A gentle breeze brushed through the morning sky.
The sound of birds, the warmth of sunlight — everything felt real, alive.
Inside the great kingdom of Aldoria, students filled the grand plaza of the Arcane Academy.
Today marked the start of a new school year — laughter, hope, and dreams were everywhere.
Among them, a girl stood quietly beneath a sakura-like tree, her long black hair swaying with the wind.
Her name: Althea.
She touched the small pendant hanging around her neck — a faintly glowing blue crystal.
She didn't know why she always wore it… only that it made her heart feel safe.
"Hey, Althea!" a voice called.
It was Seren, smiling brightly.
"You're spacing out again! Come on, orientation's starting!"
Althea blinked, then smiled softly. "Ah… right. Sorry, I was just… remembering something."
"Remembering what?"
She hesitated.
"I'm not sure. But it felt… important."
---
Inside the academy hall, a teacher's voice echoed:
> "Today, we welcome a new student transferred from the northern district. Please introduce yourself."
Everyone turned to see a tall young man with silver-blue eyes and calm expression.
He bowed slightly.
> "My name is Sion. Please take care of me."
The girls whispered among themselves — "He's handsome…" "Is he from a noble family?" — but Althea froze.
Her pendant glowed faintly.
Her chest tightened — not from fear, but from something deeper.
Sion's eyes met hers.
For a split second, time slowed.
A flash — memories, laughter, battle cries, a promise under a broken sky — rushed through her mind.
> "Don't cry, Althea… the game isn't over yet."
She gasped, clutching her chest.
Sion blinked, tilting his head slightly — as if he, too, felt a strange connection.
---
Later that day, Althea sat by the academy's fountain, staring at the rippling water.
She whispered, "Sion… why does that name feel so familiar?"
A faint voice answered from behind her.
"Maybe… because we've met before."
She turned — and there he was.
Sion, holding two drinks, one of which he offered to her.
Althea smiled awkwardly. "Ah—thank you."
They sat together in silence for a moment, the breeze gentle between them.
Then Sion spoke softly:
"Do you ever feel like… you've lived this all once before?"
Althea looked at him — her eyes widening.
"Yes. Every night, I dream of a world that doesn't exist anymore… and a boy who always disappears at the end."
Sion looked down at his reflection in the fountain.
"I dream of a girl who kept calling my name… even when everything faded."
They shared a quiet smile — the kind that carried both comfort and pain.
Somewhere deep within Sion's soul, a voice whispered faintly:
> [System Log: Fragment of Syrion's Memory – Restored 0.8%]
---
That night, Althea stood on her dorm balcony, gazing at the moon.
She held the glowing pendant close.
"I don't know who you are…" she whispered,
"but if you're still out there… I'll find you."
Far beyond the world, in a place between code and dream, Syrion's data stirred —
his form slowly reforming from light.
> "Wait for me, Althea… This time, I'll start as your equal."
The System flickered — and a new message appeared:
[Restart Protocol – Phase 2 Activated.]
[Awakening of the True Hero: Pending.]
---
🌙 Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 7: The Hidden Code
> As Althea and Sion grow closer, strange "glitches" start appearing around the academy.
Forgotten ruins, repeating time loops, and students vanishing at midnight.
Meanwhile, Sion begins to hear a familiar voice guiding him —
the system that once served Syrion, now awakening inside his new self.
---