Chrono Requiem — A Death Song For Time.

"You're so annoying."

"Channel your power into the crystal orb," said Mr. Dante, the instructor of the training class.

Rivan drew a slow breath as the orb floated before him. He poured his power into it, but the crystal remained still.

Even after several attempts, the orb didn’t budge. Disappointed, Rivan turned to the side and watched Isla’s crystal dart around in every direction.

He walked over to her and asked, “How did you do that?”

“It’s easy. You just need to go swoosh, then swish, and blam!” Isla replied, waving her hands around.

Who could understand such an absurd explanation? Talia rolled her eyes, certain that Rivan wouldn't understand.

"Look! Mine is glowing. You were right, Isla. This is easy. Thank you,” Rivan exclaimed enthusiastically.

Talia reflexively whipped her head toward him, her eyes widening. Her calm expression cracked instantly. Without meaning to, she shouted, "How is that possible?"

They both looked at her at the same time, making the girl’s face flush red with embarrassment over her outburst.

"Of course. What’s so hard about my explanation?” Isla huffed, her cheeks puffing out in annoyance at Talia’s disbelief.

A vein twitched on Talia’s temple. Her tone carried a hint of irritation as she replied, "No normal person can understand an explanation like that."

“But I understood.” Rivan answered without thinking.

Talia glared sharply. "I'm not talking about an abnormal person."

With that, Talia walked away. The two left behind stared at each other. Rivan asked in confusion, "Did I say something wrong?"

“No, just ignore her. She’s always like that in the dorm, acting all high and mighty.” Isla waved her hand dismissively.

"Hmm. By the way, Isla, why is your orb moving so fast?" Rivan pointed at the crystal zooming around the field.

A proud smile tugged at Isla’s lips. “Haha, my wind is amazing!”

They continued chatting, unaware that the surface of the crystal orb beside Rivan had begun to crack.

BOOM!

Instinctively, everyone turned toward the sound. Before anyone could react, another explosion erupted from every crystal orb in the field.

"MY ORB!" Screams and wails filled the entire training ground.

Rivan slowly stepped back. He had a feeling this incident was related to his power.

Mr. Dante’s piercing gaze only strengthened that suspicion.

“Stop right there, Rivan Aster!”

...

"It's not my fault if my power is out of control," Rivan protested.

Dante slammed his hands on the table and glared furiously at Rivan. “Then tell me—who should be blamed?”

“My power!” Rivan answered firmly. "It refuses to obey its owner. Obviously, it’s at fault.”

Mr. Dante closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath before shouting. His voice erupted throughout the room.

“Rivan Aster!”

Rivan spent more than an hour listening to Mr. Dante scold him. Even after returning to the dorm, the sound of Mr. Dante’s voice still echoed in his ears, stinging them.

He collapsed onto his bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.

The joy of having new friends had momentarily made him forget to control his emotions. Just as Sera had said, as long as he couldn’t keep his emotions steady and calm, his power could explode at any moment.

Entering the academy was the right decision. Rivan couldn’t have guaranteed that he would have been able to keep his emotions in check if he had stayed with his family.

Their deaths and the cycles had left wounds too deep.

Rivan closed his eyes and covered them with his arm. He muttered softly, "Thank goodness... thank goodness."

His ears twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps. He caught sight of Noah entering the room in a bathrobe, eyes glued to his phone, from beneath his arm. Rivan could faintly hear him mumbling angrily.

Water dripped from Noah’s red hair, soaking Rivan’s favorite carpet. Instantly, Rivan forgot about controlling his emotions.

“Hey! Get away from there!” Rivan shouted reflexively.

Noah didn’t respond, his fingers dancing quickly across the phone screen. Rivan’s brows pulled down sharply in irritation at Noah’s indifference. Combined with Noah’s arrogant, carefree attitude these past few days, Rivan’s irritation boiled over. He snapped right then.

He moved swiftly, unconsciously using his time power to speed himself up.

It took only a second to reach Noah. He clenched his fist and punched Noah in the stomach. With a single blow, Noah collapsed.

“What the hell?!” Noah barked.

Rivan steadied his breathing and hardened his gaze. "I already warned you to stay away from there."

Confusion spread across Noah’s face. “Huh?”

"You and your bathwater—you dirtied my little Twilly." Rivan growled, fists clenched.

“Little Twilly?” Noah’s confusion deepened. He had no idea what Rivan was talking about.

“Yes! That cute, precious carpet you stepped on and stained!” Rivan jabbed a finger downward, flames of fury burning in his eyes.

Noah fell silent for a moment. "You punched me over this shabby carpet? You’re insane!”

Rivan’s shoulders stiffened and his breath quickened. "Shabby? Only? You’re the shabby one, damn it!”

He couldn't believe it. The first thing he had ever bought with his own savings, with his favorite cartoon character on it, was called shabby? Rivan could no longer think straight. His anger consumed him completely.

He swung his fist and punched Noah in the cheek. Not wanting to lose, Noah struck back at Rivan’s stomach.

A brawl broke out, accompanied by loud curses.

“You and your arrogant attitude! You’re so annoying!” Rivan yelled, throwing a punch at Noah’s side.

Noah kicked Rivan in the head, but Rivan blocked it with his arm.

"You're more annoying! Always talking, always rambling, and cooking that damned mushroom every day!"

"After defiling the purity of little Twilly, now you’re calling my mushroom damned?" Rivan’s voice rose sharply.

His eyes bulged. Noah’s words were like pouring oil on fire, burning away Rivan’s remaining reason.

"You're the most annoying person I've ever met!" Rivan cursed loudly.

“Same goes for you!” Noah fired back.

Their blue and green eyes clashed, fury blazing in both. A heartbeat later, they lunged at each other again. The commotion grew louder, attracting the attention of the dorm residents outside.

Students crowded the doorway, peeking in to see what was happening. Some watched eagerly. Others looked worried and ready to intervene.

Eventually, the dorm supervisor stepped in to separate them. The crowd sighed in disappointment.

"You two, follow me! Now!” thundered the teacher’s voice across the dorm.

Rivan and Noah hung their heads as they followed him. Their faces were covered in bruises. Rivan had blood dripping from his nose, which he wiped off casually with his shirt.

“Explain what happened. Why were you two fighting?” the teacher asked.

Rivan said nothing. With his head down, he stared at his fingers. The office wasn’t small, but the teacher’s gaze made the room feel suffocating.

“He hit me first, sir. I was only defending myself,” Noah explained calmly.

Instinctively, Rivan lifted his head and growled at Noah’s explanation.

"He defiled the purity of little Twilly and insulted my cooking!"

“Who is Little Twilly?” the teacher asked, confused.

"A shabby carpet," Noah replied with an eye roll.

“How dare you call little Twilly shabby!”

The teacher slammed the table, stopping the fight. He pinched the bridge of his nose with a long sigh. "Enough."

"Sir, I demand justice for Twilly and my mushrooms," Rivan said firmly.

Another sigh escaped the teacher. "And what justice do you want?"

"I want to change rooms." Rivan shot a glare at Noah.

Noah didn't speak, but his eyes clearly showed the same desire.

"You're too late. There are no empty rooms, and besides you two, no one has requested a move,” the teacher explained patiently.

“Sir, can’t you do something? I can’t stand the mushrooms he eats every day,” Noah pleaded.

“There is one option. In next month’s exam, you only need to get first place. If you insist on switching rooms, that’s the only way.”

"For now, there's nothing else you can do. Go back to your room, and don't fight anymore.”

They left the office, walking side by side with a five-foot gap between them. Neither said a word. The stares and whispers of the other students made Rivan uncomfortable.

He sped up. Noah noticed and refused to lose, so he sped up, too. Somehow, the walk turned into a race.

Rivan leaned against the wall outside their room, panting. "I will definitely become first place."

Noah collapsed onto the floor, gripping his knees.n"Don't be too confident. I'll be the one who wins."

They glared at each other once more. Though there were no punches or curses this time, the tension between them grew even hotter.

...

Somewhere else in the academy, right in front of the barrier,

Nathan Loence stood still, observing the cluster of Echo. Their roars and feral snarls pierced the ears of anyone who heard them.

But Nathan’s calm expression seemed to say, "Nothing can disturb my peace."

"You always work so hard, Nathan." A man’s voice sounded from behind him.

Without turning around, Nathan replied, "I'm merely fulfilling my duty, Mr. Dante."

Dante laughed loudly at that. He stepped forward and dropped his axe to the ground, cracking the earth. "There are quite a lot of them. That kid’s power is immense.”

"Indeed, sir. When I first met him, he killed fifty Echoes by himself.” Nathan nodded.

Dante froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. "A promising seed! He was still an ordinary human back then. How is that possible?"

"I don't know either. But judging by his condition, he probably lost control at that time,” Nathan answered.

"All right, enough talking about that kid. We have an important task.” Dante grinned and dashed forward, cleaving Echo with his axe.

Nathan sighed but didn't argue. He drew his sword and joined the assault on Echo outside the barrier.

At first, the battle was easy, especially for the two of them who were used to fighting Echoes. But in the middle of the fight, the Echo suddenly became more violent and stronger.

As if injected with something, they attacked wildly. They charged at the barrier, ramming their own bodies into it in an attempt to break through.

"Damn it! What is that kid doing? His power is getting out of control!" Dante cursed loudly.

He swung his axe and severed an Echo’s head. Glancing at the academy, worry flickered in his gaze.

Across the barrier, a man and a woman were watching the fight with great interest.

“The youngest’s power is a real mess,” the man said.

The woman beside him merely chuckled. She sat at the edge of the roof with her legs dangling.

“The youngest is still a beginner. Losing control is normal."

The man sighed as if expecting her to say that.

"Whatever. Should we help them?"

"Since the youngest's power is causing trouble, of course we should help," the woman replied.

"But you don't need to go down. Let me handle it. It'll be troublesome if Nathan recognizes you."

The woman hummed softly. Silver threads wrapped around every Echo, freezing their movements. A second later, the Echoes performed a bizarre motion. They began killing each other.

Dante halted, staring in disbelief. "What is happening?"

Nathan instinctively looked up, his brows furrowing as his sharp gaze locked onto the rooftop across the barrier.