The Anomaly's Path

Please let there be a god. Please let there be a kind, meat-loving god watching over this place.

I was not walking. I was speed-walking.

Actually, I was basically running but trying to look calm, my boots clicking against the stone paths with desperate speed. My big goals of learning the laws of nature, splitting space, and understanding a Sovereign’s will were completely gone from my head.

They were replaced by one simple thought.

Food.

I needed food. Pushing my mana core to its limit — only to have it fixed by a Grand-grade potion, had turned my stomach into a black hole.

”Just a scrap,” I muttered, my eyes wide as I got closer to the main plaza. ”A single piece of meat. A cold dumpling. I am not picky. I just need to eat.”

My fast walk brought me back to the grand courtyard where the orientation and ranking ceremony had happened earlier. When I left, it was a busy place filled with arrogant nobles and a massive buffet spreading across long tables.

Now? It was dark. The bright lights were dim, the important people were long gone, and the courtyard was completely empty.

I stopped in front of the food tables, my heart pounding. I walked up to the nearest table like it was a trap. I reached out and pulled the silver handle of a big food tray.

Clack.

I threw the lid back. Empty. Not a single drop of grease.

I lunged for the next one. Clack. Stripped clean. I checked the dessert trays, the meat plates, and even the fruit baskets. Nothing. The whole freshman class had picked the place cleaner than a pack of wild animals. There was not even a single grain of rice left on the white plates.

I stood alone in the dark, quiet courtyard, staring at a bone that looked like it had been licked clean.

A deep, angry vein throbbed in my head.

”ZEPHYR VON CELESTIAL!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, my voice echoing off the big stone walls. ”YOU CRAZY, EXPENSIVE-POTION-WASTING OLD MAN! I HOPE YOUR TRAINING WAS WORTH IT, BECAUSE I AM STARVING!”

A cold wind blew a piece of paper across my boot. No one answered.

”Fuck...,” I hissed, rubbing my face in defeat. ”I am going to eat my own shoes at this rate.”

Shaking my head, I turned away from the empty food tables and began the long, sad walk toward my new room, cursing the old man with every step.

_

The walk down the elite residential area helped me calm down a bit, mostly because Aegis Academy was just too big and ridiculous to ignore.

The academy did not give students normal rooms. It built a whole system out of stone and brick. As I walked past the normal housing areas, the buildings got much larger, leading to a guarded, locked area next to the cliff.

Two big, armored guards stood at the entrance of the elite zone, holding shiny weapons. As I walked up, their eyes narrowed and they held their weapons tighter.

”Halt. Say your name and rank,” the guard on the left ordered, his voice loud behind his helmet. ”This area is only for the Top Ten students and the older students.”

Without a word, I reached for the left side of my black coat. Right over my heart, pinned to the fabric, was my badge.

It was made of a strange, shiny platinum metal that seemed to drink the light around it. It did not look like normal silver or steel. It had a dull, heavy glow that pulled light into itself instead of bouncing it back.

It had a detailed mark of the Primus symbol — the person standing at the very top of the whole first-year class. It was bigger and more detailed than the silver badges the rest of the top ten got. It was the only bright piece of metal on my all-black uniform.

The moment the guards saw the platinum metal glowing in the dark, they froze. Their tough stance was gone. The guard on the left quickly brought his hand to his chest in a rushed salute, while the other guard scrambled to step out of the way.

”Welcome, Lord Primus!” the guard said, his voice shaking. ”Sorry for the delay. Your room is ready for you.”

”Right. Thanks,” I muttered, lowering my hand.

As I walked through the gates, I looked around. The academy’s system was harsh. The normal students from Rank 51 to 200 lived in basic shared dorms down the hill. Ranks 11 to 50 had private rooms in different towers.

But the Top Ten? We got our own private houses built right over the richest mana spots on campus.

I followed the stone path until I reached the very top of the hill. Standing before me was a massive building made of white stone and dark wood. It did not look like a student room. It looked like a private fort, with a courtyard wall and glowing magic circles humming around the edges.

I walked up the steps and pushed open the heavy front doors, stepping into a bright lobby.

Behind a polished desk sat a young academy staff member. She looked up, her professional smile dropping for a second when she noticed my messy hair and the smell of lightning still coming off my clothes.

”Ah! You must be the Primus, Lord Leo,” she said, quickly standing up and bowing. ”we have been expecting you. Your incredible score has kept our office very busy today.”

”Just Leo is fine,” I sighed, leaning against the counter. ”I’m just trying to get into my room before I pass out.”

”Of course! Everything is ready,” she said nicely. She reached under the desk and pulled out a clear crystal card, along with a big, heavy book that looked like it could break a skull. ”Here is your room card. To turn it on, just push a little of your mana into the center. Once it knows your mana, the house will open for you on its own.”

I took the crystal card, but my eyes locked onto the massive book. I frowned immediately. ”What is that?”

”Oh! That is the Aegis Academy Guide to Premium Residential Rules,” she explained with a bright smile. ”It has all twelve hundred rules about training fields, property damage, and the strict punishments for fighting on the lawns.”

I stared at the thick stack of paper. It looked like a nightmare.

”Twelve hundred rules,” I said flatly. ”Can I just burn it?”

The staff member let out a polite, nervous laugh, thinking I was joking. I wasn’t.

”Your room is on the highest floor — the Sovereign Tier,” she continued, pointing toward a glowing magic elevator at the back of the lobby. ”The entire top floor is yours, Lord Leo. If you need anything else, staff is here twenty-four hours a day.”

”Great. Thanks.” I grabbed the card, deliberately leaving the massive rulebook on the counter, and walked toward the elevator.

”Sir, your book—!” she called out.

”I’ll read it later!” I shouted back, stepping onto the magic circle.

_

The crystal card buzzed in my hand as I pushed a tiny spark of my mana into it.

The clear surface flashed a bright, deep blue, locking onto my energy. The elevator hummed, moving up the shaft with incredible speed until it made a soft sound and the doors slid open, showing a private hallway on the top floor.

I walked up to the huge double doors of my estate, swiped the crystal card across the glowing lock, and pushed the doors open.

I stepped inside. And I completely froze.

”...What the hell?” I muttered, honestly thinking I had walked into a royal palace by mistake.

I closed the door behind me, opened it again, and just stared. The size of the place was completely insane.

The entrance opened into a massive living area with a ceiling so high a giant could stand in it. The floors were polished white marble covered in thick carpets, and huge windows showed a beautiful view of the entire lit-up academy valley below.

I walked through the space, my mouth open. The house was not just a room. It was a small mansion. There was a big master bedroom with a giant bed, a fancy bathroom with a deep stone pool that looked like a private hot spring, and a soundproof training room on the side, lined with heavy metal that soaked up mana.

...And then, in the corner of the big lounge, was a shiny wooden counter.

”Is that a bar?” I whispered, walking over to look at the glass cups and stools. ”I am a first-year student. Why do I have a personal bar? Is the Headmaster trying to get me drunk?”

The luxury of the Primus position was crazy. The academy clearly spoiled the people at the top so they would fight hard to stay there. As I walked past the center table, my eyes caught something beautiful that made all my anger disappear.

Sitting on the dark wood table were a few covered pots, still giving off a warm, cozy heat. Next to them was a neatly folded piece of paper.

I picked up the note.

_

Young Master Leo,

I assumed the orientation ceremony and your training session with Lord Zephyr would leave you completely exhausted. I have prepared a proper meal from the estate’s kitchen and kept it warm with a heat circle. Please eat everything before it gets cold.

Your bags and clothes have already been unpacked and organized in the master bedroom. Tomorrow morning is your first official day of classes. I will arrive exactly at dawn to make sure you are awake and wearing your uniform.

Do not be late.

— Lyra

_

I stared at the note, a real smile finally breaking across my face.

”Lyra, you are a saint,” I muttered, tossing the note aside and ripping the lids off the pots.

The rich, amazing smell of cooked meat, warm soup, and fresh bread hit my face. I did not care about manners anymore. I dropped into the chair and started eating like a wild animal. The warmth of the food hit my empty stomach, sending a wave of pure comfort through my tired body.

Ten minutes later, the plates were clean, and the hole in my stomach was finally full.

I dragged my heavy, tired body into the master bedroom, barely feeling the soft sheets as I fell face-first onto the giant bed. I did not even bother changing out of my clothes. I just rolled onto my back and stared up at the dark ceiling.

The quiet of the room let my mind wander back to what happened today.

A Sovereign acts as a living law... We overwrite reality with our own existence...

My grandfather’s words echoed in the dark, heavy and real. The world was bigger and scarier than I thought. I had broken records, unlocked strange powers, and caught a tiny look at a skill most fighters would never see.

But like Zephyr said, I was not ready to use it. I was still just a first-year student standing at the starting line of a very dangerous place.

Tomorrow, the real academy started. Class was waiting, filled with the most dangerous, crazy talents of my generation. Arthur, Roan, Alice... none of them were going to stay quiet.

”...Control what is yours first,” I whispered to myself, remembering the old man’s advice as I slowly closed my eyes.

Before I could even finish the thought, the heavy weight of tiredness dragged me down, putting me into a deep sleep before I even knew I was dropping off.

_

Meanwhile, in the Office of Headmaster Vega...

The quiet hum of the night filled the big room at the top of the building. Tall, curved windows looked out over the dark academy grounds, letting the cold moonlight pour inside and spread across the shiny wooden desk.

Sitting behind the desk was Vega, his hands folded neatly in front of him.

A soft, sharp click echoed through the room.

The heavy double doors did not crash open. They swung shut with smooth ease. Footsteps moved across the floor, slow and steady, until a figure stepped out from the shadows and sat down in the leather chair right across from the headmaster.

Vega looked up, his expression calm. ”...You really haven’t changed at all in the time I haven’t seen you, Zephyr.”

”Why should I change when the rest of the world is so slow to keep up?” Zephyr replied, leaning back into the chair, a sharp, dangerous edge under his casual voice. He crossed his legs, looked around the dark office, then locked his eyes onto Vega.

”Let us skip the small talk. You watched everything, didn’t you?”

Vega nodded slowly. ”...I did.”

Zephyr leaned forward, tapping his fingers against the desk. ”So, answer me. What do you think of him? How crazy was his performance out there?”

Vega let out a slow, heavy sigh, rubbing his temples as he looked down at the papers on his desk that showed the exam scores.

”Sure, he was always going to reach high,” Vega admitted, his voice carrying the tiredness of a man who already saw a big problem coming. ”But... that is exactly where the issue lies. He is just like you, Zephyr. A complete troublemaker. A child who is going to be very hard to control or predict.”

A wide, sharp grin spread across Zephyr’s face, his eyes flashing with visible pride. ”That’s exactly what makes it fun.”

”It will not be fun for the teachers,” Vega muttered, adjusting a blank paper in front of him. ”Which is why, this time, I am changing the rules for the new students.”

Zephyr raised an eyebrow, his grin turning into an amused smirk. ”Oh? Changing the rules? What are you planning, old man?”

”I have broken up the old top-fifty ranking system,” Vega explained, his voice calm under the moonlight. ”Instead, I am putting Leo and a few other trouble children directly under her care.”

The moment the word ’her’ left Vega’s mouth, Zephyr’s smirk twitched. For the first time in the conversation, the legendary warrior actually leaned back, a trace of genuine surprise and subtle amusement entering his eyes.

”Her?” Zephyr muttered, a chuckle escaping his throat. ”You’re putting the kid with that lunatic? You really aren’t holding back, are you?”

”Desperate measures,” Vega replied coldly, closing the file on his desk with a final, decisive snap. ”The meeting is over, Zephyr. Go.”

”Yeah, yeah,” Zephyr waved his hand, standing up from the chair. He stretched his arms and walked toward the door. ”Same old grumpy dragon. Fine. I’m going.”

He paused at the door, not looking back. ”But you know why I came here tonight, don’t you?”

Vega said nothing.

Zephyr’s voice dropped, losing all its playfulness. ”If you ever pull something like that exam again — if you put him in that kind of danger without telling me, I won’t warn you next time. I’ll just act. And we both know what that looks like.”

He walked out. The door clicked shut behind him.

Vega sat alone in the moonlight, his golden eyes fixed on the empty chair.

He knew why Zephyr had come. It was not a social visit. It was a warning. Everyone knew how crazy that old man was. If Leo had died in that valley, Zephyr would have declared war on both the Astra Union and the Academy.

He did not give a fuck about rules, titles, or consequences.

Vega let out a long, slow sigh. That old man was trouble.