Isaac berjalan di sepanjang jalan berbatu yang dingin, udara padat dari alam iblis menggigit kulitnya. Langit di atas berwarna abu-abu gelap, berputar-putar dengan awan yang bergulung-gulung yang kadang-kadang meledak dengan kilat merah, memecah kesunyian dengan guntur yang mengancam. Sisa-sisa kehancuran masa lalu berserakan di mana-mana—menara yang hancur, sisa-sisa kerangka raksasa, dan kota-kota yang runtuh yang tampaknya meneriakkan kisah-kisah sejarah yang tragis. Namun fokus Isaac tetap pada jejak samar di tanah berlumpur—jejak kaki yang dalam dan berat. "Ini hanya milik satu makhluk... Malgor." Isaac mengepalkan tinjunya, matanya menyipit karena kebencian yang membara. "Kau pernah bersumpah setia, Malgor. Apa yang membuatmu mengkhianatiku?"Ketika akhirnya dia mendekati benteng Malgor, dia berhenti sejenak untuk mengamati dari balik bayangan reruntuhan yang runtuh. Benteng itu menjulang tinggi, dinding-dindingnya yang hitam dipenuhi duri-duri tajam. Di atas gerbang utama, lam

Angin menderu kencang, mengguncang pepohonan dan mengaduk debu dari tanah tandus. Di dataran luas dan tandus, Zephar, Sang Pengendali Angin, berdiri tegak dan ramping. Matanya yang tajam menatap tajam ke arah Isaac dengan kebencian yang membara, tubuhnya yang kurus kering dipenuhi dengan kekuatan yang tak terkendali. Angin berputar-putar di sekelilingnya, memanggil elemen-elemen di bawah komandonya untuk bersiap berperang.Isaac menatap mata Zephar dengan tenang. "Apa yang ingin kau buktikan?" Suaranya tenang, tetapi kilatan di matanya yang merah menunjukkan kesiapannya menghadapi bahaya yang akan datang.Zephar mencibir. “Aku tidak percaya transformasimu, Isaac. Kekuatan barumu itu hanyalah ilusi. Kau hanyalah bayangan Maximus yang pernah kita kenal. Kali ini, aku akan memastikan kau hancur menjadi debu.”Dengan gerakan cepat, Zephar mengangkat tangannya, melepaskan hembusan angin kencang yang diarahkan ke Isaac. Tekanan udara menekannya dengan kuat, tetapi Isaac tetap teguh. Kekuata

---The heavy wooden door creaked open slowly, releasing a low rumble that echoed off the ancient stone walls. Isaac’s hand hovered above the faintly glowing rune carvings, as if summoning something from the dark depths beyond. His breath caught briefly as he stepped inside the ancient archive room, a place that until now had only existed as a myth in the minds of ordinary students.The room was dim. Mana crystal lights hung from the ceiling, casting a soft blue glow that danced among the old wooden shelves crowded with scrolls and leather-bound books that looked fragile and thick with dust. The scent of old parchment and long-extinguished candles filled the air, lending a mystical and almost sacred atmosphere.Isaac’s eyes roamed, sharp and attentive to every detail: fine dust falling as he shifted a scroll, cracks in the stone walls surrounding the room like whispering secrets. “This is... more than just a library,” he murmured inwardly, his voice barely audible amid the eternal sil

The night sky above Avalon Academy loomed gray. A thin mist cloaked the inner courtyard, making the stone pillars look like silent ghostly shadows. Everything was deathly quiet, nearly frozen—except for a lone figure slipping swiftly between the shadows of the ancient architecture.Isaac steadied his breath. The black cloak he wore billowed faintly, absorbing the darkness. His footsteps were nearly soundless as he moved along the stone corridor toward the alchemical storage room. His hand brushed the wall—searching for a gap. Then... click.A hidden panel slid open.“So this is the path…” he thought. “Still intact. They must be confident no one knows about this place.”A spiral staircase descended into darkness—damp and suffocating, like the throat of an ancient beast. Isaac raised a hand, channeling mana to his fingertips. A dim purple glow lit the way—just enough to guide him down, but not too bright to draw attention.One… two… thirty-five steps. The floor shifted from ordinary sto

The sky above Avalon Academy was as dark as soaked charcoal. Clouds hung low, spreading a strange heaviness in the chest of anyone who looked up. The autumn wind blew cold, tugging at Isaac’s unkempt hair—he hadn’t had time to fix it that morning.He walked briskly along the moss-covered stone path leading to the upper library. His steps were steady, but his mind wandered. The archive map he had copied the night before lingered clearly in his thoughts—there was a hidden section, protected by an old illusion. And he was going there. Alone.But before he reached the marble staircase arch, he saw him.Lucian.Standing in the middle of the pathway as if time had frozen around him. His posture was firm, his long black-purple cloak embroidered with the von Drazel family crest fluttered gently in the wind. His gaze was cold, piercing, without the usual mockery he liked to throw around. Just a calm stare… yet filled with threat.Isaac narrowed his eyes. His hand instinctively touched the slee