Lucia woke up on a soft bed. For several seconds, she simply lay there, staring at the ceiling and trying to understand where she was. Then she slowly sat up and looked around.
The room was spacious—around seventeen or eighteen square meters. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all painted in calm shades of gray, without any patterns or decorations. Long white lamps were built into the ceiling, flooding the room with an even, cold light.
The bed she had awakened on stood against the far wall. Beside it was a small bedside table made of light wood. On it rested a metal pitcher of water and an empty glass.
A large rectangular window, nearly as tall as a person, occupied the right wall. Against the opposite wall stood a simple writing desk with a wooden chair. Several blank sheets of paper, a pencil, and a neatly stacked pile of books without titles on their spines lay on the desk.
In one corner of the room stood a tall gray wardrobe. Its doors were closed, and its surface looked so spotless that it seemed almost unused.
Near the door was a comfortable armchair with dark upholstery and a small round table beside it. A lamp with a white lampshade sat on the table, though it seemed completely unnecessary under the room's bright lighting.
Next to the wardrobe, Lucia noticed another door, nearly invisible against the gray wall. Through the slightly open gap, she could see a small bathroom.
The only vivid element in the room was a large painting hanging above the desk. It depicted a quiet forest covered in morning mist. Among the gray surroundings, it looked almost out of place, as if someone had deliberately left it there to keep the room from feeling completely lifeless.
The room was impeccably clean. There was no dust, no clutter, and not the slightest trace of someone actually living there.
Getting out of bed, Lucia walked to the window and pulled aside the thin light-gray curtains.
Outside, mountains rose into the distance, while dark storm clouds churned above them, constantly split by flashes of lightning. Yet inside the room, silence remained unbroken, creating a strange contrast with the raging storm beyond the glass.
This was where she had awakened after completing the Trial. But no matter how hard she tried, she could remember nothing. Faces, places, her past, even the Trial itself—everything had vanished from her memory.
The thought that she had struggled to remember even her own name almost made her laugh.
"Lucia Grimm."
She whispered the words, hoping they might bring back at least a fragment of her memories.
Nothing happened.
"If I have a first and last name, then someone must have given them to me."
That was what she thought, yet no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember those people.
At that moment, her gaze shifted to the right, where a shadow was trying to reach the small table near the door. Noticing her attention, it quickly returned to its normal shape and pretended nothing had happened.
After awakening, Lucia had received her Gift and Traits. Information about them had appeared in her mind as naturally as the ability to walk or speak. This shadow was one of those traits.
After watching it for a moment, Lucia approached the wardrobe and opened it.
Inside hung several sets of uniforms.
At first glance, the uniform looked strict and expensive, yet free of unnecessary luxury. Its foundation was a long black coat with a high collar. The fabric was thick and durable, designed not only for everyday wear but also for training. Silver embroidery ran along the collar, cuffs, and edges, forming intricate patterns resembling intertwined branches and magical symbols.
On the left side of the chest was the Academy's emblem—a silver tree whose roots merged into a sword pointing downward.
Under the coat was a white shirt and a dark tie. The set also included black straight-cut trousers and high boots reaching halfway up the calves. There was also a version with a long dark skirt featuring a slit that did not hinder movement.
Despite its formal appearance, the clothing proved surprisingly comfortable. The fabric adapted to the surrounding temperature and barely restricted movement.
After putting on the uniform with trousers, Lucia stared at the tie in her hands for several seconds.
She couldn't remember how to tie it.
But her body remembered.
Her fingers moved on their own, folding the fabric into a neat knot.
Lucia watched the process carefully.
"Convenient."
After a moment of thought, she looked at her hands.
"And what else can you do?"
Her hands offered no response.
Approaching the door, Lucia noticed a badge lying on the nearby table—the very object her shadow had been trying to reach.
Picking it up, she read the inscription:
"The Hunger That Forgot Its Reason."
This was the title granted to her by her inheritance.
Once again, she recalled its description.
"You once learned all that was meant to be learned. But your memory retained not a single fragment. Now your hunger guides you toward the places where truth once touched you."
That likely explained her current condition.
Attaching the badge to her chest, Lucia opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
As she walked, she occasionally passed doors bearing names.
A man carrying a mug of hot coffee walked past her.
Lucia followed the mug with her eyes.
Then stopped.
Turned around.
And looked at the mug again.
For some reason, the man quickened his pace.
Lucia watched him leave for a while.
She couldn't understand why steam was rising from the drink.
Shrugging, she continued on her way.
The Academy had been built here because ninety-nine percent of those who passed the First Trial appeared somewhere in this region. New inheritors were trained here, and at the end of the year various factions came to recruit them.
It was also the only place with a stable source of energy. Thanks to the constant lightning storms, the Academy never suffered from a lack of electricity.
According to rumor, even on Earth, generating electricity became more difficult every year due to increasingly frequent anomalies.
Lucia had learned all of this from the search team that found her after the Trial. They had been surprised to discover she remembered nothing and had done their best to explain the basics.
By this point, Lucia had arrived at the cafeteria.
It was enormous and seemed capable of holding nearly a thousand people, yet only a few dozen were present.
Classes would not begin for several more months, when the majority of inheritors finished their Trials.
On her way to the serving line, her attention was drawn to an ice cream machine.
Lucia stopped in front of it.
She stared at it for several seconds.
Then pressed the lever.
A white spiral dropped into a cup.
Lucia looked at it.
Then pressed the lever again.
And again.
When the fourth serving collapsed onto the tray, a cafeteria worker coughed loudly.
Lucia looked at the mountain of ice cream.
Thought for a moment.
Then sent all of it into her shadow.
Only then did Lucia continue choosing food.
The selection was vast: steaks, seafood, soups, desserts, side dishes, and much more. Everything obtainable within human territory could be taken for free.
But Lucia simply picked the first things within reach.
On her tray lay a juicy steak from some kind of thunder beast whose name she hadn't bothered to read, a fillet of an unknown fish, a salad made from red fruits that always remained warm, and a glass of mountain nectar from flowers growing atop Heavenly Mountain.
After gathering her meal, Lucia sat down at one of the empty tables.
When she placed a piece of steak into her mouth, she felt exactly what she expected.
Nothing.
No taste whatsoever.
"Good thing I don't remember what food tastes like. Otherwise, if I'd suddenly lost that sense, I doubt I could bear it."
Amused by her own thought, she remembered another of her traits—the one that deprived her not only of taste but also of the feeling of fullness.
After picking at her food and eating a little, Lucia grew bored and tossed the leftovers into her shadow.
The moment the food touched the dark surface, it sank inside and vanished.
"Tasty?"
The shadow tilted its head in confusion and shrugged.
Smiling faintly, Lucia remained seated for a while longer.
Eventually, she stood and headed toward the training hall.
Along the way she passed other inheritors, but none of them wore badges displaying titles.
Every time someone noticed her badge, they stepped aside and began whispering among themselves.
At one point, Lucia noticed a large glass panel set into the wall.
She stopped.
A girl in uniform stared back at her from the glass.
Lucia raised her hand.
The girl raised hers.
Lucia frowned.
The girl frowned too.
For several seconds they stared at each other.
Deciding not to bother with her, Lucia continued walking.
Upon reaching the training hall, she spent some time examining the weapon racks.
Then she took a sword from a stand and picked up a ball.
Throwing the ball onto the floor, Lucia allowed her body to move on its own.
Although she couldn't remember how to fence, her body still knew.
The sword cut smoothly and confidently through the air.
Lucia didn't understand exactly what she was doing, but she could feel that it was correct.
So she simply continued.
Time passed unnoticed.
Several hours later, Lucia finally lowered the sword and sat on the floor to rest.
Her breathing remained steady, as if she had barely exerted herself.
Looking to the side, she noticed her shadow.
Five meters away, near the wall, it was playing with the ball's shadow.
The actual ball lay beside Lucia.
Yet somehow its shadow was next to her own shadow.
The shadow pushed it.
The ball's shadow rolled across the floor.
The shadow gleefully chased after it.
For the next half hour, Lucia watched as her shadow pushed the ball's shadow and then pursued it.
Sometimes the ball's shadow escaped.
Sometimes her shadow won.
Judging by the reactions of both participants, the competition was incredibly intense.
Eventually Lucia stood up.
"Time to go."
Reluctantly, the shadow stopped playing.
The ball's shadow seemed disappointed as well.
Picking up the real ball and returning the sword to its rack, Lucia left the training hall.
As she passed a vending machine, she felt her shadow practically dragging her toward it.
Turning around, she saw it trying to press a button.
Its hand simply passed through the machine's surface.
Walking closer, Lucia looked at it.
"You want that?"
The shadow nodded vigorously.
Seeing that reaction, Lucia pressed the button it had been trying to reach.
Something hummed inside the machine.
A few seconds later, a can dropped into the tray.
Picking it up, Lucia examined it carefully.
Turned it over in her hands.
Then looked at her shadow.
"And how do I open it?"
The shadow looked at her, then at the can, then back at her, and shrugged.
Lucia sighed.
Then began shaking the can even harder.
A few minutes later, she noticed a girl around her age walking by.
"Wait."
The girl turned around in surprise.
"Hm? Me?"
"Yes."
Lucia held out the can.
"Open this."
The girl looked at Lucia.
Then at the can.
Then back at Lucia.
Nevertheless, she took it.
"Um... okay."
Pulling the metal tab, she opened the can.
In the next instant, the contents burst out with a loud hiss.
The soda sprayed directly into the girl's face.
Silence filled the hallway.
The girl stood frozen.
Drops slowly ran down her chin and onto the floor.
Lucia, who had been observing the event with great interest, took the can back.
"Thank you."
The girl still said nothing.
Lucia looked inside the can and then at her shadow.
The shadow appeared extremely interested.
Without much thought, Lucia poured the remaining soda directly into it.
The drink vanished into the black surface without a trace.
The shadow froze for several seconds.
Then shrugged.
"I see."
Nodding, Lucia continued down the hallway.
Behind her, the bewildered girl remained standing there, trying to understand what exactly had just happened.