A dim and dark afternoon. The lively energy of midday was gone, replaced by a calm stillness.

The academy city, once bursting with vibrant energy, now felt unnervingly quiet.

No, it wasn’t calmness; it was closer to a sense of unease.

It was a time when the crisp autumn wind and the still-warm sunshine should have been present. But that expectation vanished along with the bluish mist that had appeared.

For the past few days, the mist had been continuously rising.

At first, it appeared gradually in the plains surrounding the academy city. But as the mist began to spread, it eventually covered the entire city.

“Sigh…”

First-year students wandering around the grounds of Mimir Industrial High School turned back from the streets. It was an unusual choice for them, who were always on the lookout for something fun since enrolling.

“Ugh, it’s cold. I don’t feel well either...” “Yeah, me too.” “Let’s just go back to the dorm.” “Yeah, even the seniors have been looking weird lately. Is it because of this mist?” “Well, we haven’t seen proper sunlight for days… And the mist has even blocked the trains connecting us to the outside world.” “Not that it mattered much since people without any Ether aptitude couldn’t come to this city anyway… But it’s a bit scary, like we’re trapped.” “Yeah…” “Anyway, let’s go to our rooms and play cards.” “Yeah.”

The dwarven workers at the factory closed their doors early and patted each other on the shoulder. The faces that usually greeted students with bright smiles were now grim.

“Hm, maybe it’s the humidity, but the frame feels like it’s creaking. I don’t know if it’s just me, but even breathing is hard, and I’ve been having nightmares too.” “Same here… I’ve tried changing the fueling method and applying lubricant in the morning, but it’s not helping.” “With logistics delayed these days, it’s scary to even try doing anything.” “Yeah… And I’ve been seeing things, like students passing by on empty streets.” “You whippersnappers acting like you’re rusting already, and you’re not even 50 years old. Back in my day, if our joint fibers tore, we’d stitch them back together with our bare hands, you punks. Tsk tsk… Kids these days have no grit.” “Grandpa, you cried about a loose screw when you bumped into the doorframe the other day. Even a three-year-old can tighten a screw by themselves.” “…”

The conversation ended as the old dwarf silently fled. The dwarf in the bread hat, who had been listening, suddenly glanced at the mist and muttered.

“I wonder if Cara is doing okay...”

Cara, the giant-blooded girl who was adopted into the dwarf artisan village. He wondered if she was doing well, considering how she always treated the dwarves with respect, even though they were often looked down upon by the students.

“Well… she should be fine.”

Cara was the type to get along well wherever she went, always cheerfully calling everyone "comrade." With that thought, the bread-hatted dwarf headed to the dormitory for the workers.@@novelbin@@

At that moment, the ground shook slightly.

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