"Shhh."
A young man with silver white hair tied high stood in the middle of a damp stone prison room. His face was delicate enough to qualify as the male lead of any school romance drama.
A white shirt the same shade as his hair.
Cold gray eyes swept across the surroundings.
Stone walls dripping with water.
The smell of mold.
Thick darkness.
"An illusion?"
He raised a hand and silently recited a line of Spell Speech, creating a thin barrier to block observation from the outside.
But the illusion was faster.
From the cracks along the prison walls, white chrysanthemums began to emerge. They bloomed inside the rotten space, beautiful in a way that felt completely out of place.
Inside that damp hell, they looked like salvation.
"Damn it!"
Realizing something was wrong, he turned and rushed toward the cell door. A full force kick slammed into it and the rusted iron door burst off its hinges.
"Wind from the right… an exit?"
Both sides of the corridor were swallowed by darkness. He hesitated for a brief moment, then formed an ice crystal in his palm.
The crystal emitted a strange dim gray light, the only light inside the tunnel.
He ran to the right.
The light gradually weakened.
Each step illuminated the chrysanthemums spreading along both sides of the walls, stretching their petals toward him.
They wanted to hold him back.
To purify him.
Or to save him.
"Hah… hah… please, I'm still young! I don't even have a wife yet!"
He shouted while continuing to run. Behind him, flowers bloomed like wreaths meant to be placed upon his grave.
Until
Crack. Crack.
…
It had been nearly a week since I transferred to this academy.
And just as I predicted, in any life, staying awake through five classes straight was impossible.
The only place that could save me was the cafeteria.
Right now I was sitting across from my roommate.
"Hey Marcus, aren't you hungry?"
The tall white haired guy stared blankly at my food tray with lifeless eyes.
"No. I don't feel like eating today."
He yawned and collapsed onto the table.
I quickly caught his face before it smashed into the metal tray.
It would be a waste if that handsome face got damaged.
"You okay? Low blood sugar?"
I placed a piece of candy on the table. Marcus glanced at it and closed his eyes again.
"No need. Just… a nightmare."
I paused, then slowly pulled my hand back, letting his face press against the cold tabletop.
"Oh. I thought it was something serious. Are you sure you're not confusing a nightmare with a wet dream?"
Marcus let out a dry laugh.
"Maybe it's because I haven't gone out with any girls for a long time. That must be why I'm having nightmares."
He fiddled with his personal wristband while browsing the network to pass the time.
I continued eating my slightly cold meal.
"I thought you could sneak outside the academy? I heard you've done it before."
"If I could, I wouldn't be stuck here like this."
Marcus shrugged.
"The school and my father are watching closely. Besides, everyone knows my face now. I'm too handsome to blend into a crowd."
He even struck a pose like an actor in front of a camera.
From the perspective of another guy, I had to admit
It was pretty disgusting.
"Forget it. Exams are coming. Studied anything yet?"
I thought for a second.
"Cheating."
Marcus laughed with clear approval.
"Exactly. We haven't even been here a week and they're already testing us. Cramming is useless. Cheating works better."
He raised his head, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"By the way, I heard you didn't take the practical entrance test?"
"Not important." I answered casually. "Another time."
Marcus did not press further.
I rested my chin on my hand and looked at him.
"Oh right. You said you could escape the academy if you weren't being monitored. How?"
Marcus tilted his head back and rubbed his chin.
"What do you want to go outside for? Don't tell me you're planning to hang out with girls."
I smiled, half joking, half serious.
"To be a third wheel."