Daniel did not sleep again that night.
After waking up from the nightmare, he quietly sat near the window of his room while cold moonlight spread across the floor. His breathing had finally calmed down, but his mind still replayed the dream again and again.
The destroyed academy.
The screams.
Mary crying.
And the black energy around his own body.
It did not feel like a normal nightmare.
It felt real.
Too real.
Daniel slowly looked toward Thrones resting beside his bed.
For a few seconds, the weapon remained silent.
Then—
"You finally saw it."
Daniel's eyes widened slightly.
He immediately looked toward the sword.
"What was that?"
Thrones' voice echoed calmly inside his mind.
"A possibility."
Daniel clenched his fists.
"You mean future?"
"Perhaps."
Daniel stood up immediately.
"No. I won't let that happen."
Thrones laughed softly.
"You say that now."
Daniel's expression darkened.
"What do you mean?"
But Thrones suddenly became quiet again.
No answer came.
Only silence remained in the room.
Daniel stared at the weapon for several long seconds before finally looking away.
For the first time—
he truly feared what Thrones might know.
The next morning, the academy atmosphere felt even stranger than before.
Students continued their daily activities normally, but everyone could feel something heavy lingering in the air.
Whispers spread continuously through the halls.
Some students talked about the strange marks.
Others discussed the forest footage rumors.
And some quietly feared Dawn Kingdom itself.
Inside the dining hall, Lucy sat beside Felix while staring toward several Dawn Kingdom students sitting silently near the corner tables.
"They still look creepy," Lucy muttered quietly.
Felix glanced toward them.
"Well… after everything they went through, can you blame them?"
Lucy sighed softly.
"No."
Then she looked down slightly.
"But something still feels wrong."
Felix noticed her uneasy expression immediately.
"You okay?"
Lucy blinked slightly before nodding.
"Yeah."
But clearly—
she was still thinking about the whisper from that student.
You should run before he wakes up.
Even now, those words sent chills through her body.
Meanwhile, David quietly entered the dining hall carrying several old papers in his hands.
Daniel and Mary quickly noticed him.
David sat beside them immediately.
"I found something."
Mary lowered her voice.
"What is it?"
David placed the papers carefully on the table.
"These are old academy incident records."
Daniel frowned slightly.
"You searched the archives?"
David nodded.
"And I think I found something connected to Dawn Kingdom."
Immediately, all three became serious.
David opened one file slowly.
"Years ago… another kingdom disappeared temporarily during an advanced exam."
Mary's eyes widened slightly.
"What?"
David nodded quietly.
"But when they returned… students acted strangely."
Daniel leaned forward slightly.
"What kind of strange?"
David hesitated.
Then answered quietly:
"Memory loss."
"Emotionless behavior."
"Delayed reactions."
"And strange marks on their bodies."
Silence filled the table instantly.
Mary slowly looked at Daniel.
Exactly like Dawn Kingdom.
David continued:
"The weirdest part…"
"The records suddenly stop."
Daniel frowned deeply.
"What do you mean stop?"
David looked uncomfortable.
"It's like someone intentionally erased the rest."
Mary's expression darkened.
"So the academy already knew something like this happened before?"
David nodded slowly.
"Probably."
Daniel stayed silent while thinking deeply.
Then suddenly—
a loud sound interrupted them.
CRASH.
Everyone inside the dining hall turned immediately.
One Dawn Kingdom student had suddenly dropped his tray onto the floor.
Food scattered everywhere.
The student stood completely motionless.
His eyes looked empty.
Several nearby students stared at him nervously.
One teacher quickly approached.
"Are you alright?"
But the Dawn Kingdom student did not answer immediately.
Instead—
he slowly whispered:
"…he's waking up…"
Daniel, David, Mary, Lucy, and Felix instantly froze.
The teacher looked confused.
"What?"
But suddenly—
the student blinked.
Then looked around normally again.
"Huh…?"
He stared at the fallen tray.
"S-sorry…"
The teacher sighed lightly.
"It's fine. Just clean it carefully."
The student nodded awkwardly and immediately started cleaning.
Like nothing had happened.
But several students now looked genuinely uncomfortable.
Lucy slowly whispered:
"That's the same thing…"
Felix looked toward her.
"The same thing?"
Lucy nodded slightly.
"That creepy behavior…"
Daniel's expression became colder.
Because now—
this was no longer coincidence.
Later that afternoon, Mr. Stone gathered several teachers inside the academy meeting hall.
Everyone looked exhausted.
The atmosphere inside the room felt tense.
One teacher spoke first.
"We can't ignore this anymore."
Another nodded immediately.
"Students are scared."
"The Dawn Kingdom situation is affecting the entire academy."
One older teacher crossed his arms.
"And now students are behaving strangely in public."
Mr. Stone remained silent while listening.
Then another teacher spoke quietly:
"What if this spreads further?"
Silence filled the room.
Finally, Mr. Stone stood up slowly.
"We still don't fully understand what happened inside that forest."
"But until we find answers…"
"…academy security will increase."
Several teachers nodded.
"We'll also place night restrictions."
"No student will move alone after curfew."
The room became quieter.
Then one teacher asked carefully:
"And Kaden?"
Mr. Stone's expression darkened immediately.
"We still have no confirmed connection."
"But if he truly returned…"
"…then this academy may already be in danger."
That evening, Daniel quietly returned to the training grounds alone again.
But this time—
he did not train.
Instead, he simply stood silently while staring at Thrones.
"You knew something," Daniel said quietly.
No answer.
Daniel's voice became firmer.
"The dream."
Still silence.
Daniel clenched his fist.
"If you know something, tell me."
Finally—
Thrones responded.
"You are afraid."
Daniel frowned.
"Answer me."
But Thrones ignored the question.
"The future changes constantly."
"Power changes it."
"Choices change it."
Daniel's expression slowly hardened.
"So it WAS future."
Thrones laughed softly.
"Or perhaps merely a warning."
Daniel stayed silent.
Then finally asked:
"…Was that destruction caused by me?"
For the first time—
Thrones did not answer immediately.
And that silence itself terrified Daniel more than anything else.
Meanwhile, Mary stood near one of the academy balconies while thinking deeply.
Something about Daniel's behavior worried her more and more.
He looked tired constantly.
Distracted.
And afraid.
Mary quietly sighed.
Then footsteps approached behind her.
It was Lucy.
"You're thinking about Daniel again, right?" Lucy asked gently.
Mary smiled weakly.
"Is it that obvious?"
Lucy walked beside her.
"A little."
For a moment, both girls quietly stared at the academy grounds below.
Then Lucy spoke softly:
"He's trying too hard to protect everyone."
Mary nodded slowly.
"I know."
Lucy crossed her arms lightly.
"But honestly…"
"…I think he's scared."
Mary looked toward her immediately.
Lucy continued quietly:
"People only push themselves this hard when they're scared of losing something."
Mary stayed silent.
Because deep down—
she knew Lucy was right.
That same night—
inside one dark academy hallway—
a Dawn Kingdom student quietly stood alone.
Completely motionless.
The corridor lights flickered softly around him.
Then slowly—
the student lifted his head.
His empty eyes stared into darkness.
And suddenly—
another voice spoke from his mouth.
A deeper voice.
Not his own.
"They are beginning to notice."
Silence.
Then the student's lips slowly curved into a strange smile.
"But it no longer matters."
The hallway lights flickered again.
And somewhere far away—
something dark slowly awakened.