Vienna International Airport, located 18 kilometers southeast of Austria's capital, is the country's busiest and largest airport, serving as its main aviation hub.
The sky was a flawless blue, with not a cloud in sight, and the weather was warm and pleasant.
"Little Selene, look—such a beautiful day," Katy said.
Selene stepped out of the private luxury car, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin. Behind her were Brauchitsch and Katy—her mother in a white sunhat, her father in his usual black suit.
Yes—today was the day Selene departed for Academy City.
Now fourteen years old, she stood 160 cm tall, her waist-length white hair fine as snow, her face perfectly delicate, her ruby-like diamond pupils gleaming above smooth, fair skin. She wore a pure white short dress with thigh-high white socks and matching Mary Jane shoes, completing a look as pristine as fresh snow. She was the very picture of an ethereal young lady.
The Academy City private jet had already arrived.
It made sense—just a month ago, during a family trip, Selene had 'accidentally' revealed her considerable space-manipulation abilities. Wanting her to develop her powers to their fullest, the Brauchitsch couple contacted Academy City.
When Academy City learned she was a rare spatial-type esper, they immediately extended an invitation and repeatedly sent representatives to negotiate.
Because of family matters, Selene delayed her departure for a month.
At the foot of the aircraft's boarding stairs, a group of people waited. At their center was an elderly man with short gray-white hair, dressed in work clothes, slightly hunched, with a birthmark on his left temple. He peered at her with narrowed eyes that gave her an unpleasant, scrutinizing feeling.
"Who's that?" Selene thought.
[Answer: Kihara Gensei, director of Academy City's Advanced Education Department and Kihara Research Institute. Likely here because of your spatial abilities, aiming to draw you into his research or obtain your DNA profile.]
"Miss von Habsburg, I'm here to escort you," Kihara Gensei said in a hoarse, aged voice.
Noticing her parents, he nodded politely. "Good day, sir. Good day, madam."
Brauchitsch frowned slightly at Kihara's appearance. "I have a few words for Selene first. Please wait."
Calling her over, he said, "Going to Academy City, I trust you'll achieve great things with your abilities. But be careful—there's as much darkness there as there is light. Keep your guard up."
Katy hugged her tightly, looking a little downcast. "Going so far away to study... you might not come home all year."
Selene shook her head with a smile. "I'll come back often. Trust me, Mom—I'll take care of myself. Goodbye, Mom, Dad."
She waved to them one last time.
...
"Let's go," she said, walking toward the stairs without waiting for Kihara's reply.
Behind her, watching her back, Kihara's expression shifted to faint excitement. He opened his perpetually squinted eyes, his left iris glinting with a metallic sheen. "A spatial-type Gemstone esper, huh? Limited research value... a bit of a shame. Still, no harm in casting a wide net."
Being a private jet, there were no tickets and no other passengers.
Selene sat on the sofa, watching the shrinking landscape outside the window.
It was her first time flying on a private plane. Compared to the economy and business class flights of her previous life, this jet—gifted to her by Academy City as a 'welcome present'—was on another level.
The interior was luxurious, with a bed, bathroom, dining area, meeting room, and even a small theater.
"It seems Academy City is putting in quite the effort to win me over," she thought.
The plane soon reached its designated sub-stratospheric flight path toward Japan. In about eight hours, they would arrive.
Academy City, School District 7 — the Windowless Building.
In the dark interior, a four-meter-diameter, ten-meter-long life support capsule made of reinforced glass was filled with nutrient fluid. Suspended upside down within it, wearing green surgical garb, was Aleister Crowley.
"Selene von Habsburg, spatial abilities... I wonder what specific type. Let's hope her abilities can be of use to my plans."
...
School District 23, International Airport.
Kihara Amata complained impatiently to Therestina Kihara Lifeline, "Even if that brat is a noble, do we really need to go to such trouble? A private jet, a special reception... they're giving her way too much face."
"We just follow the chairman's orders. No need for so many questions."
Therestina rubbed her forehead. "Still, they say this Selene has an extremely powerful ability—rare spatial type. The Board of Directors just wants to show a bit of formality. It's all about appearances."
Kihara Amata scoffed. "A brat is still a brat. How strong can she really be? Seeing is believing—oh? They're here."
A private jet bearing a double-headed eagle emblem on its tail fin descended onto the runway.
...
In the car to the Ability Measurement Center.
Kihara Amata's face twisted into a menacing look—whether deliberate or natural was hard to tell. "You don't seem scared at all."
"Scared? Of you?"
"Big words for a kid. I wonder if you have the strength to back them up."
Selene met his gaze with her ruby, diamond-shaped pupils and replied without hesitation, "You'll find out."
Led by Kihara Amata and Therestina, they moved through without obstruction.
Selene's plan was simple—reveal her status as a Gemstone esper. Her ability use was instinctive, requiring no calculations and no scientific explanation, making it impossible to study in the conventional sense. She would showcase her spatial abilities to the fullest while keeping her Honkai energy traits hidden for now. This way, she could secure a higher rating and more resources, while retaining trump cards for the future.
Arriving at the Ability Measurement Center, she saw a large cubic building.
Perhaps because they had been notified in advance, the testing began immediately. First was the AIM Diffusion Field measurement. A researcher directed Selene to stand inside a two-meter-tall detection gate.
"...Such chaotic AIM Diffusion Field readings," the researcher muttered, tapping rapidly at his console. "Sigh... she's a Gemstone."
The surrounding researchers sighed in unison.
It was a widely accepted fact that Gemstones had low research value—since even the espers themselves didn't know the origins or exact mechanics of their powers, scientists had no starting point for study.
Still, after a moment's regret, they finished the registration, entered the data into the 'Bank,' and moved on to testing Selene's spatial ability applications.
They began with teleportation—testing range, weight limits, quantity, object state, energy cost, and other parameters.
The final conclusion: Selene was the top-ranked spatial esper in the entire Academy City.
Her ability had only a volume limit—no weight or quantity restriction. It could be bidirectional or unidirectional, transferring both living and non-living matter. Both the maximum portal diameter and maximum linear range, as well as the number of simultaneous portals, far exceeded all previous test subjects.
There was no discernible pattern or useful data—performance varied only slightly based on her state.
"What an enviable ability... pity she's a Gemstone. What a waste."
"What a waste. Such powerful spatial abilities—if only they could be studied, it would be a great breakthrough for science. But as a Gemstone..."
That single sigh summed up the feelings of the researchers. This was the defining frustration of Gemstones—no formulas, no principles, no starting point for research. All growth depended solely on the user.
"Auxiliary ability test complete. Ability rating: Level 5 Esper."
Therestina remarked, "Just the auxiliary applications alone are enough for a Level 5 rating. This unprecedented strategic support capability is truly enviable. Looks like the Board's wide-net approach caught a big one this time."
A researcher hesitated. "Shall we proceed with the offensive capability test?"
Selene smiled. "Of course. Why wouldn't we?"
The following tests shattered the existing understanding of esper abilities.
Test staff were left stunned. The center went silent, even breathing seemed to stop.
(Her abilities, based on the Herrscher of the Void concept from games and animations, included:)
Spatial Physics Simulation – Within her control range, Selene could simulate forces like gravity and repulsion, combining them freely (akin to 'Banshō Ten'in' and 'Shinra Tensei').
Spatial Acceleration – By chaining multiple spatial transfers, she could accelerate objects to speeds of several dozen times the speed of sound.
Spatial Phasing – She could shift herself or other objects between real space and an alternate space, creating an intangible 'phase' mode (similar to Obito's Kamui).
Spatial Severance – She could cut through dimensions themselves, severing objects with perfectly smooth surfaces; darker energy indicated stronger cutting power.
Subspace Ribbons – An advanced form of Spatial Severance, manifesting as ribbon-like constructs with greatly enhanced cutting strength, able to combine into various forms.
Spatial Collapse, Spatial Stasis, and more.
"This is practically the pinnacle of spatial abilities—completely unreasonable," Kihara Amata thought, feeling relieved that their earlier exchange had been only verbal. Facing someone like her in a fight would have been suicide.
As the tests neared completion, everyone present had gone numb. When the gap between two people was small, it inspired competition—but when the gap was immeasurable, it bred resignation.
A tester swallowed hard, voice trembling. "Injury potential: 100%. Fatality potential: 100%. Destructive power: extremely high. Precision: extremely high. Maximum controlled range: diameter of 2 km. Research value: low."
...
"Overall evaluation: currently the most advanced spatial ability user discovered, Level 5."
"Miss von Habsburg, will you use 'Spatial Manipulation' as your official designation, or would you like to choose your own?" the test director asked cautiously.
"Call it 'Will of Honkai,'" Selene replied with a meaningful smile.
Therestina stepped forward, smiling. "Congratulations—you'll be Academy City's first Level 5 esper."
Even Kihara Amata dropped his earlier arrogance, speaking politely. "Miss von Habsburg, which academy would you like to attend? I'll make the arrangements immediately."
Indeed—power had its advantages. It made people speak to you with respect.