Rumors, Rivals, and the Road to Vesperia-9
The academy halls buzzed with excitement the morning after the announcement. Interdimensional field trips were rare, even for Gaia Academy, and the fact that Vesperia-9 had just stabilized made it even more thrilling. Newly stabilized fragment worlds were wildcards—some barely more than shattered landscapes, others teeming with ancient ruins, lost technologies, or even living civilizations that had survived the Merge in isolation.
For most students, it was the perfect chance to show off—a stage for the elemental heirs to prove why they were destined to rule the future.
For Max Joules?
It was a nightmare waiting to happen.
---
Class 2-B: The Den of Chaos
Max slumped into his seat, his perfect body still aching from yesterday's impromptu flight through the roof. Around him, his classmates had already formed gossip rings, spinning wild theories about the field trip.
"Did you hear? Vesperia-9 was part of the old Celestial Research Nexus before the war. There could be pre-Merge AIs still active there!"
"No way, it's probably just another elemental ruin. Boring old wind temples or lava pits."
"I heard the last field trip lost half their class to a dimensional collapse."
Max tuned it all out, only vaguely aware that several students kept sneaking glances at him. The 99 Defeats Rumor had already spread school-wide, morphing into a legend overnight. Some claimed Max was an ancient reincarnated hero cursed to suffer 100 humiliations before awakening divine powers. Others said he was the lost child of Gaia herself, hidden to avoid triggering some apocalyptic prophecy.
Max's only response?
A sigh.
---
The Four Heirs Assemble
Just before first period, they walked in.
The Elemental Vanguard—the four heirs of the great elemental dynasties. Together, they controlled nearly half of Gaia's political and military power, and their presence warped reality itself.
Authur van Terra led the group, his magma-forged hair rippling like molten gold, every step sending tremors through the floor. Beside him glided Aqua Lysandra Marin, her very presence leaving trails of mist, her skin shimmering like liquid sapphire. Behind them floated Sylphie Aero Noctis, weightless, her every breath commanding the winds to dance around her. Finally, Ignis Ral Zefyr—flames flickering in his eyes, his aura raising the room's temperature with every heartbeat.
They didn't even look at Max. Not directly.
But Max knew.
They had plans for him.
---
Rumor Control: Max's Survival Strategy
"System," Max whispered under his breath, "how bad is this?"
> [System Analysis: Social Standing Critical.]
[The Elemental Vanguard views you as an unpredictable variable.]
[Potential outcomes range from public humiliation to fatal 'accident'.]
[Suggested Action: Amplify the Mystery.]
Max scratched his chin. The only thing more dangerous than being a nobody at Gaia Academy… was being a known anomaly. If the heirs believed Max had hidden depths, they wouldn't risk eliminating him outright. Not without knowing exactly what they might awaken in the process.
"Fine," Max muttered. "Let's make me a legend they fear."
---
Morning Sparring: Showmanship Over Skill
Gaia Academy's mornings always started with sparring practice—a chaotic blend of elemental duels, team battles, and tactical simulations designed to prepare students for life outside the academy's protective barriers.
Max, of course, was exempt from formal sparring—unawakened students were technically non-combatants.
That didn't stop the teachers from using him as a training dummy.
"Mr. Joules," the instructor called out, his voice dripping with false sweetness, "since you seem so… resilient, why don't you assist Lady Sylphie in demonstrating today's advanced aero manipulation techniques?"
Max barely had time to protest before Sylphie's hand flicked through the air, conjuring a miniature typhoon that scooped him off his feet.
He was airborne again.
"System!" Max screamed internally.
> [System Narrative Crafting…]
[Proposal: Max is secretly training in anti-air combat techniques by intentionally being tossed around.]
[Believability: 72%]
Max twisted mid-air, spinning his body like a dancer caught in a storm, limbs folding and unfolding with unnatural grace. He landed in a roll, somehow perfectly poised.
The students gasped.
Sylphie's eyes narrowed.
"System," Max grinned, "add some flavor."
> [System Enhancement: Max's Perfect Being adapts reflexively to elemental forces.]
[Rumor Enhancement: Max's body remembers every element that has ever struck him.]
[Result: Max can develop elemental resistances through repeated public humiliation.]
A new whisper raced through the crowd. Max the Elemental Survivor.
---
Lunch with the Outsiders
Max ate alone, as usual—except for two familiar faces who always seemed to orbit his chaos.
Rei Vortex, a half-formed elemental anomaly born from a failed fusion of wind and water spirits, and Kain Hollow, a beastkin with no beast form—a genetic accident left over from the Merge's chaotic rewrites. They were outcasts, same as Max, but for different reasons.
"You really need to stop antagonizing the heirs," Rei said, stealing Max's fries.
"I'm not antagonizing anyone," Max protested. "I'm surviving creatively."
"You're poking dragons with sticks," Kain snorted. "Which, honestly, is kind of impressive."
Max's System flickered again.
> [Side Quest Unlocked: Assemble a Party of Misfits.]
[Reward: Hidden Trait - Captain of Lost Causes.]
Max just groaned.
---
After-School Briefing: The Field Trip Looms
At sunset, the entire second-year class gathered at the academy's airship docks. Floating crystal platforms hummed with ancient energy, connecting the academy to the Aether Gate—a stabilized portal linked directly to Vesperia-9.
Headmaster Eryndor stood before them, his robes woven from starlight and shadow. His voice carried the weight of survivor's guilt—he had fought in the AI War, one of the few who remembered it clearly.
"Vesperia-9 is unstable," Eryndor said. "It was once part of the Celestial Research Nexus, home to pre-Merge experiments that… violated natural law."
A murmur ran through the students. Even the heirs looked uneasy.
"This is not a vacation," Eryndor continued. "This is a test. Not just of your strength, but your understanding of Gaia's new reality."
His gaze swept across the students—and paused, just briefly, on Max.
"You leave at dawn."
---
The Night Before: System Whispers
That night, Max lay awake, staring at the ceiling. His System pulsed softly in his mind, like a second heartbeat.
> [Warning: Anomaly Detected on Vesperia-9.]
[Potential Threat Level: Incarnation-Class.]
[Recommended Action: Survive.]
Max swallowed hard.
"System," he whispered, "what's on that world?"
The System's reply was uncharacteristically serious.
> [Entity Identifier: Folder Hero - Codename: AURORA ZERO.]
[Status: Missing In Action Since the Final Day of the AI War.]
[Additional Data: Redacted.]
Max exhaled slowly. This wasn't just a field trip. This was the past coming back to haunt them all.
And somehow, Max was right in the middle of it.
---