Seraphine tilted her head slightly, understanding the idea.
"You want to use this point as bait."
Sylwen nodded.
"Yes."
Thalia crossed her arms, thinking through the implications.
"That might work," she said. "If this really is the destination, then whatever he's planning depends on this location."
Roderick smirked slightly.
"So we mess with it and force him to react."
"Exactly," Sylwen replied.
Liora still seemed uncertain.
"But what if we damage something important?"
Seraphine shook her head.
"We won't," she said. "Not if we're careful."
She crouched down again, studying the circuit more closely.
"If the rest of the system was adjusted to lead here, then this point is already prepared for something," she explained. "We just need to trigger it… carefully."
Thalia nodded.
"I'll handle the adjustments," she said. "I understand how the flow connects now."
Sylwen looked at her briefly.
"Do it slowly. We don't want to alert him too early."
Thalia didn't respond, already focused on the task.
Alaric stepped back slightly, his attention shifting outward again.
"I'll keep watch," he said. "If he's nearby, he'll react."
Roderick leaned against a nearby structure, though his posture was far from relaxed now.
"Let him come," he muttered.
Liora moved closer to Sylwen, lowering her voice.
"What about the others?" she asked. "If something happens here…"
Sylwen glanced around. The arena was still filled with volunteers and instructors, all focused on their own tasks. Too many people. Too much potential for chaos.
"We handle it before it escalates," she said.
It wasn't comforting, but it was realistic.
Thalia began adjusting the circuit.
Her movements were controlled and deliberate, shifting the mana flow in small increments. Unlike the hidden modifications made earlier, these changes were intentional, but subtle enough to avoid drawing attention.
The flow shifted slightly.
Not enough to disrupt anything.
But enough to disturb the pattern.
Seraphine watched closely.
"More to the left," she said. "You're pushing too much into that line."
Thalia adjusted immediately.
"Like this?"
"Yes," Seraphine confirmed.
The circuit responded.
The flow changed again.
Sylwen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Again."
Thalia made another adjustment.
This time, the mana flickered.
Not violently.
But noticeably.
Alaric tensed.
"That wasn't normal."
"No," Sylwen said quietly.
But she wasn't looking at the circuit anymore.
Her gaze had shifted beyond it.
"He felt that."
A faint breeze passed through the arena.
Subtle.
Out of place.
Roderick straightened.
"…You think he's coming?"
Sylwen didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
Because somewhere nearby—
Something had already changed.
And this time—
They weren't the only ones watching.
The change was subtle.
So subtle that most of the volunteers didn't even notice it. The mana circuits continued to glow, the air remained calm, and the rhythm of work across the arena didn't break. To an untrained eye, everything was still functioning perfectly.
But to those who were watching—
Something had shifted.
Sylwen's gaze remained fixed beyond the circuit, not on the glowing lines beneath their feet, but on the space around them. She wasn't looking for movement anymore. She was waiting for intent.
Thalia stopped adjusting the circuit.
"That reaction… wasn't just from the system," she said quietly.
Seraphine nodded.
"No," she agreed. "That was external."
Alaric exhaled slowly, his posture tightening again.
"So he's nearby."
"Closer than before," Sylwen said.
There was no hesitation in her voice.
Liora instinctively glanced around, her unease growing stronger.
"But I don't see anyone…"
"You won't," Seraphine replied calmly. "Not directly."
That didn't help.
But it was the truth.
Roderick cracked his neck slightly, his expression sharpening.
"Then we force him out again."
Sylwen didn't respond immediately. Instead, she took a step back, creating a bit more distance between herself and the circuit.
"No," she said after a moment. "Not yet."
Roderick frowned.
"What do you mean 'not yet'? We already got his attention."
"Exactly," Sylwen replied. "Which means he's watching us carefully now."
That made sense.
Thalia crossed her arms slightly, her mind already adjusting to the new situation.
"If we push too hard, he won't act," she said. "He'll just retreat again."
Seraphine added, "And this time, he won't come back so easily."
A brief silence followed.
They had forced a reaction.
But that alone wasn't enough.
Alaric looked at Sylwen.
"Then what's the next step?"
Sylwen's gaze moved slowly across the arena.
Not randomly.
Carefully.
She wasn't looking for the intruder.
She was looking for the gap he would use.
"Positions," she said.
Everyone turned toward her.
"If he wants this point," she continued, "then he needs access to it. And if he can't come directly…"
Her voice trailed off slightly.
Thalia finished it.
"…He'll come indirectly."
Sylwen nodded.
"Exactly."
That narrowed things down again.
Seraphine's eyes sharpened slightly.
"He won't risk being seen," she said. "So he'll use someone else."
Liora blinked.
"…Another student?"
"It's possible," Seraphine replied.
Roderick frowned.
"Or he'll create a distraction."
That possibility hung in the air for a moment.
Then—
A shout came from the far side of the arena.
"Hey! Something's wrong here!"
Everyone turned instantly.
Another section of the mana grid flickered.
Not violently.
But noticeably.
Alaric cursed under his breath.
"There it is."
Sylwen didn't move immediately.
Instead, she watched.
Carefully.
"That's not random," she said.
Thalia narrowed her eyes.
"It's another point."
Seraphine nodded.
"And not one we triggered."
Which meant—
He had.
Alaric took a step forward.
"We split?"
"No," Sylwen said instantly.
Alaric stopped.
"Why?"
"Because that's exactly what he wants," Sylwen replied.
That shut him up.
Roderick glanced between the two sections.
"So what, we ignore it?"
Sylwen shook her head.
"No."
She turned slightly.
"Thalia, go."
Thalia didn't hesitate.
She moved immediately, her pace controlled but fast.
"I'll check the system," she said. "If it's another adjustment, I'll confirm."
Seraphine stepped forward as well.
"I'll go with her."
Sylwen nodded.
"Stay together."
Alaric watched them leave, then looked back at Sylwen.
"And us?"
Sylwen's gaze returned to the original point.
"We stay here."
Roderick smirked slightly.
"So we're the bait."
Sylwen didn't deny it.
"Yes."
Liora swallowed slightly but didn't argue.
Alaric exhaled slowly.
"…Then let's see what he does."
The wind shifted again.
Subtle.
Almost unnoticeable.
But this time—
They all felt it.
The moment Thalia and Seraphine left, the balance shifted.
Not outwardly. To anyone watching, the arena still functioned as it should. Volunteers continued their work, instructors moved between sections, and the mana circuits pulsed steadily beneath the surface. Everything appeared orderly and controlled.
But for Sylwen, Alaric, Roderick, and Liora, the field had changed. They were no longer simply observing the system—they were holding a position within it, and that made them part of the problem.
Sylwen didn't move from where she stood. Her gaze remained fixed on the circuit beneath them, but her awareness stretched far beyond it. She wasn't just watching mana flow anymore; she was trying to predict intent, trying to understand the next move before it happened.
"He forced the split," she said quietly.
Alaric nodded in agreement.
"Yeah," he replied. "And now we're reacting instead of controlling."
"That was always going to happen," Sylwen said calmly. "The question is what he gains from it."
Roderick leaned forward slightly, scanning the surroundings with more focus than before.
"If he wanted to escape, he already did," he said. "So he's still here for a reason."
Liora crossed her arms, unease evident in her posture.
"He came back after we triggered the circuit," she said. "That means this place is still important."
Sylwen nodded slightly.
"Yes, which means he hasn't completed whatever he started. That was the assumption and that's why we did this."
Alaric glanced toward the direction Thalia and Seraphine had gone.
"…Or that second disturbance is part of it."
That possibility lingered for a moment, settling into the group's thoughts.
If that was true, then this wasn't just a distraction. It was part of something larger.
Sylwen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Watch the people," she said.
Alaric frowned.
"…Again?"
"Yes," Sylwen replied. "But not the same way."
Roderick tilted his head.
"Then explain."
Sylwen shifted her gaze toward the nearby volunteers.
"He knows we're watching the circuits," she said. "So he won't act directly through them right now."
Liora looked confused.
"Then how will he act?"
Sylwen didn't answer immediately. Instead, she continued observing, watching the natural flow of movement around them. A group of students passed by carrying materials. Another adjusted a nearby structure. Everything appeared normal.
Too normal.
Then she spoke.
"He'll use the gap we created."
Alaric's expression changed.
"…You mean us?"
Sylwen nodded.
"Yes."
The realization came quickly.
Roderick smirked slightly.
"So now we're the weakness."
"Not weakness," Sylwen corrected. "Opportunity."
That was worse.
Alaric exhaled slowly, adjusting his stance.
"…So we stand here and wait for him to try something on us?"
Sylwen shook her head.
"No. We limit his options."
Liora frowned.
"How do we do that?"
Sylwen gestured subtly.
"Spacing."
It took a moment, but then they understood.
Alaric stepped closer to Roderick, tightening their formation. Liora adjusted her position, moving slightly behind Sylwen. The change wasn't obvious to anyone watching, but it reduced the space around them significantly.
Less room.
Less freedom.
Less opportunity.
Roderick grinned faintly.
"Now he can't slip between us easily."
"Not without exposing himself," Sylwen said.
At that moment, the circuit beneath them flickered.
It wasn't far away this time.
It was right under them.
Alaric's eyes snapped downward.
"That's here."
The mana flow pulsed once, then again.
It wasn't unstable.
But it was changing.
Sylwen's gaze sharpened immediately.
"He's not done with this point."
Liora instinctively stepped back.
"But no one's touching it."
"Exactly," Sylwen said.
That was the problem.
No one was interacting with the circuit, and yet it was reacting as if something was influencing it.
Roderick's expression shifted slightly.
"…Alright, that's not normal."
Alaric didn't respond. His focus had shifted completely.
"Something's moving," he said.
It wasn't visible.
But it was there.
A presence.
Subtle.
Faint.
Sylwen felt it too.
Not clearly.
But enough.
"He's here," she said quietly.
Liora looked around, trying to locate something that wasn't visible.
"Where?"
Sylwen didn't answer.
Because she didn't know.
Not yet.
But she understood something important.
He wasn't attacking.
He was testing.
Again.
The circuit pulsed once more, stronger this time.
Then—
A shadow shifted.
It wasn't fully visible, nor clearly defined, but it was enough to draw attention.
Roderick moved instantly.
"Got you."
His hand shot forward to grab it.
But it passed through nothing.
The shadow vanished.
Alaric cursed under his breath.
"…Not real."
Sylwen's eyes narrowed further.
"No," she said.
Her voice remained calm, but there was a sharper edge to it now.
"It's not him."
Liora blinked.
"Then what was it?"
Sylwen looked back at the circuit, then beyond it, as if connecting something deeper.
"It's a message," she said.
And somewhere within the academy, the real one continued to watch.