The moment Ethan Vale’s examination crystal shattered, the entire arena erupted in laughter.“Three years of preparation, and that is all you can manage?” Damon Cross called from the front row, his polished blue uniform gleaming beneath the academy’s floating lights. “Perhaps the admissions office should start accepting dead fish. Even they might demonstrate more magical talent than you.”His insult sent another wave of laughter through the vast glass dome of Abyssal Crown Academy’s assessment arena. Beyond the transparent walls, enormous shadows drifted through the deep-blue ocean, while schools of silver fish scattered whenever the academy’s protective barriers pulsed with light.Ethan remained motionless in the center of the examination platform, staring at the crystal fragments scattered around his shoes. He had known this might happen. For three years, he had prepared for the entrance examination, repeatedly imagining what he would do if his magical ability failed him in front of

“Open the door, Ethan! Now!”The pounding shook Room 317, nearly drowning out the terrified whisper that continued to echo inside Ethan Vale's head.Whatever they tell you about me, do not believe them.Ethan stood beside his desk, staring at the black symbol beneath the skin of his palm. His mother's voice had sounded so real that he could almost imagine her standing behind him, reaching out to pull him away from the danger surrounding the academy. The memory of her desperate warning made his chest tighten, especially because he had spent eleven years wondering what had happened to her.Another violent knock rattled the doorframe.“Ethan Vale, this is Professor Marr. Open the door immediately!”He snatched the rusted compass from the floor and shoved it into his pocket. Although its needle had stopped moving, the seven-word warning remained etched inside the lid: WHEN THE SEVENTH SEAL BREAKS, RUN.Ethan still had no idea what the seventh seal was, why his mother had been connected to

“Get away from the floor!”Ethan barely had time to react before the black line beneath his bed widened, splitting the medical room’s tiles with a sharp, cracking sound. The bed lurched sideways as the diagnostic display burst into sparks, and a freezing current swept through the room. Clutching his mother’s compass, Ethan threw himself toward the door while something beneath the floor struck the tiles three times.A woman’s voice rose through the widening crack, carrying a strange familiarity that made his heart pound.“You have opened the way, Ethan. Why are you running from me?”Ethan stopped beside the door, his fingers hovering over the emergency release. “Who are you?”The woman answered with a soft, almost affectionate laugh that sent a chill down his spine.“I am someone who remembers the day you were born.”Before Ethan could ask another question, the floor buckled beneath him. He slammed his palm against the emergency release, but the door refused to open. A red warning flas

The moment the ancient door began to open, Ethan Vale realized that something on the other side was pulling it toward him.He stumbled backward as the seven chain-like markings carved into the stone flared with an unnatural blue light. A grinding roar echoed through the forbidden staircase, shaking dust from the ceiling and sending fragments of stone tumbling down the steps behind him.“Ethan, move!” Milo shouted.Milo seized Ethan’s jacket and dragged him away just as a narrow black tendril burst through the widening gap. It struck the floor where Ethan had been standing moments earlier, leaving a smoking groove across the ancient stone.Ethan’s heart hammered against his ribs as he watched the tendril writhe across the floor. It did not withdraw immediately but twisted from side to side as though searching for something, its surface rippling like dark water disturbed by an invisible current. After several seconds, its pointed tip turned toward the strange mark on Ethan’s palm.“It r

“Ethan, wake up!”Milo’s voice reached Ethan from what felt like a great distance, almost swallowed by the unsettling laughter echoing inside his skull. Ethan tried to answer, but his mouth refused to cooperate. The black mark on his palm had spread across his wrist again, and every beat of his heart sent a wave of freezing pain through his arm.Across the shattered corridor, Chancellor Voss shouted orders while the security officers struggled to restore the containment field. Professor Thorne remained motionless beside the ancient door, staring at Ethan with the horrified expression of a man who had just watched his worst nightmare come to life.Before anyone could move, the floor split open.A jagged crack raced between Ethan and Milo, releasing a powerful gust of freezing air from the darkness below. Milo stumbled backward and grabbed Ethan by the arm, pulling him away from the widening gap as chunks of stone broke loose and disappeared into the seemingly endless pit.“Can somebody