The academy had finally become peaceful again.
After the horrifying battle inside the forest, the second-level exam was officially suspended. The teachers could no longer risk the lives of students after everything that had happened. Too many dangerous ghosts had appeared, the barrier inside the forest had nearly collapsed, and Dawn Kingdom had mysteriously disappeared for days before suddenly returning.
Now every kingdom was staying together inside the protected academy shelters.
At first, it felt strange.
Nightfall Kingdom students were no longer separated from the others. Students from different kingdoms trained together, ate together, and walked through the academy together. Guards were placed around the entire academy day and night, and even teachers looked more serious than before.
Still…
everyone was trying to return to normal.
The students had survived something terrifying, and after days of stress, fear, and injuries, the teachers decided to organize a celebration party to help everyone relax.
The academy hall was decorated with glowing lights hanging from the ceiling. Long tables were filled with food and drinks while soft music echoed throughout the room. For the first time in many days, laughter could finally be heard again.
Felix immediately grabbed multiple plates of food.
"No one touch this table," he announced dramatically. "I fought for my life to eat this peacefully."
Lucy crossed her arms.
"You say that every time food appears."
"Because food understands me emotionally."
"You're emotionally attached to chicken."
Felix pointed at her seriously.
"And proudly."
Lucy rolled her eyes while Zoya laughed beside them.
Not far away, Noah and Lily were talking quietly while David stood near the corner of the hall, silently observing everyone around him.
And Daniel…
Daniel was sitting beside Mary.
For the first time in days, the tension on Mary's face looked slightly lighter.
"You should rest more," she told him softly.
Daniel gave a tired smile.
"You sound like a teacher."
"Maybe because someone keeps getting injured every five minutes."
Daniel laughed quietly.
The peaceful atmosphere almost felt unreal after everything that had happened.
Almost.
Because despite the laughter and music—
something still felt wrong.
Daniel's eyes slowly moved across the hall toward the members of Dawn Kingdom.
Everyone was happy that they had returned safely.
But after spending several days around them, people had started noticing strange things.
Small things.
Things that could easily be ignored.
Sometimes one of them would stop speaking mid-conversation and stare blankly into space for several seconds.
Some woke up during the middle of the night whispering things nobody could understand.
Some forgot conversations they had only minutes earlier.
And sometimes…
their smiles looked forced.
Like they were pretending everything was fine.
The teachers believed it was trauma.
Most students believed that too.
After all, Dawn Kingdom had gone through something horrible.
But Daniel could not ignore the strange feeling inside his chest.
And David looked even more suspicious.
Across the hall, two members of Dawn Kingdom were laughing loudly with other students.
Too loudly.
Their smiles looked almost unnatural compared to the others.
One of them accidentally dropped a glass and suddenly froze completely after hearing the sound shatter on the floor.
His hands started shaking.
Then—
almost instantly—
he smiled again.
Like nothing had happened.
David noticed it too.
His expression slowly darkened.
Mary followed Daniel's gaze.
"You're thinking about them too, right?"
Daniel stayed silent for a moment before nodding.
"They don't feel dangerous…"
"But something feels off."
Mary looked toward Dawn Kingdom quietly.
"They suffered a lot."
"I know," Daniel replied.
"But still…"
Before he could finish, a loud voice interrupted the atmosphere.
"EVERYONE!"
Felix stood on top of a chair dramatically while holding a drink in his hand.
"Since we almost died recently, I would like to officially announce that I deserve extra dessert for survival."
Lucy immediately pulled him down.
"You are embarrassing Nightfall Kingdom."
"I am representing us proudly."
"You're representing stupidity proudly."
Everyone around them laughed softly.
Even some members of Dawn Kingdom smiled.
The atmosphere became lighter again.
For a moment, Daniel almost thought he was simply overthinking everything.
But then—
he noticed one Dawn Kingdom student staring directly at him from the other side of the hall.
The student smiled.
But the smile looked empty.
Cold.
And for a second—
Daniel felt chills run down his spine.
The student suddenly looked away and continued talking normally with others.
Daniel frowned slightly.
Mary noticed his reaction.
"What happened?"
"…Nothing."
But deep inside—
it did not feel like nothing.
Later that night, after the party had ended, the academy slowly became quiet again.
Most students returned to their rooms exhausted after the long day.
Outside, cold wind moved softly through the academy streets while guards continued patrolling carefully.
Inside the Nightfall Kingdom shared dormitory, everyone was slowly preparing to sleep.
Felix immediately threw himself onto his bed dramatically.
"If another ghost attacks tonight," he muttered, "tell them to come back tomorrow."
Lucy crossed her arms.
"You'll still scream first."
"I scream strategically."
"That's not strategy."
"That's survival."
Noah laughed softly while Lily shook her head.
Even after everything, their group still somehow managed to joke with each other.
But David remained unusually quiet.
Daniel noticed immediately.
"You've been silent all evening."
David looked toward him seriously.
"…Something is wrong with Dawn Kingdom."
The room became quieter instantly.
Felix sat up slightly.
"You noticed too?"
David nodded slowly.
"I tried ignoring it at first because I thought it was trauma."
"But now…"
He stopped speaking for a moment.
Daniel narrowed his eyes.
"What?"
David hesitated.
"Today during the party… I accidentally heard one of their thoughts."
Everyone looked at him immediately.
"You used your power?" Mary asked.
"Only for a second," David replied quickly. "I wasn't trying to spy on them."
His expression became more serious.
"But the thought I heard…"
"…didn't sound normal."
Daniel slowly stood up.
"What did you hear?"
David looked disturbed.
"It was incomplete."
"But I clearly heard the words…"
He lowered his voice.
"Master Kaden."
Silence filled the room.
Mary's expression changed immediately.
Felix stopped joking completely.
Lucy frowned.
"You sure?"
David nodded slowly.
"And there was something else."
"What?"
David looked toward Daniel.
"It felt like…"
"…someone was blocking their minds."
Daniel's eyes widened slightly.
Blocking minds?
That should not have been possible so easily.
Unless—
someone extremely powerful was involved.
A cold feeling spread throughout the room.
Noah finally spoke quietly.
"So what do we do now?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Because no one truly knew.
Daniel looked down silently.
His mind immediately remembered the terrifying voice inside the forest.
"Welcome… to the real battlefield."
And suddenly—
that sentence felt far more real than before.
At the same time, far away from the academy—
inside a dark abandoned place hidden deep within the mountains—
a figure sat quietly in darkness.
The room was silent except for the sound of chains moving softly.
A faint smile appeared on the figure's face.
"They have returned safely…"
The voice was calm.
Cold.
"And soon…"
Dark energy slowly spread across the floor.
"…they will destroy everything from inside."
A second figure standing nearby lowered their head respectfully.
"What about Daniel Williams?"
The man smiled slightly.
"Not yet."
"He still has a role to play."
The dark room became silent once again.
And somewhere far away—
one member of Dawn Kingdom suddenly opened their eyes in the middle of the night.
Their breathing became uneven.
For a second—
their pupils turned completely black.
Then normal again.
As if nothing had happened.
And quietly—
almost like a whisper—
they spoke only one word.
"Master…"