The teachers moved through the academy, guiding students away from the main grounds while trying not to raise any alarms. They told them that the festival was entering its final stage and that the school wanted everyone to gather in different areas before leaving. Some students complained about being moved around when they had barely finished enjoying the shows, but most followed their teachers without asking too many questions. However, the teachers were careful about which students they moved. Those who belonged to the great families were left where they were, as Headmaster Williams had instructed them to avoid alerting the families before they understood what was happening. The rest were led towards the training grounds, where John had gathered a group of students and was preparing them for the coming battle. The students were confused when they arrived and found John waiting for them with a serious look on his face. Some recognized him as the King of Students, while others had on

Vivian felt anger rise in her chest. She had heard similar words from people who believed the weak deserved whatever happened to them, but hearing them from someone who was helping destroy the academy made her want to cut the woman's smile off her face. Eliana suddenly disappeared. Vivian's eyes widened as she sensed movement to her right. She raised her sword just in time to block a strike aimed at her neck. The force of the attack pushed her backwards, and her boots scraped across the broken ground. Eliana laughed as she twisted her blade and attacked again. Vivian parried the next strike, but the woman's movements were far faster than she had expected. Their swords clashed several times, sending sparks into the air, while Vivian struggled to keep up with the changing angles of each attack. The young man with earth control rushed in from the side and raised a stone wall beneath Eliana's feet. The ground split apart, forcing the woman to leap backwards, but she landed lightly and

A wave of red energy burst from its mouth and swept across the training ground. John threw himself to the side, but the heat still burned his arm as the blast passed him. The attack struck the remains of a building behind him, tearing through its walls and leaving a wide hole in the stone. Several students stared at the damage in fear. "If that hits us directly, we're dead!" one of them shouted. John rose slowly, his eyes fixed on the beast. He could not allow it to release another attack like that. The students were already exhausted, and many of them had little experience fighting monsters of this level. He needed to end the battle before more people died. John took a deep breath and raised his sword. The space around the blade began to twist again, but this time, he gathered his power more carefully. He could not cut the entire beast apart with a single attack, yet he did not need to. He only needed to strike the right place. His eyes moved towards the deep wound on its neck.

Vivian opened her eyes and found herself standing in the thorn garden again. The dark red sky stretched above her, and the twisted trees surrounded her on every side. Sharp thorns covered their branches, while the black soil beneath her feet was stained with blood. She remembered the last thing that had happened to her, including the pain of Eliana's sword piercing her chest. Before she could understand why she was back in the garden, she heard screams coming from the path ahead. The two students who had entered the illusion with her were running for their lives. Thorny branches shot out from the trees, blocking their escape. One student tried to cut through them, but the branches wrapped around his arms before piercing his body. The other turned to run, only for roots to burst from the ground and drag him down. Vivian rushed towards them, but she was too late. Both students died within seconds, and their bodies disappeared into dark dust. She stopped and stared at the empty path.

"Oh, Gods." Leon stared at the screen in front of him and rubbed his tired eyes. He had spent the last six hours in the laboratory, studying the strange energy readings collected from the Black Dungeons that had appeared across CB5 over the past few weeks. The results were worse than he had expected, and the more he studied them, the more certain he became that humanity was heading towards a disaster. The laboratory was filled with the soft sounds of machines running and keyboards clicking. Several large screens covered one wall, displaying maps of CB5, dungeon readings, and charts that compared the energy levels of different dungeon types. In the centre of the room stood a glass table surrounded by computers and pieces of testing equipment. A few other scientists worked at their desks, but none of them dared to disturb Leon because they knew how badly he had been sleeping. He had removed his lab coat and hung it over the back of his chair. His dark suit was wrinkled, and his black