The next morning, I boarded a crowded city bus, thinking it was the fastest way to reach the academy. I was wrong.
The moment I stepped inside, every head turned. Conversations died, replaced by the sound of shifting seats. People slid away from me as though I carried a disease. Mothers pulled their children closer. One woman holding a toddler clutched her baby so tightly that the child whimpered. Seconds later, she stood abruptly.
"Stop the bus!" she shouted.
The driver glanced back, confused but did as she said. The woman stormed off the bus, muttering under her breath, "I won't share a ride with that thing."
The door closed, but the silence that followed was heavier. I kept my head down, gripping the strap above me, pretending I didn't notice. But then—
SLAP!
A stinging pain exploded across my cheek. I froze. I hadn't seen it coming. My vision tilted slightly as I blinked at the woman who'd just hit me. Her face was pale, her eyes wild with fury and grief.
"How shameless can you be, you bastard?!" she yelled, her voice breaking.
I raised my hands instinctively, stumbling over my words. "I-I'm… sorry. I didn't mean…"
But I didn't even know what I was apologizing for.
She collapsed to her knees, sobbing. I knelt slightly, trying to help her up. "Ma'am—"
"Don't touch me!" she screamed, slapping my hand away like it burned her. "Don't you dare touch me, you shameless monster!"
I froze, my throat tight.
Whispers spread like wildfire through the bus.
"He's planning to kill us all!" someone said.
"What's he even doing here?"
"I say we throw him off before something happens."
Then a deeper voice muttered, "Let's just kill him already."
A man started toward me, his face twisted with anger. His right hand was hidden in his pocket, and I caught the glint of metal.
Before I could react—
CLANG!
A sharp, metallic pain shot through my skull as the man swung something at my head. My vision blurred, the world spinning. I stumbled backward into the seats, clutching my head.
Gasps rippled through the bus.
"What the hell… that didn't even hurt him?" the man hissed, his dark grin curling at the edges.
Their stares pinned me harder than the strike. I felt like a living curse.
An older man near the back, who had been silent until now, stood up. His presence alone cut through the tension. "Kid, are you trying to cause trouble?" he asked, his voice firm but not angry.
I shook my head quickly. "I… I'm not, sir. I didn't do anything."
My eyes darted to the woman still crying on the floor. My voice trembled as I said, "Ma'am… I'm sorry. I never wanted—"
"Sorry?" she cut me off, her voice cracking. "Will that bring them back? Will that undo the people you killed, you monster?"
I froze. I didn't even know what to say anymore. Her grief felt like a blade twisting into my chest. My eyes burned, but I swallowed it back.
A man whispered loudly from behind, "He's so dense… like he doesn't even understand what he is."
The older man turned to the driver. "Pull over."
The bus screeched to a stop. He looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Kid, just get out. This isn't worth it."
I didn't argue. I just stepped off, my legs heavy. The bus pulled away with a groan of its engine, leaving me on the roadside, alone and staring at the retreating red taillights.
---
I stood by the roadside, the hum of the city far behind me. Dust curled at my feet with every passing gust of wind. My head throbbed where the metal had struck, but I didn't touch it. The stares, the screams, they stung far worse than any wound.
If I knew the way to the academy, I would have walked. Maybe five hours, maybe more. Anything felt better than sitting on that bus, treated like a curse that didn't deserve to breathe the same air.
Then—
SCREECH!
A sleek, black car slid to a stop in front of me, the engine purring low and smooth. The tinted window rolled down with a soft hum, revealing a man I'd never seen before.
He had sharp, fox-like eyes that gleamed with mischief, half-hidden behind thin, distorted glasses. His crimson-red hair was tied loosely at the back, strands brushing the edges of his jaw. He smiled, warm and polished, like he belonged in some luxurious magazine ad instead of on a dusty roadside.
"Hi, Fiel," he said, his voice soft but confident, maybe too confident.
I blinked. "...How do you know my name?"
He chuckled lightly, the corners of his lips curving. "Your grandmother asked me to prepare a ride for you just in case something like this happened."
His words were smooth, but something in his tone felt… practiced. Like he'd been waiting for this moment.
"Ah… who are you?" I asked cautiously, taking a half-step back.
"Salin Click," he said, placing a hand over his chest in a half-bow. "But you can just call me Salin."
I hesitated, my eyes narrowing slightly. Salin. Even his name sounded like it came with secrets.
"You don't trust me?" He tilted his head with a sly grin, as if amused. "Fair. I wouldn't trust someone like me either. But… would you rather stand here for hours, or let me drive you to the academy?"
I stayed quiet, staring at him. There was something about his presence, smooth, refined, but with an undercurrent of obsession.
After a moment, I opened the door and got in.
The car's interior was pristine, leather seats, faint scent of cedar and something sharper, metallic almost. He drove fast, but his hands on the wheel were steady, like he'd memorized every turn of the road.
We left the city within minutes, the tall buildings fading into distant silhouettes.
"Wait…" I frowned, watching the scenery change. "The academy isn't in the city?"
Salin's smile widened. "Wilson Castalis exists in its own world. An isolated ground… built for people like you."
That didn't sound reassuring.
Not long after, the road opened to a massive compound. It was nothing like I imagined. Not a towering campus with glass windows or high roofs, just a sprawling, leveled facility, its walls painted deep navy at the base and cream above. Security drones hovered like silent vultures, scanning every corner.
At the main gate, the emblem of WILSON CASTALLIS gleamed, two crossed swords surrounded by an unbroken ring.
Salin slowed the car, his voice low and almost teasing. "This is where it all begins for you, Fiel. Try not to die before the first selection."
Before I could ask what that meant, he stopped the car. Students were everywhere, flooding the courtyard like restless currents, some excited, some nervous, some already glaring at me as if I didn't belong.
---
The courtyard of Wilson Castalis pulsed with noise. Students stood in clusters, divided into two distinct sides: Hunters on the left, Exo-hunters on the right.
I tried to blend in, but everywhere I stood, the air shifted. People stared, murmured, then stepped away like I was a disease they didn't want to catch.
"What's that demon doing here?" someone hissed, not even lowering their voice.
"Are we seriously supposed to take the entrance exams with him? What if he snaps?" another muttered.
"Maybe he's here to kill us all… why did they let him in?"
It was then that I realised the entrance exams were being held today.
Their voices weren't whispers anymore; they were daggers thrown at my back. I kept my head down, jaw tight. I was used to it.
Then, through the heavy tension, came an unexpected sound.
Snore.
I blinked. Did I just hear— Snore.
I turned my head and nearly laughed. A boy with messy green hair stood right beside me, asleep on his feet. His eyes were shut, lips murmuring nonsense as if he was having a conversation in his dreams.
"What…?" I muttered under my breath.
A girl nearby pointed. "Isn't that Elyen? What's he doing on the Exo-hunter's side?"
"He's supposed to be with the Hunters," another boy said sharply. "Someone get him away from that guy before it gets weird."
So I'm that guy now. Great.
Elyen didn't seem to hear a single thing. He tilted slightly, swaying closer to me like a sleepwalker. His oversized clothes made it look like he'd borrowed them from a giant, his sleeves swallowed half his hands, and his shirt collar was so loose it looked like it might fall off.
I bit my lip, trying not to laugh. What kind of guy shows up to the entrance exam like this?
Some girls whispered behind me, their voices a mix of giggles and daydreams.
"He's so cute, I wanna marry him!"
"He's mine. He's too pretty for this world."
They weren't wrong. Even half-asleep, Elyen looked effortlessly charming. He had the kind of face that could make a guy like me feel painfully average.
Then, before I could shake off my thoughts, a commanding voice cut through the air like thunder.
"Alright! Everyone, listen up!"
The courtyard went still.
A tall man stepped forward. His black beard was trimmed sharp, his broad shoulders casting a shadow across the crowd. He looked like someone who didn't need to shout twice, his presence alone demanded attention.
"Hunters on the left, Exo-hunters on the right," he said, his gaze sweeping over us. Then his eyes paused briefly on me.