The Anomaly's Path

The door of the shop clicked shut behind me, cutting off the cold air from the street. Outside, Malva stood exactly where Leo had left her.

The silver glow of the streetlamp washed over her, casting a long shadow across the clean stone path. For a long time, she did not move. Her right hand stayed in the air, the skin on her head still tingling where my hand had pressed down to mess up her hair.

Think about it.

The words echoed in her mind, heavy and loud.

Malva slowly lowered her hand, her fingers curling into her sleeve, pressing down until her short nails bit into her skin.

Is he an idiot?

The thought came fast and sharp, born from years of surviving in the dirt. It didn’t make sense. In her world, people’s actions were simple and brutal.

Kindness was either a luxury for fools or a trap. No one gave a high-grade potion to a bruised commoner girl in an courtyard without wanting something back. No one offered fifty gold pieces a month, good gear, and full protection just to ”look after their own.”

When they had first met in that abandoned courtyard, she had known the rules. She had taken his potion, and she had immediately moved to pay the price the world always demanded of a girl with nothing but her body to offer.

She had nothing he could possibly want. He had a powerful family, good looks, friends, and more money than she could ever imagine.

And most of all, he had power — real power. Power she could not match, buy, or even touch. So what could a girl like her possibly give him? The only thing a man like that would want from a girl like her was her body.

She had unbuttoned her coat because a transaction was safe. A transaction had boundaries. You paid the debt, you kept your life, and you owed nothing.

But Leo had panicked. He had told her to stop, his face twisting in genuine irritation. So what was left? Nothing.

He had asked for nothing and that scared her more than any threat ever could.

However... now, he was still doing it.

”Foolish...” she whispered, her voice a flat.

He called himself cold and arrogant — and he was — yet he had followed her all the way here just because he thought she was his responsibility. He knew nothing about her. He did not know where she came from, what she had done to survive, or why her hands were always ready to kill.

Yet, he did not ask. He said he would not pry.

Malva looked down at the stones. For the first time, she realized she knew almost nothing about him either. Tonight was the first time he had spoken a little about his past.

He had not forced her to speak, and he had not demanded her secrets as payment for his protection. Instead, he had shared a piece of his own past first.

Was this his way of building a bridge?

Was this his clumsy way of telling her that she wasn’t the only one hiding behind walls? He was offering his own past as a promise, a silent way of saying he wouldn’t push into her darkness until she was ready to step out of it herself.

They were the same. She could feel it in his words. Two people hiding behind walls, waiting for the hidden blade behind every open hand.

But Leo had somehow let people in. He had Roan, a loud, reckless idiot who would probably jump off a cliff if Leo told him to. He had Alice, who shouted too much but never looked at anyone with malice. He had his family.

’Some of them are just too stupid to leave.’

Malva’s fingers loosened on her sleeve. The careful guard she always carried had not vanished — it could not — but for a brief moment, the weight on her chest felt a little lighter.

She did not trust him.

Trust, then again, was a luxury that got people killed. But as she stared at the door of the shop, she found herself staying. She did not disappear into the shadows. She did not run. She just stood under the light, waiting.

_

[Leo’s POV]

The moment the heavy iron door shut behind me, the thick smell of old paper hit my nose. I leaned against the wooden counter, letting out a long, tired sigh. I dragged a hand down my face, feeling heat rush to my ears.

Damn it, I thought. What the hell was I thinking? That was way too much yapping. Seriously, it was a bit cringe.

The words I had said outside felt strange and too personal. I was not the type to give speeches about life and feelings. I was a guy trying to survive a broken world while managing a bunch of overpowered misfits.

Spilling my guts under a streetlamp felt wrong.

I clicked my tongue. I did not come here to think about my own awkwardness. I needed to buy that Mana Oath contract.

Caster was the priority.

I wanted him on my team, but I also knew he did not trust anyone yet, and that was good. Blind trust in this world only led to a knife in the back. It was the same for Malva. That was why I kept things in ink and mana.

Of course, a Mana Oath was not perfect.

I knew from the game that there were ways to break a contract. But most people did not know that. I did. Not that I plan to use it. I don’t have any intention of breaking their trust. I want them as my team, as people I can rely on. And it’s not like I will betray them.

I just hoped Caster would actually join after this trip. Once we went back to our academy, I would ask for his answer. If he signed, I could start working on my plans.

I pushed my thoughts back and straightened up. I tapped my knuckles on the counter, catching the old shopkeeper’s attention.

”I need a Mana Oath Contract,” I said, my voice back to its usual blunt tone.

The shopkeeper looked at my uniform and white hair, then nodded slowly. ”Mana Oath contracts are rare and expensive, young master. A single contract costs around fifty thousand gold pieces.”

”That’s fine,” I said, keeping my voice calm. ”I will take three.”

The old man’s eyes widened, his jaw dropping slightly. For most people, fifty thousand gold was enough to live comfortably for years. A single contract cost more than most commoners would see in their entire lifetime. He quickly recovered, pulling out a small device from under the counter — a mana-link payment terminal.

”That will be one hundred and fifty thousand gold pieces in total, young master.”

I pulled up my sleeve and tapped my watch against the terminal. The screen flickered for a moment, showing my account balance. The number was absurdly high — well into the millions. My mother had transferred a large sum before I left for the academy, enough to cover years of expenses without even making a dent.

The old man blinked as the payment went through. ”P-Payment confirmed. I will retrieve the contracts from the back.”

He ran away, leaving me alone in the quiet shop.

I let out a small breath and collect my thoughts.

Honestly, I didn’t regret what I said to Malva. She was too broken by whatever past I didn’t know about. If I wanted her to stand with me when the real chaos started, she needed to understand that my team was not just another trap.

A minute later, the shopkeeper returned with a thin black case. He placed it on the counter and opened it, revealing three sealed scrolls glowing with faint golden light.

”Three Mana Oath contracts, as requested, young master.”

I took the case, and slid it into my void pocket. The case disappeared into the folded space, safely stored away. I turned around without another word.

When I pushed the heavy iron door open, the cold night air hit me.

I stepped out and looked up. Malva was still there. She had not moved, her dark eyes tracking me the moment my boots hit the stone. Her face was back to its usual blank mask, but the tension in her shoulders had eased.

”Let us go,” I said casually, shoving my hands back into my pockets as if the talk five minutes ago had never happened. ”The others are probably passed out by now.”

Malva did not say anything.

She just fell into step half a pace behind me, her movements silent as we turned back toward the main road. We walked in quiet rhythm, the white stone buildings of the academy finally coming into view, empty under the deep night sky.

As we reached the crossroads between the male and female dorms, Malva stopped. She turned to me, giving a small nod that carried more weight than before. ”Thank you, Leo. For everything.”

”Just get some sleep,” I replied, waving a hand over my shoulder as I walked away.

She did not say another word, turning to slip into the shadows toward her building, disappearing like a ghost.

I let out a long, tired breath, rubbing the back of my neck as I finally reached my own dormitory door. All I wanted was to fall onto the bed and sleep until noon.

...or so I thought

BZZZZ

A sudden, hard shake rattled my wrist. The mana-link watch on my hand was buzzing violently, a bright light flashing against the dark glass.

I stared at the light, my face darkening as my peaceful night shattered.

”Who the fuck is it now?” I muttered.