The Accidental Pawn

[Location: Nova Academy – F-Delta Dormitory, Rooftop Balcony | 22:41 PM]

The night sky above Nova Academy sparkled with artificial stars.Soft pulses blinked across the atmosphere dome—A simulation of peace.A mimicry of silence.

Tonight…It almost felt real.

The buildings below, polished steel and reinforced glass, reflected the muted light of a city that never truly slept. But unlike the usual rhythm of marching boots and echoing lectures—tonight, the Academy was… still.

Almost too still.

Leaning against the railing of the F-Delta balcony, I sat with my back to the wind.Hood up.Thermos in hand.Small pillow tucked between my back and the cold metal.The air was synthetic but crisp, and the silence… oddly heavy.

Below, the grand hall still glowed faintly.Hours ago, it had hosted a final summit between Astrelis, Thalros, and Eterna.For now, open conflict had been delayed—But not resolved.

"Diplomatic ceasefire pending reevaluation of tech distribution," I muttered aloud, quoting the conclusion from the final report."Which means... we're just hitting pause."

I took a sip of what little tea remained.

A soft crash behind me.

"DEREN!"

Kael burst onto the balcony like a thunderbolt in the wrong uniform.His cadet jacket was inside-out. His hair? War crime.

"Did you see the announcement?We got praised, man!Your name—your name—was mentioned by both Valdheim and Astrelis!"

I barely glanced at him.

"All I did was sit quietly… and occasionally blame outdated systems."

"EXACTLY!That's the magic!You flipped the diplomatic table with silence and sarcasm.You're like—the sleepy messiah of peace!"

"I'd prefer to be the messiah of naps, Kael."

[Location: Nova – Strategic Monitoring Wing | 22:45 PM]

Inside the Academy's top-tier surveillance chamber, a quiet screen pulsed with highlighted data:

[Subject: Deren Arkwright]Status: Primary Observation Candidate– Access privileges: connected to Eidolon-related architecture– Involvement in hybrid reactivation, substructure defense systems, and relic-triggered Core pulses– Classification: Undefined Threat Level– Assessment: Multiple anomalies orbit this subject.Not a pawn. Not yet a king.But the board changes every time he moves.

Nayra stood with arms folded.Her gaze lingered on the slow-scroll report. Not hostile. Not skeptical.But… curious.

"There are too many open variables.He's not the one pulling strings... but he's not on the strings either."

Tessan, behind her, replied without looking.

"He's not the player...But the game still bends when he takes a step."

[Location: Outer Sectors – Black Market Underbelly | Unknown Time]

Beyond the Academy's reinforced borders, rumors spread like oil across fire.

Eidolon had resurfaced.

Not in whispers, but in warnings.

In hidden channels, smugglers and underground brokers shared data leaks and corrupted blueprints—fragments of systems once thought lost.

Inside a concealed room bathed in red-light holographics, Clarice sat with eyes narrowed.

"System breach attempts blocked.But several old prototypes are resurfacing.Valdheim and Selvas have contacts we didn't trace."

She closed one report—marked PRIORITY RED—and opened a corrupted data pulse.

An unfamiliar signal…But not entirely foreign.

A Core signature.

Primitive. Ancient.

"That's not ours…" she whispered."But it recognizes us."

[Location: Nova Academy – F-Delta Dorm, Balcony | Late Night]

Back at the balcony, I finally stood.Set my thermos on the railing.Rubbed my face with both hands.

"I just want a quiet life.But the universe keeps tugging my sleeve every time I try to close my eyes."

Behind me, Ryn stepped into view.He held two cups of steaming tea.

"If you really just wanted peace…Why do you keep ending up in the center of chaos?"

I looked at him, one brow raised.

"Because quiet places tend to be full of loud people.The dangerous zones?At least they let me think."

We shared a quiet laugh.

Overhead, the atmosphere dome dimmed into its midnight cycle.Soft twilight cascaded across the city.

But somewhere, far beneath the surface…

A sound.

Low.Distant.Like a system long abandoned coughing itself awake.

A Core system.One not registered by Nova.One built before any of the factions agreed to peace.

Far beneath Zone-7…

Eyes opened.

Red.

Massive.Ancient.

And starving.