Volume 1 Chapter 1; EP 1

The number 18. XVIII. For most, the number 18 is just another in a long sequence of numbers—significant only for the rite of passage it symbolizes: adulthood, or the age where restrictions are lifted, where the world opens its arms to those who can embrace it.

But for Nyx, something was different. Not just the number itself, but what it meant, what it could imply in the grand scheme of things.

Her mind swirled, turning over the possibility that there was something hidden in those Roman numerals, something beyond the obvious.

Maybe it wasn’t XVIII. Maybe it was XVIX. No NVX… Ifite – ɝ. She couldn’t get it right, and the symbols felt like they were slipping away from her, fading into oblivion, as if they were all part of a larger design she couldn’t comprehend.

The End.

It echoed in her thoughts. Èvêr¥whêrê å† †hê †rµê ÈñР𣠣ïðñål Gððgðlðg¥.

The thought spread across her mind like wildfire. Yes, the end. Soon enough.

The sun rose quietly, bathing the room in soft rays of light. It was a peaceful morning, a serene contrast to the maelstrom brewing in Nyx’s mind. She stretched and yawned, her arms reaching toward the ceiling as she blinked sleepily at the window. The room was familiar. Silent. Safe. Until the phone rang.

Her eyes snapped open, blinking against the blinding sunlight that spilled through the curtains. She had forgotten to put it on vibrate.

The ringtone echoed through the room like an intrusive force, loud and grating against the calm. “Agh...” she groaned, shielding her eyes from the harsh rays.

Reluctantly, she grabbed the phone and answered. A voice, stern and shrill, came through the speaker. “Nyx, Trinity’s entrance exams start this afternoon. You need to get ready!” the voice shouted, clearly irritated.

Nyx jumped up, her heart racing. “A-Ah… Sorry! I forgot!” She fumbled to collect her thoughts, struggling to regain her bearings.

“Don’t sorry me! Just get ready!” The line went dead with a click, leaving Nyx with nothing but the heavy weight of her impending future pressing against her chest. She sighed, rubbed her temples, and looked at herself in the mirror.

Her reflection stared back, indifferent.

A girl, normal enough. Normal enough for her, at least.

Her dark hair was messy, and her eyes—those striking, haunting magenta eyes—were tired, empty, as though they carried the weight of too many worlds. She didn’t care much for elegance or grace.

She wasn’t one for religion, either. She didn’t need any of that. What was important was that Trinity might give her access to the one thing she truly desired.

Seia.

The girl who could draw her out of this endless spiral, the one who, despite everything, Nyx adored. Obsessed over, even.

Seia, the Tea Party member, and possibly the key to Nyx’s salvation—or damnation.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she grabbed her clothes and threw them on. There was no time to waste. The clock was ticking.

Down the stairs and out the door. The sun hit her with full force, making her squint and curse under her breath. “A—Agh! Stupid sun!!”

Her hand shot up to pull the hood of her jacket over her head, the fabric shielding her from the oppressive rays.

The street was busy, but Nyx’s mind was elsewhere.

She wasn’t concerned with what other people thought. She wasn’t concerned with anything except one thing. The rifle.

She needed the most powerful weapon she could get her hands on. A few minutes later, Nyx found herself at a convenience store. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, the air stale with the scent of packaged snacks and overpriced drinks.

She walked straight up to the counter, smiling brightly at the cashier.

"Hello! I'm looking for the most powerfulest sniper rifle in existence!" she said, her voice cheerfully casual, though her intentions were anything but.

The cashier stared at her, mouth agape. It took him a moment to process her words, his eyes flicking nervously around.

"W-What?! WHY would we carry ILLEGAL weapons like that?!" he stammered.

Nyx’s face flushed with embarrassment. She scratched the back of her neck and tried to play it off.

“Hah... I—I mean who wouldn’t, right!?” she laughed nervously, trying to make light of it.

But the cashier wasn’t having any of it. Within moments, Nyx was kicked out of the store, her cheeks burning with humiliation.

“Man, I hope this test is passable…” The walk back home was uneventful. She lived close enough to the city that it didn’t take long. But the whole way back, she couldn’t shake the feeling that time was running out. One hour. That was all she had left before the exams began.

She checked the time on her phone. A deep sigh escaped her lips. There was no time to rest.

Sitting by the window, she stared out at the city, feeling something shift in her chest. Frustration. Anxiety. And then, suddenly, it bubbled over into laughter.

“Hah… Hahaha…” she muttered, a crazed gleam in her eyes. “There’s no way I’m getting to see Seia today. If I do, I’ll blow it… Hahaha No, Nothing can stab me!!!!”

The dark humor was her only coping mechanism.

But Nyx’s plans didn’t end there. She had one more idea: the black market. Kivotos wasn’t short on unsavory dealings, and if there was one thing she knew, it was that money could get you nearly anything.

Even a weapon of unimaginable power.

It took her the rest of the afternoon to track it down. The FAMS-1V—a modified McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle. it wasn’t just a weapon; it was a force of destruction itself.

60 million credits. A ridiculous price, but Nyx had the resources.

She made the transaction, and by the time she walked out of the back-alley store, she had in her possession a rifle capable of obliterating anything in its path.

The time had come. She would go to Trinity.

Arriving at the gates of Trinity General School, Nyx surveyed the scene. Students lined up, waiting to take the entrance exams.

The weight of the moment hit her all at once.

'What am I even doing here?'

But she knew what had to be done. She went through the tests—physical endurance, mental aptitude, intelligence assessments, math, science, and religion.

Her results were… lackluster, to say the least. She wasn’t worried, though.

“I’m pretty much going to fail…” she muttered to herself, rolling her eyes. But then came the final part: the practical exam.

A test where the students had to fire at targets using their weapons. They stood in line, each tasked with hitting distant targets in perfect succession.

Nyx raised her FAMS-1V, the weight of it solid and familiar in her hands.

Her fingers wrapped around the trigger, steady, sure. She aimed. And in that moment, everything else faded away.

The sound of the first shot echoed through the air. Then the second. The third. And before she knew it, all the targets were obliterated—perfect hits. It was as if the rifle was an extension of her own will.

Her heart raced.

'Did I just…?'

For once, Nyx didn’t laugh. Instead, she felt something shift deep inside her—a sense of satisfaction, and maybe even… hope.

It was over. Now they would all have to wait, to check their emails in a week to see who had made it. For Nyx, it was just one step closer to what she really wanted. And one step closer to Seia.