Key was a genius, a delinquent, and officially a middle school graduate—not that he cared. While his peers were crying over yearbooks, Key was in his garage-turned-lab, bypassing encrypted servers just to see if he could. The air suddenly turned frigid. His vision blurred, replaced by a dying, crimson sky. Before him stood a girl with white hair, tattered clothes, and eyes that held an infinite, cold sorrow: Shiroko Terror. She didn't speak; she simply reached out a hand before the world shattered into white. Key woke up on a cold, metallic floor. "Oh, you're awake," a calm voice said. Key looked up to see a woman with a sharp gaze and blue hair—Rin, the GSC Acting President—and a man with a tired but kind smile. "I'm Sensei," the man said. "Welcome to Kivotos. Or rather, welcome back? You seem... different." Key stood up, dusting off his jacket. He explained the dream, the crimson sky, and the girl. Rin and Sensei exchanged a grave look. "The President spoke of a 'Key' in her notes," Rin muttered. "But we need to know if you can survive here. This world requires a Halo." In Kivotos, a Halo wasn't just a sign of life; it was protection. Since Key was an outsider, Rin presented a prototype: an Artificial Halo. "If your mind isn't strong enough," Rin warned, "the feedback will shatter your consciousness." The test was brutal. Key was subjected to high-frequency psychic resonance and tactical simulations that would break a normal soldier. But Key wasn't normal. He used his delinquent grit to endure the pain and his genius to "hack" the resonance patterns, stabilizing the artificial ring of light above his head. It glowed with a sharp, neon intensity. "Impressive," Sensei remarked, handing Key a tablet. "You've passed. But a student needs a school. In Kivotos, your academy defines your path." Key looked at the digital list glowing on the screen: * Abydos High School * Gehenna Academy * Trinity General School * Millennium Science School * Hyakkiyako Academy