A spacious, modern room stretched wide, its sleek interior framed by tall glass windows that revealed an expansive view of Makazhar City glowing beneath the night sky.

A young man with jet-black hair tipped with a soft gradient of white stood by the window, his semi-formal attire catching traces of neon reflections.

He gazed out at the restless brilliance of the city—eyes relaxed, yet sharpened by an unmistakable sense of intention, as if he was analyzing every flicker and every movement unfolding before him.

The neon lights outside bounced off the glass surface, drawing out the contour of his silhouette and making him appear as though he were blending seamlessly into the tapestry of the night.

STEP! STEP!

Firm, authoritative footsteps echoed from behind, approaching with deliberate weight. But the young man didn't turn around immediately.

"You're not heading back? Don't you have to take the national exam tomorrow?" the approaching voice asked.

Only then did the young man pivot.

Standing behind him was a middle-aged man, likely in his forties or early fifties, dressed in an elegant formal suit.

His slick black hair had begun to gray in several places, his physique strong and slightly broad-shouldered, his jaw defined, and a pair of glasses resting on his nose.

His eyes were sharp—piercing, calculating—yet layered with exhaustion, the kind carried by someone who had just escaped an endless sequence of high-pressure meetings.

"You're right," the young man replied casually. He turned fully and leaned lightly against the window frame.

"I almost forgot I still have to do things like that in this era."

"Hm… eventually, you still need to blend into society." The suited man extended a small electronic device, no bigger than a finger, toward him.

His hand trembled ever so slightly—revealing that what he carried was not mere information, but something far more dangerous.

"This is the copy of the data you asked for. I hope you won't trouble me suddenly again after this," he said.

A quiet sigh escaped him.

"Collecting data of this caliber is incredibly dangerous if I don't prepare thoroughly beforehand. And… make sure you don't get careless and have this found out."

The young man chuckled lightly, smiling with a lazy confidence.

"Hehe… relax. I'm a professional," he said while accepting the device.

He spun it between his fingers, as if weighing the invisible heaviness of the information hidden inside.

"It's rare to hear you complain," he added before pressing a small button. A holographic projection burst to life at once.

"I guess this really is extremely classified data."

The suited man stepped forward, his gaze shifting back toward the vast panorama of Makazhar's nightscape.

Both of his hands slid into his pockets, as if grounding himself under the pressure that clung to him.

"That data carries national—possibly even international—security clearance levels. If it ever leaked into the public eye, the consequences would be catastrophic. Naturally, it's kept under maximum secrecy," he replied.

"Not even the legal authorities or law enforcement agencies have jurisdiction over it," he added.

The young man skimmed through several sections, confirming the authenticity of what he received.

"A law-based country where even the legal institutions don't have absolute authority? That's… quite fascinating," he said.

The suited man nodded.

"That's how it is," he answered. "But interestingly enough, something related to that just happened recently. And it's rather unique."

"Unique? What do you mean?" the young man asked.

The suited man inhaled briefly before responding.

"The local police have been dealing with a major case these past few days. They came to request the data of one of the children on that list."

"The police? Are they trying to involve themselves in this too?" the young man asked.

The suited man shook his head.

"No. It's anything major, and it's not related to that. It's just that one kid on the list got into trouble with two of the elite families in this city," he explained.

"The police wanted his data. Unfortunately, the only thing we could provide was the information that he's from an orphanage."

"Oh… that is interesting," the young man replied with genuine intrigue.

The suited man nodded.

"If I remember correctly, his name is Al… his complete data is still restricted, but as far as I knew before, there was nothing particularly special about him."

"Before?" the young man murmured.

"Yes. Turns out the kid is actually the son of one of the elite families—he was switched at birth," the suited man said.

"Ah… ahaha… that's even more interesting. I didn't expect you to give me classified information and gossip at the same time," the young man remarked.

Coincidentally, the hologram shifted to the very name they were speaking about.

Displayed across the projected screen was a bold header:

REGISTRY OF INDIVIDUALS CLASSIFIED AS POTENTIAL DIAR TARGETS

Several photos of Al appeared alongside his details. His most recent records labeled him as the youngest son of the Virellano family.

He had spent seventeen years of his life in the Malika Makazhar Orphanage before being found by the Virellanos.

Missing for four years between the ages of seven and eleven—recorded as a kidnapping case—he received strict monitoring for the first three years afterward.

The surveillance was reduced at age fifteen due to his decreasing probability as a DIAR. From then on, he only needed to undergo testing and report every three months.

Now, at seventeen and nearing eighteen, his DIAR probability continued to drop further.

"I assume this is the kid you mentioned," the young man said. "But he doesn't seem like a DIAR."

The suited man glanced over and nodded.

"Correct. His DIAR probability keeps shrinking. But he still needs to be monitored for another four or five years," he replied.

"You can check him yourself if you want. Just in case he's a DIAR who managed to conceal himself."

The young man turned off the hologram and shook his head.

"No need. I don't have time to check each one individually. My targets are only those with high potential."

A dimensional storage rippled open from the bracelet on his wrist, and he casually slipped the device inside before looking back at the suited man.

"This helps me greatly. I didn't expect this province to have so many individuals with high DIAR potential," he said in a relaxed tone.

"And most of them are young enough to be molded. Much appreciated."

The suited man simply nodded.

The young man's smile widened slightly as he continued,

"But what surprises me even more is that a normal human like you is willing to help us DIAR, haha."

The suited man responded with a soft smile.

"You don't need to think too much about that. Let's just say… I owe a debt to the DIAR," he said quietly.

"Helping you gather DIAR candidates and build a massive force—consider it an honor on my part." he added.

The young man let out a small laugh.

"Hehe… fair enough. And I suppose I should get going. Like you said, I still have to take the national exam tomorrow. So…"

He pulled out a small slip of paper from seemingly nowhere. With a light infusion of energy, the paper ignited, and his entire body was gradually devoured by a dimensional rift.

Silent flames danced, consuming the paper and leaving behind a curved streak of violet light—like a door to somewhere unknown.

"…farewell," he said softly.

And then he vanished, disappearing to a place only he knew.

The suited man stared at the residue of magical energy lingering in the air.

The atmosphere around him shimmered faintly, carrying a subtle scent of burnt ether.

He looked up at the various CCTV cameras around the room. With a simple lift of his hand—click—

Illusion Magic Dispelled.

He dispelled the magical illusion that had prevented the cameras from capturing their earlier activity.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold pendant. The head of the pendant opened, revealing a small photo—of himself and a teenage girl.

"He asked why an ordinary human like me would help the DIAR…" he whispered to the photo.

His eyes grew moist, his expression trembling on the edge of tears. He closed the pendant gently and stared out at the glowing skyline.

The lights of the skyscrapers reflected in his glasses, making his gaze burn with a quiet, unyielding flame.

"Because the DIAR will win this war. And they'll be the ones to avenge us."

A cold night breeze seeped through the window seams, brushing against his skin—sealing a resolve he had carried for far too long.

And in the distance, faint sirens wailed across the city—like the city itself understood that the night had fundamentally changed.

---

Monday, May 27

The day of the National Examination had finally arrived.

Al woke up inside his dimensional room, dragging himself out of the lingering exhaustion that had settled in his bones.

The past week had been brutally demanding for him—both as the enigmatic leader of a shadowy underground organization and as an ordinary high school student who also happened to be the youngest son of the influential Virellano family.

His life had slid back into something resembling a routine rhythm—if one could even call the chaotic cycle he lived through 'routine.'

He had been forced to commute constantly between the Virellano residence and the Alasia branch office, all to prove to the police that Alasia Group truly had him under continuous surveillance.

So far, there had been zero movement from the Norvalien family, the Karagara family, or Daraka himself.

The eerie silence bothered him, especially since every report sent by his subordinates remained frustratingly empty.

But today was an exception.

Today, he had a special mission he needed to focus on.

Yep. The National Exam.

Aside from that—

The Virellano residence was unusually lively.

Sarah's return home added a sharp, spicy seasoning—her signature snark, sarcastic quips, and razor-edged commentary—that followed Al around like an unavoidable curse.

David, surprisingly, wasn't contributing to Sarah's noise this time. He was too focused, being directly trained by Clarista and Fani in preparation for the National Exam.

Speaking of Fani, she wasn't spared from double duties either: managing her ongoing projects while simultaneously coaching two 'students' in the days leading up to the exam.

Guiding David properly… and pretending to guide Al.

Her other responsibility, of course, was her night shift—continuously overseeing the rapid construction of Al's new building.

Moving on to the other important figures—

Edward and Sandra were genuinely excited.

Two of their children were stepping into a critical moment, the final edge of their school lives.

In their eyes, David was fighting to become the national top scorer.

Meanwhile Al… was, in their minds, simply struggling to graduate.

Aurielle and Vianna felt the same way—still skeptical of Al's academic ability, still unconvinced that he could pull off anything impressive.

But very few people knew, and even fewer understood, that whether Al simply wanted to graduate or rise to the top wasn't something dictated by fate—it was a choice.

His choice.

And today was that day—the day he would decide which path he would walk.

---

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