Year 2084
A doctor walked with light steps down a corridor that led to a wing dedicated to the care of victims of supernatural phenomena in a building specifically managed by the Advanced Security Department.
For the doctor, whose name—Mira—was registered on her prominent work badge above her left chest, this sudden appointment was a pain in the ass, especially since she had been informed that more than ten people before her had failed to handle the victim, or 'detainee,' she was now responsible for.
She took a quick glance at the file in her hand. It displayed the general information about the child.
Name: Louis Montmir. Belongs to the second-grade noble family, Montmir. The family's second son.
Age: Seven years old. Born in the city of Silver Song.
Appearance: Dark purple hair. Pure hazel eyes. Pale skin.
Citizen Rank: Second-grade noble, with a high probability of a rank increase.
Gift and Traits: Based on measurements, his Gift leans more toward the scientific side than the combat side, with a brutal talent for analysis and evaluation. His traits are unknown, but are supposed to support his Gift.
'A damn second-grade noble! With a chance to become a first-grade one too?!'
No matter how she looked at the file in her hand, she couldn't help but lament.
She herself was only a second-grade civilian.
After the establishment of the Central Council, which is equivalent to a world government, a new citizen classification system was created.
A system that separates and divides individuals and groups alike under ranks. These ranks were divided into two categories: Nobles and Civilians.
"Just kill me."
It was clear that after the new system was applied, discrimination began to appear among people.
In fact, the cities themselves were put into the equation, where parts of them were specified and some areas were separated for the two categories.
Even after seeing this, the Central Council did nothing. After all, the council itself was established by the strongest humans, and the classification of citizens depends on the strength of the individual and the clan or family they belong to.
"Well, his gift isn't for combat so I should be fine…" Mira comforted herself as she faced the iron door in front of her.
She took two seconds to catch her breath and placed her thumb on the fingerprint scanner on the side.
Mira entered the advanced external isolation room and saw the child matching the description in the file in front of her behind a reinforced glass barrier.
He was wearing bluish-white hospital clothes, and his exposed pale skin shone under the white room light. He was sitting on a white chair facing Mira, which indicated that he had been informed.
'It's good that he's at least reacting. God knows the severity of his shock.'
However, Mira noticed something else Louis was holding, and it aroused her curiosity.
'A book…? How didn't they take that from him?' she thought, looking at the black leather book on his lap.
He was clutching it with a severity that worried her.
"Ahem!" Mira cleared her throat as she sat down in her chair across from Louis. She looked at him with a smile and introduced herself. "Aside from the bleakness of the situation, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Mira Flinn. Your new diagnostician."
No response.
Mira blinked twice, and her manufactured smile trembled, threatening to reveal her fear of a child two decades her junior.
"Hmm… Loui—"
Just as she was about to try again, she noticed something that terrified her.
'W-What the hell is wrong with his eyes?!' she screamed in her mind as she fell with her chair. Still, the child showed no reaction. Frozen in place like a statue.
The boy's pupils were abnormally dilated.
To increase her horror, the expansion of Louis's black pupils grew, engulfing the distinctive hazel color of his eyes, leaving only faint hints of hazel at the edges of his irises.
With the boy's stillness, he was closer to what children look like in horror movies. A terrifying mixture of childish innocence and a palpable demonic energy.
'Move, you useless feet!' she screamed in her head while starting to crawl backward towards the exit door.
This phenomenon was absolutely not natural!
'Did the analysis team make a mistake? Is it possible that he is still under the influence of a certain phenomenon?!' She looked back to see Louis still in his place, unaffected by her panic.
Mira fumbled with her smartwatch with trembling fingers and called the institution's emergency line. Fear still coursed through her body.
"T-This is Diagnostician Mira. Detainee number 104 is showing signs of exposure to a foreign influence. I request immediate support!"
After she requested support and pressed the emergency button, setting off the sirens, she left the room with trembling feet.
'Damn you all! I'm not dealing with children with pale skin!'
————
Year 2094
In a very large, enclosed hall, thousands of young people sat in their neat rows of seats in front of the large display screens hanging overhead.
The same image was displayed on all screens: a woman who looked to be in her sixties standing in front of a table on which many prominent members of society were sitting.
Some cadets were clearly ignoring the New Year's opening ceremony speech.
"By the way, what class were you placed in?" a cadet with brown hair asked the cadet on his left.
The cadet in question sat steadily like a marble statue. His dark purple hair was relatively medium length and framed his face on the sides. Two beautiful eyes where the pure hazel color swam in his irises.
Only those with very sharp vision would notice the slight trembling of his pupils.
"The S Class," the noble replied, the words mixing smoothly in his sweet voice.
"Damn! S Class? Man, I could only get to B Class."
"There are many opportunities to reach higher classes," the noble said calmly as he looked at one of the screens with boredom.
"Yeah, Daniel, you won't be able to do it anyway. The A-rank elite class and the S-rank monsters aren't for the likes of you," another cadet from a seat behind them interjected, clearly mocking Daniel. The most prominent feature of him was his yellow macaroni hair.
"As if you're any better, Nick. You were mistakenly dragged into A Class."
A verbal fight quickly started next to the noble who was cursing his luck for sitting next to them.
His headache intensified as he looked at a figure sitting at the table behind the principal who was giving her speech.
It was a girl close to their age, perhaps eighteen. Her hair was extremely long pale white, reaching her knees, and her eyes were sharp gold with clear black lines. She wore a black handband on her left arm.
"Student Council…" he thought out loud.
"Oh, are you planning to join the Student Council, Louis? I honestly didn't expect that from you," Nick said, leaning on the back of Louis's seat.
"Huh?" Louis was taken by surprise.
He shook his head to clear the misunderstanding and other distracting thoughts.
"No, I won't. I just remembered something."
The minutes passed quickly and the entrance ceremony concluded with a strict speech delivered by the Student Council President herself.
The lights were turned off and the screens disappeared. Gradually, the cadets left their seats behind and went to their dorms until no one was left in the hall.
Everyone had to prepare for the next day, which was the first day of the Academy.