Chapter 1 Hellorum, the Imperial Capital

The lights of the sprawling buildings propped up the heavy twilight of this Protoss Empire fortress city.

The massive city seemed isolated from the world. From a distance, the towering, solid barrier merged with the sky and ground. The angular architectural style, made of hard stone and cold metal, imbued the city with a sense of historical weight.

Even at ten o'clock at night, the Magicka train station on the city's edge teemed with travelers, shuttling through the wide passages between the platforms and the station hall.

In the distance, a train pulled into the station. The sharp screech of wheels against rails echoed across the empty tracks, and the lights from the carriages spilled onto the moonlit platform.

It was a train with classic decor, yet bearing traces of modern modifications. Subtle runes covered its surface, gradually flashing as it approached the station, resonating with the station's protective barrier.

Inside the carriage.

"Finally arrived in the Imperial Capital, huh?"

Zestira and Lan Qi waited briefly near the door.

Even before it opened, they could hear the music echoing through the station hall.

"That annoying..."

Zestira murmured, her brow slightly furrowed.

Lan Qi, standing beside her, could hear it clearly as well.

It was like the background music of Hellorum, chosen to showcase its rich history and the noble lineage of its powerful figures. The main melody employed a large symphony orchestra, including majestic brass instruments and religiously flavored strings, both solemn and mysterious, yet calm and lonely. Perhaps due to the northern location and climate, the modulations contained intense and nervous passages, with pipe organs and rising scales in the high register revealing a sense of urgency that the war would never end.

The melody descended more quickly, only to slow down again as it rose, layered with French horns and trombones from the brass section. The high notes were at their weakest when the bass was at its strongest. After repeated cycles, the brain was tricked into believing that the pitch was rising infinitely, with no telling when it would fall.

There was no hint of hope or liberation.

It was as if the heavy history of the Demon Holy War was etched into the bone, never to be graced by gentle melodies or harmonious chords.

Even now, it essentially contained an attitude of rejection towards demons.

"I think I understand why you find this music annoying."

Lan Qi gazed out the glass of the carriage door, lost in thought.

"..."

Zestira remained silent.

She knew that Lan Qi was a Magicka engineering scholar, so he might have studied the creation of certain artistic magical devices, or musical magic, and the like.

The dissonance in the music made her slightly uncomfortable, but that wasn't the root cause. Humans who grew up in the peaceful Southern Continent couldn't truly empathize.

As the train gradually came to a stop, the carriage doors slid open, and a faint, transparent mist wafted out from within. The residual heat released by the stabilizer dissipated slowly.

Amidst the music permeating the station, Lan Qi followed Zestira out of the carriage. A transparent screen immediately caught their eye, capturing the expressions of newly arrived travelers in the Imperial Capital, preserving them for a few seconds before vanishing.

"It's a station tradition, used to record and verify the identity of every traveler arriving in the Imperial Capital," Zestira said from the side, telling him not to worry.

If anyone had disguise magic on them, their true form would be revealed just now, and they would immediately be arrested by the Imperial Capital's officers.

"What's this underneath?"

The two walked along the platform paved with gray stone. The road was lit up from time to time, revealing a brilliant blue luster, creating small ripples that spread out beneath their feet, as if they were stepping on the sea.

Lan Qi understood that it wasn't an offensive spell before stepping on it.

"If you don't have a legal Imperial certificate, you won't be able to move an inch here," Zestira explained.

Although she usually wouldn't communicate with anyone unless necessary, she had grown accustomed to patiently answering Lan Qi's questions.

Because this ignorant and fragile young man needed her.

After a series of complex security checks and checkpoints, the two passed through the station and entered the fortress barrier of the Imperial Capital.

On the skyline of Hellorum, illuminated skyscrapers, ancient churches, and otherworldly floating architectural structures coexisted. The night sky was not only deep blue, but occasionally displayed golden fireflies, like mirrors reflecting the city.

This was a city full of magical wonders. Due to the cataclysmic accidents caused by the Holy War a century ago, Hellorum was left with many mutations that exceeded the physical realm, and even spread into culture, society, and law.

In Hellorum, humans and various mixed-bloods lived together, full of uncertainty. One might see floating sky gardens in the gaps between skyscrapers, or bump into an alchemical beast that had escaped on the underground Magicka tracks. The shops ranged from ancient formula potions to advanced magical devices.

Although some areas of the city-state, with powerful figures and Imperial powerhouses, were known for their absolute order, chaos, crime, and violence often occurred far away from them.

"Being with me, hostile gazes will become your daily routine," Zestira said to Lan Qi as they walked along the road to the Protoss Royal Academy.

The school wasn't far from the station and could be reached on foot.

"Speaking of which, once we get to school, are there going to be people looking for trouble with you?"

In fact, Lan Qi had already noticed that people's gazes were a bit piercing along the way, not just residents, but even guards. There was hardly any good will among them. Zestira looked too much like a pure-blooded demon.

"For example?"

"For example, you're minding your own business, reading a book at school, and suddenly some young marquis shows up and taunts you a couple of times."

Lan Qi combined it with reality and cited an Ikelyte-style example.

"Then I'll slap him in the face."

Zestira looked up at Lan Qi and answered matter-of-factly.

"Good child."

Lan Qi praised.

From the perspective of demon realm culture, this was already quite polite.

Since she wanted to be a demon, she shouldn't be judged by human standards. Lan Qi had always been a teacher who respected the individualization of his students.

"But that kind of thing probably won't happen. The guys in this school who really want you dead almost never talk to you much. They might even try to become your reliable allies first."

Zestira said.

Although she didn't expect Lan Qi to praise her, the nobles Lan Qi mentioned were all too pretty.

"For example?"

Lan Qi also needed Zestira to give an example.

"For example, at the end of this month during the preparatory students' big assessment, and the Shadow World Challenge at the beginning of next month, most of the people who want to team up with me have bad intentions."

Zestira answered indifferently.

"Zestira, how do you know about other people's attitudes?"

Lan Qi didn't think Zestira had paranoia. Her words were very certain.

"I can sense hostility and goodwill to a certain extent. You're very special, as pure as a blank sheet of paper."

She looked at Lan Qi again and said.

(End of chapter)