Scumbag Fate System-Chapter 16: Void Distortion

Reinhard looked at Sirin. "Shouldn’t exist anymore... what does that mean?"

Sirin’s expression had already shifted as she moved to the wall map without answering immediately. She traced the red thread with one finger until it found the southern garden marker.

"Three hours ago," she said, "Yor closed a distortion in that exact location." Her finger stayed on the pin. "Once a distortion closes cleanly, the area is stable for at least three days currently."

"And it’s been less than a day," Reinhard said.

"Three hours." Sirin turned from the map. "Which means either the previous closure was incomplete or the distortion is changing again."

The room held that for a moment.

Again? Reinhard thought.

He said nothing.

But he looked briefly at Yor, who had already shut her book, and she was moving toward the door.

"We need to move now," Sirin said.

...

The southern gardens should have felt like a relief after the corridor tension.

They didn’t.

Reinhard noticed it the moment they stepped outside. A pressure change that lived in the back of the jaw and the inner ear simultaneously.

Rika had slowed beside him without appearing to decide to. Her footsteps shortened, each one placed with the specific care of someone reading a floor they didn’t fully trust.

Ahead of them, Sirin raised one hand.

Everyone stopped.

Floating above the fountain was a strange sight: a small swirling wisp, no bigger than a candle’s flame. Its center was pure black, while the edges flickered like heat rising from hot pavement.

It spun silently in the air.

That’s wrong. Some part of Reinhard noted. Something moving that fast should have sound.

"Early stage," Rika said, very quietly, beside him.

He glanced at her. Her knuckles were white where she gripped her shirt. Not out of fear, he’d seen fear often enough to know the difference. It was the display of someone watching something they found extraordinary and were trying very hard not to disturb.

Yor stood ahead of the group just watching with a blank look. Yet he noted how her fingers were twitching.

Sirin stepped back a little. "Yor."

Yor moved forward slowly with each step, careful as she walked toward the black wisp. The wisp trembled as she got closer. Small cracks of dark light shot outward, then softened. She stepped closer until only an arm’s length separated her from the darkness. The wisp moved toward her hand on its own.

"It’s responding," Rika whispered.

Sirin narrowed her eyes, watching closely.

Yor’s fingers touched the center of the wisp.

Every line of black radiance lashed inward, collapsing into the center. The wisp shrank, folding in on itself with a silent urgency, and for a split second, Reinhard couldn’t breathe as all the air around them was sucked away. The world turned gray, then the strange thing disappeared with a quiet little pop.

Everything went still.

The wisp pulled inward, getting smaller and smaller. The black became thicker and more solid. Then it turned into a tiny shard, a black crystal. Yor caught it before it could fall, and her hand closed around it.

The pressure disappeared completely.

Reinhard stared at Yor, who had just done something impossible as easily as breathing.

"It’s gone," Rika said before smiling. "We are good."

Sirin relaxed. "That was easy."

But Yor turned slowly with her expression neutral, as nothing unusual had happened.

Yor’s arm fell to her side, her fingers shaking slightly. No one seemed to notice. Her other hand clutched her sleeve for balance.

Sirin moved closer. "How is it, Yor?"

Yor placed the small black shard in Sirin’s palm. "Just a small crystal. No need to tell the headmaster. Give it to Professor Dinah instead."

Sirin took it with a nod and smiled. "Nice work, Yor. Would you like to—"

"No thanks," Yor cut in quietly, already walking away.

"Someday you’ll join us," Sirin called after her.

Yor kept walking, passing by Rika and Reinhard without a glance, disappearing alone down the path.

"I wished she would join us..." Rika sighed before then furrowing her brow. "Be honest, Sirin... With the way things are going, do you think the gap will grow smaller?"

"It might if it continues to follow the pattern-"

"Was it more than a couple of days before?" Reinhard asked.

Sirin nodded. "A year ago, the gap was four months. But now it’s a couple of hours, which means..."

"It might reach a few minutes-" Rika muttered with a shiver.

"Or seconds." Sirin finished with a sigh.

Everyone fell silent.

Such a thought was terrifying. Just from looking at the distortion, he could feel how dangerous it was, and it was just in the early stages. The thought of countless of them forming made him question the future of Virellion.

With a deep breath, Sirin brightened and grabbed both Reinhard and Rika by their sleeves. "Alright, you two! Time for the cafeteria!"

Rika blinked with surprise, coloring her face. "What? But we just-"

"A celebration is required!" Sirin declared while pulling them forward. "We got a new member and closed another void. That deserves food!"

"It wasn’t really that big of a-" Rika started.

Sirin reached over and pinched Rika’s cheek gently. "A celebration is always required when we get a new member and close these voids."

Reinhard smiled. "I agree as well."

Sirin’s face lit up. "See? Even your friend knows!" She started dragging them both toward the cafeteria building with determined energy.

Rika’s face turned pink, but she didn’t pull away. Her hand found Reinhard’s and squeezed once.

The path wound through campus as evening settled in. Students walked in groups toward the dining halls while laughter and conversation filled the air.

But Reinhard was lost in thought as he followed behind Rika and Sirin.

Whether it’s Yor or the Distortions... Wait, could these two be connected? The gap is getting smaller just as Yor is becoming more unstable. Reinhard paused. If the gap further decreases in the next two weeks... Then there is a high chance the distortions might be caused by Yor.

The thought was both chilling and interesting.

"Wait up!" A voice called from behind them.

Sirin stopped and turned. A girl jogged toward them with red hair bouncing and bright green eyes sparkling. She wore the same uniform as Rika but had rolled up her sleeves and loosened her tie.

"Alice!" Sirin called out. "Perfect timing!"

Alice reached them while slightly out of breath. "I saw you guys running through campus like something was chasing you." She looked at Reinhard with open curiosity. "Who’s this?"

"New member," Sirin said proudly. "Reinhard, meet Alice. Alice, Reinhard."

Alice stuck out her hand right away. "Nice to meet you! Any friend of Rika’s is automatically interesting."

Reinhard shook her hand. "Nice to meet you too. I didn’t think this club was filled with such beauties. I’m starting to wonder if that’s a requirement."

Alice’s eyes lit up before laughing and said. "Well, aren’t you smart? It’s indeed one. You need to be as pretty as us or as cute as our Rika-"

"She is just joking, ignore her." Rika quickly says, leading Alice and Sirin to giggle.

"But I agree with her words, very much." Reinhard said softly, making Rika tremble with a blush.

Alice chuckles before saying. "So, what are you guys up to?"

"We’re celebrating at the cafeteria," Sirin announced. "Another void closed, plus new members equal mandatory celebration."

Alice’s eyes widened. "Another one? But Yor, already close one earlier!" She linked her arm through Rika’s free arm. "Come on then! I’m starving, and we have some celebrating to do!"

The cafeteria was warm and bright inside, with the smell of food filling the air. Long tables stretched across the space, and students gathered in clusters, eating and talking. Sirin led them to a table near the windows while Alice went to grab food.

"She’s always hungry," Rika said with a small smile. "But she’s really nice."

Alice returned with a tray piled high with bread, soup, roasted vegetables, and what looked like three different desserts. "They had apple tarts!" She said happily while setting everything down. "Everyone takes something!"

Sirin grabbed a bowl of soup. "So, Reinhard, what made you want to join our club?"

"Rika mentioned it," Reinhard said while taking some bread. "It sounded interesting, especially when she talked about the Void Distortions."

Alice leaned forward. "Most people think we’re crazy. You don’t?"

"Oh, no, you guys are crazy. But what’s so wrong with that?" Reinhard replied with a grin.

"I like him," Alice declared before biting into an apple tart. "He has an open mind."

Sirin nodded. "That’s rare. Most students either ignore what we do or make fun of it."

"So how does it work exactly?" Reinhard asked. "The tracking and closing voids?"

Rika touched her fingers together. "I can sense when something unusual is nearby. Like a feeling that something’s wrong with the space."

"She’s our sensor," Sirin explained. "Without her, we’d never find these things until they explode. I coordinate and document everything while Alice helps with research."

"And! I also bring snacks to meetings," Alice added with a grin. "Very important role."

Rika giggled while Reinhard nodded and said. "Can’t work on an empty stomach."

"He gets it!"

"What about Louis?" Reinhard asked. "Rika mentioned him earlier."

"Louis handles the technical side," Sirin said. "He works with the Engineering Department to understand how these voids form. He’s brilliant but terrible at explaining things without going on a long tangent."

Alice nodded while stealing a piece of bread from Rika’s plate. "He once spent an hour explaining magic flow patterns, and I understood maybe three sentences."

"And Yor closes the distortions," Reinhard said.

The table went quiet for a moment.

Sirin’s expression softened. "Yes. She’s the only one who can actually interact with them safely. We don’t really understand how." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"She doesn’t talk about it," Alice added quietly. "Doesn’t talk about much, really."

Rika looked down at her food. "I heard she used to be different..."

"What changed?" Reinhard asked.

Sirin and Alice fell silent with a grimace.