"By now, the Board should have received the report."
Sitting cross-legged on her dormitory sofa, Selene lazily flipped through channels on the TV, watching the latest Academy City news. In her mind, she was already planning her meeting with Aleister—what conditions should she bring up?
Suddenly, Selene frowned.
Her spatial perception detected a faint trace of life hidden within the room.
Instantly, Spatial Lockdown activated, covering the entire 500-square-meter dorm. Selene narrowed her eyes, her tone calm but cold. "Will you come out yourself, or should I find you and crush you?"
"W–Wait! Please wait!" a panicked voice cried out from the balcony—a young, feminine voice.
Out stepped a beautiful girl of about fifteen.
Her crimson hair was tied into two bundles behind her head. She wore the Tokiwadai winter uniform jacket draped loosely over her shoulders—but nothing underneath it except a pale pink bandage-like strip around her chest, and a short mini skirt. The outfit was practically begging to cause trouble.
Her expression was tense, on the verge of tears.
"So this is the First... such sharp senses. The gap is unbelievable."
She hadn't even done anything—just arrived—yet was instantly discovered and locked down. Her coordinate teleportation ability was completely neutralized.
Recognizing the distinctive and rather indecent outfit, Selene immediately knew who the girl was.
Musujime Awaki—ability: Move Point. A Level 4 esper appointed by Aleister as her escort.
A Level 4 coordinate mover could teleport objects without touching them. Her maximum mass limit was 4,520 kilograms, and her maximum range exceeded 800 meters. However, due to a past incident where she accidentally teleported herself into a wall, she developed severe psychological trauma. Anything heavier than a ton caused her to lose control, and because her calculation ability was weak, she needed visual reference points, resulting in a three-second activation delay.
Even so, her potential was immense—if not for those flaws, she could have become a Level 5.
"Someone wishes to see you—the First, 'Will of Honkai,'" Musujime said earnestly, trying her best to remain calm. She had reviewed yesterday's report; the overwhelming display of power had left her too afraid to be disrespectful.
"Someone wants to meet me?" Selene muttered, her expression unchanged—though inwardly she was delighted. Finally.
Her plan had worked. By exposing Honkai energy, she had drawn the Board's attention, pushing Aleister to come to her.
"Let's go." Selene stood up and deactivated the spatial lockdown, speaking flatly.
Under normal circumstances, Musujime couldn't teleport another spatial-type esper—especially not a Level 5. The AIM field surrounding a Level 5 was too powerful; if the target used their ability, her own teleportation would fail.
But Selene was special. She could choose whether or not to emit her AIM field. Her control over spatial phenomena had no same-type interference—whether another spatial esper could move her depended entirely on whether Selene allowed it.
Because of that, one of Academy City's developers had once given her ability a fitting nickname: Double Standard.
After Selene released her restrictions, Musujime spent three seconds calculating the coordinates, then waved her hand. Selene vanished from sight—teleported into the Windowless Building.
Her vision dimmed.
The room was enormous and shrouded in darkness, with no visible lighting. Countless glowing electronic screens flickered like stars. Thousands of cables and tubes stretched across the walls and floor like veins, all converging toward the room's center—its brightest point.
There stood a massive cylindrical life-support unit, four meters in diameter and ten meters long. Inside floated a silver-haired human, suspended upside down in a green medical fluid, wearing a surgical gown. His emotionless eyes gazed directly at her.
A synthesized mechanical voice echoed from all directions. "Those who enter here for the first time often experience fear, confusion, or awe... But you, it seems, feel none of those. Instead, your curiosity about my existence outweighs everything else."
Selene didn't answer immediately. She walked unhurriedly toward the life-support tank and asked, "Chirman Aleister, to what do I owe this visit? Surely you didn't summon me here just to chat."
As described—"like both man and woman, like both adult and child, like both saint and sinner."
Staring at the inverted figure before her, Selene remained alert but unafraid. Whether it was due to the power of the Herrscher of the Void and the Honkai energy within her, or because her nature had been influenced by Sirin, she felt no trace of fear.
Fortune favors the bold, as they say. Selene went straight to the point.
Aleister didn't seem to mind her attitude. His voice remained calm and without emotion. "I invited you here for a reason, Selene. Regarding what you injected into the Third's body—I assume I don't need to explain further."
Selene's thoughts began to race. After a moment's pause, she said, "Chirman Aleister, you must be referring to the imaginary energy I extracted from the Infinite Space (Imaginary Space). I've named it 'Honkai Energy.'"
"Oh? Honkai Energy, I see. No wonder your codename is 'Will of Honkai.'"
"It seems Chirman Aleister has already begun researching its properties."
"Indeed, Selene. The potential of Honkai Energy is something that cannot be ignored."
"Then, Chirman, what would you have me do?" Selene asked innocently, tilting her head, her tone soft and almost playful.
Aleister could see right through her clumsy act. She clearly wanted to negotiate—to name her price. "State your terms. I hope you'll provide the Academy with Honkai Energy for further study."
So Selene dropped the pretense. "I can agree—but I have three conditions. First, I want entry into the Board of Directors. Second, I want a dedicated research facility. Third, I don't want the Academy to drag me into unnecessary incidents."
Each condition was well calculated.
The first—Academy City had no politicians, only the capitalist Directors who governed its various sectors: economy, weaponry, infrastructure, education, and research investment. Each enjoyed near-noble privilege and vast profits. Selene's demand partly repaid the Brauchitsch couple's support, and partly secured the immense resources she'd need for future research.
The second—a research institute would aid her ability's further development, help her identify weaknesses, and strengthen her power. It would also serve as the foundation for forming her own influence.
The third—a clear statement of neutrality: she would neither interfere nor oppose Aleister's goals.
Aleister was silent for a while, then said thoughtfully, "The second and third are acceptable. As for the first, I can grant you the qualification—but there are only twelve seats on the Board. Whether you can claim one depends on you."
Though he hadn't agreed directly, that was more than enough for Selene. She had expected to secure at most two conditions. "That's fine. Then, how much Honkai Energy should I provide?"
"How much can you currently extract?"
Naturally, she planned to understate her ability. Chanting softly, Selene extended her hands, and red particles gathered into a ten-centimeter crimson cube floating above her palms. "This is roughly my monthly absorption amount."
"Then that will be your monthly quota."
"I have no objections."
"In that case, our discussion is concluded. You may leave." Aleister closed his eyes as if entering sleep.
"Thank you, Chirman Aleister. A friendly reminder—Honkai Energy–based biological enhancement comes with severe side effects..." Before she finished her sentence, Selene vanished.
Silence.
In the darkness, Aleister reopened his eyes. "It seems... we are alike, Selene."
His ultimate goal was to use the Imaginary Number District to create a new metaphysical stratum beyond Kaballah, Buddhism, Christianity, Shintoism, or Hinduism—an Artificial Heaven. Once complete, it would signify the destruction of all magic. Any magician attempting to cast a spell would self-destruct, temples and sanctuaries would collapse, and the world's entire magical foundation would cease to exist.
Selene's powers did not belong to the realm of magic. She possessed no magical signature, nor any affiliation with magic organizations. They had no conflict of interest—in fact, quite the opposite. There were many similarities between them, making her a potential ally.
If she were an enemy, her power's very nature would make her a dangerous problem, even for Aleister himself. That was why he had agreed to her terms so readily.
Aleister's gaze shifted to the small crimson cube Selene had left behind, pulsing faintly with otherworldly light. "Inform them—under the pretext of advancing the First's development, prepare a dedicated research institute for her..."
...
In truth, Selene bore little hostility toward Aleister.
He might appear emotionless, but his emotions ran deeper than most. Otherwise, he would never have turned against the Magic Gods or abandoned his throne as the leader of the magic side—all because of his daughter's death. That kind of resolve could only come from boundless emotion.
Back in her dorm, Selene couldn't help but sigh.
"But seriously... what's with me lately? I should be more cautious—why do I feel like I'm getting a bit... overconfident?"