The next morning, soft golden light poured through the tall dormitory windows of Room Seven. The sounds of birds echoed from the academy courtyard, a peaceful contrast to the heavy silence between the room's residents.
Satoru sat on his bed, staring at the ceiling as if lost in deep thought. Yuri, polishing his sword nearby, glanced at him and said:
"Still thinking about last night?"
Satoru let out a sigh.
"Ryan's gaze felt familiar... like I've seen it somewhere before. And Santara... there's something strange about her. The things she says… it's like she knows where we came from."
A short silence fell between them as Satoru's thoughts repeated in his mind:
"Could Ryan really be that Ryan from our world?"
Arne, chewing on a piece of dry bread, chimed in with his mouth half full:
"I had a feeling. The way he looked... it was different. Not like the others. It's like he's been here for a long time."
Just then, the door creaked open and Ryan entered with a calm, mysterious expression.
He glanced at the three of them and said:
"It's time you knew a few things. At least… about me."
---
Ryan stood by the door, sunlight spilling over his messy hair from the window behind him. The room grew tense.
He stepped forward and said calmly:
"I… arrived in this world long before you did. Much earlier."
Yuri frowned.
"What do you mean? You're saying... you too—?"
Ryan nodded.
"Our world... the one where magic was just fantasy and life was dull—I remember it. I still do."
His eyes locked onto Satoru.
"But what I've learned goes beyond a simple 'summoning'. This world... is a grand stage. And we're the actors. But the directors? They're somewhere else."
Satoru, who had remained quiet, finally asked in a low voice:
"Directors...? What do you mean by that?"
Ryan closed his eyes.
"Just know this for now—there's no such thing as a random choice. We were brought here for a reason. Some of us arrived early… others later. But we're all tied to a far greater conflict. Even if we don't realize it yet."
---
Satoru and Yuri stood up almost at the same time, their eyes locked onto the boy in front of them. A mix of disbelief, hope, and recognition flickered behind their gazes.
Satoru took a slow step forward and muttered,
"Ryan... is it really you?"
Yuri smiled, half in shock, half in joy.
"You're here too? Just like us? Seriously?!"
Ryan gave a soft smile—the same smile they remembered from that dull science class years ago in the old world.
"Of course it's me. Though... maybe a slightly more worn-out version."
The air grew heavy—not with tension, but with the strange weight of reunion. The kind that stirs when you find someone you'd thought was lost forever.
Yuri's voice turned more serious.
"You have to tell us everything. From the beginning. From the moment you were summoned."
Ryan paused, his eyes scanning both of them, then slowly sat down.
"Alright... but you should know—this story isn't just mine anymore. It might be the start of something much bigger."
---
I was sitting in class with my two best friends.
Yuri—always pretending she had no reason to smile, and Satoru... quiet as ever, always one step ahead of the rest.
Everything was normal—until that strange light swallowed the room.
When I opened my eyes, neither of them were by my side anymore.
Just a dark forest, cold air, and me... alone.
The first few months were the hardest.
Hunger. No shelter. The fear of creatures I didn't even know the names of.
But little by little, I realized—this world wasn't just different because of magic or monsters.
There was something deeper... something moving in the shadows.
An invisible order. A purpose I still couldn't grasp.
The stories villagers whispered at night became my only guide.
They spoke of ancient powers that once shaped this world—and then vanished.
Some mentioned a war that happened centuries ago, a war that still hasn't ended.
No one knew the full truth. But somehow, those stories awakened something in me.
As if... I was meant to be part of that story someday.
And today, when I saw you two again...
I knew that "someday"—was now.
---
Yuri fell silent for a moment, as if the words she wanted to say had gotten lost among the memories now coming to life. Then, softly, she said,
"So that's why you felt so familiar… there was something in your eyes."
Satoru simply stared at Ryan. A thousand questions spun in his mind, but one stood out above the rest.
"Why were you the only one who survived? Why were we separated?"
Ryan shrugged.
"I don't know. When I arrived in this world, I was alone.
Maybe this world chooses where it throws people."
Yuri smiled faintly, though there was a weight behind it.
"Well, now that you're back, you're not alone anymore.
The three of us—we've always been a team. That hasn't changed."
Satoru let out a quiet sigh.
"There's just one problem…
This world isn't simple.
We're not just trying to survive—something bigger is forming, and we're caught in the middle of it."
Ryan slowly nodded.
"I know. That's why we have to stay together."
In that moment, no promises were needed. No oaths.
Just a silent agreement—built not only on memories of an old friendship…
but the start of a new alliance—
in a world that looked nothing like the one they came from.
---
Just outside the door, Santara stood still. Her expression was serious—not out of surprise from what she heard, but because of something deeper. Ryan's voice could be clearly heard through the crack in the door, speaking of another world, separation, and something that awaited them all.
Her lips tightened.
"So... you finally said it," she whispered, her voice like a cold breeze through the hallway.
At that moment, soft footsteps echoed behind her. Zelophis emerged from the shadows with a calm face and cold eyes. His voice was low, but firm:
"You're listening, Santara?"
Without turning, she replied,
"You think I can't be careful?"
Zelophis stepped closer—just a few steps away now.
"You know what happens if they learn too much. I'll have to report it. And you know what comes after..."
Santara lowered her head slightly, though her gaze remained sharp.
"I know. But I'm still human, Zelophis. I can't just stand by while my past walks through that door."
He paused.
"We were chosen. Emotions were the first thing we had to sacrifice. Have you forgotten why you're here?"
He stepped back, then whispered,
"He's always watching. Even when you think you're alone."
Santara remained frozen for a few seconds, saying nothing.
Then slowly, without another word, she stepped away from the door and disappeared into the hallway.
---
Inside the room, the faint glow of the wall lamp cast blurred shadows across the ceiling. Ryan sat by the window, Yuri lay stretched out on the bed, and Arne fiddled with a strange magic stone—no one knew where he'd gotten it from. Satoru sat silently for a moment, then finally spoke:
"Yesterday, in the library, I read something strange. It was about a realm called 'Hell Dimension.' A place beyond the borders of this world... filled with corrupted beings and monsters so dangerous that even mentioning them is considered risky. There's only one way in… and that path can only be opened by someone who possesses both light and shadow magic. An old prophecy called them the 'Broken Key.'"
Silence filled the room.
Satoru turned his gaze to Yuri.
"And you, Yuri… your powers are starting to resemble that. Light and shadow? Maybe this isn't just a coincidence."
Yuri exhaled slowly.
"I've tried to tell you before... but even I'm afraid of it. It feels like something inside me is just waiting to wake up."
Arne murmured,
"So what does that mean? Are we supposed to... do something?"
Ryan finally looked up.
"Maybe it's time we set a clear goal. This world's showing us that getting stronger isn't enough. We have to know why we want to be strong."
---
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows of the classroom, casting colorful patterns from stained glass onto the wooden desks. Professor Teach stood at the front, looking mildly bored as he explained the nature of mana and the basic structures of elemental magic. His voice was low, but precise; every word seemed to carry a specific weight.
Arne sat slouched at his desk, sketching a dragon in the corner with his pen, muttering to himself,
"Was wind magic this boring too?"
Yuri, arms crossed and leaning slightly back in his seat, whispered to Satoru,
"Is Teach always this stiff when he lectures?"
Satoru, eyes still on the window, muttered back,
"No... He used to be more than just stiff. He was terrifying."
A small explosion echoed from the desk nearby. One of the students had attempted a spell without proper focus. Purple smoke billowed in the air, but Teach didn't even turn around. He simply said,
"If your brain's asleep, don't let your magic nap too."
A few chuckles rippled through the room... but they died down just as quickly.
---
The end-of-class bell hadn't rung yet when Teach closed his notebook. He scanned the room with a slow glance and said,
"Today's lesson isn't over... at least not for some of you."
A quiet murmur spread across the classroom. Satoru, Yuri, Arne, and Ryan exchanged glances. A strange feeling passed between them—as if they already knew exactly who Teach was talking about.
Teach continued,
"Satoru. Yuri. Ryan. Arne. Stay after class. There's something only you four can handle."
Arne muttered under his breath,
"My mana's still not fully charged…"
Yuri smirked.
"Great. We're getting dragged into trouble again."
Satoru, however, looked down at his desk. In silence, only one thought echoed in his mind:
"Teach never calls us without a reason."
---
In the dimly lit room behind the classroom, pale light filtered through a small window. Teach stood with one hand resting on the wooden desk and spoke softly:
"Have you ever heard of Exvoid?"
The four of them exchanged silent glances. Ryan raised an eyebrow. Yuri asked,
"A group?"
Teach slightly lowered his head.
"Not a group… a network. A vast shadow that reaches even the brightest places. No nation is safe from them—not the North, not the South, not the East or West. Exvoid is what's left of an ancient organization. But their goal… no one truly knows. Not even their own members."
Satoru asked,
"So they're not after power? Or control?"
"No." Teach paused.
"They're not after anything you can understand. They just move. Like a gear spinning in a machine whose purpose no one remembers."
Yuri's tone turned serious.
"Then what do you want from us?"
---
Teach raised his hand slightly, as if trying to grasp something in the air. His voice was calm, yet firm.
"I don't want you to confront Exvoid. Not yet. Not at this stage. But…"
His eyes gleamed in the dim light of the room.
"Among the students… one of their units is here. And inside the academy, I don't have the authority to act directly. They've even infiltrated the royal council. The only people I can trust... are those outside all official networks. Like you."
Ryan said,
"So you want us to take them out?"
"Not directly. Just remove them from the system. Quietly. Remove their influence. Their access. Their path to power."
Teach took a deep breath.
"If you succeed… I can guarantee your future won't be that of ordinary students."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Something flickered in Satoru's eyes—maybe anxiety… or excitement.
And then, the distant sound of the end-of-class bell cut through the tension like a blade.
But none of the four moved an inch.