The interrogation room inside Tuntadel’s administrative block was freezing, lit only by a single harsh lamp hanging over a heavy metal desk. Outside, hundreds of students waited in anxious silence while Commander Dustin and his officers grilled final-year students one by one. Inside, Leo sat in the metal chair, his back rigid. His heart was hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird, and beneath the edge of the desk, his hands were trembling uncontrollably. Yet, he kept his jaw tight and forced his face to remain completely blank. Commander Dustin leaned across the desk, his cold, sharp eyes digging directly into Leo’s soul. "What can you tell us about Matt Windgate?" Dustin asked, his voice slow, heavy, and full of threat. Leo swallowed hard, forcing his voice to stay steady. "We're... we're cousins, sir." "When was the last time you heard from him?" Dustin barked, slapping a thick yellow file onto the table. "Does he call you? Does he write to you? What?" The air in t

The tension inside the interrogation room was so thick it felt suffocating. The cold air smelled of sweat and copper, and the single overhead lamp flickered violently against the concrete walls.Donald gripped the edges of the metal table, his fingernails turning white. Black, spider-web veins were beginning to creep higher up his neck—the dark Tiewie blood oath warning him that every second he spent talking was bringing him closer to death."I can't tell you anything, Commander!" Donald screamed, his voice cracking with pure terror. "You don't understand! I literally cannot say a word!""Don't you dare raise your voice at me, you pathetic rat!" Dustin roared, slamming his heavy fist onto the desk.The loud BANG rattled the metal chair under Donald, making him cringe back into the shadow."You are looking at a lifetime in a maximum-security prison if you don't start talking right now!" Dustin sneered, leaning over the table until his sharp nose was inches from Donald's sweating face.

"Why aren't you answering?!" Kate whispered in terror, slapping the phone against her palm. "He never ignores this line unless something is happening!"Outside the door, Leo knocked twice sharply. "Kate! Hurry up! If we stay in there too long, the guards are going to come checking!"Kate let out a shaky breath, turned off the burner phone, and slid it back into her jacket lining. She washed her face with cold water, unlocked the door, and stepped out into the hallway.Leo looked at her anxiously. "Did you get through to him?""No," Kate whispered bitterly, shaking her head. "He didn't pick up on several calls. It just kept ringing."Leo swallowed hard, his face growing even paler. "Then there’s nothing more we can do right now. We have to walk back to the gathering before they suspect anything."They turned around and walked back down the hall, blending back into the restless crowd of students waiting outside the administrative office.Meanwhile, inside the interrogation room, the atm

Panicked shouts echoed down the damp stone corridors of the Healers' Dungeon as the iron doors burst open with a deafening crash."Help! Someone help!" Samuel roared, his voice bouncing off the cold stone walls.He barged into the central medical hall, his boots skidding across the floor as he struggled to support Baron’s heavy, convulsing body. Bright, unstable arcs of blue cosmic energy flickered wildly around Baron’s frame, scorching Samuel’s sleeves and crackling against the air.Juliana Smith, who was organizing herb racks across the room, spun around at the noise. Her jaw dropped, and the glass vial in her hand shattered against the floor."Baron!" Juliana shrieked, running forward in pure shock. "Oh my god, Baron!"Only ten minutes had passed since they kissed and parted ways near the administrative block. Now, her boyfriend was lying in Samuel's arms, his face deathly pale, his mouth gasping for air, and his body violently shaking from an unnatural seizure."What happened to h

Inside the medical hall of the Healers' Dungeon, every single student healer stood frozen in place, staring at Baron Colgate in utter awe.The violent, burning red fire that wrapped around him had slowly settled, sinking beneath his skin. But he was not the same. His eyes glowed with a blinding, terrifying crimson light. His posture was imposing, radiating an absolute aura of dominance that made the air in the room feel heavy and hard to breathe.Baron had transformed. He was no longer just the Head Defender—he was Lord Red, the true King of Cosmic Fire.Juliana Smith didn't care about the terrifying aura. Tears welled in her eyes as she rushed forward, throwing her arms around his chest and hugging him tightly."You're back! You're back, baby!" Juliana sobbed, burying her face into his shoulder.Baron stood rigid for a moment, his voice sounding deep, hollow, and echoing with an ancient power. "The Seer... eight days... what has happened to me?"As his consciousness fully returned, t