His own shadow looked at him.
A voice whispered through the room.
You enjoyed yourself tonight.
Noah couldn’t move.
You laughed.
The shadow twisted.
You forgot about me.
Noah clenched his fists.
"Shut up."
A quiet laugh echoed.
That’s impossible now.
The lamps in the room suddenly went dark.
CLICK.
Complete darkness swallowed Noah.
For several seconds—
Nothing.
Then a hand touched his shoulder.
Noah spun around.
Nobody.
The lamps returned.
Noah stood alone.
His breathing was heavy.
The system appeared one last time.
[RESONANCE: 0.5%]
Noah stared at the number.
Then the screen vanished.
Outside his window, Hildgard glittered beneath three moons.
Peaceful.
Beautiful.
Unaware.
Noah slowly walked toward the bed.
He sat down.
And for the first time since arriving in Hildgard—
He was afraid to fall asleep.
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