Realmshift: Triad Ascendancy.

Secrets.

[SILVER]

Three days had passed since our encounter with the purple gate. You'd think that after meeting that "Seraphine" woman and getting some answers, we'd feel less confused—maybe even a little reassured. But no. If anything, the information she gave us only raised more questions. And, of course, she conveniently avoided explaining why she chose three teenagers for a task this big.

Not that I've been dwelling on it too much. There's a far greater nightmare looming on the horizon. Midterm exams.

Not for me, obviously. The real challenge? Explaining subjects to three absolute idiots.

"So the derivative of X is zero, right, Silver?" Arkane asks, and I have to physically restrain myself from dismantling her on the spot.

"NO! FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME, THAT'S A VARIABLE, NOT A CONSTANT! ONLY CONSTANTS BECOME ZERO WHEN DIFFERENTIATED!" I yell, barely stopping myself from flipping the entire table. With a deep sigh, I activate King's Gambit to keep my sanity intact. "Didn't think I'd have to use this just to deal with three idiots..."

"Come on, Silver, don't be so mean," Beatrice chimes in with a small pout.

"And don't lump me in with them. I'm good at math... sorta," Grey says, flashing a goofy grin.

I stare at him, deadpan. "Grey... you turned one-eighth into eight. You are no exception."

And so, the rest of the night is spent either studying or yelling—whichever happens more.

The next day arrived, but none of us had gotten any sleep. We shuffled into school like zombies, barely functioning as we made our way to class.

The teacher walked in and started his usual lecture—something I couldn't care less about. Honestly, at this point, I'm pretty sure any one of us could solo this entire school, but we're sticking around in case we need more information about this world.

Three hours. Three whole hours of mind-numbing class. Pure torture.

Afterward, we decided to take a walk around the school while waiting for the next lesson. Midterms are next week.

I just hope I don't kill them before then.

"Good morning, gentlemen and ladies."

A voice comes from behind us, and we all turn instinctively. I can feel Grey and Arkane tense up, still half-asleep and mistaking the newcomer for a threat. Without hesitation, I smack both of them to snap them out of it.

"Good morning, sir. How can we help you?" I ask, keeping my tone polite.

The man cracks his neck, the sound sharp enough to create a moment of tension before he offers us a smile.

"Nothing serious," he assures us. "The headmaster wants to speak with Grey, Arkane, and Silver alone. Please come with me."

"Oh, that's sad... I'm left out again," Beatrice pouts, crossing her arms.

I shrug, chuckling. "Sorry about that..."

As we're led to the headmaster's office, he greets us with his usual warm smile.

"Good morning. Please, have a seat," he says, gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk.

We do as instructed, exchanging glances of mild confusion. It's not every day the headmaster calls us in personally.

"I want to personally apologize for what happened with your latest mission," he begins. "The school promises to be more cautious when selecting assignments in the future."