The Day My Name Disappeared
The hall was too quiet.
Not the normal quiet.
The kind of quiet that feels heavy. Like everyone is waiting for something bad to happen.
I stood in the center of the academy court, hands by my side, back straight.
Above me, the ranking board glowed in blue light.
Thousands of names.
Hundreds of students.
And mine.
"Aria Vale."
"Rank: S."
It had been there since the entrance test.
Since the day they said I was a genius.
Since the day people started smiling at me differently.
But today no one was smiling.
The instructors stood in a line in front of me. Their long coats touched the white marble floor. Their faces were calm, but their eyes were cold.
Behind me, the students whispered.
"She looks calm."
"Did she really do it?"
"I knew something was strange about her."
"Traitor."
The word had spread through the academy like poison.
I did not defend myself.
Not because I was guilty.
But because I knew something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The Headmaster stepped forward.
His silver hair shone under the high ceiling lights. His expression was unreadable.
"Aria Vale," he said, his voice echoing across the hall. "You are accused of illegally accessing the restricted tower and attempting to steal classified combat data."
A murmur spread behind me.
I kept my eyes forward.
"I did not enter the restricted tower," I said calmly.
It was the truth.
The Headmaster looked at me for a long moment.
Then he raised his hand.
The ranking board above flickered .
My name glowed brighter for a second.
Then—
It glitched.
The letters of my name trembled.
A strange symbol flashed beside it.
And slowly…
Very slowly…
The golden letter S beside my name began to fade.
Gasps filled the hall.
"What's happening?"
"Is that even possible?"
The S disappeared.
In its place, a new letter formed.
D.
Rank: D.
My heart did not race.
I did not shout.
But something inside me went cold.
"That is impossible," one instructor whispered.
"Her entrance score was the highest in ten years…"
The Headmaster lowered his hand.
"Aria Vale's rank has been reassessed."
Reassessed.
Such a simple word.
Such a cruel decision.
"From this moment," he continued, "you are suspended from elite training. You will attend lower division classes. You are no longer permitted access to advanced combat floors."
The whispers grew louder.
"She fell from S to D?"
"That's embarrassing."
"Maybe she cheated on the test."
I heard them all.
Every word.
But I kept my face still.
Because something was wrong.
I could feel it.
It wasn't just humiliation.
It wasn't just punishment.
It felt like something was… sealed.
Like a door inside me had quietly closed.
The Headmaster looked at me one last time.
"If you are innocent, prove it with results."
Prove it.
How do you prove something when the system itself changes your rank?
Two guards stepped forward.
Not to arrest me.
Just to escort me out.
That hurt more.
I walked past the rows of students.
Some avoided my eyes.
Some stared openly.
Some smiled.
Near the third row, I saw him.
Kael Orion.
Rank A.
Top swordsman of the academy.
He did not look shocked.
He did not look pleased.
He just watched me.
Carefully.
As if he was trying to understand something.
For a second, our eyes met.
There was no pity in his gaze.
Only question.
Then I looked away.
The large doors of the court opened.
Cold air hit my face.
And I stepped outside.
The academy tower rose high into the sky behind me. Beautiful. Proud. Untouchable.
I had once felt proud to stand at its top floor.
Now I was being pushed to the bottom.
I should have felt angry.
I should have cried.
But what I felt instead was silence.
Deep silence.
As if my body was listening to something.
I walked slowly across the stone path toward the lower dormitories.
Students moved away when they saw the new badge on my uniform.
D-Rank.
It felt strange.
Like it didn't belong to me.
When I reached my room, I closed the door and leaned against it.
Only then did I let out a slow breath.
Something was wrong.
I closed my eyes and focused.
Mana.
Every student in the academy could feel their mana core.
It was like a small sun inside the chest.
Warm. Alive.
Mine felt…
Dim.
No.
Not dim.
Restricted.
Like chains were wrapped around it.
My eyes opened immediately.
That had never happened before.
I tried to release a small amount of energy into my hand.
Nothing.
No spark.
No warmth.
Cold fear slowly moved through me.
Not because I was weak.
But because I knew I wasn't.
Yesterday, my mana had been strong.
Controlled.
Sharp.
Today it felt distant.
Like it was behind a wall.
I walked to the small mirror near my desk.
I looked the same.
Dark hair.
Clear eyes.
Calm face.
But something had changed.
They didn't just lower my rank.
They did something to me.
I touched my chest lightly.
The air in the room suddenly felt heavier.
Then—
A sharp pain struck my core.
I dropped to one knee.
It wasn't normal pain.
It felt mechanical.
Cold.
Precise.
As if something was scanning me from the inside.
A strange light flashed in front of my eyes.
Not outside.
Inside my vision.
Transparent.
Blue.
[Warning.]
The words appeared clearly.
I froze.
It wasn't imagination.
It wasn't dizziness.
The words stayed.
[High-Level Suppression Detected.]
My breath stopped.
What?
[Analyzing…]
[Seal Confirmed.]
Seal.
My fingers tightened against the floor.
So I was right.
Something had been done to me.
[Suppression Rate: 64%]
[Host Potential: S-Class]
The air in the room went silent.
Host potential… S-Class?
[System Activation in Progress.]
System?
I had never heard of such a thing in the academy.
Students trained.
They fought.
They ranked up.
There was no such thing as a system.
Unless…
Unless this was something forbidden.
The blue light flickered once.
Then stabilized.
[Suppression Detection System Activated.]
[Primary Objective: Remove All Seals.]
[First Trial Available.]
My heart beat once.
Slow.
Steady.
Not fear.
Not panic.
Understanding.
They didn't lower my rank because I was weak.
They lowered it because I was dangerous.
And someone made sure I stayed that way.
The final line appeared in front of me.
[Trial 1: Enter the Ruins beneath the Academy.]
[Survive Alone.]
[Failure Result: Permanent Core Damage.]
Silence filled the room.
The ruins beneath the academy were forbidden.
Even A-Rank teams entered in groups.
And this system wanted me to go alone.
A small smile touched my lips.
Very small.
Very calm.
If they sealed me because they were afraid…
Then I would find out why.
I slowly stood up.
The blue light faded but did not disappear completely.
It stayed in the corner of my vision.
Quiet.
Waiting.
Outside my window, the academy lights shone proudly.
They thought I had fallen.
They thought my story was over.
They erased my rank.
But they forgot something important.
You can erase a name from a board.
You can lower a letter beside it.
But you cannot erase potential.
And if someone tried to bury me…
Then I would rise from beneath.
Tonight, I would enter the ruins.
Alone.
And the academy would never see me the same way again.