The cafeteria smelled like roasted onions and old bread. Caelum had never eaten in the commoners' dining hall before. It was darker than the noble section, lit by dim magical stones that flickered like dying candles. The wooden tables were scratched and uneven, and the serving staff moved like they wanted to be anywhere else.
He carried two trays and found an empty corner table where nobody would bother them. Reed followed quietly, still looking like he expected to be kicked out at any moment.
They ate in silence for a while. The food was plain but filling. Reed ate slowly, carefully, like someone who had learned not to waste anything.
Caelum watched him between bites. Reed looked normal enough. Thin, with small scars on his hands from working with tools or chalk. His fingernails were clean, which was strange for someone so poor. There was an ink stain on his sleeve.
Definitely not noble born. But something felt off about him.
And the system seemed confused too.
Caelum thought quietly to himself, asking the system to show him information.
A blue screen appeared in front of his eyes, invisible to everyone else.
**Character Sheet: Caelum Valen**
- Race: Human (Noble)
- Role: Minor Villain
- Death Scheduled: Cancelled (For Now)
- Level: 1
- Survival Chance: 11%
- Skills:
- Survival Guide (System help)
- Deviation Cloak Level 1 (Makes you less noticeable)
- Flag Sense Level 1 (Warns about dangerous events)
- Stats:
- Intelligence: 13
- Charm: 11
- Strength: 6
- Speed: 7
- Luck: 3
Still weak by this world's standards, but at least he knew where he stood now.
He focused on Reed next, asking the system to show his information.
The screen flickered and showed something strange.
**Character Sheet: Reed**
- Race: Unknown
- Role: ???
- Fate: Hidden
- Level: 1
- Status: Masked Existence
- Skills:
- Unmarked Presence (Cannot be detected by the story)
- Scrap Sigils Level 2 (Draws magical symbols)
- Deviation Cloak Helper (Makes your cloak ability stronger)
- Hidden Skill (Locked)
- Stats:
- Intelligence: ???
- Strength: 5
- Speed: 8
- Awareness: ???
- Luck: 0
**Note: This character has no story role assigned. Full information unavailable.**
Caelum nearly choked on his bread.
"What are you?" he whispered.
Reed looked up. "What?"
"Nothing. Just thinking out loud." Caelum grabbed another piece of bread to cover his reaction.
The system didn't know what Reed was. No assigned role. Hidden fate. A masked existence. It was like Reed had never been written into the story at all. Not forgotten, but completely absent from the plot.
And yet Reed had skills. Real magical abilities. Even a hidden skill that was locked away.
Was Reed some kind of glitch in the world? A person who shouldn't exist?
That made him incredibly valuable. But also potentially dangerous.
"How long have you been at the academy?" Caelum asked casually.
"Two years," Reed said, still eating slowly.
"Two years?" That seemed impossible. Every student triggered some kind of event or subplot during their time here. Unless Reed really was invisible to the story itself.
"Nobody notices me unless I talk first," Reed continued. "I go to classes, do my work, sleep in the dorms. But it's like I'm not really there."
That explained everything. Reed wasn't just avoiding the plot. The plot couldn't see him at all. He was a walking blind spot in the story.
And now that blindness was spreading to Caelum through their friendship.
"Why did you pick me?" Reed asked suddenly.
Caelum paused. "What do you mean?"
"You could have sat with anyone. The other nobles. The smart students. Why choose me?"
Caelum thought about how to answer. He couldn't tell Reed about the system or the original story.
"Because you're safe," he said finally. "You don't want anything from me. You're not trying to use me for my family name or money. You don't have some secret agenda. You just want to draw your symbols and be left alone."
Reed nodded slowly, like that made sense to him.
"Most people think I'm weird," he said.
"Maybe I'm weird too," Caelum replied.
A new message appeared in his vision.
**New Ability Unlocked: Cloak Sharing Level 1**
When you and Reed are close to each other, you both become harder to notice.
Plot detection reduced by 40%.
Main characters will unconsciously ignore you.
Caelum smiled. This was perfect. He didn't need to run from dangerous events anymore. He could walk right past them without being seen.
As long as Reed stayed with him.
"What do you do after classes?" Caelum asked.
Reed shrugged. "Draw. Read in the library sometimes. Walk around the empty parts of the academy."
"Empty parts?"
"There are lots of places nobody goes. Old classrooms. Storage rooms. The basement levels. I like exploring them."
Caelum's interest sharpened. Places nobody went meant places the story ignored. If he could map out those areas, he'd have safe zones to retreat to if things got dangerous.
"Want to show me sometime?" he asked.
Reed looked surprised. "Really? You want to see boring empty rooms?"
"I like boring," Caelum said. "Boring is safe."
"Okay. Tomorrow after classes?"
"It's a deal."
The cafeteria bell rang, and students started leaving for their next classes. Caelum and Reed stayed in their corner, finishing their food.
Nobody looked at them. Nobody remembered they were there.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Caelum felt truly invisible. Not just hidden, but erased from the story's attention completely.
Reed was more than just a friend. He was camouflage. A way to move through the world without triggering the plot.
But Reed was also a mystery. Someone with hidden skills and a locked past. Someone the system couldn't fully read.
That made him valuable. But it also made him unpredictable.
Caelum would have to be careful. He needed Reed's invisibility, but he also needed to understand what Reed really was.
For now, though, he was content to sit in the dim cafeteria, eating bland food and planning his next moves.
Tomorrow, Reed would show him the forgotten places of the academy. The spaces between story beats where extras like them could exist safely.
And maybe, if he was lucky, Caelum would start to learn Reed's real secrets.
The bell rang again, signaling the end of lunch. Students hurried past their table, rushing to afternoon classes.
Caelum and Reed sat quietly, unnoticed and unbothered.
Just the way Caelum wanted it.
"Ready for our next class?" he asked.
Reed nodded. "History of Magic. Professor Aldric never calls on students anyway."
Perfect. Another chance to practice being invisible.
They picked up their trays and left the cafeteria, walking past dozens of students who looked right through them.
Caelum had found his perfect hiding spot. Not a place, but a person.
And he intended to keep it that way.