"Don't tell me most of you can't even form a simple mana sphere?"
At the center of the room stood a woman: long black hair, and black eyes that seemed to swallow any light that met them.
'Rebeca Soul... she's exactly like in the story.'
While she condemned most of the students present, the task Rebeca had assigned them was considered extremely simple.
To form a sphere by controlling the mana around them.
With only this small test, Rebeca could identify those who understood the basic concepts of mana.
Rebeca was used to the frightened looks the students gave her whenever they stared in her direction.
But as she focused on one particular student, something caught her attention.
Wheat-blond hair, and a pair of golden pupils staring back at her firmly.
That boy's gaze was completely different from the others. While most could barely look her in the eyes, there was a small minority in that class with a fierce gaze, like Mikael and Erick Silver.
But that boy's stare truly unsettled Rebeca. It was as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.
"Hey, you in the back, introduce yourself!"
Meanwhile, Evan formed the mana sphere with a certain calmness.
'Ever since I formed the contract with the elemental, the mana around me feels so different...'
While maintaining control of the sphere, Evan couldn't stop himself from staring at Rebeca's imposing figure.
A single glance from her seemed to swallow everything around her.
But at that moment, Evan realized he had made a huge mistake when he noticed the woman calling him out.
Trying to keep his composure under all those eyes focused on him, Evan stood up and said:
"Student Evan Thompson!"
After saying his name, the woman seemed to whisper something.
'Hmm... rank 2812, this has to be a joke.' She thought.
"You may return to your seat, Evan."
Rebeca said with a deadly look on her face, while continuing to stare firmly at the boy.
Meanwhile, in another corner of the room, there was Mikael, who had just finished forming his mana sphere.
'I didn't think there would be so many monsters in this classroom...'
Mikael thought, unable to ignore what had just happened.
'Evan Thompson... he seems pretty strong.'
...
'Argh, having to share the same space with these people is such a pain.'
Erick thought, as he watched the other students struggle around him. They fought to complete a task that even a child should be able to do, at least in his eyes.
Unlike Mikael, Erick didn't seem to care about anyone but himself, ignoring anyone he considered unworthy.
'2812... he's absolute trash.'
He thought, glancing briefly in Evan's direction.
...
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!"
There was Evan, completely isolated during lunch, cursing under his breath.
'The last thing I wanted was to draw attention... it had to be that damn woman.'
While he ate, a figure suddenly approached Evan.
"Would you grant me the honor of having lunch with someone like you, dear Evan?"
Victor approached, placing his lunch on the table and sitting down beside Evan.
With a dissatisfied look, Evan replied:
"Even if I refused, you'd still sit here. I lose either way."
Even under that cold gaze, Evan knew Victor could be the most loyal person someone could ever trust.
But the last thing he wanted was to get involved with any character from the main cast, in a way that could affect the flow of the story.
As he ate, Victor remained silent, simply watching Evan.
"Dear Evan... why do I feel something different when I'm close to you? I can't explain it very well, but it's strange."
"Different?" Evan shot back.
Victor's affinity was water. Because of that element, the boy could sense the ripples and variations of mana from every individual near him.
"...I'm not sure, but it's different from the others."
Evan already had an idea of what could be causing that difference. After finishing his meal, he quickly excused himself from Victor.
"I have to go. I'm in a bit of a hurry."
Leaving Victor behind, with a doubtful expression on his face.
...
{17:08 – Thursday, January 22nd, 2087}
'I still have some time left.'
At that moment, Evan was a few blocks away from the academy. After changing quickly, he chose more discreet clothes: a black overcoat, and a scarf covering part of his face.
As he entered different alleys, Evan always checked to make sure no one was following him.
After a few minutes, the boy entered a dimly lit passageway. The architecture there was completely different from the flashy buildings downtown.
Dirt and poor lighting marked the place where Evan stood.
'It should be around here.'
As he walked, Evan looked at a structure made mostly of bricks. There was only a black metal door at the entrance.
Knock! Knock!
Evan tapped lightly on the door. After about five minutes, a deep voice answered from inside.
"What do you want?"
Evan remained firm as he replied.
"I came to taste a special dish."
After that, silence once again took over the place.
The man only spoke again after a few minutes.
"Which dish?"
Before answering, a smile slipped from Evan's lips.
The place the boy was trying to enter was none other than one of the bases of the main groups that ruled the underworld.
Requiem was the group Evan was trying to enter. Unlike the main cast, Evan's story in that world was nothing but a blank book. Meaning he didn't need to follow the protagonists' path, and that wasn't what he desired anyway.
Evan didn't have a sense of justice like Mikael, nor an obsession with power like Erick.
All he wanted at that moment was to preserve his own life, and that was exactly what he would do, even if he had to join the greatest criminal group on the continent.
"I came to taste the boss's special dish."
As soon as Evan finished his sentence, the metal door slowly opened.
Revealing a figure wearing a chameleon mask fully covering his face, dressed in a black suit.
"First room, end of the hallway."
Those were the masked man's words to Evan.
Looking around, Evan couldn't see very well. The only lighting in the corridors came from half-extinguished oil lamps.
As he walked, Evan felt something press against his back. It was the masked man, holding a revolver against him.
"Keep walking."
So Evan continued in silence. When he reached the end of the hallway, he spotted a wooden door, but before he could do anything, the door opened by itself, revealing a figure seated at the center of the room.
"Let him in, Camaleon."
The man pulled the revolver away, gesturing for Evan to enter. The moment Evan stepped through the door, it shut immediately.
"What do I owe the pleasure of your visit, esteemed young man?"