Beyond Phantasia

The following week was rather normal aside from the constant stares I’d been getting — but that could’ve been me overthinking. After wrapping up my community work, everything became routine: learning, training, studying, working, and repeating. Occasionally, I’d run into Aurelia, and sometimes even Iris or Novian. But overall, my interactions with the main group were limited. If I couldn’t help myself, how could I help them?

I also tried to find any information on Lucien but to no avail. "Crow" was a very common last name. Based on his appearance and the origin of his last name, Lucien might be from the Eastern continent. But that was too broad to be helpful—and too far out of reach for me right now.

The end of the week finally arrived, and it was time to receive my reward from the academy — or more specifically, from Instructor Kossi. I didn’t need to think too hard about what to ask for. There was one thing that would be beneficial to me, something I had to obtain at all costs.

Knock. Knock.

"Academy rank 3000, S-Class Student Lucien Crow, reporting to Instructor Kossi," I said, standing at attention and waiting for permission to enter.

"Enter," Instructor Kossi's calm voice called from the other side of the door. “Next time, just knock. That formal stuff is boring.”

“Noted,” I replied, stepping into her office.

Instructor Kossi glanced up from her desk, her calm, steady gaze meeting mine. Her aethergaunts, glowing softly, rested on the desk beside her.

"Relax cadet," she said, motioning for me to sit. "Come take a seat. Want anything to drink?"

"Whisk—water, please," I said, sitting down with a sigh.

I noticed Instructor Kossi raised an eyebrow but she didn’t comment. Instead, she proceeded with her task, slipping on her aethergaunts. With a fluid motion, she conjured a glass of water from the air. The process looked simple, yet I knew it was far more complicated than it appeared.

"I know it's a little late, Lucien, regarding your reward, but we had to verify the events and all that," she said.

"It's not a problem," I replied. "I barely did anything, so a small reward is good enough for me."

“So, elaborate on your side on the events! I wanna hear it from your perspective personally.”

I took a deep breath.

Slowly and thoroughly, I recounted the events of the Socrilum Trials from start to finish. I included everything relevant but left out any details about my status screen, the mission, and the skills and rewards I had gained from it. That part of the story wasn’t something I should share with anyone, at least not right now.

“I see…” Instructor Kossi said, “You’re a really weird individual Lucien.”

“Huh? I mean… come again?” I blinked, caught off guard, unsure if I had heard her correctly.

“What you’ve done is not something a sixteen-year-old student, chosen out of the dean’s pity, should be capable of,” Instructor Kossi said, her gaze sharp and probing. “Falling out of a plane, handing a parachute to another cadet mid-air, continually surviving, commanding your fellow classmates, and even inflicting a wound on a corrupted Sloakard. None of it adds up."

I froze. What she said was true. I hadn’t been acting like a regular sixteen-year-old. The things I’d done, the way I reacted in those high-stress moments — it wasn’t normal.

Instructor Kossi’s eyes sharpened as her posture shifted ever so slightly, but it was enough to change the entire atmosphere in the room. Her calm authority became something more tangible — more oppressive. It was like the air itself had thickened, making it harder to breathe. The soft glow from her aethergaunts intensified as the space around her seemed to bend with energy, creating an invisible force that pressed down on me.

I felt it immediately — the overwhelming weight of her presence. My body was forced to tense, my muscles locking up as if they were responding to a primal threat. The sheer force of her affinity wasn’t just physical; it reached deep into my mind, filling it with an inexplicable pressure that made me feel like a child facing a titan. My thoughts slowed, and I had to fight to keep control of my own body as if her will was overpowering mine.

She didn’t move, but the force emanating from her was suffocating, pressing down on my chest and shoulders. Every breath became a conscious effort, my heart pounding as if trying to escape. My vision tunneled slightly, and I had to clench my fists to stop myself from shaking.

“So, Lucien…” her voice sliced through the oppressive weight of her aura, cutting straight to the heart of my nerves, “…who or what exactly are you?”

"I..." My voice felt weak under the weight of her power, my throat dry. This wasn’t the time for clever answers or evasions, and I knew that whatever I said next would have consequences. My mind raced, but Kossi’s eyes never wavered, waiting, expecting.

“I…don’t…know…”

“Explain,” she said.Her gaze bore into me, unrelenting, as if she could see through every lie and half-truth I might try to spin. The pressure of her presence only intensified with each passing second, her affinity pressing down on me like a vice.

“Ever since the Massacre, I’ve lost my memories. I don’t know what I’m doing. It feels like I’m me but... not me. I don’t know why I’m here or why I had to be here. I’ve been struggling everyday to make ends meet.”

It was mostly true. I was blending the bits I knew of Lucien's life with my own experience. Hopefully, she’d believe me. If not, then... it might be over.

At that moment, I felt her presence withdraw, and the suffocating weight lifted. The room returned to normal, and I gasped, taking in a huge breath of air as my body relaxed. Everything felt normal again.

She stared at me for a moment.

“I see,” she muttered. “You’re an anomaly.”

With that, she resumed her usual demeanor, as if the intensity of the moment had never happened.

“No hard feelings, Lucien. I just wanted to check something.” she laughed lightly, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Now, what reward do you want? Money, tuition, a pet goldfish…”

“Take me in as an apprentice.” I firmly stated.

"Huh?" She blinked, tilting her head slightly. "Now, that's interesting. Why?"

"I need to grow stronger at a faster rate."

She raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk playing on her lips.

"Just because you have me as a mentor doesn't mean you'll grow. Besides, I could always fully decline, and you’d have to ask for a different reward." Her tone shifted to a teasing lilt, her gaze sharpening as she leaned back. "I don’t see much benefit in taking on an apprentice… especially a weak one."

She stretched out the last words, her aura seeming to press down on me with a playful but undeniable weight.

"I'm well aware," I replied, holding her gaze steadily. "But like you've said, I'm an anomaly, a weird individual. Wouldn't it be more interesting to see what I could become, rather than train someone who's already strong from the start?"

Instructor Kossi's smirk widened slightly, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Hmm, so you're trying to bait me with curiosity? You do realize that’s a dangerous game to play, right?"

"Maybe," I shrugged, "but if I'm as unusual as you say, then maybe the risk is worth it."

For a moment, there was silence. Her aura shifted subtly, the playful energy still there but tempered by something more contemplative. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, studying me closely.

"You've got guts, I'll give you that." she said with a soft chuckle. "But you’ll need a bit more convincing than that."

“I’m also aware which is why I brought this.”

I pulled out my backpack and took out a rather large container, carefully revealing a colorful array of sushi. Each piece was artfully arranged, showcasing a variety of fish in both sashimi and nigiri styles.

I knew Melusine Kossi's character in Beyond Phantasia well enough to understand her extreme love for raw fish. I had originally prepared this sushi before the Trials, but since I had been out of commission for a week, I decided to up my preparation to be safe. This…this was my trump card.

I could see her eyes shimmer.

"You're quite the unexpected chef, Lucien. Maybe there's hope for you yet, anomaly or not." she replied, her tone teasing yet genuine. "Fine, I’ll entertain your apprenticeship. Be glad you’ll be my first ever apprentice. Now, hand it over."

I handed her the container.

“Also, you’ll refer to me as Teacher Kossi now,” she said, picking up a slab of sashimi and inspecting it before taking a bite.

“I’ll be in your care, teacher,” I replied.