Eclipse Academy, Class 2-3.
Afternoon sun cut through the tall windows and threw long shadows across the desks.
The door opened. Mr. Chen stepped in, followed by the new transfer student.
Jet-black hair. Straight and heavy. It absorbed the light.
Plain uniform—top button fastened, cuffs worn from washing.
"Quiet down." Mr. Chen clapped twice. "We have a transfer student. Introduce yourself."
The boy stepped forward.
"I'm Heli. From the outer district. Nice to be here."
No smile. No extra words.
A brief silence. Then a snort came from the back row.
It was Kai—gray-blue streaks in his hair. He leaned forward and grinned.
"This guy looks exactly like the man from the Five Great Traitors. Give him gold hair and it's identical."
Laughter exploded across the room.
"Same face structure."
"Dye it gold—he'd be perfect for the national traitor cosplay."
"Might also be a traitor in the future hahaha."
Mr Chen frowned, but did not stop them.
Heli stood motionless, hands loose at his sides.
…Gold.
That was my color.
His lashes lowered. The corner of his mouth twitched once, then stilled.
Mr. Chen rapped the blackboard hard. "Enough! Heli, take the empty seat next to Elara."
Second-to-last row, by the window.
Elara glanced up. Snow-white hair fell in a silken cascade, shimmering like frost under moonlight.
Her porcelain skin glowed softly, almost translucent, lit from within.
Ocean-blue eyes held quiet calm, framed by pale ash lashes.
Without a word, she slid her textbook aside to make space, fingers slender and steady.
Heli walked over, set his bag down quietly, and sat.
"Thanks."
The bell rang.
Mr. Chen switched on the projector.
The screen lit up with an old heroic portrait: a man and woman standing shoulder-to-shoulder before a massive rift, capes billowing.
Click. The image changed to wanted posters—crimson borders, faces slashed through in thick black.
"Today's lesson: the chapter on the Modern Era's Five Great Traitors," Mr. Chen said in a flat voice. "Listen carefully."
He read directly from the text.
"The couple were once the nation's most elite professionals, trained with every resource the state could offer.
During the final battle in humanity's highest-level secret realm—the Eternal Rift—the seal was moments from completion.
At that critical point, they turned their blades on their own allies.
Because of their betrayal, the Divine Capital's main force was completely annihilated.
The rift erupted. Millions of civilians died in the aftermath.
Their names are carved forever on the pillar of shame."
He paused to let the words sink in.
"They betrayed the hope of all humanity. They shattered countless families. Their crime is unforgivable—eternal."
Heli's head dipped lower.
Under the desk, his fingers curled into tight fists until the knuckles turned white.
Those were his parents.
Not traitors. Not monsters.
He remembered his father kneeling in the alley, gently untangling a stray kitten from wire, voice soft: "We've got you, little one." Then carrying it home.
His mother in the kitchen, making extra soft dumplings just for him.
"Taste this. More sauce? Oops don't be rushed! you can have as many as you want~"
When his work out failed in drills, his father ruffled his hair: "Strength is in the trying."
His mother held him close: "We're proud of you exactly as you are. Always."
A single tear slipped down his cheek.
He raised his hand quickly and wiped it away.
Next to him, Elara's caught the motion.
She stayed silent, but her gaze lingered.
Mr. Chen closed the file. "Any questions?"
Heli raised his hand slowly.
The room grew quiet.
He spoke, voice calm but carrying a faint tremor.
"Teacher… what was the reason for their defection? Could there… be another side to the story?"
Three seconds of stunned silence.
Then the classroom erupted.
"What the hell? He's defending traitors?!"
"You planning to backstab us in the next rift battle too?!"
Paper balls flew at him. Eraser dust scattered. Insults bounced off the walls.
"Traitor spawn!"
"Sympathizer scum!"
"Rotten blood!"
Mr. Chen slammed both hands on the lectern. The wood cracked.
"History is ironclad! Your words insult every hero who died that day! Speak again, and I report you to Command immediately!"
Every pair of eyes turned on Heli like knives.
He sat still, face blank, breathing steady.
Only Elara remained quiet. Her expression shifted—first curiosity, then something more complicated.
Mr. Chen's gaze flicked to Heli—cold, narrow. He held it for two seconds, then turned to the class.
"Enough history," he said. "We move on."
He tapped the podium. The holo-projector shifted to a tiered pyramid of light.
"Awakening professions come in ranks. F to SSS. However, there might be some rank that is higher than all of these..."
The hostile glares from the class lingered.
Elara shifted in her seat. Her voice was low, reaching only his ears.
"Eclipse Academy only accepts noble bloodlines or top-tier family. What is your background?"
Heli looked down at the scuff marks on his desk.
[His sister's instruction surfaced in his mind: Infiltrate the Divine Capital.
Climb to the very top. It is the only way to uncover the truth about them.]
He turned his head to meet Elara's gaze.
"I have no background. I just got lucky."
Elara held his stare. Her finger tapped slowly against the edge of her notebook. She didn't speak.
Kai leaned over from the row behind.
"Lucky?" Kai let out a sharp bark of laughter.
"Hey, listen to this! The outer district stray thinks he got in on luck!"
The surrounding students quickly joined in.
"A rat slipping into the dragon's nest."
"Probably cleaned someone's boots to get a recommendation letter."
"No wonder he gonna awaken a trash class on the ceremony."
...
The bell rang.
"Class is over," Mr. Chen said. He gathered his files.
"Go home and rest. Tomorrow is the Profession Awakening Ceremony."
He swept his gaze across the room, stopping on Heli for a fraction of a second.
"Your entire future will be decided on that altar. Prepare yourselves. Dismissed."
Heli stood, shouldered his bag, and headed for the door.
Three figures blocked the corridor.
Kai stood in front, two lackeys behind him—broad shoulders, patriotic pins gleaming on their collars.
Kai stepped forward so everyone in the hall could hear.
"Traitor-lover. You really think you can sit there defending that garbage?"
Heli stopped. He met Kai's eyes and said nothing.
Kai's lip curled.
"People like you are parasites. Leeches on society."
Still no answer.
Kai leaned in, breath hot.
"Your parents—if they even bothered to raise a son like you—must regret they didn't strangle you the day you were born."
No reply.
The lackeys laughed.
Kai's face twisted.
"Fine. Let's wash that filthy mouth of yours."
Hands grabbed Heli's collar and arm. They shoved him hard.
They dragged him down the hall toward the nearest restroom.
The door banged open.
Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. The air smelled of old bleach and damp tile.
Kai kicked a stall door wide.
The toilet water sat stagnant, faintly yellow under the harsh light.
"Head down," Kai said. "Time to learn some respect."
They pushed.
Heli's back slammed against the partition.
Hands gripped the back of his neck.
They forced him forward.
Down.
Toward the water.
Outside in the corridor, A flash of snow-white hair caught the hallway light.