Chapter 4: Journey to Academy City

Vienna International Airport, located 18 kilometers southeast of Austria's capital, is the country's largest and busiest aviation hub.

The sky was a clear blue, without a single cloud. The weather was perfect.

"Little Selene, look at how beautiful the weather is today," Katie said cheerfully.

Selene stepped out of the private luxury car, basking in the warm sunlight. Behind her were Brauchitsch and Katie.

Katie wore a white sunhat, while Brauchitsch, as always, donned his signature black suit.

Yes—today was the day Selene would depart for "Academy City."

Selene was now 12 years old and stood at 165 cm tall. Her waist-length, snow-white hair was flawless, her doll-like face refined and symmetrical, and her ruby-colored diamond-shaped pupils, paired with porcelain-like skin, made her appear almost otherworldly—a truly elfin beauty.

Academy City's private jet had already arrived.

One month earlier, during a family trip, Selene had "accidentally" revealed her impressive spatial ability. Wanting to help her fully develop her powers, Brauchitsch and Katie contacted Academy City.

Upon learning that she was a rare spatial ability user, Academy City quickly extended an invitation, repeatedly sending representatives in a rush to make arrangements.

Due to family matters, Selene delayed her departure by a month. Now, she was finally setting off.

At the bottom of the jet's stairway, a group of people stood waiting. As Selene approached, an older man with short gray-white hair stepped forward. He wore a work uniform, his posture slightly hunched despite his height. His eyes squinted behind glasses, and a birthmark marked his left temple.

Something about him gave Selene the distinct feeling of a mad scientist. His gaze made her extremely uncomfortable.

"Who is he?" Selene murmured internally.

[Answer: Kihara Gensei, Director of Academy City's Advanced Education Bureau and the Kihara Research Institute. It's likely he came personally due to your spatial abilities—either to win you over to his institute or to obtain your DNA profile.]

"Miss Habsburg, I'm here to escort you," Kihara Gensei said in his hoarse, aged voice.

He nodded politely to her guardians. "Good day, sir. Good day, madam."

Brauchitsch frowned slightly at Gensei's appearance. "I have something to say to Selene first. Please wait."

He then pulled Selene aside. "You're going to Academy City for school. With your ability, I'm sure you'll do well. But be careful—Academy City hides a lot of darkness. Don't let your guard down."

Katie immediately pulled Selene into a hug, her expression tinged with sadness. "You'll be all alone, studying so far away. Take care of yourself…"

"...You might not even come home for a whole year."

Selene smiled and shook her head. "I'll be back often, don't worry. Trust me, Mom—I'll take care of myself. Goodbye, Mom, Dad."

Waving goodbye, she smiled at both of them.

...

"Let's go," Selene said, not waiting for Kihara Gensei's response as she began walking toward the aircraft.

Behind her, Gensei's eyes opened slightly for the first time. His left eye shimmered with a metallic hue as he muttered, "A spatial-type Gemstone esper, hmm? Not the most valuable for research. A bit of a shame, but casting a wide net never hurts..."

Because it was a private jet, there was no need for tickets—and no other passengers.

Selene sat on a plush sofa, watching the ground grow smaller outside the window.

It was her first time on a private jet.

Compared to the economy and business class flights she took in her past life, this jet had been gifted to her by Academy City—as a so-called welcome gift.

The interior was luxurious: a bed, a shower, a dining area, a meeting room, and even a mini cinema.

"Academy City sure went all out trying to win me over."

Before long, the plane reached the base of the stratosphere and entered the designated air route toward Japan. In roughly eight hours, they'd arrive.

...

Academy City, District 7. The Windowless Building.

In a dark chamber, a ten-meter-long, four-meter-wide life-support device made of reinforced glass held a green surgical-gowned figure floating upside down in a nutrient solution—Aleister Crowley.

"Selene von Habsburg. Spatial ability, huh? I wonder which type exactly. Hopefully, her powers will be useful for my plans."

...

District 23, International Airport.

Kihara Amata grumbled impatiently to Therestina Kihara Lifeline. "Just because that brat's a noble doesn't mean we need to roll out the red carpet. A private jet, us waiting here personally—what a grand welcome."

"Just follow the Board of Directors' orders. No need for so many questions."

Therestina rubbed her temples. "That said, from what I've heard, this Selene's ability is exceptionally strong—and rare, too. Spatial type. The Board just wants to show respect. That's politics."

Kihara Amata sneered. "A brat's a brat. How strong can she really be? We'll see soon enough. Hm? They're here."

A private jet marked with a double-headed eagle insignia on its vertical stabilizer landed.

...

Inside the vehicle heading to the Ability Testing Center—

Kihara Amata, his face twisted in a habitual scowl (whether by nature or design), growled, "You don't seem scared at all."

"Scared? Of you?"

"You've got a big mouth, kid. Let's see if you're as good as you talk."

Selene met his glare with her red, diamond-shaped pupils and calmly shot back, "You'll find out soon enough."

With Kihara Amata and Therestina leading the way, the group advanced without obstruction.

Selene's plan was to directly reveal her Gemstone nature. After all, she could use her ability instinctively, requiring no calculations—completely at will. There was no discernible principle, no way science could explain it.

She would showcase her full spatial abilities while keeping her Honkai traits hidden for now. That way, she'd earn a high ranking and more resources, while still holding back a trump card for future leverage.

They arrived at the Ability Testing Center, where a massive cube-shaped building loomed before them.

Perhaps due to prior notice, the process began quickly. First up—AIM diffusion field detection. A researcher gestured for Selene to step into a scanning gate over two meters tall.

"This... Her AIM diffusion field is completely chaotic..." The researcher furiously typed on the console, then sighed. "Sigh... It's a Gemstone."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding researchers sighed in disappointment.

It was a widely acknowledged fact that Gemstones had little research value—mainly because even the espers themselves often didn't understand how their powers worked. This left scientists with nothing to study.

Still, regret aside, they quickly completed registration, entered her data into the "Library," and moved on to testing the practical applications of her spatial ability.

The first focus: teleportation—distance, weight, quantity, object status, energy cost... and various limitations.

The conclusion: Selene's spatial ability was the highest among all spatial-type espers in Academy City.

It had only one limitation—volume. There were no restrictions on weight or number. It supported both one-way and two-way teleportation. It could move both living and non-living matter. Whether measuring maximum portal diameter, straight-line teleport range, or number of portals she could control simultaneously, her data far exceeded all previously tested spatial espers.

There was no discernible pattern or exploitable rule—everything depended on Selene's own state, with only slight fluctuations.

"Such an enviable ability... If only it weren't a Gemstone. Sigh."

"If we could study this kind of powerful spatial ability, it would revolutionize science... But alas, she's a Gemstone. Sigh."

That single sigh captured the collective frustration of the researchers. That was the essence of a Gemstone.

An existence that drove scientists mad: no formulas, no theories, no entry point, no research path. Everything hinged solely on the individual.

"Auxiliary ability testing complete. Ability rating: Level 5 Esper."

Therestina sighed in awe. "Even just the auxiliary application of her powers is more than enough for a Level 5 rating. This kind of unprecedented strategic support ability is truly enviable. Looks like the Board of Directors really landed a big one with this wide-net tactic."

A researcher hesitated. "Should we proceed with offensive testing?"

Selene smiled. "Of course. Why wouldn't we?"

What followed shattered everyone's perception of what an Esper could be.

The testers were dumbfounded. The entire center fell into dead silence—people hardly dared to breathe.

(Hehe, =-=, the following abilities are what I've envisioned for a Herrscher of the Void based on miHoYo's animated shorts and in-game skills.)

Spatial Physics Simulation: Within her control range, Selene could simulate forces like gravity and repulsion at will—effectively recreating techniques akin to Almighty Push and Universal Pull.

Spatial Object Acceleration: Through rapid, successive spatial transfers, objects could be accelerated to speeds dozens of times the speed of sound.

Spatial Phasing: The ability to shift herself or nearby objects in and out of physical space and imaginary space—achieving a "ghosting" effect (similar to Obito's Kamui).

Spatial Severance: Selene could cut through dimensional space itself, making her a nightmare for other spatial espers. This manifested as clean, surgical slices through objects, the depth of color indicating power.

Subspace Ribbons: An advanced form of Spatial Severance. She could materialize her spatial cuts as floating ribbons, dramatically increasing their destructive potential and allowing them to be reshaped at will.

Spatial Collapse, Time-Stilled Zones...

"This has to be the pinnacle of spatial ability—utterly unreasonable," muttered Kihara Amata. He even felt relieved that their earlier conflict had been limited to words—any more, and he might've been done for.

He wasn't stupid. Faced with someone clearly far beyond his league, backing down wasn't shameful—it was smart.

As the tests neared their conclusion, the onlookers were numb.

When the gap is small, people still have hope of catching up. But when it's an insurmountable chasm, people stop caring.

One of the testers swallowed hard, voice trembling. (This ability... if Selene wanted, even a touch could mean death or worse.)

Disability Rate: 100%

Lethality Rate: 100%

Destructive Power: Extremely High

Precision: Extremely High

Max Effective Control Range: 2 km diameter

Research Value: Low

...

"Comprehensive Evaluation: Currently the most powerful spatial Esper discovered. Level 5."

"Miss Habsburg, would you like to use 'Spatial Manipulation' as your codename, or would you prefer to choose your own?" the test director asked cautiously.

"Let's go with 'Will of Honkai'," Selene answered meaningfully.

Therestina walked over with a smile. "Congratulations—you are now Academy City's very first Level 5 Esper."

Even Kihara Amata, formerly unruly, now addressed her with respect. "Miss Habsburg, may I ask which school you intend to attend? I'll make the arrangements."

Power truly was a beautiful thing. It made people speak to you calmly and politely.