Sunlight slipped through the thin curtains, painting soft gold across the sheets.

Noel woke first.

Selene was curled lightly against him, breathing slow and even, her hair brushing his collarbone.

For a moment, everything felt calm — rare, quiet, peaceful.

Then—

PING.

A bright blue window exploded into existence above his face.

[New Mission Unlocked!!!]

[Warning: This one's… complicated.]

Noel stared up at it, expression flat.

"…Damn." He rubbed his face. "In the morning? Really?"

Selene shifted slightly at the sound, her fingers tightening gently around his arm, but she didn't wake.

The window expanded.

[Mission: Unmask the Second Pillar]

[Oh boy, Noel… this is going to be fun.]

[Primary Objective: Travel to the Northern Isles, investigate the Crystal Network, uncover the Second Pillar's identity, and prevent a continent-scale calamity.]

[Time Limit: 120 Days]

[Reward: ???]

Then—

A new line appeared.

[Penalty: A Continent Will Fall.]

Noel sat up so fast Selene shifted in her sleep.

"…What."

He had completed dozens of missions. Hard ones. Dangerous ones. But never — not once — had the system shown a penalty.

And this one…

This one threatened an entire continent.

'Noctis… what the hell did you just drop on me?'

The glowing text pulsed innocently.

[Good luck! ♥]

Noel stared at it, horrified.

'Is this really the time for cute punctuation?!'

At the foot of the bed, Noir — still in her tiny curled form — lifted her head sleepily.

'Dad… why that face?'

Noel exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples.

"Looks like we've got our mission," he whispered.

His voice was quiet, but heavy. It wasn't just another task. This was the kind of mission that could rewrite history.

Selene shifted, eyes half-open as she murmured:

"Noel…?"

He glanced down at her, then back at the glowing, unforgiving window.

"…We're in trouble."

Selene finished waking up, her pale-blue hair messy against the pillow. Her eyes — still soft from sleep — focused on Noel's face.

"…Why are we in trouble, Noel?"

But the moment she saw his expression, her breath shifted.

"Wait." She pushed herself up slowly, sheets sliding down around her waist. "You already got the mission…?"

Noel nodded with a low exhale.

Selene's quiet voice didn't waver. "What does it say?"

He rubbed a hand over his face.

"Remember the crystal shard I told you about? The one from the Holy Capital?" Selene nodded. "Well… we really do have to go to the Northern Isles. Just like we suspected."

Selene absorbed that immediately. "And the penalty?" she asked.

Noel hesitated.

"…The loss of an entire continent."

Selene froze.

No gasp or sharp inhale. Just… complete stillness — the kind that meant she fully grasped the weight of those words.

Noel leaned back slightly, staring at the mission window.

'Sometimes I forget I reincarnated into a novel where the villains were supposed to win… and that it's on me to fix everything.'

He closed the window.

"We need to gather everyone," Noel said. "Charlotte, Elena, Elyra, Seraphina… Marcus and the others too. We need a plan."

Selene nodded slowly, her breath controlled, her expression sharpening with determination.

"So we tell them today," she said.

"Yes," Noel replied. "Everything changes now. This mission… it's not like the others. It's bigger. Much bigger, we have four months to complete it..."

Selene rose from the bed first, quietly smoothing her hair back into place.

Her expression shifted from the softness of their morning to the composed calm she wore around others.

Noel stood, stretching once before grabbing his shirt.

Selene watched him dress — a quick glance before she focused on fastening her own uniform coat.

"…You still look tired," she murmured.

"I'll live," Noel said, pulling on his jacket. "Worse things have happened."

Selene stepped closer, fixing the collar of his shirt with precise fingers.

"No distractions today," she said softly. "We handle this properly."

"Yeah," Noel agreed. "First, the girls. Then everyone else."

Noir, perched on the desk, hopped onto his shoulder with a cheerful flick of her tail. 'Finally. I was getting bored. Are we going to eat or what?'

Selene's lip twitched — almost a smile.

They left the Class S bedroom, walking down the bright corridor side by side. Morning sunlight cut through tall windows, reflecting off polished floors. Students passed by, offering quiet greetings; more than a few stared, sensing something different about the atmosphere between them.

The two moved in sync through the courtyard and toward the cafeteria wing.

Right before they entered, Selene let out a slow, steady breath.

"We're not telling them everything… right?" she whispered. "Just what concerns the mission."

"Of course," Noel said. "Only what they need to know. They trust my judgment — but they don't know the truth about me. And we keep it that way."

Selene nodded, tension easing slightly.

"Elena, Elyra, Charlotte, you… you already know," Noel added quietly. "You four understand the real scope. But for the others… we give them the mission, the risk, and the plan. Nothing more."

"That's enough," Selene agreed. "And they'll follow you. They trust you enough, after your track record of course."

Noel exhaled. "Let's hope so. The penalty's bad enough as it is."

Noir stretched atop his shoulder, tail flicking.

'They'll freak out, Dad. But they'll listen.'

"…Comforting," Noel muttered.

Finally, they pushed the cafeteria doors open.

Inside, sunlight filtered across the long tables. At the far corner, their group had gathered — Elena waving the moment she saw them, Elyra raising a brow in amusement, Charlotte offering her warm smile.

Further in sat Marcus, Clara, Laziel, Garron with his girlfriend, and Roberto — unaware, chatting normally, trusting that Noel's sudden early-morning absence was just "Noel being Noel."

Noel and Selene crossed the cafeteria, passing first by the girls' table.

Elyra smirked immediately. "You took your time."

Elena leaned forward, bright-eyed. "Everything okay?"

Charlotte tilted her head, sensing tension. "Noel?"

He gave them a small nod. "I'll explain in a minute. Let me talk to the others first."

Selene stepped beside them, lowering her voice. "It's serious. I'll fill you in while he speaks with the boys."

The three girls exchanged looks — concern, understanding, quiet readiness.

Noel continued on toward the far table.

Marcus looked up from his plate the instant Noel approached. "Oh—morning, Noel! How'd training go?"

Before Noel could answer, Roberto grinned, elbow on the table. "Or was it a busy night?"

Normally, Noel would've rolled with the joke. But this time, his expression didn't shift.

"Something happened," he said plainly. "And I need your help."

Marcus blinked — then slowly smiled. "So you're finally telling us something."

"…What?" Noel frowned.

Marcus stood, stretching. "You always bottle everything up. When you left for almost a month with Charlotte without telling us anything? Yeah, we remember. We care, Noel. We're friends. You can rely on us."

Clara rose as well, nodding firmly. Laziel and Garron followed, Garron's girlfriend standing beside him with quiet support.

"We're glad you're finally letting us in," Marcus finished.

Noel's surprise flickered across his face — just a moment, but real.

"…Yeah," he murmured. "Let's go. I'll explain with the others."

Roberto stood last, hands in his pockets, eyes a little sharper now.

"Is it dangerous?" he asked.

Noel met his gaze. "Very dangerous."

Noir, perched on Noel's shoulder, turned her head and stared at Roberto like a disapproving cat.

He reached a hand toward her. "What? Why are you always like this with me? Come on—"

'Don't,' Noir snapped firmly. 'I don't like your smell.'

Roberto froze. "…Okay, rude."

Marcus snorted.

Noel sighed. "Let's just… go."

They reached the girls' table, everyone gathering in a loose circle. Conversations died instantly at the seriousness on Noel's face.

He exhaled once.

"Just like you said, Marcus… I left for nearly a month. And in the Holy Capital, we found something. Something we didn't see during the attack."

The group leaned in.

"We found a shard. A crystal — call it whatever you want. But we don't know what it is. Noir sensed something wrong about it, and Noir doesn't make mistakes."

The little shadow-wolf raised her chin proudly. 'Facts.'

Noel continued, "We asked around. Orthran told us it comes from the Northern Isles. That alone is enough to call it dangerous. And this… isn't going to be a quick mission. We're going to need time. And allies."

Marcus frowned slightly. "So you'll have to tell Daemar and Seraphina."

"Yeah," Noel replied. "They're the Director and the Student Council President — informing them isn't optional. And knowing them, they'll help us once they understand the situation. But before talking to the academy leadership, I wanted all of you to know first."

The table grew quiet.

Then Marcus stepped forward — the same way he always did when someone needed grounding.

"We'll back you up," he said firmly. "You're not carrying this alone."

Clara nodded. "Obviously. You've saved all of us more than once."

Laziel smirked. "And if trouble's involved, it only makes sense you're at the center of it."

Garron thumped his fist gently against his chest. "Just tell us what you need."

Roberto shrugged, recovering from Noir's earlier judgment. "Alright, time to party huh?"

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