The crystal in Leo’s palm was no longer inert data; it had become a lodestone, its pull an undeniable physical force drawing him downward. It was a sinkhole in his consciousness, and he was letting himself fall. He left Riven standing amidst the ashes of knowledge, a solitary sentinel at the gate of a past that no longer mattered. No farewells were exchanged. The time for teachers and teachings had reached its bitter end.His descent was a harrowing journey through layered realities, each step downward amplifying a profound and chilling dread. He navigated the Academy's deepest underbelly, a claustrophobic world of shrieking mana-conduits and grinding arcane machinery that pulsed like a diseased heart. Lethal security wards, designed to atomize any intruder, flared with malevolent light at his approach. A single, focused glance from his void-eye was enough, a subtle mental command editing their core `[TARGETING_PARAMETERS]` from `[INTRUDER: TERMINATE]` to `[ENTITY: NULL_STATUS]`. He d