The underground corridor narrowed.
Stone walls curved inward.
Symbols pulsed faintly when no one looked directly at them.
The air felt heavier.
Not dangerous.
But aware.
Shura suddenly stopped walking.
His tone changed.
Calm.
Focused.
"Everyone. From now on, if you feel something attack you—"
He looked at them seriously.
"Don't slide back."
Students blinked.
"What?"
"Jump backward immediately. Don't think. Don't hesitate."
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"…Since when are you the instructor?"
Shura ignored him.
Lior watched silently.
Flashback — Before Xyrrhal
Zenkyou stood beside Lior near the Academy balcony.
Wind moving her hair gently.
"So you're really going to Xyrrhal."
"Of course."
She looked at him sideways.
Lior smirked.
"Is he as strong as you?"
Zenkyou smiled confidently.
"Not physically."
"But mentally? You cannot defeat Shura if you use the same technique twice."
Lior's expression shifted slightly.
"He adapts fast," she continued.
"He plays. He jokes. He looks careless."
"But if he becomes serious…"
Her smile faded just a little.
"…then something is happening."
"Or he is trying to figure something out."
Lior crossed his arms.
"Isn't that overwhelming for a fourteen-year-old?"
Zenkyou's smile returned.
"You'll see."
Present — The Theory
Lior looked at Shura now.
Trying to understand what changed.
"Alright," Lior said calmly. "Shura will teach you resonance."
Students froze.
"Wait—what?"
Shura scratched his head.
"First, touch physical objects."
He placed his palm against the stone wall.
"I've been doing this all night."
Yura blinked.
Lior narrowed his eyes.
Shura continued,
"I kept thinking about the riddle."
He raised his hand into empty air.
Pressed forward.
His palm stopped midair.
As if touching glass.
"There's nothing there."
He moved his fingers.
"They won't go further."
Luna inhaled sharply.
Lior's eyes widened slightly.
He discovered the resonance layer alone?
Shura continued thinking aloud.
"Viora comes from the heart."
"The heart produces emotion."
"Emotion is nothing… but everything."
"So resonance isn't about power."
"It's about alignment."
He stepped forward.
Pressed again.
The invisible surface rippled faintly.
Students gasped.
Lior stepped forward instantly—
And vanished.
Reappeared beside Shura in a flash movement.
"So," Lior said quietly, "you figured out how I move like that?"
Shura lifted his shirt casually.
"Not fully. But I tried."
Silence.
Bandages wrapped around his torso.
Fresh blood stains.
Bruises forming.
Yura's face drained of color.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
Adrian stared.
"…How did you even survive?"
Lior's expression changed.
For the first time—
He was angry.
"I told you to stay within limits!"
His voice echoed in the corridor.
"How am I supposed to allow you further if you risk your life like this?!"
The students went silent instantly.
Shura lowered his head.
"I'm sorry."
No excuses.
Luna exhaled slowly.
"I never thought… a fourteen-year-old could reach this level alone."
She looked at him carefully.
"He truly is different."
Yura's hands clenched slightly.
So that's his strength.
Not recklessness.
Obsession.
Shura suddenly straightened.
"By the way, where are we going?"
Lior stared at him.
"Don't change the topic."
"Again, I'm sorry. I won't push that far next time."
Lior held his gaze.
Long.
Then exhaled.
"…Fine. But remember this."
He turned and continued walking.
"We're heading toward the chamber that stores the most precious weapons."
Adrian smirked slightly.
"Finally."
Shura's eyes sparkled again.
"Can I pick one? I want a sword."
Lior shook his head.
"The Presence chooses."
Shura tilted his head.
"I've been studying it."
Students blinked again.
"Studying what?"
"The Presence."
He walked casually while speaking.
"It's not physical."
"But it can wound if provoked."
"I tested multiple emotional states near the resonance layer."
Lior almost stopped walking.
"You what?"
"I tried teasing it. Anger. Curiosity. Fear."
"And?"
Shura laughed.
"At the end of all experiments, I reached a conclusion."
Everyone leaned slightly closer.
"I don't know anything."
Silence.
Then—
Relief laughter filled the corridor.
Luna held her forehead.
"I thought you were possessed."
Adrian nodded.
"For once, I agree."
Lior muttered,
"If she hadn't warned me, I might have believed you weren't yourself."
Shura blinked.
"She?"
"Zenkyou."
Shura's eyes lit up.
"What did she say about me?"
Lior smirked slightly.
"She said you're a brat."
The students burst into laughter.
Shura looked offended.
Then—
All four stopped at the exact same time.
Shura.
Adrian.
Luna.
Lior.
Their heads turned slightly.
"Stop," they said together.
Students froze instantly.
"Stay back."
The air changed.
Lior spoke quietly.
"Did you feel that?"
Luna nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Adrian's eyes sharpened.
"It wasn't from ahead."
Shura swallowed slightly.
"…It's above."
The stone ceiling vibrated faintly.
Dust fell.
Then—