Kim Minjun had never liked crowds. They were loud, unpredictable, and worst of all—complicated.
Standing in the vast Central Hall of Astra Virel Academy, he was reminded of that fact more than ever. Students filled the massive space, their voices blending into a low, constant hum that echoed beneath the impossibly high ceiling. Above them, strange glowing symbols drifted through the air, shifting in slow, deliberate patterns as if the hall itself were alive. It was overwhelming in a way that made his chest feel tight.
He exhaled quietly and shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to ground himself. Just a few hours earlier, he had been at the reception desk, filling out a form with little thought.
Name. Age. Place of origin.
He had hesitated for only a moment before writing it down—Boseong. Even now, the word felt distant, like something from another life.
The polished surface of the desk had reflected his image back at him: black hair parted neatly down the middle, a lean frame, shoulders slightly stiff despite his attempt to appear relaxed. He had looked normal. At least, he had hoped he did.
That should have been enough.
"Just get through this," he muttered under his breath. "Graduate, get a job, go home." Simple. That was all he wanted.
The noise in the hall died instantly.
Minjun blinked, his thoughts cut short as silence fell with unnatural precision. At the front of the hall, an instructor stepped forward.
They didn't raise their voice, yet when they spoke, every word carried clearly across the vast space.
"Welcome to Astra Virel Academy."
Minjun scratched his cheek, already bracing himself.
"You have been selected because you possess the potential to form a Contract."
Above them, the drifting symbols began to shift, slowly aligning into circular formations that pulsed faintly with light.
"A Contract is not simply power. It is a reflection of who you are—your tendencies, your instincts, your nature."
Minjun frowned slightly. "That doesn't sound nice."
"And with every Contract," the instructor continued, "comes a Paradox." The word lingered.
"It is not a weakness," they said. "It is a truth."
Minjun looked away and snickered. "The truth huh, is this a school or religious cult."
"Step forward when your name is called."
The ceremony began.
One by one, students approached the center of the hall. Each time, the symbols above descended, wrapping around them in controlled, elegant movements. Light flared softly, then settled.
A faint flame flickered into existence in one student's palm, trembling but real. Another's shadow stretched unnaturally across the floor, lagging just slightly behind their movements.
A third stood motionless as translucent shapes formed around them, hovering like invisible shields.
Minjun watched carefully, trying to make sense of it all. "Okay," he whispered. "I can't even lie that looks badass."
Then he paused. Realising something
"Wait."
A Contract was a reflection of who you were. And a Paradox… was a truth you couldn't escape.
"I take it back, it's not so badass anymore."
Names continued to be called. Students stepped forward with varying levels of confidence. Some barely reacted as their Contracts formed, as if they had expected it all along.
Others faltered, their unease visible in the way they moved. Minjun noticed something else too—some Contracts felt steady, controlled, while others carried a subtle instability that lingered in the air.
"Please give me something simple and manageable," he muttered. "Basic and normal please."
"Kim Minjun."
He froze.
"Ah it's my turn."
A few heads turned. A couple of students glanced at each other, confused.
"Who?"
"Never heard of him."
"Probably just another random."
Minjun sighed annoyed. "Well fuck you too."
He stepped forward anyway, each step feeling louder than it should have. The center of the hall felt farther away than before, the weight of the silence pressing against him.
Just do it normally, he told himself. Nothing weird.
The moment he entered the circle, something shifted.
Minjun blinked. "Huh?"
The symbols above him flickered.
It was subtle at first—a slight misalignment, like a perfectly drawn line that had been nudged out of place. Then it happened again. A ripple passed through the formation, small but noticeable.
A student nearby shifted their footing—and stumbled.
Not a full fall. Just enough to break the stillness.
Minjun stiffened. "That's probably not good."
The symbols flickered again, more noticeably this time. The clean, structured pattern began to distort—not violently, not dramatically, but enough that it no longer felt right. Like something precise had been thrown off balance.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
"Is that supposed to happen?"
"What's wrong with the symbols?"
Minjun raised his hands slightly. "Okay, that's not me." It was definitely him.
Then the light descended.
Faster than before. The symbols wrapped around him, but they didn't settle. They shifted, corrected, and shifted again, as if trying to force themselves into place and failing.
Minjun felt it then—not power, not exactly, but something resisting order. Something that refused to stay the way it was supposed to be.
Above him, a script formed.
Unfamiliar. Unreadable.
חייך מסתבכים כשהם יותר מדי רגילים
Minjun squinted up at it. "Now what the hells that supposed to mean."
No one laughed.
The air felt uneven. Behind him, someone coughed at the worst possible moment. Another student stepped back too late, bumping into someone else. Small things—insignificant on their own—but together, they created a quiet, unsettling disruption.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped.
The light faded. The symbols dissolved. The hall slowly returned to order—or at least, something close to it.
The instructor watched him for a moment longer than necessary. "Your Contract has been formed."
Minjun waited.
"So what next?"
A brief pause.
"Step aside. Thats all. Next!"
Minjun blinked, caught off guard by how quickly it ended. "Sure dude."
He stepped out of the circle, scratching his head as he moved toward the edge of the hall.
He adjusted his bag, letting out a quiet breath. "Just get through this. Graduate, get a job, live normally"
Behind him, one of the floating lights flickered.
Just once.
Minjun paused, glancing back briefly. "Huh what was that."
Then he shook his head. "Probably nothin."
And kept walking.
He didn't understand it yet. Didn't know what had just been written above him, or what his Contract truly meant.
'It's weird." He muttered. "This whole school is weird."