The Anomaly's Path

The colorless light on the massive screen did not fade.

It stayed there, hollow and cold, like a hole that drank the light from the room. The air around it felt thin and weak. It did not pulse like normal mana. It just sat there, bending the space around it like a heavy rock on a thin sheet of glass.

”And that,” Professor Vance said, his voice calm and slow, holding the whole room’s attention, ”...is where today’s lesson really begins.”

He did not rush. He let the silence stretch, giving the idea room to sit in our heads.

”We call it... Aether.”

A pause.

”Do not mistake it for thick mana. Mana is fuel. Affinities are the shape you give it — fire, ice, lightning. But Aether is different. Aether carries the Laws of reality. Most of you will not touch it for years, if ever. But when you do, it does not act like mana. It answers to your soul, your will, your very being. It is not something you control. It is something you become.”

The moment the word left his mouth, the front rows burst into quiet, fast whispers. The noble students from Class Veritas and Fortis were leaning so far forward they were almost falling out of their seats.

”Aether? Are you serious? My father said only the high council can even sense that...”

”I thought it was just a made-up story from the Magic Tower to scare the lower nobles.”

”Look at the screen. It does not even have a mana mark. How can something exist without a pulse?”

The whispers spread up the stone steps like a wave. Vance let them talk, staying calm, before raising his hand to quiet the room.

”...The normal human body cannot hold this energy. If a normal fighter tried to pull even a tiny drop of Aether through their veins, the weight of it would break their bones and turn their cells to dust. Your body must go past human limits.”

”That is also why records of Aether are so few and why so few people know about it,” Vance continued, his voice dropping slightly.

”Because throughout history, there simply haven’t been many Transcendents, and even fewer Sovereigns, to witness it firsthand. The ones who do reach that level rarely bother to write it down for the rest of us.”

A few students exchanged glances, the reality of how far they were from that level sinking in for the first time.

Vance tapped the desk, and the screen zoomed out to show a big, tiered rank chart.

”To even look into the void of Aether, you must reach the Transcendent rank. At that level, a fighter’s body is no longer fully human. You are stepping into the realm of a demi-god. Even then, Transcendent can only touch it a little. True, full freedom with Aether belongs only to the Sovereigns. They are the only ones strong enough to rewrite reality without breaking their own bodies.”

Up in the back corner, I kept my mouth shut, staring at that empty, colorless light. It takes shape based on the user, and you need a demi-god body to even touch it, huh?

In the game, Aether was the biggest mystery at the end. When Arthur unlocked it later in the story, it was a brilliant, burning gold. A light that did not just follow the rules — it rewrote them.

”As you can guess...,” Vance’s voice cut through the whispers, a small, shy smile on his young face,

”I am a researcher. I spend my life with books and core pictures, not fighting in big wars. I have not reached the Transcendent rank. I cannot show you what true power looks like. I cannot change the rules of this room on my own. So, to show you how a normal core acts when it faces a real, top-level force... I had to ask for help from someone who actually lives on the battlefield.”

The big wood doors at the very back of the room did not just open — they slammed against the stone walls with a loud CRACK that made half the students jump out of their seats.

A heavy, red wave of pressure flooded the room. The air grew hot, smelling like burning metal and a coming storm.

Fuck me, this crazy bitch is actually here?

My jaw tightened the moment Instructor Morgana walked down the stone steps. She had her hands in her pockets, her wild dark hair framing a sharp, dangerous smile. She did not look like a teacher. She looked like a walking disaster. The rest of the room reacted fast.

”Holy hell... who is that?” a Fortis student whispered, his face turning pale under the pressure.

”Look at those eyes... they’re beautiful.”

”And that walk? Like she owns the whole damn building.”

”Man, she’s terrifying... but honestly? She is incredibly hot.”

I internally shook my head, glancing at the idiot who muttered that last comment. Bro, keep your thoughts to yourself. If she hears you, you will surely die before the bell rings. She will peel your skin off

Down on the platform, Morgana stopped next to the desk, crushing the empty light of the screen under her crimson aura.

”If it wasn’t for you, Vance, I would definitely not do such an annoying thing,” Morgana spoke up, her rough, raspy voice cutting through the quiet room. She didn’t even look at the students, keeping her sharp eyes locked on the professor.

”Teaching kids how to breathe? They don’t need a lecture. They need to see real danger.”

Vance gave a weak, nervous smile, his fingers tapping nervously on his desk. ”You are still the same crazy senior, Instructor Morgana. We were students together at this very academy before they picked us up, so I know your methods, but a bit of book stuff is needed before the real work.”

Wait, they went to academy together? I thought, my head spinning.

The game never said anything about Vance’s past or Morgana’s time as a student here. Was Morgana even in the game? Wait... I feel like I am missing something. If she was a student here, then there must be some records of her. Later, I will tell Lyra to look into it.

Beside me, Roan suddenly pushed his elbow into my side. He did not say a word, but the look in his eyes said everything. We exchanged a glance, thinking the same thing.

Hey, Roan’s eyes said, darting down to the stage then snapping back to me.

Look at them.Don’t you think they look a bit close? Look, look how close she stands to him and he just takes it.

I looked down, watching the way the shy, thin researcher shook while the wild, dangerous woman stood over him. I looked back at Roan, and it hit me. Holy shit. How did I not think of it before? A shy, nerdy scholar and a crazy, bloodthirsty monster of a woman? Isn’t that literally the most classic, peak trope in romance novels?

The more I watched them argue, the more I was sure. They are definitely dating. There is no way they aren’t. They have that exact weird bickering energy. or just Vance love him?

But then, another thought crossed my mind, making me feel a sudden wave of pity for the professor. But man... if they are dating, don’t you think that poor Vance guy is way too good for someone like that crazy woman? He’s a nice gentleman, she’s an absolute psycho.

”Poor guy Vance is way too good for that crazy woman to date,” I muttered.

The words left my mouth before my brain could stop them.

The moment the last word left my lips, a cold, hard truth hit me. The room was not noisy. In fact, Vance and Morgana had just stopped talking to pull up a new file, leaving the whole room in dead silence.

My voice wasn’t a whisper. Because I had been so lost in my thoughts, it had blurted out perfectly clean, echoing straight down the stone steps and bouncing off the ceiling for all students to hear.

I instantly slapped both hands over my mouth, my eyes widening. Fuck me. I can’t control this damn tongue.

For two long seconds, nobody moved. The silence was heavy enough to suffocate a man. Then, right next to me, Roan completely lost it. He tried to hide it, but a loud, snorting laugh burst out of his mouth, shaking his whole body.

I turned my head around, giving the elf a deadly, murderous glare while internally screaming. Shut up! Shut your crazy, fucking mouth, you useless elf! She will definitely kill me, and your laughing is just fueling her anger!

Down on the platform, Morgana’s smirk completely vanished. Her eyes slowly moved up the rows of seats, passing the frozen nobles of Class Veritas, until they locked directly onto the very back corner. Right onto me.

”Too good for me...?” Morgana repeated. Her voice didn’t rise. It dropped into a dangerously calm, low tone that made every single hair on my body stand on end.

She slowly took her hands out of her pockets and cracked her knuckles, the sound like breaking sticks in the quiet room. ”Right. Well... since I am here to show everyone how Aether works, I need a student. So why do you not come on down, Leo? Let us show them a... real example.”

My stomach dropped. I slowly lowered my hands from my mouth, clearing my throat.

”Ah... um, I would respectfully decline such a generous offer, Professor. It sounds a bit too good for me. I would honestly prefer to just sit right here and watch someone else learn from your incredible wisdom.”

Morgana’s eyes narrowed into slits. ”...I wasn’t asking.”

”In fact!” I yelled, my brain going into save-my-life mode as I grabbed at anything I could. ”There are two more people right here who really want to fight you and prove themselves! They have been talking about it all morning!”

I pointed a finger directly at the two people sitting next to me.

Alice immediately averted her gaze, staring at the stone wall with sudden interest. ”Ugh... well, wow. Suddenly, it feels like I have a really terrible stomachache. Like, a massive cramp. I don’t think I can even stand up right now. I’ll... I’ll have to do the demonstration later. Definitely later.”

I turned my head toward Roan, but the bastard elf was already slouching low, suddenly staring at a piece of paper he’d pulled out of nowhere, scribbling notes with deep concentration like his life depended on it — something he definitely wasn’t doing a second ago.

Damn these traitor bastards, I grumbled internally, my chest boiling with frustrated betrayal.

Seeing that I was going to get dragged down no matter what, I set my jaw. If I was going down, I was not going alone. I needed shields. I needed a distraction.

”If you really want someone who needs to learn your kind wisdom,” I shouted, shifting my finger away from my useless friends and pointing it straight down at the front row. ”Take that Hero over there! Arthur really needs some basic training. He needs to learn how to behave!”

Arthur, who had been quietly laughing at my pain like a dumb, innocent guy, froze. He blinked, pointing at himself, his eyes wide. ”...Huh? Me?”

”Yes, you!” I said fast, giving him no time to say no. ”Instructor Morgana, do you not think the top ranker needs to be tested the most? You should take Arthur down there with you too!”

Before Morgana could even answer, a cold, sharp voice cut through the room from the middle rows.

”I will also come.”

I paused, blinking as my eyes tracked to the source. It was Riven. He stood up slowly, his expression cold, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared down at the stage.

Riven? What’s up with him all of a sudden?

My mind put the pieces together from the game.

Ah... Right. In the academy, Riven was a very competitive, proud lone wolf. He was meant to be the early rival to Arthur.

The problem was, no matter how hard he trained or how cold he acted, he always lost to Arthur by just a little. Seeing Arthur get called down for a special demo with a front-line fighter probably set off his jealous side.

He could not stand the thought of Arthur getting ahead or getting special training without him.

Ugh, fuck these competitive people. I’m starting to hate all of them now.

Morgana looked at Riven, then at Arthur, then back at me. A slow, scary smile spread across her face. ”The more, the better. Come on down, boys.”

Up in the back row, Roan finally looked up, letting out a big, fake sigh. He reached over and wiped a fake tear from his eye as he looked at me. ”I will remember your sacrifice for us, bro. Truly, a noble soul.”

I gave him one last hateful look, wishing nothing but bad luck on him, then let out a heavy, tired sigh. There was no way out.

I stood up from my seat. Instead of walking down like a normal student, I used my space power. In a blink, my body blurred and I popped onto the stone platform below, a few feet away from Vance.

I shoved my hands into my pockets to hide the shaking in my fingers.

Arthur and Riven walked down the steps, their heavy footsteps drawing every eye in the silent room. The three of us stood in a loose line facing the smiling monster. The tension shot through the roof.

Morgana took her hands out of her pockets, and the crimson aura around her flared, turning almost solid. ”Let’s see what you kids are made of.”