"Speaking of which, we have a free period after lunch. Any plans for what you're gonna do?" Zeke wondered.

"Me?" Fredric sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I have to take some catch-up classes since I entered the academy as a second-year."

"Something fun?" Zeke asked.

"No, just stuff like chemistry, physics, and…" Fredric paused, shifting his gaze to the side.

"And?" Zeke inquired.

"History," Fredric grunted.

"Hemmings is gonna have a rough time," Zeke laughed.

"I'm gonna have a rough time listening to all that bullshit he teaches," Fredric said, nervously stirring his food.

"Doesn't seem that bad to me. He's just sticking to the widely accepted version of history. Though I must admit, he does embellish it somewhat," Zeke remarked.

"Somewhat, you say?" Fredric paused. "The world before the Cataclysm was nothing like he says," Fredric explained. "Industry and technology were on the rise. Recent advancements in medicine drastically improved average life expectancy. Thanks to a relatively stable economy, the quality of life in most countries was steadily increasing. If anything, the world was far more peaceful than it is now."

"Yeah? So how do you know all of this?" Zeke asked.

"It's all still there. Outside the walls of this rotten, compressed city. A sprawling wilderness full of ghost cities, standing completely empty, abandoned by everyone. They're full of art, culture, and progress—no signs of societal oppression or classism on a grand scale. The empty libraries gathering dust paint a different story. The story of a world that struggled through many issues. The story of a home that was loved and hated—equally cruel and gentle. The story of a world that tried its hardest to be just." Fredric looked at Zeke with a piercing gaze full of conviction.

"So you've been there?" Zeke asked, trembling with excitement. "Outside the walls?"

"I have," Fredric whispered.

"What was it like?" Zeke questioned, gripping his spoon tightly.

"Sad and lonely, but at the same time—thrilling, dangerous, and sweet," Fredric explained. "But none of that matters now," he muttered.

"Why?" Zeke wondered.

"Because the place I'm thinking of no longer exists," Fredric remarked, standing up. "I gotta go to my classes. What are you gonna do?" he asked.

"I was planning to head over to the library to study," Zeke said.

"I see. Then let's meet by the fountain before class. I wanna go see the gardening club before our next period," Fredric explained.

"Sure thing!" Zeke replied, as Fredric walked away, unsure if he heard him or not.

As Fredric left, a droid swooped in and began picking up his dishes. The small, spherical contraption, about half a meter in diameter, rolled along the floor while keeping its central compartment completely stationary. As it arrived at its designated area, whether to offload food or pick up dishes, several robotic arms extended to carry out the task. The central compartment was well insulated, with smaller storage units that supported both heating and refrigeration.

After finishing his meal, Zeke headed over to the library. It was essentially in the same building as the cafeteria, separated by a large courtyard with a beautiful fountain in the middle. The courtyard was encased by castle-like walls, with walkways atop them. From the outside, the library appeared as a continuation of the cafeteria. Inside, however, it was entirely different. The first floor contained thousands of towering electric bookcases that could rotate and shift positions, lowering based on users' search inquiries. The second floor housed a lavish reading room encased by large, glass-paneled windows on both sides.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Zeke couldn't stop thinking about what Fredric had told him about the outside.

"Hmm. I wonder if there are any old discarded texts in here that are considered outdated," he thought, typing in his search inquiry.

Immediately, the bookcases began to shift, and several books lit up, indicating they were a perfect fit.

Zeke was clever about how he searched for information. Because he was familiar with how the search system worked, he could easily access even confidential information. This was largely because the library A.I. did not analyze the books themselves, only their appendixes. If Zeke picked a book from before the time the information he was looking for was banned, and the book's main topic was only loosely related to the banned subject, he could easily learn what he was looking for.

Discarded books, on the other hand, did not adhere to the same logic. Since the information within them was considered inaccurate, they were fully accessible, under the assumption that no one would read them with the intent of learning. As such, much could be discovered by reading them.

This time, Zeke picked up two books. The first was a discarded book titled The History of the World, dated before the Cataclysm. The second was an outdated book on magic titled Nature of Demons and Their Cumulative Habitats.

With his study materials in hand, Zeke headed to the second floor of the library, excited to learn something new.

That was when he saw her—the girl from before, seated in her wheelchair right next to the window, reading a book written in braille, with her bodyguard looking over her, leaning against the adjacent wall.

"Violet," Zeke approached the girl. "I was looking all over for you."

"It's that boy from yesterday," the bodyguard whispered.

"I know," Violet replied. "Hello, Zeke! How are you?"

"I'm fine," Zeke said, walking towards her before being interrupted by the bodyguard stepping in his way.

"Stay away," she grunted with a stern look.

"I don't want to," Zeke smiled, attempting to walk past her.

The woman sighed, hastily extending her hand to grab Zeke by the collar. In a flash, Zeke's hand moved, his hand a blur as he caught hers in a vice-like grip, his fingers wrapping around her wrist with an unyielding pressure.

"When did he grab me?" the bodyguard thought, surprised, as she hadn't even seen him move.

Zeke looked fiercely into her eyes with a strange, ominous expression akin to a beast on the verge of a rampage, as the woman struggled, trying to free herself. However, his grip proved too firm.

"Nia," Violet said. "It's fine."

Zeke let go of her hand, leaving a blue bruise around her wrist.

"Yeah, Nia, it's fine," Zeke mockingly smirked, walking past her.

"Violet, how's your hand?" Zeke asked. "I saw it getting bruised when you were slammed by the door." He frowned at Nia, who instinctively shifted her gaze away from his.

"It's almost healed," Violet gestured, waving her bandaged hand at Zeke.

"I'm glad to hear that," he smiled. "So, what's that you're reading?"

"Modern Demonology by Professor Orkal," she replied.

"Ah—'modern demons are not what they are considered to be; they are so much more. I wrote this book to analyze their actions and behaviors,'" Zeke quoted.

"I'm impressed," Violet chuckled.

"Good, this is the first time learning books by heart actually paid off," Zeke retorted.

"Oh, how so?" Violet asked.

"Well, I managed to impress someone reading a book as complex as that," Zeke smiled.

"So, what are you reading right now?" Violet wondered.

"Something on history," Zeke said.

"Oh, sounds interesting," she remarked.

"I'll tell you about it the next time we meet, since I don't think they have these books in braille or audio format," Zeke explained. "Well, I'll leave you alone for now. Have a good read!" He started to walk away.

"One last thing," he stopped. "What year are you?" he wondered.

"I'm a first year, Sprout," Violet replied.

"Impressive," Zeke retorted, walking away.

As Zeke walked past Nia, their eyes met, his gaze bearing even deeper animosity than before.

And just like that, he left, heading to another section of the library.

"Miss Violet," Nia called out. "You shouldn't associate with him. There's something wrong with that guy," she said, looking down at her injured wrist.

"I saw it in his vessel," Violet calmly explained. "It was disproportionately large, possibly bigger than that of a senior investigator."

"Miss Violet, during our interaction, had we fought, who do you think would have won?" Nia wondered.

"Nia, I really don't want to answer that question," Violet said, smiling gently and blissfully.

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