It has been three long days since the portal to the Fluve Field had snapped shut, swallowing the students whole.
At first, the halls of Reversa University had been hushed, the faculty whispering behind closed door and the students gossiping nervously in their dorms. But now, chaos had settled in like a storm.
Every corner of the campus was thick with tension. Parents were sending letters by the hour as complaints piled on the Chancellor's desk like a mountain. Some rich families demanded compensation. Others demanded blood. The issue wasn't that students were trapped. It was which students were trapped.
Thales Erdict, Phasnovterich Argemenes and Xaessiarerich Argemenes.
They were the heirs of the Erdicts and Argemenes, Houses with political power so immense that their very names could shake countries. If those three died inside the Fluve Field, it wouldn't just be a tragedy. It would be the spark for war that could tear Reversa apart.
In her office, Chancellor Marzophine Nivarea rubbed her temples with gloved fingers. She was exhausted, though her face didn't show it. She was too disciplined for that. Her pink hair shimmered faintly under the glow of the office lights, the soft locks perfectly framing her pale, almost ghostlike skin. Her wide-brimmed white hat shadowed her pink eyes. The long blouse and skirt she wore left no hint of her figure. Only her face was bare, the porcelain skin and rose-petal lips betraying no emotion.
Her male secretary stood stiffly by the door, hands folded behind his back, clearly aware that one wrong word could cost him his job. Marzophine's voice was calm, but the faint narrowing of her pink eyes carried the weight of a threat.
"Why can't we force it open? The portal is closed, but it's still anchored here. Surely you've considered brute-forcing it."
The secretary swallowed hard.
"Chancellor, the Fluve Field is hosting one of the Ten Fluve Guardians. To tamper with the portal while it remains active would be… suicide. If we destabilize it, the Guardian may escape into the world. Or worse, it might consume the trapped students entirely."
Marzophine leaned back in her high chair, exhaling slowly. It was a sigh so soft it almost carried regret.
"So we are paralyzed by circumstance."
"Yes, Chancellor."
"The Erdicts are already breathing down our necks. It's a miracle the Argemenes haven't—"
The double doors to her office didn't simply open. They exploded. Wood splinters and chunks of marble wall blasted inward, the heavy door slamming across the floor toward the Chancellor like a battering ram.
The secretary yelped, diving aside.
But Marzophine didn't so much as flinch. With a casual wave of her fingers, the debris froze in midair. The broken pieces hovered around her, then drifted back into place. The wall reassembled, the cracks vanishing as if time itself had reversed, and the door stood tall once more, spotless. She didn't even bother standing up. Her eyes lifted toward the intruder.
"Is that really how you intend to enter my office?"
A tall woman strode through the ruined doorway, her boots clicking against the polished marble floor. She was draped in a commander's uniform, the medals on her chest gleaming. A black cape fell from her shoulders, sweeping behind her with every step. But it was her crimson hair that commanded attention. She wore a commander's military hat. Her glowing silver eyes locked on the Chancellor.
Anastelle Vecria Argemenes, the Ruler of the House of Argemenes, was standing in front of her.
"You had better have a very good explanation for why my children are trapped inside a Fluve Field with no hope of escape."
Marzophine smiled faintly, though it didn't reach her eyes. She gestured and the hovering splinters of the door slipped seamlessly back into the wood. With a soft hum, the cracks mended, the walls smoothing over as though nothing had happened.
"Calm yourself, Anastelle. Your temper does you no favors."
The secretary nearly jumped when Marzophine spoke again, her tone directed at him.
"Tea. Bring us tea."
"Y-Yes, Chancellor!"
He rushed out, nearly tripping over his own feet. As the door closed behind him, Marzophine folded her hands on her desk and narrowed her eyes.
"I didn't expect the Argemenes Ruler herself to appear. This must mean you are truly worried. Sit down, Anastelle Vecria Argemenes."
But Anastelle didn't sit. She leaned forward, planting her gloved hands on the desk.
"Do not test me, Marzophine. I want the truth. How long have they been in there? What do you know of the Guardian? And what is the University doing to bring them back?"
The Chancellor's smile lingered.
"Three days. The Guardian is one of the Ten, as you well know. The portal cannot be forced. We are studying alternative approaches, but… the Fluve Field is as much a law unto itself as it is a place. You know this."
Anastelle's crimson hair slid forward as she leaned in closer, her voice lowering, the threat behind it unmistakable.
"If my children die, Marzophine, I will burn this university to ash. Political traditions, academic neutrality, international treaties, none of it will matter. You know I have the power to do it."
Marzophine tilted her head slightly, as though regarding her words like a curious insect. Then she smiled wider.
"Of course you do. That's why you won't. Because you know as well as I that the Argemenes' reputation thrives on control. If you unleash chaos here, it won't just be the University's prestige that collapses. It will be your House's image too. Even though you hold supreme command over the most powerful military force in the world, not even you can fight all the other Houses."
For the first time, Anastelle's eye twitched.
The Chancellor's secretary slipped back in, setting down a tray of steaming tea with trembling hands. Marzophine gestured, her voice silk over steel.
"Sit, Anastelle. Let us talk. Your wrath won't bring them back. But perhaps… cooperation will."