"C.O.M.B. OPEN THE DOOR!"

A loud voice echoed from outside their shared dormitory. Hermann immediately granted access through his watch.

He really didn’t want them to break the door.

C.O.M.B. – short for the Cosmic Otherworldly Management Bureau, had the authority to storm anyone’s residence without permission under specific circumstances.

They operated directly under Grema, the Unified AI.

Within seconds, several figures entered the dorm.

Some stepped out from the shadows.

Others phased directly through the walls.

Each of them carried a powerful aura that subtly shook the surroundings.

An invisible barrier was erected around the area, isolating it from the outside.

A bulky man with a thick cigar in his mouth walked in with a stern expression, followed by a beautiful, mature looking woman with green hair.

The bulky man was Thomas.

He inhaled deeply from the cigar and exhaled slowly, smoke spreading across the room.

"Silvi, give me the records of everyone present here," Thomas said calmly.

Silvi tapped her watch several times, and a holographic screen appeared in front of her.

"Sir, most of their details are restricted," Silvi replied.

Her green eyes shimmered faintly as she glanced at Abraham aka Abracadabra, who looked like he had cried not long ago but was now forcing a stoic expression.

The smoke Thomas had released slowly gathered near the location where the ethereal book had appeared.

His expression darkened.

Hermann, Abracadabra, Paul, and Ren watched in silence as Thomas approached Jamie’s body.

Jamie’s body without its soul.

Thomas clenched his fist and punched the wall.

CRACK!

Fractures spread across the reinforced structure as aftershocks rippled through the room.

"Sir, please control yourself!" Silvi warned.

The four students collapsed instantly, overwhelmed by the surge of soul fluctuations from Thomas.

"Damn it! Another one is gone, and this time from F.H.I itself," Thomas muttered in frustration.

"Those old geezers need to speed up their Planetary Isolation plan for Earth."

He turned sharply.

"Jerry, send his body to the cryo-chambers on Mount Everest. Silvi, request additional clearance from Grema, I want full history on these five."

"Sir... I already tried," Silvi said quietly.

"But even with my clearance, I cannot access their full records."

"What?" Thomas frowned.

C.O.M.B. rarely encountered restricted files beyond their authority.

He looked once more at the exact spot where the ethereal book had manifested, resentment flickering across his face.

Then he motioned for his subordinates to relocate the four unconscious students.

He knew this incident would send shockwaves through F.H.I.

Activating higher-level access, he pulled up Jamie’s profile using his personal authority.

And froze.

Name: Jamie De Winter

Family: Noah De Winter (Father), Evelyn De Winter (Mother), +108 siblings...

"Fuck," Thomas cursed under his breath as the profile screen closed.

’But he didn’t have their signature white hair... Is he a genetic mutation?’ he wondered.

Now things had truly spiraled out of control.

After all, who didn’t know the Winter Family, one of humanity’s greatest protectors?

And Thomas was so focused on Jamie that he didn’t even look at the others’ profiles.

If he had, his shock would have only worsened.

***

Paul woke up suddenly, sitting upright like the Undertaker.

He looked around.

He was likely in a recovery room.

Abracadabra, Hermann, and Ren were gathered around a small box labeled: Jamie’s Belongings.

They were rummaging through it quietly.

"What the fuck..." Paul muttered as he got up and joined them.

Hermann still looked like he hadn’t fully accepted that Jamie was dead. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Inside the box, there wasn’t much.

A watch.

A few clothes.

Some random personal items.

Then Paul spotted a folded letter labeled: Will

His eyes widened.

He immediately grabbed it, but Abracadabra slapped his hand.

"Stop it!"

"But this is from that campfire night when I told everyone to write a will," Paul said defensively.

"I didn’t think he would actually write one."

The others stared at him with disbelief.

Even Paul was struggling to process Jamie’s death.

But as his friend, he felt obligated to check what he had left behind.

He unfolded the letter as a mechanical voice suddenly echoed from it.

"Please say the password."

Ren sighed, "Did you really think he’d leave it unprotected?"

"The password," Paul said confidently.

The letter shifted, and its contents began to appear.

Everyone stared at Paul in slight horror.

They all treated Paul like the easygoing one.

But if they had to guess who could destroy their lives using random secrets, it would definitely be Paul.

And they all knew.

If you weren’t bros with Paul, Paul would need to die.

They leaned in and began reading Jamie’s so-called will.

––––––

Today, Paul asked everyone to write their wills in case they suddenly die. But I am 100% sure Abraham was the one who gave him this idea.

I don’t think Paul has the brains for this.

If I’m being honest, there is one thing that has been bothering me recently.

My Universal Dark Night account.

It’s logged into all my VR games.

If that account were lost, there would be many sad people across the planet.

Because believe it or not, I am one of the Top 15 gamers on Virtual Earth. All my achievements are linked to that account.

So if I were to suddenly die, I would want the community to inherit it and continue my legacy.

Because a man may die, but his ideas and his account should not.

P.S: Paul secretly had his eyes on my account for a long time. Though he acts like he doesn’t know anything, I know it.

So I am definitely not giving that bastard even 1% of my inheritance.

I am certain my legacy would be stained with losing streaks if he ever touched it.

And I will definitely not mention my password.

Because I alone am Eternal!

––––––

Silence filled the room.

Paul’s face darkened.

"Why does he sound cooler dead than alive?" Hermann muttered quietly.

Abracadabra wiped his eyes.

"Idiot... he really wrote one."

Ren shook his head.

"He didn’t even leave the password."

Paul clenched his fists.

"That bastard."

"Don’t despair," Hermann said quietly.

"I’ll ask my grandfather about the account."

The others looked at him in confusion.

They didn’t know that Hermann’s grandfather owned Virtual Earth and just assumed he had gone mad.

But for Jamie’s sake, Hermann was willing to let that secret come to light.

Silence filled the room once again.

But this time, it wasn’t awkward.

It was the silence of loss.