Ezra Kaelus was a selfish man.
So selfish, in fact, that he often chose not to remember the names of people he didn’t deem worth remembering, in exchange of saving that mental space to maintain clarity when using his stigmata.
So selfish that it never once occurred to him that his grandmother might die before he did. Because Ezra Kaelus had never planned on living a long life. If it meant achieving his revenge, he was willing to trade his life in a heartbeat.
So selfish that he didn’t care whether his death would leave his grandmother grieving, because he never thought he’d be around long enough to witness her mourning.
But what he didn’t expect… was to outlive her.
He never imagined he’d be the one holding her hand as she took her final breath.
Because the truth was, Ezra never wanted to see the death of the only person he had left.
That’s why he had always intended to die first.
The only reason he even showed up to the university today, despite his grandmother’s passing just the day before, was simply to distract himself. To keep his mind from spiraling further.
But perhaps that was a mistake.
Most lectures had been canceled due to an apparent “Imperial Professor Test.”
Of course, not all of them.
Only professors who had been considered candidates. Unfortunately for Ezra, all three of his classes for the day, Professor Dahlia, Professor Eamon, and Professor Vanitas.
“….”
Selfishness wasn’t something he was born with. It was something that had grown over time.
There had been a time when Ezra didn’t even know what selfishness meant. A time filled only with warmth, simplicity… and happiness.
A time when he lived in a peaceful rural village in the southern region of Aetherion.
Life in the villages had always been different. Neighbors weren’t just neighbors, but they were family. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, older brothers, and sisters, whether by blood or not, everyone was connected.
If no one was home, a child could simply wait at the neighbor’s place. If there was no food on the table, they’d eat next door without question.
People shared. People helped. People cared.
And Ezra had been just another child among the peaceful community.
Back then, if his father scolded him, he’d run next door to find comfort at the uncle’s house. He’d play on the swings with his friends until his heart felt lighter again.
Whenever the uncle returned from a trip abroad, Ezra would rush over with the other kids, excited to receive small treats.
He was the leader of the neighborhood children back then. Many other children followed him around with laughter and innocence in their eyes.
It had been an ordinary life.
But it had been a good one.
….That was before everything changed.
Before the world taught him that peace was not permanent… and the world could turn upside down at any moment.
It began with a single false report. Someone had claimed the village was harboring a demon.
That was all it took for chaos to follow.
Knights and mages descended, and the village was turned upside down. People were slaughtered without mercy. The aunts, the uncles, his friends…
The entire village was burned to the ground.
Despite everything he had tried to forget, there was one thing Ezra could never erase from his memory.
The overwhelming despair he had felt on that day.
——Run north. I’ll distract them. Under no circumstances are you to look back. Your grandmother lives in the capital. You remember the house, don’t you, Ezra?!
He could still hear his mother’s voice. Perhaps the last words he had ever spoken to him before she, too, drowned in the flames.
But how could a child forget the sound of screaming? The sight of people desperately trying to flee, only to be caught? Ezra was barely four, escape was impossible. And to put such expectations on a child was borderline lunacy.
Everything after that was a blur.
When he next opened his eyes, he was already in the capital. His entire body was stained with blood, his limbs were bruised and scraped, and his strength was completely spent.
He couldn’t remember how he got there.
All he knew was that something had awakened within him.
The phenomenon known as stigmatas.
“….”
Maybe he had been denying it all this time. Or maybe, deep down, he had already accepted the truth.
That the demon the village had been accused of hiding… was him.
Ezra Kaelus, the boy who could use dark magic as effortlessly as natural mana.
Perhaps the very existence they had feared… was him.
——Ah, Ezra.
He paused in the hallway, glancing up as his senior, Adam Oleander, approaching with a casual wave.
“Since you’re here, I assume your lecture was cancelled too?”
“Yes,” Ezra replied with a short nod.
Adam folded his arms, leaning slightly against the wall. “Is Princess Astrid with you? She shouldn’t have any lectures today either, right?”
“No, she’s…” Ezra’s voice trailed off, the scene from earlier flashing through his mind of Astrid poking the sleeping professor’s cheek with the enthusiasm of a mischievous child.
It was probably a grudge, he reasoned. Professor Vanitas was respected, sure, but also feared. It wasn’t uncommon for students to find harmless ways to get back at him.
“I think she went home early,” Ezra added casually.
After all, even he thought the professor deserved a little payback here and there. And really, who would dare scold the princess for it?
Besides, Ezra could sense this senior of his was clearly interested in Astrid.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Adam Oleander harbored a fondness for her. Just like many of his other male classmates who tried their luck.
But Ezra figured it best to save the poor guy from disappointment. Astrid, after all, was far more difficult than she looked.
“Is that so?” Adam replied, raising a brow. “That’s unusual for her. She’s been working nonstop for the campaign lately.”
Ezra shrugged. “Maybe she needed a break.”
Adam seemed thoughtful for a moment, then sighed. “Well, I guess even the Princess has her limits.”
Ezra didn’t respond. His gaze shifted to the window, eyes narrowing slightly as he spotted the gray clouds gathering outside.
“Anyway,” Adam said, “if you see her, let her know I was looking for her.”
“Sure.”
Adam gave a quick nod and walked past him, disappearing down the corridor.
Ezra continued down the hall in deep thought once more.
To think he had misunderstood the situation last night so completely… It was almost embarrassing.
The nurse had explained the situation afterward, and in hindsight, could Astrid even be blamed for how things had appeared?
Still… he figured he’d apologize. Eventually.
——Hey.
The voice stopped him in his tracks.
He turned to see Astrid standing behind him, catching up with slightly hurried steps.
“Did you follow me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Don’t tell anyone what you saw, okay?” she blurted out.
“…?”
Ezra blinked, a bit taken aback. To think she was actually this afraid of the professor ever finding out. He found it oddly amusing.
But then again, it made sense. Professor Vanitas wasn’t exactly known for letting things slide. He knew that after working under the professor for two months now.
“And… I’m so—”
“I’m sorry,” Ezra said instead, cutting her off.
Astrid blinked. “Huh?”
“I misjudged you,” he said, gaze dropping slightly. “About the hospital… and everything else. I thought… never mind.”
There was an awkward pause between them.
Astrid opened her mouth, then closed it again. She hadn’t expected him to apologize first.
“…Thanks,” she said softly, after a moment.
Whoosh—
A gust of wind passed through the corridor, brushing her hair gently as she looked down for a second.
“And… my condolences,” she added. “If it makes you feel any better, the Marquess will be punished accordingly. Once things… settle down.”
Ezra’s expression didn’t change at first, but his hand slowly clenched into a fist.
Punish the Marquess…
That was what he had intended to do all along. On his own terms. In his own way. There was no need for her, or anyone, to go that far for someone like him. Someone who held no loyalty to the Empire.
But still…
The gesture was well appreciated.
“Thanks,” he said again, quieter this time.
Astrid gave a small nod, then stepped back slightly, as if preparing to leave.
“I’ll see you later,” she said.
He watched her turn away and begin walking down the hall, her figure gradually fading into the distance.
Not all nobles were tyrants.
And if someone like her, someone like Princess Astrid, were ever to become the sole reigning Empress…
Then maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t mind pledging his loyalty to her.
As Ezra reached the exit of the tower, the sounds of student chatter filled the air. The courtyard was bustling with life as students moved between buildings, laughing, studying, talking.
“….!”
He froze.
Above, the sky twisted for a brief second. Ezra, who was already looking above, couldn’t help but notice it.
At first, it was subtle. Like sunlight bending through broken glass.
———!
But then it spread, causing most students to turn their attention to it.
Like a spiderweb stretching across the sky, lines of light fractured through the clouds.
Ezra’s eyes widened.
“….”
It wasn’t just light.
“….No.”
It was a Fractal Dimension.
* * *
Elsa sighed, rubbing her temples in frustration.
Whoever the idiot was that had trapped the University Tower inside a Fractal Dimension… they were going to pay dearly. It had all the markings of a terrorist attack.
And a foolish one at that.
In over a century, the University Tower had never once been targeted. Anyone reckless enough to try was either desperate, or unbelievably stupid.
“….”
With just a glance, Elsa could already tell the Fractal Dimension encasing the tower was solid.
It had to have been planned around the Imperial Professor screening. At the moment, six high-level professors were unconscious. That meant their physical bodies were vulnerable. Whoever the target was, it had to be among those six.
She had only just announced the cancellation of their lectures a few minutes ago. And now, the attack.
That meant one thing, the information had been leaked.
And if it was leaked… that meant there was an insider.
A student? A faculty member? A staff worker? Perhaps even one of the professors?
Her jaw tightened.
No matter who it was, they had made one critical mistake.
They had chosen the wrong place.
Elsa Hesse pulled down the brim of her oversized hat, the air around her beginning to shift. She raised her staff with a calmness that bordered on cruelty.
To attack the University Tower… was to challenge one of the world’s Great Powers.
And they were about to learn what it meant to provoke the Calamity Witch.
* * *
It was important to understand. All professors were scholars, but not all scholars were professors.
Some specialized in theory, others in application. While all professors were capable of casting high-tier magic, not all of them were competent in combat.
Even so, there remained a sense of duty to protect the students. To shield the next generation, even at the cost of their own safety.
That was the mark of a true educator.
It didn’t take long for the monsters to descend upon the University Tower. A suppression effort was launched immediately by the remaining faculty, but the problem became apparent almost at once.
———!
These weren’t ordinary monsters.
Those familiar with such sightings knew the signs. The twisted forms, the irregular mana patterns, the grotesque mutations.
To those in the know, the prevalence of chimeras was a serious matter.
And worse, they were everywhere inside and outside the campus.
No, not some of them.
All of them.
——Professor Odette!
——Aaaaah!
Chomp——!
Screams tore through the halls as blood splattered across lecture-room floors.
Grotesque, unnatural hybrids with warped limbs, mismatched features, and impossible anatomy. To put things in perspective, a monster once known as a Fang Spider now bore wings like a Terror Griffin and horns resembling those of a Death Unicorn.
What set them apart from conventional monsters was their natural regenerative ability. Wounds that should’ve incapacitated them healed in seconds. Severed limbs writhed, reattaching themselves. Even direct spells left little more than surface burns.
———!
Magic flew in every direction.
The air crackled with lightning, roared with fire, and pulsed with magic barriers. Spells collided midair, shattering windows and lighting up the stone walls with wild color.
Students had joined the suppression effort.
From the Crusade Department, armed combatants charged head-on, cutting through waves of beasts. Their blades moved in unison, holding the line.
Just behind them, the Magic Department lent their strength, casting support spells, elemental barrages, and so on. Fireballs exploded across the halls. Binding chains of lightning snared limbs. Ice walls rose and shattered just as quickly.
They fought as one.
Not because they were told to.
But because they had to.
Because inside the Fractal Dimension, there was no such thing as evacuation.
Crackle—!
Each and every one of them were trapped.
* * *
Vanitas walked across the empty campus. It didn’t take long for him to deduce what this was.
This had to be the cognitive phase of the Imperial Professor screening.
He’d been caught off guard at first, but now it all made sense. Flexibility under pressure was one of the key traits required. Professors were expected to act quickly, to make critical decisions in life-or-death situations.
In real scenarios, that narrow second of hesitation could mean losing students… or their own lives.
“.…”
Still, understanding the premise didn’t make it any easier. There were no instructions given, or how to even pass this test.
He’d read through articles and testimonials about the Imperial Professor screening before. Most candidates described the experience the same way; disorienting, vague, and mentally exhausting.
But none of them ever mentioned what actually happened inside.
Only that it left them with a pounding headache.
And now, Vanitas was beginning to understand why. The sense of isolation, paired with the early realization that this world wasn’t real, made everything feel suffocating, like he was trapped in an invisible cage.
For someone with so many responsibilities waiting in the real world, it all felt like a frustrating waste of time—
“….”
His thoughts paused as he caught a flicker of movement just beyond the window. For the first time since wandering this false version of the university in what felt like hours, something had changed.
Without hesitation, he vaulted through the open window, wind rushing past his face as he plummeted from the tower’s upper floors.
The University Tower was easily dozens of stories high. The drop would’ve killed anyone else.
But with a burst of wind magic, Vanitas slowed his descent, landing smoothly on the stone path below.
Whoosh—
His coat fluttered as the wind settled, and he straightened, scanning the courtyard.
“….”
But what should’ve been the university courtyard… wasn’t. Instead, stretched out before him was…. a carnival?
Colorful tents, shifting lights, and the melody of carousel music filled the air. The scenery was jarringly surreal.
And there, playing one of the games, stood a boy no older than ten.
“….”
Vanitas narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. The boy’s jet-black hair was all the confirmation he needed.
If this was a space within cognition, then it wasn’t difficult to guess whose was being tested.
It wasn’t his.
“You…”
“….”
Vanitas froze.
The boy stared back at him with unmistakable amethyst eyes. The same gaze, the same features, just younger.
But this wasn’t some innocent, carefree child. There was no playfulness in his expression, nor the youthful sense of joy.
Only weariness. And something bordering on apathy.
Sunken eyes. Hollow gaze, as if emotions were dulled by experience far too early.
And yet, there was no mistaking it.
“….”
The child was undoubtedly Vanitas Astrea.