The Crisis Begins Just When I Wanted a Nap
[Location: Nova Academy – Dorm F-Delta]
The morning sky above Nova Academy glowed pale silver, wrapped in a thin veil of mist from the artificial climate system of Eterna. Towering spires of fused classical and modern architecture rose in every direction, casting soft, filtered shadows through the transparent skylight panels above.
But on the third floor of Dorm F-Delta, inside Room 309, the only thing shining was the blinking clock on the wall.
Deren Arkwright didn't care.
Face buried in a pillow. One blanket over his head, another tucked over his feet. A fortress of soft silence.
Around him: a mess of cables, a terminal still running static data in the corner, and a pile of compact tools crammed under the bed. An empty teacup sat beside him—last night's leftovers. Same as always.
"It's a day off. Finally. Nap time."He whispered it like a sacred chant.
The door slammed open.
"DEREN! Wake up! It's the semester opening ceremony! FOREIGN DELEGATES! WE MIGHT BE ON TV!"
Kael burst in—hair chaos incarnate, cadet uniform worn inside out, two pieces of bread in one hand, a milk bottle in the other.
Deren didn't move. He just raised one hand from under the blanket and pointed at the door.
"Good luck. I'm gonna find an empty storage room and sleep."
Kael blinked. "You're skipping this? It's historical!"
"Exactly. I'd like to be history. At least for today."
[Location: Nova Academy – East Wing Hallway]
While Kael sprinted toward the main hall, Deren strolled through the quieter corridors behind the dorms. Pillow in one arm. Thermos of hot tea in the other. Noise-canceling headset around his neck.Target: the old storage room in the east wing.
The perfect place. Forgotten, dusty, irrelevant.Heaven.
At least, that was the plan.
The digital hallway panel flickered erratically, half-dead.
"East Wing – Laboratory / Closed Meeting."
Deren raised a brow.
"Meeting? In the storage room? Must be under renovation. As long as it's dark and quiet, I'm good."
He pushed the door open.
A low mechanical hiss. A whisper of cold air.His instincts prickled.
Something's off.But sleepiness was stronger than suspicion. As always.
He stepped in.
The room was round, dimly lit with soft blue glow. Holograms floated in the air. Transparent panels surrounded sleek chairs.
And in the center—two delegations sat across from each other.
Above them hovered the slowly rotating emblems of Astrelis and Thalros.
Deren froze.
A man in a black diplomatic robe stood up.
"At last, Nova's representative has arrived. We've been waiting. Please, take a seat."
Deren looked at the pillow in his hand.Then at the circle of very serious, very political people in the room.
"I… got lost. I was looking for a place to nap."
Silence.
Then, a chuckle from Astrelis.
"Ah, humor. A good icebreaker before difficult negotiations. How clever."
The Thalros delegate nodded thoughtfully.
"Non-confrontational approach. A refreshing start."
Deren:
"No, I'm serious. I really just want to sleep."
[Cutaway – Location: Nova Academy Control Room]
Nayra leaned forward, eyes on the screen.
"That student… he entered without clearance. The system didn't even register him until he was already in the center."
Tessan narrowed his gaze.
"Deren Arkwright. From Rank F to C during the last trial. Special Observation Candidate. His results were suspicious... but couldn't be annulled."
"Put him on active surveillance. Effective immediately," Nayra said. "No one stays neutral in times like these."
[Location: Nova Academy – East Wing Conference Room]
The room grew louder.
Astrelis accused Thalros of manipulating Core tech distribution routes.Thalros countered with accusations of falsified research on Metavore origins.
Tension escalated.
Deren quietly sipped from his thermos. Then—without thinking—he raised a hand.
Silence.
"You know… arguing like this just gives everyone a headache. You're all tired, right? Maybe… let's not argue. Just for a bit?"
More silence.
Then applause—from the Eterna representative.
"Such a simple, yet deeply moving approach."
Deren stared at them all.Brows twitching.Mind screaming:
What the hell did I just say?
He glanced at his thermos like it was to blame.
A Valdheim official scribbled something in a notebook.
"Passive-analytical approach. Suited for mid-term tactical strategy."
Deren exhaled slowly.
"I'm serious. I just want to sleep."
[End Chapter – Deep Underground, Old City Ruins]
Far below the surface, beneath crumbled stone and forgotten metal—
Something pulsed.
A red eye flickered to life.
And a voice—not spoken, but felt, deep in the mind—whispered:
"Their signal has returned. It is time for us to rise."