Wlliam lay on the hospital bed, staring at the white ceiling with a mix of exhaustion and relief. The events of the previous night felt surreal, but sohow, he had made it through. His body ached slightly, but it was nothing compared to the storm raging in his mind. With a thought, he summoned the system interface, and his status screen appeared before him.
---
[Status]
[William] Enjoy new tales from empire
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Level: 5
Experience Value: 100/400
Strength: 6 ( 2)
Agility: 5 ( 2)
Endurance: 5 ( 2)
Skills:
[The 3rd Eye Level 1]
[Darkseer Level 1]
[Immunox]
Attributes:
[Shadow Being]
[Child of Thunder]
---
Level 5 already? William thought. I was barely level 3 a few days ago… His mind raced, piecing together everything he had been through since entering the academy. The skills he had gained, the powers he was slowly developing, and the enemies that seed to lurk everywhere, even in his own room. He had narrowly escaped death, and the system had rewarded him handsoly for it.
Before his thoughts could spiral further, the door creaked open. Miss Mona walked in, her presence as composed and graceful as always, holding a basket of food in her hands. She placed it on the table beside William's bed and gave him a quick look, raising an eyebrow.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," she teased.
William chuckled weakly. "Well, I almost beca one."
Miss Mona smirked and opened the basket, revealing a simple al. She handed him a plate. "Eat up."
William looked at the food with gratitude. His stomach growled at the sight, and he eagerly took the plate. "Did you make this?"
"Dream on," she replied with a mock scoff, shaking her head. "The cafeteria staff did."
As William ate, Miss Mona sat by his side, watching him closely. "The General told to warn you," she said, her voice dropping slightly, "Be careful when you et the principal today."
William nodded, but a knot tightened in his stomach. He didn't need to be told twice. The principal had a reputation, and after what had happened last night, he doubted the eting would be a pleasant one.
After finishing his al, the exhaustion from the night before caught up with him, and his eyelids grew heavy. Miss Mona stood up and told him to rest. William nodded, sinking deeper into the bed. Before long, sleep took him.
---
The next morning, William awoke feeling refreshed. The aches in his body had faded, and his mind was clear. Modern treatnt really is impressive, he thought as he stretched. His torn clothes from last night had been replaced with plain, comfortable garnts, and a nurse ca to inform him that he had been officially discharged.
As he left the clinic, the weight of the upcoming eting with the principal weighed on his mind. But first, he needed food. The cafeteria was his next stop.
Upon entering, William imdiately felt the weight of dozens of eyes on him. Conversations hushed as students turned to stare, whispers spreading like wildfire.
"Did you hear? It was his room that exploded."
"I heard he barely made it out alive."
Ignoring the attention, William headed to his usual corner, grabbed a plate of food, and sat down. He stabbed at his food with his fork, doing his best to block out the murmurs.
Suddenly, soone slid into the seat beside him. He glanced up, half-expecting another soldier or so curious student, but it was Sofia. Her blue hair frad her face, and her eyes sparkled with curiosity and sothing close to concern.
"I heard you almost died last night," she said, her tone expressionless.
William smirked, shoving another spoonful of food into his mouth. "Yeah."
Sofia leaned in closer. "What happened?"
"Let's just say, I got out before things got…too ssy," William replied cryptically, not wanting to dive into details. He wasn't sure who he could trust just yet, even soone as innocent-looking as Sofia.
---
After the al, William made his way toward the principal's office. The cold tension in his gut returned as he approached the door. He knocked, and after a few seconds, the door creaked open.
The office was dimly lit, a heavy atmosphere lingering in the air. The principal sat behind his large, imposing desk, his sharp features and slicked-back hair giving him an air of authority and nace. He reminded William of a classic Sony villain—the kind you'd expect to twirl a mustache if he had one.
"Sit," the principal said, his voice cold and demanding.
There were two other soldiers in the room. William obeyed, sinking into the chair across from the desk. The principal's gaze was sharp, as if he could see through William's lies before he even spoke.
"Tell what happened," the principal ordered.
William cleared his throat and began the story he had prepared. "A beeping sound woke up. I saw a device blinking red and knew sothing bad was about to happen. I had no ti to think, so I grabbed my things and jumped out of the window."
The principal didn't seem convinced. His eyes narrowed as he studied William. Then, he slid a strange device across the table toward him. It looked like a tal helt, wires and sensors attached to it.
"Put it on," the principal ordered. "This device detects lies. Let's restart shall we."
William hesitated, eyeing the device warily. But he didn't have much choice. He placed the helt on his head, its cold tal pressing against his scalp. As soon as it clicked into place, a system notification appeared before his eyes.
---
[Foreign Ability Detected]
Allow?
Yes
No
---
William quickly sent a ntal command: No.
The system responded in an instant, blocking the device's ability from interfering with him. The principal's eyes narrowed slightly, but he remained silent, leaning back in his chair as he continued to interrogate William.
"Tell what happened last night," the principal repeated, his tone more forceful this ti.
William calmly retold his fabricated story, adding the necessary details and keeping his voice steady.
The principal's gaze remained fixed on him. "And you expect to believe that?" His voice was low and dangerous.
"It's the truth," William replied, forcing himself to et the principal's eyes without flinching.
The room was thick with tension as the principal stared him down, but the device remained silent. No alarms, no detection of lies. After a long, agonizing mont, the principal leaned back in his chair with a sigh of frustration.
"Fine," he said, though his tone made it clear he wasn't fully convinced. "You'll be transferred to a new room. The academy will compensate you for the belongings you lost in the explosion, and go collect your new materials."
William nearly grinned, knowing his things were safe in the system's inventory. The promise of compensation was an unexpected bonus.
The principal gave him a long, hard look before dismissing him with a final warning. "Tread carefully, boy."
Willia
m nodded and left the office, his heart still racing. He had survived another interrogation, but he knew this wasn't the end. Far from it.
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