Zain and Ria (3)

Beep! Beep! (The alarm rang).

Ria woke up and switched off the alarm clock. She stretched her lithe body and began making her bed with precise, almost mechanical movements.

The academy grounds sprawled beneath the morning sun, a collection of imposing structures designed to accommodate not just the students but also the rankers who had completed their studies and occasionally returned. Each building, crafted with sleek, modern architecture, reflected the academy's reputation for excellence. Every student was assigned a personal apartment—this arrangement was meant to acclimate them to the independent lifestyle of rankers. Strict rules, however, were in place to maintain discipline and discourage inappropriate behavior among students.

Ria's apartment was the epitome of luxury for a student. Like the outside world, the academy's hierarchy meant that as one's rank advanced, so too did their lifestyle. Rankers rarely experienced poverty; they earned substantial rewards for completing quests and missions.

After meticulously making her bed, Ria activated her cyber screen. A serene melody filled the room as Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata began to play. The soft, haunting notes resonated through the apartment, filling the space with a melancholic beauty. Classical music was one of the few things that could genuinely make Ria smile. She hummed along as she selected her uniform and headed to the bathroom to prepare for the day.

Under the warm cascade of water, Ria's thoughts drifted to Zain.

"I wonder if he'd enjoy a shower," she mused aloud before chuckling softly. "Probably not."

Turning off the water, she began drying herself. The water trickled down her smooth, porcelain-like skin as she wrapped herself in a towel. Her long, silky black hair draped over her shoulders, glistening with droplets. Her cold, jet-black eyes stared back at her from the mirror as she meticulously dried her hair. Her reflection showcased a figure of breathtaking elegance, though her expression remained distant and unreadable.

As she finished dressing, the music shifted to Icarus, a masterpiece by the legendary composer Tony Ann. Humanity's cultural landscape had been irrevocably altered after the dawn of monsters. The internet, once a vast reservoir of knowledge, had been severely damaged when critical servers were destroyed. Though eventually repaired, much of humanity's history and art had been lost forever. Despite advancements, not even artificial intelligence could fully replicate the treasures that had disappeared.

Now, scavengers worked tirelessly to recover fragments of the past, akin to modern-day archaeologists. The piece Ria was listening to was one such relic, belonging to the prestigious Clan Bing. Icarus was valued at a staggering eighty million crypto coins, while Moonlight Sonata held an even loftier price tag of one billion crypto coins. Clan Bing, in an extraordinary gesture, had released Moonlight Sonata to the public as a gift.

Ria loved her clan and family, but their traditions often felt stifling. Some rules, such as avoiding commoner food in favor of exclusive cuisines, seemed utterly unnecessary to her. As she prepared breakfast, her culinary skills shone through in the perfectly balanced meal she crafted. Ria briefly considered making ramen but discarded the thought.

"They'd definitely know," she muttered, glancing at the ever-present surveillance devices discreetly embedded in her apartment. "They can be such creeps sometimes."

She turned off the music and checked her watch—a family heirloom crafted from pure silver with delicate gold accents. The heirloom had been passed down through generations, even predating the War of Nations.

Ria walked to class with an air of authority and purpose. Each step she took radiated confidence and discipline, her presence commanding attention. Students whispered as she passed, though their gossip was notably less frequent that day.

"Good," she thought. "They should spend their time studying instead of gossiping."

When Ria entered her classroom, the atmosphere shifted. Students began gathering around her desk—some greeted her warmly, others extended invitations to events, and a few merely observed her in awe. While she tolerated the attention most days, her patience wasn't infinite. When she'd had enough, she would silence them with a single cold glare, scattering them like leaves in the wind.

Though three months had passed since her arrival at the academy, Ria had yet to make any true friends. The exception was Zain, who remained in a coma. After classes, she often retreated to the secret room, where she would spend hours talking to him and indulging in junk food.

In that quiet sanctuary, she allowed herself to be vulnerable, sharing her thoughts and dreams with the one person who couldn't respond. Zain's presence, though unresponsive, was a source of solace in her otherwise isolated world.