The island was shaped like a scar—the kind the earth gets after too many secrets are buried too deep.

  Rin stepped off the aircraft and onto the tarmac, where the sea breeze slapped harder than the engines ever did. Ahead, the silhouette of the MIT Main Dome rose like a steel cathedral, framed by pale sunlight and tight security.

  Around her, the other recruits—twenty in total—buzzed with anticipation. Protocol users from all over Japan, and some even flown in from neighboring regions. The youngest looked barely seventeen. The oldest had war in his eyes.

  Rin kept to herself. Just like in the plane.

  The boy with the Beelzebub protocol was already holding court again.

  “I ranked S-,” he said, grinning like the title was tattooed on his soul. “Beelzebub. Lord of the Flies. I don’t just control insects—I command obedience.”

  A few gasps. One girl clapped.

  Rin stared at the sky. Her thoughts were louder than the chatter.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Alright, listen up,” came a firm voice.

  A woman in a gray MIT coat stepped forward. She was short, stocky, and unimpressed. Her silver badge read: Instructor Hoshino.

  “You’ve all been selected based on one thing—your protocol resonance. Not power. Not potential. Resonance.” She let the word echo a second. “This isn’t a game. Most of you will wash out of combat roles by the end of month one. Get used to that idea now.”

  A couple of students exchanged nervous glances. The Beelzebub boy scoffed quietly.

  She continued. “This is the main orientation class. All of you are newly awakened or just out of containment. You’ll be evaluated over the next two weeks. Then you’ll be sorted into specialization units: Support, Combat, Strategy, and Protocol Consultation.”

  Someone raised a hand. “What’s Consultation?”

  “Talk less. Listen more.”

  The student dropped their hand.

  “Your first assignment begins tonight. No protocol usage outside of designated hours. Anyone caught using theirs without instructor oversight will be de-synced and grounded. You won’t get a second warning.”

  The group fell silent.

  Behind them, the main doors opened with a hiss of pressurized air. An escort team in black uniforms stepped forward.

  “You’ll be assigned dorms shortly. For now, follow your markers and keep your eyes sharp. Protocols don't just evolve on power—they evolve on behavior. Every step you take here is watched.”

  Rin’s eyes narrowed at that line. Behavior? That wasn’t something she liked anyone watching.

  She walked forward with the others, silent as ever.

  Jin drifted beside her, his movements awkward but determined. “Uh… that woman’s kind of scary.”

  Rin shrugged. “She’s not wrong.”

  He gave a soft laugh, more exhale than sound. “Did you… hear what she said about protocols and behavior? I think… mine might not be like that.”

  Rin didn’t answer. But in her chest, the protocol pulsed—just once. Like a heart syncing with something far older than her.

  ---