Alice still hadn’t spoken a word.Her face stayed calm, but her eyes were shadowed with something deeper than fear—something Kai recognized instantly.It wasn’t terror… it was sorrow.Every roar, every scream from the courtyard seemed to press down on her shoulders like invisible weight.She wasn’t just watching a fight—she was watching something personal unravel in front of her.Kai noticed the subtle tension in her jaw, the way her fingers twitched slightly. He thought about asking, but the words never left his mouth—because that was the moment an ear-splitting howl tore through the school grounds.The sound hit like a physical shockwave, rattling windows and shaking dust from the rooftop tiles.Mandy froze.“Oh no… he’s here…” she whispered, barely audible, but her voice trembled.A heavy, oppressive pressure settled over the battlefield. The very air felt thicker. Even the skeletons—mindless, fearless soldiers of bone—halted for a moment, as if acknowledging the arrival of a preda

The courtyard was quiet, but the silence felt heavy, charged with the aftermath of violence. Smoke and dust drifted in lazy spirals, glinting in the pale light. Bones of friend and foe alike were scattered across the cobblestones, a grim testament to the battle that had just ended.Kai’s muscles ached, and his chest still burned from exertion, but adrenaline kept him upright. The Bloodwind Blade, now dim and trembling in his hands, seemed almost alive—its dark mist curling like a serpent ready to strike again.Alice staggered toward him, each step dragging, yet her eyes glimmered with newfound resolve. “Kai… you pushed him… past what I thought even you could handle,” she said, voice quiet but firm.Kai shook his head, brushing dust from his shoulder. “He… he was strong. Too strong to handle without you.” His gaze drifted to the skeletons, still lowering their weapons, their loyalty and precision carved by Alice’s command. “And… you were amazing out there.”Alice said nothing, only nod