The sky was violet.
Nox woke to the scent of cold stone and starlight, his body lying in a circle of glowing runes. The air shimmered with strange energy, and the moment he sat up, a chime echoed deep inside his skull.
> [System Thread Alignment Failed.]
[Gender Violation Detected: Male Identified.]
[Status: Forbidden Thread.]
"What…?" Nox whispered, glancing around.
He was in a grand courtyard under a dome of glass and constellations. Towering gothic pillars surrounded him, and inscribed above the arched gate was the name:
"St. Astralis Academy of Divine Thread"
Below it shimmered the inscription:
"All Threads Lead to the Stars."
A cold gust of wind swept through the courtyard. A door opened. And from it, footsteps.
A girl in a glowing uniform appeared. Then another. Then five.
They weren't normal students. Their auras blazed with cultivated magic—floating thread sigils danced behind them like spinning wheels.
He stood up shakily.
"Is this a mistake? I was just—"
> [System Threat Level: MAXIMUM]
[You do not belong here.]
The girls raised their hands, fingers laced with threadlight.
"Anomaly detected," one of them said. "Eliminate."
Nox turned and ran.