There were three hundred students in the third year, and half the batch was being taken on this trip. The rest would be sent to another location in a few weeks for similar training.
A few subjects were compulsory, and they made up a significant portion of the final score. So yes, this trip carried weight when it came to the finals.
Kyle doesnât exactly know what he was supposed to do on this trip but from the bits and pieces he could remember, they would be shown several monuments and relics of the past.
Based on that maybe the students would be asked to prepare their notes on how they see history influencing the present or something similar.
Well, he has a few people he could ask help from so he wasnât that worried about it and headed to the uni.
When he reached the university just before seven, he found three large buses waiting at the front of the campus. Students had already started gathering, and the teachers were present as well, dressed more casually than usual.
As he moved forward, he spotted Amanda among the crowd.
Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him. She gave a small, discreet wave, careful not to draw attention. Kyle appreciated that, returning the gesture with a slight nod before heading toward the teacher.
"Astoratia Kyle, present, Professor," he said.
The woman turned to him, her eyes narrowing. "Itâs not necessary to arrive at the last minute every time."
Kyle tilted his head slightly. "Last I checked, there are still ten minutes left."
She shook her head. "Go stand in line. Weâll be departing soon."
Kyle nodded and joined the others. He didnât really have anyone to walk up to, no group he belonged to.
He got along with a few people, sure, but they were more like passing acquaintances than actual friends.
A faint sensation crept over him, like someone was watching.
He turned.
A group of guys stood a short distance away, and in the middle of them... was him.
The golden barking dog, Ethan.
While the others laughed and talked, Ethanâs gaze remained fixed on Kyle, sharp and unwavering, as if Kyle had robbed him of something priceless.
Snickering, Kyle looked ahead and asked the system, âCan you tell how many Nightwalkers are around me?â
He had been curious about this for a while. The system and Veronica both claimed Nightwalkers were rare, yet he kept running into them.
And just as he expected, even among this groupâ
[Six, sir.]
Kyle hummed in surprise. "Can you tell me who they are?"
[Look around, host. Youâll see.]
Kyle did just that.
And just as the system said, those with Genesis flowing through them carried a faint glow, subtly different from the others.
It didnât surprise him to spot Hannah and Clara among them. Given how often they stayed close to Amanda and Ethan, it was easy to connect the dots.
Far away, standing alone, was the familiar girl he had seen before, radiating an overwhelming golden brilliance. Easily the strongest among them all, Layena.
Then there was Ethan. His Genesis was unstable, flickering and surging without control. Kyle rolled his eyes when he caught him staring again. Just how creepy could he get?
Kyle shifted his gaze to another figure.
The girl surrounded by several others.
Yet, just like Ethan, her eyes kept drifting toward him. But unlike that sharp hostility, hers carried something else entirelyâ
nervousness... and affection.
He couldnât help but smile when their eyes met.
Her presence shifted instantly. The flow of Genesis around her responded to that brief exchange, rippling with emotion.
âSo emotions really do influence Genesis, huh?â
[Indeed, host.]
Kyle hummed and began scanning the area again. He had already identified five people who could use Genesis, but the sixth remained hidden.
He searched the crowd once more. Nothing.
Finally, he asked, "Where are they?"
[Look at the top of the building, host.]
Kyle blinked in surprise but followed the instruction. He lifted his gaze toward the rooftopâ
And there, beside the flagpost, stood a lone figure.
Their face was hidden behind a hood, silver strands of hair swaying gently in the wind.
Kyle focused, the Godâs Eye sharpening his vision until the details snapped into place.
He recognized them.
Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and made the call.
Up above, the masked figure answered.
{Hello?}
Kyleâs lips curved slightly. "Caught the stalker."
{I... was just checking in case something goes wrong. This campus trains our precious officers, after all.} Veronica replied, her voice lacking its usual confidence.
Kyle hummed, crossing his arms. "Is that so? Then you didnât come here to check on me?"
{Since youâre among them, I inspected your surroundings too.}
Kyle chuckled. "Then why are you avoiding looking at me while saying that?"
{You can see that clearly?!} she blurted, panicking as she hurriedly fixed her hair and flicked away the half-burnt cigarette.
Kyle chuckled softly. "One of my abilities," he muttered before adding, "Anyway, arenât you a late riser? Were you that worried about your officers to wake up this early?"
{Umm... I actually... didnât sleep...}
Kyle frowned. "What? Why?"
{Work... I rested well during the day, so I thought Iâd handle a few things at night. By the time I stopped, it was already morning.}
Kyle let out a slow breath. "Do you have work today?"
{Yes... a few meetings and reports to handle.}
"Then postpone whatever isnât urgent and get some rest," he said firmly. "Seriously, I didnât expect you to neglect your health like this. Food and sleep are the two things you canât afford to compromise."
He spoke from experience.
There was a time when his own sleep schedule had been a mess. Sleeping at two, waking up at seven for classes, dragging himself through the day half-dead, then wasting the night on games instead of resting.
Back then, it felt like his life was slipping into an abyss with no way out.
And it had all started with something as simple as ruined sleep.
"Hello?" Not hearing anything from the other side, Kyle called out.
He could still see Veronica standing there, her eyes soft, curved with a faint warmth as she murmured,
{Scold me more...}
Kyle blinked in surprise. "Hmm?"
Veronicaâs voice came quietly, almost fragile. {Itâs been a while since someone spoke to me like that... cared enough to scold me... so please, do it a little more.}
A heavy weight settled in his chest at those words. Another reminder of how alone she was, despite always being surrounded by people.
His voice softened. "For now, donât wander around and go back home. Tell your assistant to handle things until eleven. Until when?"
{Eleven.}
He nodded. "Good. And donât touch your phone once youâre in bed. Sleep means sleep, understood?"
{Yes, I understand.}
A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Good girl."
For a brief moment, a strange sense of familiarity crossed his mind, as if he had said something like that to someone else before.
But before he could have dwelled on the matter, the teacher said, "Everyone, form a queue. We are about to depart."
°°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.