[LOG ENTRY 17 – Voice Recording Active]
A bubbly, girlish voice echoes softly like a diary narrated aloud.
"Log 17! It's been a total blast so far! Daddy finally finished helping with the school's new orientation program. I mean, it's way more exciting than last year. He even let me get a sneak peek of the whole layout... well, most of it. The Forest was off-limits, though—strictly forbidden! Daddy got all weird about it, said something about a powerful yet friendly monster working in there. He even called the guy a 'cleaner.' Isn't that, like, super suspicious? Especially when he shivers every time I bring it up! Ugh! Adults and their secrets... Whatever! I'll find out when I get there. That's a promise. Tee-hee~"
[LOG ENTRY END]
The forest.
Once more, the orientation grounds lay hidden beneath a quilt of shadows and warping light, where half-seen movements and creeping shapes teased the edges of vision. Screams of battle and laughter blended with magical bursts echoing between the trees, and a chorus of clashing steel filled the humid air.
Among the dozens of students pushing their limits, few noticed the shadows slithering between their fights. Fewer still had the courage—or idiocy—to chase them.
One student did. Jarold Plaza.
Jarold had been trailing Troy for almost ten minutes now. The same Troy who'd handled Kael like yesterday's leftovers. Jarold, out of breath and sweating, kept talking, partly out of habit, partly to soothe his own nerves.
"Hey—hey Troy, don't you think it's kinda weird? I mean, they gave us the full Orientation guide, but there's nothing in it about how this ends! Zip! Nada! Like, they legit told us not even the upperclassmen are allowed to talk about it." He laughed nervously. "Kinda spooky, huh?"
Troy grunted but didn't stop walking. His eyes were fixed on the ground, scanning the dirt and leaves like something invisible had caught his attention.
Jarold sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Also, why do you always walk like you're heading to a funeral?"
"Come here, idiot," Troy said suddenly, eyes narrowing.
"Huh? Wait, wha—?"
"What type of magic did you say you could use?"
"Glass magic. It's a rare hybrid. Combines light and spatial distortion." Jarold stood a little straighter, his chest puffing with pride. "Pretty cool, right?"
"Good," Troy muttered. "Now light this place up. Flash it. Now."
"Wha—but why?"
"Just do it," Troy said, sharper this time.
Jarold blinked. "Okay, okay, yeesh." He held out his hand and muttered, "Flash."
A brilliant burst of light exploded outward, bathing the forest floor in blinding radiance.
And then—they saw them.
Dozens of twisted, crouching forms with jagged limbs and snarling teeth. Their skin shimmered unnaturally, not quite solid.
Jarold gasped. "S-Shadow Goblins?! No! We're dead!"
Troy grabbed his shoulder. "They're not real."
Jarold froze. "What?"
"They're illusions," Troy said flatly, "Designed to scare the idiots who don't pay attention."
Before Jarold could argue, a voice cooed from the shadows, thick with mockery and charm.
"Well aren't you just a heartbreaker?"
From the treetops, she descended—a monstrous beauty. A pale, elegant woman with full crimson lips and silver eyes that shimmered like starlight. Her upper half was flawless… until her waist vanished into a hulking spider's body coated in red and violet-accented jet-black fur.
Jarold turned pale. "Th-That's—That's an S-Rank! It's the Immortal Demon-Spider!"
Troy raised an eyebrow. "You've met?"
"N-No! She's in books, dude! And stories! She's supposed to be a killer who can't die!"
"I know that IDIOT!" Troy snapped, not actually knowing that but would rather Jarold shutting up. "Why do you think no one ever sees what happens at the end of Orientation? It's because she hunts them down."
The spider-woman giggled, placing a hand delicately on her cheek. "My my, you are informed, sugar."
"Told you," Troy said. "She's not for show."
The spider's red eyes glowed. "Name's Rosa, sweetheart. Been workin' with the royal family since the previous king. My job? Protect the forest… and send the babies home. Been huntin' ever since the first lil' duckling got tossed in here. It's tradition."
Jarold gulped. "W-We're screwed."
Troy didn't flinch. "Flash."
"What?"
"Flash now, Jarold!"
"FLASH!"
Another burst of light blinded the clearing. Rosa hissed, reeling back. In that instant, Jarold tried to run—but his mana was spent. Webbing struck him mid-step, wrapping his body in thick strands before Rosa's fangs struck.
He vanished in a beam of blue light.
Rosa turned. "Well, that's one lil' fly caught in the net. Now—"
She was cut off by Troy's sword, slashing down with pure Aether force. She blocked with a hardened limb, chuckling as her spider legs dug into the dirt.
"Now now," Rosa cooed. "That's some mighty fine Aether you've got there, sugar. Shame you don't really know how to use it."
Troy grit his teeth, slashing again and again. Rosa moved like liquid smoke, parrying with claws and swaying her torso seductively as if in dance.
"Damn it… she's good," Troy thought, his arms straining. "So this is how Kael must've felt."
Then a sharp crack of thunder tore through the trees, followed by a bolt of lightning striking between them. Rosa twisted her head toward it, annoyed—only to see a blur charging at her.
Jess.
She emerged from the trees, eyes glowing with fury. "Found you first, dummy."
Together, Troy and Jess stood side by side, ready.
"Awwww!" Rosa sang. "You two lovebirds~ ain't that just the sweetest thing I've ever seen. Tell ya what—I'll send y'all back together, nice and cozy."
Dark magic flared from her fangs. Rosa's smile widened as she fired a condensed shadow bolt at them. The last thing Troy saw was Jess grabbing his arm before the world shattered into blue light.
Overseer Room – Observation Hall
The room erupted into claps and chatter as the final students were teleported out of the Forest. The large magical screens dimmed, and Archie—the old Headmaster with far too much energy—stood with a grin.
"Well then!" he bellowed. "That's the last one! Time for everyone's favorite part tomorrow… CLASS PICKING!"
Groans echoed throughout the room.
Madam Clover rolled her eyes. "Must you yell every year, Archie?"
"You love it and you know it," he winked. "Besides, who doesn't enjoy watching the kids panic over which subject to take?"
The school had a BUNCH of electives and three core classes for first-years:
General Studies – mandatory, boring, filled with magical theory, ethics, and history.
Magic Knowledge – advanced application, spell theory, and dangerous experimentation.
Swordplay Study – hands-on combat and Aether-based martial arts.
Students were only allowed to pick one between the latter two for their weekly schedules.
Archie leaned toward the Queen, who was still watching the last screen. "Well? My students made it to the end. You owe me."
"I don't owe you shit, old man," the Queen said, standing and vanishing in a flash of golden light.
Archie howled with laughter as thunder crackled around him and he zipped off through a portal of lightning, leaving the sulking teachers in a daze.
Madam Clover, smiling to herself, walked toward the exit, her heels echoing across the polished floor.
"Looks like it's going to be another exciting year."