Henry stood at the edge of the arena, his wooden sword gripped tightly in his hands. The murmurs from the students around him grew louder, echoing in his ears, but he tried to shut them out. His wristwatch still flashed 90, a digits that made bullies think he's weak. Louis stood across from him, his posture relaxed, but the intensity in his eyes was unmistakable. The instructor wasn’t showing any signs of taking it easy. Henry could sense that Louis was treating him like any other opponent, like the challenge that it was. No mercy.Louis raised his wooden sword, his eyes narrowing as they locked onto Henry. “Ready?”Henry’s heart thudded in his chest. He wasn’t ready—not really. But he had stepped forward. He had made the choice to take on this impossible challenge. He couldn’t back down now.“Yeah,” he muttered, his voice barely audible over the chatter of the crowd. “I’m ready.”The duel began instantly.Louis charged forward with speed and precision, his movements fluid and effor

Wednesday blinked slowly at Vorden’s words, but she didn’t smile immediately. Her arms were crossed, her gaze still sharp, as if she was trying to read something deeper behind his calm expression. “You better mean that,” she said quietly. Vorden let out a soft chuckle. “I do.” There was a short silence before Ashton stepped further into the room, leaning against the wall with his usual careless posture. “So this is it then,” Ashton said, glancing at Henry’ little packed bag. “You’re going to the Fourth Base with the instructors.” Henry nodded slowly. “Yeah.” Ashton smirked faintly, but there was something different in his eyes this time—less teasing, more seriousness. “Try not to die. It would be embarrassing for the dorm.” Henry gave a weak smile. “I’ll try my best.” Juliet finally released him from the hug, though she still held onto his sleeve like she wasn’t ready to let go completely. Her eyes were slightly lowered now, softer than before. “You always say you’ll

Ronan’s grin slowly faded as Kael’s last words settled in the air.“No,” Kael had said. “We’ll need a distraction from the outside.”For a moment, none of them spoke.Then Marek finally broke the silence. “From the outside… with what force?”Kael didn’t answer immediately.Instead, he stood.The chair behind him scraped lightly against the cracked stone floor, and at that sound alone, something in the room shifted—like the world itself had learned to listen more carefully.Ronan tilted his head. “Don’t tell me you’ve been holding back another piece of this puzzle.”Selene’s gaze narrowed slightly. She didn’t speak, but her eyes tracked Kael with quiet calculation.Kael turned slightly toward the far end of the chamber.There, behind the broken stone table, was a wall carved with old sigils. Most of them had faded over time, swallowed by dust and neglect. But Kael placed his palm against the stone anyway.The moment his skin made contact the sigils awakened.A low vibration crawled thr

The silence that followed Gareth’s question was different from the earlier ones inside the carriage. It wasn’t the casual silence of students listening to explanations or exchanging thoughts, but something heavier, more grounded, as if the entire space had suddenly compressed under the weight of his words. Outside, the wheels of the carriage continued rolling steadily against the rough dirt road, the rhythmic sound blending with the distant rustling of trees from the massive forest they were passing through, yet inside, even that steady motion felt distant.Vorden was the first to break it, scoffing lightly as he leaned back against his seat with a faint, almost dismissive smile on his face. To him, the question itself seemed unnecessary, almost insulting. His confidence had always bordered on arrogance, and in moments like this, it became even more visible. He adjusted his glasses slowly, his gaze briefly sweeping across the carriage before settling back on Gareth. “None of us are we

It was already getting dark and lesson for the day was over. Students could still be seen moving in groups, some walking slowly with exhausted steps after hours of training, others still discussing techniques they had practiced earlier in the day, and a few already rushing toward the cafeteria as the realization of hunger finally caught up with them after intense physical and ability-based sessions.Among them were Wednesday and Juliet, walking side by side along one of the wide stone pathways that led toward the cafeteria building. Their uniforms were slightly worn from training, with faint dust marks on their sleeves and legs, but neither of them seemed particularly bothered by it since it was a normal occurrence after a full day of academy sessions. The evening breeze moved gently through the walkway, brushing against their hair as they walked in a relaxed pace, and for a moment neither of them spoke, simply enjoying the quiet comfort that came after a long and exhausting day. It w