The once green and vibrant world had become a ruin. Lava flowed across the ground, burning everything it touched. The land was slowly sinking into the sea, and sooner or later, the entire world would be swallowed by water. The sky was shattered, filled with cracks like broken glass, leaking darkness through every fracture. Of all the creatures Viktor had taken under his care, none remained, not even the monster from the Outer God which he had slain after transforming.
For some reason, the world had grown cold.
Before him lay the consequence of his own actions, a broken world slowly heading toward its end. Viktor didn't even know how he had survived his reckless deeds; whether it was sheer luck or someone's unseen help, he was grateful to still be alive.
Viktor spent all of his world energy trying to stabilize what was left. He first sealed the cracks in the sky, using his power to restore as much as he could. Then, he divided the world into three parts.
The first he named Inferno, where volcanoes scorched the land and molten rivers consumed everything. No life could exist there, only stone and fire.
The second was The Corrupt Land, where the darkness from the Outer Dimension had seeped into his world. Viktor created a massive seal around it to prevent the corruption from spreading any further.
Lastly was The First Land, or Ionia, where life could flourish once again.
Viktor was tired of losing too many of his creatures already, so next time, he planned to place all of them in Ionia for safety. He recorded the names of the three zones in his world's records, ensuring he could manage them more easily in the future.
Though the world was not yet fully healed, faint disturbances still rippled within and beyond it; it was stable enough for now. His world energy reserves were nearly depleted anyway, and even his emergency reserve (insects) had gone extinct, leaving Viktor as the only living being in existence.
After confirming that everything was holding together, he began his first training: learning how to manipulate the world's energy so he could use it outside. His second goal was to discover how to enter the world without falling asleep.
If his world were ever invaded while his real body was under attack in the outside realm, Viktor would be as good as dead. A memory suddenly came to mind, the time he and Wednesday were chased by a shadow monster through the theme park, while creatures from the Outer Dimension invaded his world. He had survived back then, but the future was something he couldn't predict.
In the First Land, far larger than the other two zones, peace and beauty reigned. The sun shone warmly across the land as trees swayed gently in the wind, making it seem like a paradise reborn.
In the air, countless colored particles began to swirl, forming a small vortex. They spun around Viktor's palm, merging. Every form of energy except spiritual qi hovered there before sinking into his hand, spreading through his body like glowing veins.
In many of the novels Viktor had read, especially those about cultivation, spiritual qi was used to strengthen oneself. There were countless ways to harness qi, but foremost, one needed a dantian to gather the energy and meridians to circulate it throughout the body or into the environment. These were the pathways through which energy flowed, or at least, that was as much as Viktor understood.
The problem was, he didn't exactly know how to use his own dantian or meridians. What he did have, however, was his inner world, which served as the home of his energy, a world where energy was both generated and stored. Maybe, he thought, he didn't need a dantian at all. Maybe his world itself could act as one.
'But the problem remains. How do I use all this energy to strengthen my body and release it outward?'
Viktor trained for a while, sweat pouring down his body until the last of his energy dispersed. He collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily, and leaned back against a tree, deep in thought.
'Training without knowledge is harder than I expected. I need to find a way to gain more understanding… I need a book, or should I ask someone?'
Suddenly, Alessio's words echoed in his mind. Viktor couldn't help but find it strange.
"Does he have foresight, or is he just too smart?"
He shook his head lightly and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was back in his dorm. Standing up, he stretched and decided to head out. His destination was the library, and possibly the hidden room of the Nightshade Society. Though he wasn't sure if it still existed.
'Now that I think about it, I'm supposed to be their hero, and yet they never even invited me to their group. As far as I know, Nightshade Society's goal was to protect the Outcasts, but I guess they had their reasons for not inviting me. Maybe they disbanded. The group was falling apart anyway; not every member shared the same ideals.'
Viktor didn't really care much about the Nightshade Society. He was only curious. They were just a group of teenagers; in his opinion, it didn't matter whether they had invited him or not. He was planning to form a new organization anyway, one solely dedicated to protecting the Outcasts and Nevermore.
But first, he needed a plan and the principal's approval. Fortunately, Viktor already had an idea of how to convince Principal Dort to accept it.
Along the way, he noticed Enid chatting with her friends. He decided to greet them, which made her friends giggle before running off and leaving the two of them alone.
"What's up with them?" Viktor asked.
"No, nothing." Enid shook her head slightly with a smile. "Hey, um… how are you doing?"
"I'm fine. What about you?"
Rubbing her hands together, Enid leaned against the wall. "Same old stuff, classes, hanging out, surviving Wednesday's mood swings. But ever since that whole incident, it's like… my life suddenly got a lot more interesting."
"Really?" Viktor leaned beside her. He noticed Enid avoiding eye contact, her hands fidgeting as her cheeks flushed red, though he guessed she was just wearing a bit more makeup than usual.
"You know," she said softly, "when you come face-to-face with death, you kinda start appreciating things more. Like, really appreciating them." She hesitated, then turned toward him. "So… um, Viktor… do you maybe wanna hang out tomorrow?"
"Hang out?" he repeated.
"Yeah!" Enid blurted out a bit too fast. "Like, theme park, lunch, whatever. Oh, and I'm supposed to pick out a dress for the Rave'N, so maybe you could, I dunno, help me not pick something hideous?" Her words tumbled over each other, and she laughed awkwardly.
"I know what a hangout is," Viktor said with a small, awkward laugh. "It's just… this is the first time a girl's ever asked me to hang out, so I'm kind of surprised and confused, you know?"
In truth, in his previous life, Viktor had been a virgin. He had no experience with girls and had been far too busy with his own life to ever go out. So when a girl asked him to spend time together, it made him nervous; he didn't know what to think or how to read her intentions.
"By the way, did you say Rave'N? When will it be?"
Rave'N was Nevermore's themed ball, an annual event organized around a different concept each year. Students could invite anyone, even normies, to dance or go as a date. It was one of the most anticipated events of the year.
"Next week," Enid said. "It was supposed to happen back in September, but, you know, cultist and monster attacks kinda ruin the vibe. So they pushed it to December, close to Christmas. I guess everyone needed time to, you know, stop having nightmares."
She tilted her head at him with a soft smile. "Anyway, you never answered me. Is that a yes or what?"
Viktor chuckled. "Well, what can I say? A beautiful girl invites me, how could I possibly refuse?"
Enid blinked, then laughed, color rising to her cheeks. "Wow, smooth, Mr. Hero of Nevermore. Didn't know you had that in you."
Viktor smirked faintly. "Neither did I."
Both continued chatting for a while. Passing students couldn't help but stare, whispering among themselves, from their perspective, Enid and Viktor looked like a couple.
Enid's bright, shy smile was like a burst of color, cheerful and warm. Viktor, on the other hand, had a devilishly handsome face, sharp and composed. Together, they looked like the Devil and a cat, an unlikely but mesmerizing pair.
"Oh my god, they look so good together! Take a picture, quick!" someone squealed.
A female student was about to record a video when her phone was suddenly snatched away. Agnes appeared out of nowhere, undoing her invisibility with a creepy grin.
"Don't do that," she said sing-song voice, tilting her head slightly. "Or I'll make sure you never touch a phone again."
The students scattered in panic.
Agnes turned to Viktor and Enid and walked toward them, wrapping her arms around him.
"Big brother, can you come with me tomorrow? I need your help picking a dress for Rave'N."
Then her gaze shifted to Enid. She studied her for a long moment, eyes narrowing just slightly. "Enid, I know you like my brother… and I guess my opinion of you has improved. But, you'll have to meet my standards first before you can date him."
"Wh–who likes who!?" Enid suddenly stammered, waving her hands. "I just asked him to hang out because he saved my life, that's all!"
Her face was bright red now, and she crossed her arms, looking away. "Geez, don't get the wrong idea!"
Viktor placed a hand on Agnes's shoulder. He sighed. "Agnes, I think we need to talk. Alright?"
Agnes turned slowly to face him. Viktor smiled, but something in that smile sent a chill down her spine. She nodded hesitantly. "Okay…"
"Good."
…
"Not this… not this…" Viktor muttered as he ran his fingers along the rows of books on the shelf. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for, just something that could give him knowledge or maybe a new idea. But after searching for a while, all he found were books about Nevermore's history, mythical beasts, and basic theories.
His hand stopped on a particular book, bound in some kind of animal leather. It was thin, with only a few pages, and had no title. Curiosity got the better of him, and he pulled it out.
Day 1: The snow is cold.
"A diary?"
The words were written plainly on the first page. Viktor narrowed his eyes and flipped to the next one.
Day 2: Everyone turned to stone.
Day 7: Who is that?
Day 12: What now?
Day 16: Who are you
He turned the pages faster until he reached the last one.
Day 20: The future, can it be changed?
"I wonder who the owner of this diary is? This book gives me chills… I should probably put it away," Viktor muttered, deciding to return it to the shelf. But as he flipped to the very back, he noticed a torn page tucked behind the last one.
The handwriting was different, completely unlike the earlier entries. Clearly, someone else had written this.
You shouldn't be here.