The sun had long set, and Wysteria Academy shimmered under the violet glow of arcane lanterns. Graduation night had transitioned into a soft, dreamlike atmosphere. Students wandered the campus in pairs and small groups, still dressed in their uniforms, reliving memories under the stars.
Mi-cha stood alone on the rooftop of the east tower, her eyes tracing the horizon where Null had vanished. The air was calm, but her heart wasn't. Her fingers traced the edge of her stardust staff, now fractured with glowing cracks.
Behind her, soft footsteps echoed.
"…You're not with the others?" Muhan's voice was gentle.
Mi-cha didn't turn immediately. "You always find me, don't you?"
Muhan walked up beside her, his hands in his pockets, his expression unusually quiet. "You left so suddenly… I was worried."
Mi-cha glanced at him, her eyes glowing softly under the moonlight. "There was someone at the ceremony. He wasn't part of this world."
Muhan's Iris flickered blue.
"I sensed something too… like my whole body rejected whatever he was. A pressure I haven't felt since… that battle with See-hoo."
He turned to face her.
"Who was he?"
Mi-cha hesitated, then finally said it: "He called himself Observer Null. He said… you were an anomaly. That your power could unravel entire realms."
The words hung in the air like frost.
Muhan didn't flinch, but the silence in his eyes deepened.
"So, they're starting to notice."
Mi-cha blinked. "Wait—you knew something like this would happen?"
Muhan nodded slowly. "I didn't know his name… but after the incident that happened at the excursion at Xylophia IV, I've been dreaming of a place. A place that doesn't exist in any known dimension. In that place… I see myself."
He turned his hand over. A faint glyph shimmered aesthetic vibes on his palm—one Mi-cha had never seen before. It pulsed in time with his heartbeat.
"I think part of me… doesn't belong here."
Mi-cha's voice wavered. "No. I don't care what that thing said. You do belong here. With us. With… me."
The words fell out before she could stop them.
Muhan looked at her.
"Mi-cha…"
Her cheeks flushed, but her gaze held steady. "I meant what I said at the ceremony. I'm not going to let anyone take you from us. Or from me."
Muhan stepped forward, closing the distance between them. "I was scared back then… when I felt I might lose myself in the Aether. But then… I remembered your voice. I always remember your voice."
A long pause. The city lights below sparkled like constellations.
Then—Muhan gently held Mi-cha's hand.
"Stay with me tonight."
Mi-cha looked up, startled.
He clarified with a soft smile, "Just… stay. Let's watch the sky together. Like we did during first year."
"…Okay." she whispered.
They sat side by side, feet dangling over the rooftop's edge, watching the aurora sweep across the stars. Her head slowly rested against his shoulder.
Somewhere below, Ji-hoon, Jin-ho, and Kim were having their own farewell dinner near the courtyard pond, laughing as Professor Ae-cha silently walked by, eyes shadowed, her thoughts elsewhere.
Soo-ah, tucked beneath the central archive tree, continued scanning through corrupted code left behind in the School Operating System. Her eyes widened when a scrambled file decrypted:
> [Null.Class ∴ Unbound]
[Status: Lost Archive Warden]
[Connection to: PROJECT: RIFTHEART]
She gasped. "No way… That project was erased five years ago—!"
Before she could finish, her Cybernetic Eyes blinked red.
> [Presence Detected: Observer Null – 74m and closing]
---
Back on the rooftop, Muhan closed his eyes as the wind stirred his hair.
"…Do you think things will be peaceful from now on?" Mi-cha asked.
He didn't answer right away.
"No," he finally said. "But I think no matter what comes… we'll face it together."
Above them, a shooting star crossed the heavens.
But neither of them noticed the rift quietly pulsing at the far edge of the campus. It was small, silent… and shaped like an eye.
Watching.
Always watching.