08.00 P.M. — In the lounge of the Nexus Dormitory's special zone — an exclusive dormitory building far from the main school and other dorms, where the moonlight could be seen clearly in the night sky.
Ding!
The sound of the automatic door unlocking echoed.
Lira — also known as Velmira Valienteer, princess of the Valenthyr Kingdom, stood in front of what should have been —
"the most luxurious and quiet room in the entire academy", her heart fluttering just a bit.
"At least I still have some privacy..." she whispered to herself as she exhaled softly.
Creak — click!
She pushed the door open — and froze instantly.
On the sofa in the middle of the large lounge sat a figure — dressed in a plain black school uniform, with slightly messy hair and an expression as indifferent as if the world didn't exist — reading a book, completely ignoring the fact that someone had just entered.
"Huh?" Fayros turned his head, his eyes pitch black as if erased by some divine hand.
"Uh... wait... this is my room..." Lira stammered, her heart sinking to her toes.
"W-Why are you here?" she asked, shocked.
"Probably because the system says I'm 'not ordinary'" Fayros replied sarcastically.
Lira opened her mouth to say something, but the AI's voice cut in first.
"Welcome, Princess Velmira. Join the special code student Fayros Darneth in room 7-ZEX Prime."
The moment the AI finished, Lira exploded in frustration.
"What the hell is this?!"
"You're a 'Code-less Mage', right? Then how the system could assign you to be my roommate?! I'm a princess, damn it!"
she pointed accusingly at Fayros.
"Maybe the system wants the princess to learn how to live among the people"
Fayros said calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"This is insane!!!"
She almost threw her bag and dashed to press the system override button, but the door locked automatically again. The AI's voice came back.
"Unfortunately, changes to guest lists cannot be made until the end of the 7-day trial period."
"W-What!?" Lira nearly lost her mind.
Fayros slowly stood up, unbothered.
"I've been living here for almost a year... still no 'roommate'. So... left bed or right bed? I'll sleep on the sofa."
"Are you seriously this chill!?"
She began pacing like she was about to lose it while Fayros watched silently.
"You must have lived with someone before, right?"
Fayros asked, raising his index and middle fingers close together, out of habit.
The question made Lira pause for a moment.
A sudden flash of memory hit her — of a boy with jet black hair, almost without any shine, carefully braiding her hair while softly calling her "Sofia".
"I have... but you're not him..."
Lira shook off the strange feeling.
"Nothing... just don't mess with my stuff!"
"You were nicer this morning... but whatever, I don't intend to bother you."
That sentence struck Lira deep — not because it was cold or indifferent, but because "I don't intend to bother you" was a phrase that sounded respectful yet somehow hurt her silently.
Fayros walked to the corner, quietly took out a folded tea bag, and prepared chamomile tea as if he was used to being disliked.
Lira watched silently, saying nothing—but she felt something about this boy was strangely "familiar".
18.15 P.M. — The luxurious room was silent. The curtain dividing the two beds was drawn tight.
Lira tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
"Why does he seem so calm... when he's just a code-less mage..."
She slowly got up, barefoot, and slipped quietly out from behind the curtain.
Moonlight streamed through the glass, just enough to see the jet-black-haired boy.
Fayros still sat leaning against the sofa, eyes closed, seeming more like meditating than sleeping.
"Is he really asleep..." she thought, stepping closer silently like a panther.
Suddenly—
"You've been staring for a while. If you want to ask, just ask." Fayros spoke without opening his eyes.
"W-What—!?" Lira gasped, quickly turning her face away in embarrassment.
She accidentally knocked over a small table, causing a cup of tea to roll off and spill.
"Looks like the princess likes to observe others secretly at night..."
Fayros slowly opened his black eyes — his left eye briefly flickering a faint red before returning to black.
"I'm not spying! I just — can't sleep... that's all!"
Fayros calmly got up and walked to the kitchen, pressing the kettle like it was routine.
"Chamomile tea helps with sleep... want some?"
"O-Okay..." Lira hesitated.
She took the cup and sat across from him, sipping softly.
A silence settled between them, broken only by the sound of Lira sipping tea.
"How have you been feeling?" Lira finally asked, her violet-pink eyes showing genuine concern.
"Fine... haven't heard the weird voices in my head anymore."
Fayros fell silent, as if nothing had happened.
"By the way, your name, Fayros... it's kinda strange." Lira said softly.
"Strange?"
"Yeah, like I've heard it before... in a dream."
He hesitated but said nothing.
"Have you ever dreamed of the name 'Sofia'?" she whispered, quickly turning her face away.
Fayros didn't answer, instead, he went back to preparing tea.
"Forget it... I'm probably just talking nonsense again..."
Lira muttered, almost talking to herself, her blonde hair fluttering lightly.
"I have to pick up T.E.A.0 later... my mother said she'd send her soon."
Fayros quietly finished preparing tea, then sank down onto the sofa.
After a quiet moment, he finally answered Lira's earlier question in a soft voice.
"I have."
Next morning, 06:43 A.M.
Lira, dressed neatly in her uniform, sat in front of the mirror tying her hair, muttering to herself.
"What was that last night... does the name Sophia really exist? And why did he say he had 'dreamed' it?"
She shook her head hard, trying to clear her thoughts.
"Hot water's ready." A calm voice came from behind the sofa.
The code-less mage in a school uniform was making coffee for her, his demeanor cool and distant like he belonged to another world.
"You got ready so fast," Lira pouted.
"If Princess Lira is not satisfied... then please do everything yourself." Fayros replied flatly, a hint of teasing in his tone—but his dark eyes didn't joke.
"Just use T.E.A.0 and it's done."
"You mean the Thaumaturgic Extraction Assistant, version 0?"
"Exactly."
T.E.A.0 is a semi-holographic AI maid sent by Lira's mother from the palace.
She appears as a teenage girl about 150 cm tall, with ivory-silver skin, big golden-tea-colored eyes like drops of tea, and pale brown hair loosely braided to one side. Steam always faintly rises from the ends of her hair, as if she's perpetually warm.
T.E.A.0 walked slowly, her pale braid swaying, steam drifting softly.
"Anything I can assist you with, Princess?"
Her big golden-tea eyes radiate loyalty.
"Please take care of this room for me." Lira commanded softly.
"Acknowledged."
T.E.A.0 left to clean and organize the room.
After T.E.A.0 left, Lira turned back to Fayros.
"It's getting late! We have to hurry."
"I'm waiting for you, dummy." Fayros said calmly, unafraid of her status.
"What!? Dummy me!?" Lira frowned.
"You're a dummy without knowing it." Fayros replied flatly.
Lira didn't hesitate...
Smack!
07:32 — Breakfast time in The Nexus Nosh dining hall, a large, rectangular building with a curved high-tech transparent roof that can adjust opacity and filter UV rays depending on the weather.
Fayros, with a palm print smudged on his face from Lira's angry slap, sat silently eating breakfast with her at a table for two.
The place buzzed with chatter from first-year students.
"There's Princess Lira!"
"Wait... who's that kid beside her?"
"Is that the code-less mage? The one sharing a room with the princess?"
"Gross. Is he faking being noble or something?"
A group of elite mage noble kids approached, led by Ruther Eldran — a handsome, arrogant noble heir — along with two cronies.
"Oh... so you're Fayros, the code-less kid who got to share a room with Princess Lira..."
"Sorry for the rudeness, but you should move out... before the room gets irreparably dirty."
Fayros didn't respond. His expression was emotionless, eyes black voids, as he calmly sliced bread without caring who had just insulted him.
Ruther continued to sneer.
"You're mana-less and code-less... pathetic, wet garbage."
"Filthy and disgusting... don't pretend to be high-class."
"Oh! You probably don't even have a single coin, yet you have such arrogance... or maybe you're just a parasite living off others?"
The group laughed loudly.
Lira clenched her fists, knuckles whitening, trying to suppress her anger.
Ruther noticed Fayros wasn't reacting, still slicing bread and then unexpectedly offering some to Lira.
Bang!
The sound of a fist pounding on the table.
"Say something, will you!?" Ruther shouted at the code-less kid.
Lira had run out of patience.
"Shut up, Ruther!" she snapped.
"Ouch... I'm just worried about the princess. Don't you know he has no mage code? He's just worthless magical trash!"
Ruther changed tone, trying to act concerned.
Fayros was starting to lose patience.
"So what if I'm code-less? Are you sure that if I lose it, you'll be able to stop me from killing you?" he said quietly, cold and mysterious, as if death itself was creeping closer.
"Hah! You code-less, mana-less freak—how could you possibly kill me?" Ruther sneered.
"Enough, both of you!" Lira tried to stop them.
Bang! Fayros slammed his knife through the bread, hitting the table with a loud thud that caught everyone's attention — including Kaen.
"What's that crazy kid gonna do now!?" whispered some students.
But only Kaen noticed something strange.
"Wait... that kid just stabbed a blunt knife through bread and the table...?" Kaen thought.
"F-Fayros." Lira warned.
"You got a problem, worthless?" Ruther spat.
"Ha ha... worthless, huh? Worthless enough to kill you all." Fayros said with a low, calm, dark voice full of menace.
His black eyes flickered and briefly faded to red.
"Left eye turning red!? No way." Kaen noticed.
Slowly, a faint, twisted smile crept onto Fayros' lips. It carried no happiness or sorrow — only a cold, empty calmness too warped to be human.
It was the smile of a demon who had killed and tortured countless victims, like a patient hunter enjoying watching its prey struggle and suffer — ready to cut them down anytime.
No one moved — not because of magic, but because of overwhelming pressure.
Suddenly, the voices in Fayros' head echoed again.
"Yes... kill them."
"Destroy them... let none survive."
"Blow their heads off!"
"Shoot them!"
"This is what I want!"
Fayros slowly drew out an old revolver he had found — calm and deliberate like a reaper who had taken many lives.
Click! Click!
The cylinder spun.
Ready to fire amidst frozen gazes.
Click!
The tension shattered, chaos erupted.
"What the hell is that!?"
"A gun!?"
"Code-less kid pulls a gun!"
"Crazy! Run!!!"
"Everyone — run!!!"
"Calm down! That's a century-old revolver. It can't pierce magic." Kaen tried to reassure but failed.
Ruther and his cronies were frozen, paralyzed by fear and surprise.
"Hah... You were all so cocky just a moment ago. Why can't you move now~?"
Fayros smirked, his eyes vacant as if possessed.
Suddenly—
Bang! Lira lunged and shoved Fayros to the ground.
The revolver flew toward Kaen.
"Fayros! Can you hear me? Don't let the darkness take you!"
Lira shouted, holding him down.
Fayros' black eyes flickered and cleared — a sign his mind had returned.
"T-That was close..."
Ruther collapsed, gasping, his friends helping him away.
"W-What did I do?" Fayros asked, confused like waking from a long forgotten nightmare.
"You crazy code-less freak, here's your gun back." Kaen said, handing over the revolver with a mix of disgust and reluctant respect.
"Thanks... but how did it get to you?"
Silence fell.
Kaen broke it.
"You stabbed bread with a knife through the table and smiled like you wanted to puke. The princess pushed you, that's why you snapped out of it."
"Yeah." Lira nodded.
"Is that so... but I don't remember. No, I vaguely remember, but it feels familiar even though I never did it. Am I... a 'demon'?" Fayros' voice trembled.
"Don't think like that... You're not a demon. I told you before, if you ever stop being yourself, I'll be the one to bring you back..." Lira comforted him.
The dining hall fell silent.
The rumor "code-less mage pulls a gun in the dining hall" spread quickly.
People grew wary, avoiding Fayros or even insulting him less than before.
No one knew if the gun was loaded.
And Lira... began to feel this wasn't just an ordinary code-less kid.
While everything was unfolding, no one knew the "Cycle of Oblivion" had already begun to unveil its curtain.