C4 – The de Louire family

The men in black coats arrived before the morning bell rang.

They stepped onto campus like they owned the place... government agents, probably from the Stenian Authority. The students fell silent as they walked past, their expressions unreadable, eyes scanning everything. Not a single wasted movement. Not a single unnecessary word.

Mike leaned against the railing on the second floor, watching. Noah stood beside him, arms crossed.

"This can't be good," Noah muttered.

"It never is." Mike didn't look away.

The headmaster greeted the agents at the entrance hall with a forced smile on his face. They spoke in hushed tones, but even from here, Mike could tell it wasn't a friendly conversation. The government didn't make casual visits.

Mike wasn't the only one watching. The whole school was tense. A handful of students, the ones with families working close to the anomalies, looked more uncomfortable than the rest. A girl with silver-blonde hair and an expensive-looking uniform.

Mike hadn't seen her before.

Then, as if she could feel his gaze, she turned and met his eyes.

For a second, nothing happened.

And then she smiled.

Mike had a feeling today was going to be a long day.

The inspection continued through the morning. The agents combed through files, asked quiet questions to select students, and generally made everyone uneasy. They didn't speak to Mike. That was good. It meant he was still beneath their notice.

By the time history class rolled around, the tension had somewhat eased, though the subject of the inspection remained on everyone's mind. The teacher, Mr. Haller, tapped his fingers against his desk before addressing the class.

"Since we have a new student joining us today, I think it's an appropriate time to discuss the Founding Families of the Stenian Archipelago," he announced.

A murmur passed through the room. Everyone already knew about the Founding Families.

Mr. Haller gestured toward the girl. She sat at her desk with perfect posture, her silver-blonde hair neatly tucked behind her ear, her eyes sharp yet amused.

"This is Éllise de Louire. Her family is one of the Founding families, meaning she comes from one of the wealthiest and most influential lineages in the Archipelago." He turned to the board and began writing.

The Four Founding Families:

de Louire - Key funders and policymakers, heavily invested in anomaly research.

Veison - Military and defense specialists, responsible for securing the islands from external threats.

Rheinhart - Industrial, agriculture and technological innovators, the backbone of the Archipelago's infrastructure.

Kazimir - Intelligence and strategic planning.

"These families ensured humanity's survival when the world fell apart," Mr. Haller continued. "Each one governs different aspects of life here. The de Louire family, for example, is known for its vast wealth, estimated at around 125 billion stens. Their funding supports anomaly research, which is why they hold so much power."

Mike listened, though his focus remained on Éllise. She didn't react much to the introduction, merely offering a polite nod when the teacher mentioned her name. He noted the way her bodyguard stood near the door, always watching, always assessing threats.

Mike had no doubt Éllise was dangerous. Not in the obvious way. But in the way that powerful people always were.

Lunch came, and the tension in the air was still thick. Mike had just taken a seat when someone dropped into the chair across from him. He didn't need to look up to know who it was.

"I heard you're interested in the Zerolands."

Mike looked up. Silver-blonde hair, sharp blue eyes, and a smirk that barely hid curiosity. Éllise de Louire. The girl who somehow felt completely at ease despite all government gaurds around her.

Her personal bodyguard and assistant stood a few steps behind her, arms crossed. His eyes practically screamed Don't talk to him.

Mike picked up his sandwich. "I heard they're interesting."

Éllise rested her chin on her palm, "That's a dangerous topic. Only people with a death wish go into things like that."

Mike took a bite of his sandwich. Chewed. Swallowed. "And... do you?"

No answer.

Noah made a noise beside him, clearly unimpressed. "If you're here to play rich girl with secrets, save it."

Éllise ignored him. She leaned in just a fraction closer. "The Authority isn't just here for a random check-up, you know."

Mike already knew that. But he didn't interrupt.

"They found something," she continued, voice lower now. "Or rather…they lost something."

Her bodyguard stiffened. "Miss de Louire!"

She sat back, rolling her eyes. "Relax, Gerard. It's just harmless speculation."

Gerard did not look convinced. He sent a glare toward Mike before stepping in closer. "Miss de Louire has nothing else to say."

Éllise sighed, but she didn't argue. Instead, she stood, giving Mike one last glance. "Be careful, anomaly boy."

Noah looked confused and asked. "Anomaly boy?"

Mike exhaled slowly.

Noah's frown deepened. "You're not actually thinking of getting involved with her, are you? You know what her family is. They're-"

"They're a gold mine of info," Mike interrupted, his voice calm. "She knows things, Noah. Things we don't."

"And you trust her?"

"Not even a little."

Noah shook his head, clearly irritated. "Then why even entertain this? This is stupid, man. She's nothing but trouble."

Mike leaned back in his chair, watching as Éllise and her bodyguard disappeared into the crowd. "That's the thing about trouble, Noah."

He picked up his drink, taking a slow sip before finishing,

"It usually comes with answers."

And the bell rang the school was being closed temporarily for safety checking as few reports came from school surroundings, and all students were asked to leave after a while, when most students had left the halls, Mike was about to leave aswell but as he was leaving he found something tucked into his locker. A folded piece of paper, when Mike opened the fold to see what's written it got glitched like computer infected with malware. Although it was being glitchy Mike found a word that was repeated over and over again,

"RETURN."

The hallway lights went dark. And blue ambient light filled the hallways,

Mike suddenly felt unease and heavier the entrance door infront of him no longer there. Mike opened his phone to see that well... No signal

Mike sighed. "Guess I have no choice..."

Mike started to wander inside trying to find Anomaly Alarm. which immediately calls authorities to take care of any potential anomaly that might turn into a zeroland.

Then in the darkness he saw a person. Fully disfigured staring back at Mike.

"Noah...?" Mike said in disbelief.

To be continued...