It had been a month since Hal was admitted.Time passed quickly—each day blending into the next.
His routine never changed: wake up, shower, skip breakfast (he didn't need to eat anymore since Awakening), then meditate for an hour or two. Eating had simply become inefficient. With his body now sustained by Authority, meals were optional—so he'd cut them out entirely.
After meditation, he'd head to class.
At first, he relied on his guide to teleport him. But these days, he preferred walking—or rather, sprinting across the massive campus, using Authority to enhance his speed. On foot, the trip to the first-years' building would normally take over an hour. But Authority broke all limits.
Over time, he learned the academy's layout:A vast floating island.
The right side housed all the living quarters and the central canteen for every student—first-years through fifth.The left side held all the educational buildings and practice fields.In the middle: a "life district"—restaurants, malls, shops, and parks, to keep students from feeling caged.
After reaching the classroom building, Hal would enter a hallway lined with corridors. His class was always down the leftmost hall, at the very end.He'd sit in his usual spot, silently listen to Professor Aer's lectures, then move on to his additional classes.
Hal had signed up for four:
Swordsmanship
Meditation
Conceptualisation
Declaration Theory
Each was vital to his growth—especially Conceptualisation, which helped him explore what his future Concept might be, and Declaration, which taught how to manifest it as truth.
After classes, Hal would train his body. After all, they said: "A stronger body feeds a stronger mind."
Then he'd return to his dorm, sleep, and repeat.
He hadn't made any friends.
Hal wasn't great with people. Socially awkward, quiet, and too focused on training to bother with conversation.His only company was Leer, his guide—who, despite being more of a mentor, was probably the closest thing Hal had to a friend. They both came from the slums, and that made it easier to talk to him.
If the rich kids found out where Hal was from, they'd probably look down on him.Not that it mattered.
Until today.
It was a normal day. Nothing out of the ordinary—except one thing.
Hal felt… hungry.
A distant memory stirred in his chest. A craving.He hadn't eaten in weeks—not really. But today, for the first time since his Awakening, he wanted food.
He'd heard good things about the food hall, especially the one assigned to the Eclipse Class. He'd never been—so he decided to finally check it out.
It was extravagant.
Polished floors, elegant lighting, Authority-powered food replication tech, and a buffet that stretched half a hall. Compared to the food halls of other classes, it was absurd. He'd seen the Crescent Class's cafeteria in passing once—half the trays looked like prison meals.
He took a tray, filled it quickly, and sat at a nearby table.
As he started eating—slowly remembering the joy of it—someone sat beside him.
A girl.
Red hair. Freckled skin. Brown eyes that were almost gold under the light. Athletic build—beyond normal. Her presence screamed strength.You could modify your body with Authority, sure, but this girl looked like she lived in a gym.
Then, across from her, a boy sat down.Blue hair. Green eyes. Quiet aura. The exact opposite of the girl.
Hal ignored both of them. He didn't need this.
But the girl wasn't having that.
"Heya," she said, grinning. "Never seen ya around here. What's your name?"
Before Hal could respond, the boy groaned.
"Stop bothering the guy. Let him eat in peace."
The girl slammed her fists on the table so hard the trays rattled. "Bothering him? Shut up, you invisible freak!"
The boy glared back. "Oh yeah? You muscle-brained brute. You wanna go at it?"
Hal blinked, finished his last bite as quickly as possible, and stood up.
Nope.
He wasn't getting pulled into whatever this was.
But just as he turned to leave, a hand grabbed the back of his uniform.
"Oy, you bastard," the girl snapped. "You still haven't told me your name!"
And just like that—he was stuck.
That's how Hal met Astrid and Haiden.
They were both from the Crescent Class, and he only got to know them because—unluckily or not—they shared a few classes and occasionally ended up in the same dormitory block rotation.
Astrid was pure brawn—always going headfirst into problems, all fire and no brakes.She dreamed of embodying the Concept of Strength. She was intense, temperamental, but endlessly sociable. Her entry into Crescent wasn't because she was weak—it was because she was ruthless. She'd almost broken an opponent's arm in a spar after they surrendered.
Haiden was her opposite.
Calm. Cold. Precise. He rarely spoke unless it was necessary. But when Astrid got involved? His cool demeanor snapped. They fought like siblings—bitter ones.
His goal? The Concept of Stealth.
During his entrance match, he used his Authority to vanish completely. His opponent gave up after three hours of swinging at air, and the examiner got so fed up, they threw him in Crescent Class for wasting time.
Hal didn't know how he ended up befriending the two most chaotic people he'd ever met.
But somehow… he did.
They made his days less lonely.
They even shared an additional class—Conceptualisation—and had found a cheap ramen place in the life district they now went to often. Even though Hal had access to the finest meals the academy could offer…
Nothing beat eating with friends.