The spar continued.
Wooden blades met again and again as Chrono maintained the flowing rhythm of Kazi's Eclipse Swordstyle.
CLACK.
CLACK.
CLACK.
Yelena blocked each strike with ease, yet her mind was no longer fully in the fight.
Her thoughts kept drifting.
Just one month ago…
You couldn't even keep your footing properly.
You used to cling to my sleeve whenever someone challenged you.
Another clash echoed through the hall.
CLACK.
Chrono stepped forward again, his blade moving in a curved arc.
Yelena parried automatically, but her eyes were distant.
What happened to you, Chrono…?
Who trained you?
Why didn't I notice?
Her thoughts tangled together.
For the first time since the spar began—
Yelena lost focus.
Then it happened.
Chrono stepped in for another strike.
Yelena reacted instinctively.
But this time—
She pushed more power into the swing than she intended.
CRACK—
The wooden sword cut through the air with a sudden burst of speed.
Yelena's eyes widened.
Too much force—
"CHRONO!"
Across from her, Chrono blinked in surprise.
The attack was far faster than the previous ones.
But in that instant—
Something inside his mind activated.
The world slowed.
Not physically.
But inside his perception.
The swing.
The angle.
The force behind it.
Everything stretched into clear, readable motion.
Time Perception.
Chrono's eyes sharpened.
Too fast to block normally.
So he moved differently.
His body twisted sideways, his blade rotating along the curved motion of Eclipse Swordstyle.
Instead of meeting the strike head-on—
He redirected it.
CLACK—
The wooden blades slid against each other as Chrono guided the attack away from his body.
The force passed beside him.
WHOOSH.
Chrono stepped back immediately after.
The hall fell silent.
Yelena froze.
Her wooden sword was still extended where the strike had finished.
Her eyes widened slightly.
…He avoided it?
That strike had carried far more strength than anything she had used so far.
Even many second-year cadets would have struggled to react in time.
Yet Chrono—
Not only reacted.
He redirected the attack cleanly.
Chrono steadied his breathing.
"…You almost took my head off."
Yelena slowly lowered her sword.
For a moment she said nothing.
Her eyes studied him carefully now.
That exchange had confirmed it.
Something had changed.
During the one month Chrono had disappeared…
Something happened to him.
That strike she just used—
Even if it wasn't her full strength—
Should have been impossible for anyone below rank 800 to dodge.
Yet Chrono had avoided it.
Cleanly.
Almost casually.
Her grip on the wooden sword tightened slightly.
Her gaze locked onto him.
Searching.
Studying.
Almost as if trying to confirm something.
"…Chrono."
Her voice was quieter now.
Serious.
"…Is that really you?"
Chrono's heart began to pound.
…Is that really you?
Yelena's question echoed in his mind.
For a moment, the training hall felt unbearably quiet.
Chrono's grip on the wooden sword tightened slightly.
Did she find out?
His thoughts raced.
Does she know I'm not the Chrono she grew up with?
Did I mess up somewhere?
Before he could say anything—
Yelena suddenly stepped forward.
The distance between them disappeared in an instant.
Chrono froze as she came closer.
Her eyes studied his face carefully.
She knows.
His mind spiraled.
She definitely knows.
Then—
Yelena wrapped her arms around him.
Chrono blinked in shock.
"…Huh?"
The wooden sword slipped slightly in his hand.
Yelena held him tightly, resting her chin lightly against his shoulder.
Her voice softened.
"It must have been really hard for you, Chrono."
Chrono's thoughts stopped.
"…What?"
"You left home because of all those expectations."
Her grip tightened slightly.
"And instead of giving up… you decided to improve yourself."
There was a quiet pride in her voice.
"I'm really proud of you."
Chrono stood there stiffly, completely caught off guard.
Yelena pulled back slightly, placing her hands on his shoulders.
A warm smile appeared on her face.
"Mother and Father would be proud too."
Chrono looked at her.
For a moment he didn't know what to say.
She had misunderstood everything.
But instead of exposing him…
She had come to a completely different conclusion.
Yelena lightly flicked his forehead.
"You dummy."
"If you were struggling, you should have told me."
Her expression softened again.
"But still…"
She crossed her arms with a satisfied smile.
"You've gotten stronger."
Her eyes sparkled with renewed excitement.
"Which means…"
Lightning crackled faintly around the wooden sword again.
Her grin returned.
"We can spar properly now."
Chrono stared at her.
…This woman almost killed me thirty seconds ago.
He sighed.
I really should have kept quiet.
The scene shifted to a quiet interrogation room deep within the academy.
The room was simple.
Stone walls.
A single table.
Two chairs.
Sitting on one side of the table was Professor Nox.
Across from him sat Alex.
The boy's body trembled uncontrollably.
Sweat ran down his face and his fingers kept clenching and unclenching in panic.
The effects of the Chaos Stone had long faded, but the fear in his eyes remained.
Professor Nox rested his elbow on the table, his sharp blue eyes fixed calmly on the boy.
"So," Nox said quietly.
"Who gave you the Chaos Stone?"
Alex immediately shook his head.
"I—I don't know…"
His voice cracked.
Nox didn't react.
Instead, he leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Let me be clear."
His tone remained calm, but the pressure in the room suddenly felt heavier.
"No commoner simply finds a Chaos Stone."
Alex's breathing quickened.
"They are rare."
"Expensive."
"And highly illegal."
Nox leaned forward again.
"So I will ask you once more."
His sharp blue eyes locked onto Alex's.
"Who gave it to you?"
Alex's lips trembled.
"P-please…"
His hands shook violently.
"I-I can't…"
"My family…"
His voice broke.
"If I say anything they'll—"
Nox interrupted him calmly.
"Your family will be taken care of."
Alex froze.
Nox's voice remained steady.
"The academy will ensure their safety."
Silence filled the room.
Alex stared down at the table, his breathing uneven.
Seconds passed.
Then more seconds.
Finally—
His lips moved.
"…Jake…"
His voice was barely audible.
"…Jake Umbra."
Nox's expression didn't change.
He simply continued asking questions.
"How did he give it to you?"
"When?"
"What did he promise you?"
Alex answered slowly, fearfully, but the truth came out piece by piece.
After several more minutes—
Professor Nox finally stood up.
The chair slid quietly across the floor.
Without another word, he walked toward the door.
The moment he stepped outside—
Professor Clara was waiting in the hallway with her arms crossed.
She glanced at him.
"So?"
"Did he give a name?"
Nox nodded slightly.
"Yes."
Clara raised an eyebrow.
"Well?"
Nox answered simply.
"Jake Umbra."
Nox and Clara stood in the quiet hallway outside the interrogation room.
The atmosphere had grown heavier after hearing the name.
Jake Umbra.
Clara rubbed her temple slightly and let out a quiet sigh.
"That boy… I knew he would cause trouble eventually."
Professor Nox remained silent for a moment, his sharp blue eyes staring down the corridor as if thinking several steps ahead.
"A Chaos Stone inside a monitored sparring session," he said calmly.
"…reckless."
Clara crossed her arms.
"What do we do now?"
"If this reaches the noble houses, the Umbra family will—"
Before she could finish—
Rapid footsteps echoed through the hallway.
A young student rushed toward them, nearly slipping as she stopped.
She was slightly out of breath.
Professor Clara immediately recognized her.
"Lina?"
The girl was one of Clara's assistants who helped manage training records and academy reports.
Clara frowned slightly.
"What happened?"
"Calm down."
Lina tried to steady her breathing, but her face was pale.
"P-Professor Clara…"
Her voice trembled.
Nox's gaze sharpened.
"Yes?"
Lina swallowed.
"A body…"
Both professors immediately stiffened.
"…has been found."
Clara's expression hardened.
"Where?"
Lina's voice dropped to a whisper.
"…At the top of the academy tower."
For a moment—
Neither professor spoke.
Then Lina forced the words out.
"…It's hanging."
Silence filled the corridor.
Clara's eyes widened slightly.
"…What?"
Lina looked like she might faint.
"T-The guards just reported it…"
Her voice shook.
"…We think it's a student."
Nox's expression darkened.
He didn't hesitate.
"Show us."
The three of them immediately began moving down the corridor.
But as they hurried toward the tower—
A single thought passed through Clara's mind.
Please don't tell me…
It's related to the Chaos Stone incident.
Soon the three of them stepped outside the academy building.
The moment they did—
They noticed something was wrong.
Dozens of students had gathered in the courtyard.
Whispers filled the air.
Many of them were staring upward.
Professor Clara frowned.
"…What are they looking at?"
But the moment she followed their gaze—
Her breath caught.
High above the academy grounds stood the central clock tower.
And just beneath the giant clock—
A body hung from the stone ledge.
Even from the distance…
It looked wrong.
The figure dangled unnaturally as the wind swayed it slowly.
Students below whispered in horror.
Some turned away.
Others stared in shock.
Professor Nox's eyes narrowed.
"…Clara."
She had already seen it.
Even from the ground, the condition of the body was disturbing.
The eyes—
Looked gouged out.
The mouth hung far too wide open.
The body itself twisted slightly in the wind like a broken puppet.
Clara's face hardened immediately.
"Clear the courtyard!" she ordered sharply to nearby staff.
But she didn't wait.
Both she and Nox moved at the same time.
Mana surged around their bodies—
And in the next instant—
They shot upward.
WHOOSH.
The wind roared past them as they ascended the tower.
Within seconds they landed on the narrow stone ledge near the massive clock face.
Up close—
The sight was even worse.
The body hung from a rope tied around the neck.
Blood had dried around the empty sockets where the eyes once were.
The mouth had been stretched open unnaturally.
Almost as if something had forced it wider than it should go.
Clara looked away for a moment.
"…God."
Nox stepped forward slowly.
His gaze moved across the student's uniform.
Then the face.
Or what remained of it.
Recognition came quickly.
His expression darkened.
"…It's him."
Clara turned back.
"Who?"
Nox's voice was quiet.
"Jake Umbra."
The wind howled around the tower.
Below them, the murmurs of hundreds of students continued to grow.
Clara's mind raced.
"Impossible…"
"He was in the dorms last night."
Nox crouched slightly, scanning the stone floor around the body.
Then his eyes stopped.
There—
On the stone beside the corpse—
Something had been written.
In blood.
Two simple words.
Tick Tock
Below it—
A name.
– Jester
The wind rustled the hanging corpse again as the giant clock above them continued to move.
Tick.
Tock.
Nox's expression hardened.
"…So they've finally appeared."