Beep beep.
The sharp chirping of my alarm clock jolted me awake, signaling the start of another day—another challenge waiting to be faced.
I reached out, pressing the clock's head to silence its nagging beeps. I'm awake already.
The digital display blinked at 5:00 AM in the dimness of my room.
The air was already thick, warm, and heavy—a familiar weight against my skin that only Aurealis could offer.
This island nation, perched on the front of the Pacific Continent, was a place where the ocean's breath met concrete sprawl; a land of countless isles stitched together by history, salt, and survival.
Rolling onto my side, I peered through the cracked window.
Below, the streets of New Maharlika lay veiled in the city's usual smog—a stubborn mist that blurred neon signs and rusted rooftops alike.
Above, faint rays of sunlight fought through dense cloud cover, casting a dull amber glow over the skyline, where modern towers rose beside crumbling temples that time refused to erase.
Dragging myself out of bed, I walked over to the mirror. My reflection stared back—tall, lean, the lingering drowsiness still in my silver eyes. At 6 feet, I stood slightly taller than most my age, an Aurealis dwelling eighteen-year-old in the final stretch of high school. My hair, cropped short and stark white, was a signature trait of teleporters. A genetic side effect of bending space and time, or so they said. That meant my grandfather's age could only be judged by his wrinkles, not his hair. The thought made me chuckle.
Then, yesterday's revelation resurfaced in my mind, hitting me like an aftershock—The training room and island is Grandpa's Codex Nexus.
The idea gnawed at me, burning at the edges of my thoughts as I moved through my morning routine. With muscle memory guiding me, I headed to the kitchen and made myself a cup of hot chocolate. The warmth seeped into my stomach, grounding me.
By the time I reached the upper floor for my usual workout, my cup was empty, and my mind was still swirling with questions.
I set my drink aside and began my warm-up stretches. This should be a good start, I muttered under my breath before launching into my morning run—around the rooftop, dodging and weaving past obstacles like the water tanks, piping, and whatever random junk had been stored up here.
My goal: 200 laps within 10 minutes.
I always finished my laps before the time limit, but to push myself harder, I deliberately held back just before reaching the 200th lap. It forced me to do 200 push-ups as punishment, followed by my usual 100 push-ups as part of my routine. A personal test of endurance. A way to make myself stronger.
After running, I sank into my usual breathing exercises—100 controlled breaths over 10 minutes—a method designed to regulate my Aether. But today, I struggled. My focus kept slipping, tangled in the lingering thoughts about Grandpa's Codex Nexus.
I had always heard the stories—how, in battle, my grandfather once engulfed the entire battlefield within his Codex Nexus.
But… how?
How could a Codex Nexus take the form of an entire location? Could it truly become an entire dimension?
And if so… what did that mean for my own abilities?
The questions sat heavy in my chest, pressing down like weights I couldn't shake.
I was about to try Tempestus Lumens to increase my proficiency when—
Beep.
My Aether Watch buzzed, reminding me it was already 6 AM. I sighed, realizing I had completely forgotten about my unfinished homework. With no choice, I abandoned my training plans and rushed downstairs to my room, scrambling to complete my assignments before school.
I needed to leave on time. The last thing I wanted was to run into Sol after ditching him and his gang yesterday—and worse, taking their bags.
As I finished packing my things, Freya approached my door.
"Should I give you a lift?" she asked casually.
"No need," I replied quickly. "I have to get to school early to finish some work."
It was just an excuse. The truth? I wanted to avoid Sol at all costs.
Hurrying out, I caught a brief glimpse of Freya heading toward the kitchen to prepare her breakfast before I shut the door behind me. Stepping into the elevator, I exhaled and summoned my Codex Nexus. Flipping through the pages, I selected my classroom as my destination.
Instantly,
Zap
I teleported.
The moment I arrived, I released the bags I had taken yesterday afternoon, placing each one carefully on Sol's and his friend's respective chairs. Without wasting another second, I bolted for the rooftop—my best hiding spot—intending to lay low until the bell rang.
But as I peeked down from my vantage point, I saw them.
Sol and his gang were waiting at the school gate, their eyes scanning the arriving students like predators searching for prey.
As I looked into the distance, I spotted a familiar figure—Haru.
Haru Fenris stood at 5 feet 8 inches, Dark hair and his brown skin contrasting with the academy's dull gray pathways. His perpetually drowsy expression, with half-lidded eyes that made it seem like he was always on the verge of sleep, gave him an air of indifference. Yet, despite his lazy demeanor, there was an unshakable calmness about him. His usual flimsy, unhurried walk made him stand out, as if he was moving at his own pace, completely detached from the chaos of the world around him.
A wave of worry hit me. Haru was about to get caught up in one of my mistakes.
I watched as Sol and his gang noticed him. Without hesitation, they closed in, blocking his path, poking at him, prodding for answers. Haru wouldn't sell me out—I knew that much. But the real problem was that he had nothing to do with this mess. He was just an unfortunate bystander.
I felt guilty. Letting him borrow some of my games back at home hardly seemed like enough to make up for this.
Then, something unexpected happened—Sol and his gang suddenly abandoned their questioning. My thoughts raced.
Too much pressure? Did Haru panic?
Then, I saw it—Haru collapsed.
Embarrassment? Stress? Or worse—was his Aether reacting?
A chill ran down my spine. If Haru's Aether went out of control, it would trigger an emergency response—one that would transform him into a ferocious black dire wolf.
I had never seen it happen firsthand, but I had read the reports. Unsealed individuals with Haru's configuration were classified as highly dangerous. If they lost control without proper preparation, they could wreak havoc on an entire city.
And the worst part? The only way to stop them was with an Alpha Dire Wolf.
Which meant… if things escalated, no one here could stop him.
A suffocating silence hung over the school gate below.
From the rooftop, I watched it all—Haru motionless on the ground,
Sol and his gang, earlier full of swagger, now stood unsure, visibly shaken. They had no idea what they'd awakened.
The bell rang.
Students began flooding through the main entrance in a noisy tide, their laughter and chatter clashing against the tension below.
I watched them from above, scanning the crowd.
Then I saw him—Sol.
Our eyes locked across the distance.
Even from here, I could feel the heat behind his stare—rage barely caged.
A silent message burned through the air between us:
You're not off the hook.
I broke eye contact, letting my gaze fall to Haru again.
Teachers had reached him by now, kneeling beside his motionless form, voices laced with worry.
They called out his name, gently shook his shoulders—until finally, Haru stirred.
Slow. Deliberate.
He sat up with a groan, blinking like someone dazed from impact. But I saw it.
A faint twitch in his left hand. Barely noticeable to anyone else.
To me, it was a signal.
He's conscious. He's acting.
Good.
That meant no outburst. No transformation. Not yet.
Just a careful play to keep suspicion low.
I exhaled slowly, waiting… watching Sol and his gang vanish into the sea of uniforms, swallowed whole by the school's entrance.
Only when they were out of sight did I act.
In a shimmer of Aether, I vanished from the rooftop—
—and reappeared beside Haru, the air around me still humming from the spatial ripple.
The teachers jolted, startled by my sudden arrival.
"I'll take it from here," I said quickly, lowering my voice and flashing a polite urgency. "Dont worry ill assist him to the infirmary. He might've hit his head."
One of the teachers nodded, offering Haru a shoulder. I extended a hand to him as well.
He gripped it tightly. Too tightly.
The kind of grip that said thanks without saying a word.
With a practiced limp and a grimace that was far too convincing, Haru leaned into the teacher's support, playing the part of the injured student.
I stayed close, steadying him when needed, keeping the illusion intact.
No one else needed to know the truth. Not yet.
As we walked, I didn't say much. Just one quiet sentence under my breath—
"Thank you… for holding back."
Haru didn't look at me. But I saw the corner of his mouth twitch, just enough to let me know he heard me.
I was late.
As I stepped into the classroom, I immediately felt the weight of Instructor Gryf's stare.
The grizzled veteran stood at the front, arms crossed, a knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
I let out a small sigh. Great.
"Since you're late, Ryuji," Gryf's voice rumbled, "why don't you do the honor? Read your homework."
"Yes, sir," I replied with as much respect as I could muster.
Dragging my feet, I made my way to my seat, pulling out my notes. That's when I noticed it—every single one of my 23 classmates staring at me.
Some were amused, others indifferent… but the one gaze that sent a chill down my spine came from directly behind me.
Sol.
I didn't need to turn around to know—his bloodthirsty presence was suffocating. He hadn't forgotten about yesterday.
Damn it… this is going to be a long day.
My Homework
The calamity… no one knew where they came from. There were early signs—subtle warnings hidden in nature's whispers—but they were ignored. Neglected. And by the time humanity realized the truth, it was already too late.
The first recorded disaster was the calamity of Frost—a relentless ice age that swallowed Central Europa. What began as a harsh winter turned into an unrelenting frozen tundra, with entire cities buried beneath layers of ice. Reports traced its origin to Eidengard, but soon, all of Europa was suffocating under an unnatural cold.
And then came the monsters.
Once-human entities—towering white-furred brutes with inhuman strength—began appearing across the region. Imperiya kingdom, a vast land on the East of Europa became the central warfront, where battles raged endlessly to hold back the frozen tide.
At the heart of the resistance stood The Eternal Flame—Isaac Salamander.
The moment I spoke his name, the classroom fell into silence. All eyes shifted toward Sol.
I expected pride in his expression. After all, Isaac was his grandfather, a legend among the Unsealed. But instead, I sensed something else—dismay. Resentment. A silent comparison he clearly despised.
I shook off the thought and continued reading.
Although the first recorded calamity was the Frost, the first visible, undeniable calamity was something far more terrifying—the calamity of Overgrowth.
Which devastated the Xianzhou Continent
It began deep in the south jungles of the Huaxing Dynasty, where reports surfaced of soldiers and civilians alike being slaughtered—not just by creatures, but by the jungle itself.
At first, humanity thought it was an isolated event. They sent troops armed with the best weaponry, and for a while, it looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie—humanity's soldiers versus humanoid insect abominations.
We thought we were winning.
But these creatures weren't just monsters—they were evolving.
Like RPG characters leveling up, they adapted to every battle. Every fallen soldier became a lesson, every loss a stepping stone toward something more horrifying.
And then… the Monarch Queen arrived.
The moment she took the throne, the tide of battle changed. In just one month, Southern Huaxing was unrecognizable—a twisted nightmare of overgrown wilderness. The infestation spread north, creeping into Huaxing major cities, reshaping the very land itself.
And that was only the beginning.
I was mid-sentence when Instructor Gryf suddenly cut me off. His gruff voice boomed across the classroom.
"Who defeated the Monarch Queen?"
Without hesitation, he turned to a student seated near the front. Claire Everhart.
If elegance had a human form, it would be her. Refined posture, silver-blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, and an aura of quiet confidence—Claire Everhart was the very embodiment of grace.
She stood without a hint of uncertainty. "Xu Jian—the Berserker Monk of Huaxing Dynasty. One of the first Great Unsealed."
"Very good," Gryf nodded approvingly before turning his gaze elsewhere.
"After the Overgrowth, what was the next calamity?"
This time, he called on Jihoon Kang.
I watched my classmate stiffen in his seat, his trembling hands gripping the edges of his desk. His voice wavered, but he answered, "The calamity of the Crimson Horde."
"Elaborate."
Jihoon swallowed hard before speaking. "The Crimson Horde of the Avalon Continent first struck the western part of the Avalon States. At first, they appeared as five-foot-tall, orc-like creatures—just like the ones you'd see in fantasy films. But unlike those green-skinned monsters, these ones were red… blood-red."
As Jihoon recounted the terrifying history, my mind drifted. My grandfather's words echoed in my head.
"The Codex Nexus is more than a book, Ryuji. It's a training ground, a legacy… a burden."
I clenched my fists. The weight of that inheritance still lingered in my thoughts.
Then, Instructor Gryf's voice roared through the room, snapping me back to reality.
"A total of five calamities have struck humanity!" His fierce gaze swept across the class. "And we—the Unsealed—are humanity's last stand. We are the final defense against the demise of mankind!"
His words weren't just a lecture. They were an ingrained truth—something hammered into us since day one.
I had memorized the history, the battles, the tragedies. But more than that, I understood the purpose behind it.
It wasn't just to remind us of what we had lost.
It was to ensure we never forgot what we had fought for.
Yet, despite what was officially known, there was still an unsettling mystery.
The Fourth Calamity: Calamity of the Heart
Now sweeping through the sacred lands of Andes, this calamity doesn't conquer with force—it infects with silence.
They are called Emberborn—zombie-like beings with ember-glowing hearts. Once human. Now hollow shells animated by a pulsing flame synced to Gaia's rhythm.
They don't attack unless provoked.
They don't explode—unless killed.
That's the danger. Slay one, and its heart erupts, spreading fire and ash. Worse—each death awakens two more. A quiet outbreak that turns graves into warzones.
The Calamity Bureau has classified it as a containment-level threat. Combat is discouraged. Only isolation, diversion, and restraint can delay the spread.
Lastly, The Fifth Calamity.
Feared above all others.
Shrouded in the darkest secrecy.
They call it the Calamity of Titan—a living cataclysm.
Towering beings of unimaginable scale, the Titans are now laying siege to the Crescent Empire—once hailed as the cradle of civilization, now reduced to smoldering ruins beneath their thunderous footsteps. If the gods of old had names, these beings are their wrath made flesh. Deities. Myths. Giants. Now reality.
Known fact: Absolute Destruction.
Everything else is classified.
All communication from the frontlines is heavily restricted. But whispers persist—of nations falling overnight, of entire mountains torn from the earth, and of an eerie, unnatural silence that follows their advance.
Half the force of the Calamity Bureau, a global task force formed by the Allied Continents, has been diverted entirely to this single calamity. This alone speaks volumes.
Every eye.
Every weapon.
Every surviving hope—
is now fixed on unraveling the mystery of the Fifth.
According to Queen's Prophecy, there were seven calamities in total.
Two remained unknown.
The world's greatest minds—scientists, sages, and seers—have exhausted every method of discovery. Yet no answers have surfaced. And that silence alone is terrifying.