The monastery's great hall was lit by wall torches casting a warm, flickering glow. Frost stood at the center, surrounded by the high-ranking members of the monastery, while Caden, Zetch, Aletha, and Bella sat around a large stone table. The atmosphere was heavy—laden with fatigue after the battle, but above all with burning curiosity.
A tense silence settled for several seconds. Caden eventually cleared his throat, uneasy.
"Um… Sage? Or… should I call you Frost?"
Frost gave a slight smile and leaned against the edge of the table.
"I prefer Frost. After all, I have nothing left to hide now."
Zetch, arms crossed, narrowed his eyes as he stared at the young man's forearm.
"Alright… but you have a mark."
Frost slowly rolled up his sleeve, revealing it.
"Oh, you mean this?" he said calmly. "Well, yes… I'm like you. I'm a Zodiac Mage too."
Bella's eyes widened, a bright smile lighting up her face despite her exhaustion.
"Really?! That's awesome! We just need to find the seven others, and then we can wipe out that dangerous woman once and for all!"
Frost suddenly stood up, eyes wide in shock.
"What?"
Bella immediately panicked, shrinking back slightly in her chair.
"What?! Did I say something wrong?"
Frost stared at her intently, his voice suddenly deeper.
"No… say that again. You said… a woman?"
Bella stammered, glancing around for support.
"Uh… uh… yes, yes. The one who wants to harm us is a woman."
Frost remained silent for a moment, then asked seriously:
"And how do you know that?"
Bella instinctively turned toward Caden, as if passing him the responsibility. He let out a deep sigh before speaking.
"It's me…"
Frost slowly turned to him.
"You? What do you mean?"
Caden ran a hand through his hair, slightly nervous.
"I keep having dreams where a woman appears to me. She warns me about an imminent danger… and she keeps saying that we must gather together to defeat her."
Frost sat down again, his gaze sharp.
"Can you be more specific?"
Caden took a deep breath and explained everything: the recurring visions, the urgent warnings, the shadowy female figure, the overwhelming feelings of terror and urgency that lingered even after waking up.
When he finished, Frost remained thoughtful for a moment before speaking in a grave tone:
"I'm sorry to tell you this, Caden… but those aren't dreams."
A collective gasp escaped from Caden, Zetch, Aletha, and Bella.