Ayumi (angrily):
"Where have you been?! I called you fifty times and got no answer!"
Hardin (nervously, trying to defuse the situation):
"We were busy... you know, it's Raven's first day. We visited some friends."
Ayumi (narrowing her eyes):
"Some friends? Why don't you just say you were looking for Leon?"
Raven (slightly startled):
"!!"
Ayumi (firmly):
"I know you won't stop until you uncover the truth about the students who vanished — whether they're dead or simply gone. I'm in. But in return, I want to know everything."
Raven (with a tired smile):
"Alright... you're with us. But for now, I'm exhausted. I'm going home."
Later that night, as Raven was preparing to sleep, a sudden knock echoed at the door. He opened it to find Leon standing there.
Raven (surprised):
"Leon? Hey! What are you doing here at this hour?"
Leon (calmly stepping inside):
"As people say... 'make yourself at home,' right?"
Raven (with slight caution):
"Yeah, sure. Come in."
Leon:
"Is it true? Were you really selected among the powerful students they're taking?"
Raven:
"Yeah, why?"
Leon (frowning):
"Strange... I haven't heard of any new students being taken recently."
Raven:
"Why are you so interested in them?"
Leon (lowering his voice):
"Listen, Raven. Those who are selected... they're not taken to serve the Emperor, or to be part of the royal guard. It's something far more dangerous."
Raven (tense):
"What do you mean? Where do they take them?"
Leon:
"They only choose students with immense magical power. Physical strength means nothing to them."
Raven:
"But what happens if their energy runs out? Shouldn't they be physically strong too?"
Leon:
"They prefer magically gifted individuals who are physically weak — easier to handle. Their goal isn't training... they're trying to summon a legendary creature, or turn beasts into magical monsters."
Raven (shocked):
"A legendary creature? Beasts with magic? I don't get it..."
Leon:
"They feed a predator with a human filled with magical energy. If the animal consumes them, the magic fuses within, transforming it into a magical beast. But it takes a lot — around a thousand strong students just to create five of these creatures."
Raven (stepping back):
"That's... insane. How do you know all this?"
Leon (meeting his gaze):
"Because they took me there. I saw it. I escaped after a fight with the guardian — he was unbelievably powerful. I barely managed to knock him back and run."
Raven:
"Why didn't anyone else escape with you?"
Leon:
"They're all strong, but none could take him on. Even if you and I teamed up, we might still lose."
Raven (determined):
"Then... you're going back there? With me?"
Leon (nodding):
"Yes. We leave at dawn."
Raven:
"And the university?"
Leon (calmly):
"It doesn't matter anymore."
The next morning, Raven stepped out of his house and was surprised to see Leon already waiting outside.
Raven (raising an eyebrow):
"That was fast. When did you get here?"
Leon (looking tired but focused):
"I didn't sleep much. This is serious. Let's go."
They arrived at an abandoned, decaying hospital on the edge of the city.
Leon (pointing at the rusted gates):
"This is the place. This is where they take the students — where they lock them up. Let's head inside."
Raven (eyeing the eerie building):
"There are a lot of rooms in here."
Leon:
"Most of them are empty. We need to go downstairs — to the basement."
They descended into the darkness, the old steps creaking beneath their feet. The air grew colder.
Leon (now whispering):
"Alright. We're here — the basement. These are the three main rooms. Which one should we enter?"
Raven:
"I don't know. You're the one who's been here."
Leon (pausing):
"Every student who gets chosen is assigned a room number and a time to show up. That's how they organize it."
Raven (shrugging):
"I wasn't given a number."
Leon (angrily, grabbing Raven by the collar):
"Then you weren't chosen! We need to get out of here, now!"
Raven (calm but defiant):
"That's true... I wasn't chosen. But I'm going in anyway."
Suddenly —
A deep, echoing voice rang through the basement:
"You're right. You're not getting out of here alive."
Raven (whipping around):
"Who's there?!"
Leon (backing up):
"I told you... They found us!"
A massive figure emerged from the shadows — broad, towering, muscles bulging like steel cables.
Leon (gritting his teeth):
"That's him, Raven. That's the guardian!"
Raven (stepping forward):
"Then we fight."
Guardian (cracking his knuckles):
"Come, then. I'll end you right here."
Leon (urgently):
"Raven, let's push him back and run. We don't stand a chance in a straight fight!"
Raven (eyes locked on the guardian):
"No. One of us is going down — and it won't be me."
Silence fell over the dark basement after the guard's final words. In the blink of an eye, he lunged forward, his massive frame shaking the ground with each thunderous step—like a small earthquake charging straight at them.
Raven reacted instantly, raising his right hand toward the enemy. Blue lightning surged from his fingertips.
"Leon, go left!" he shouted, firing a bolt at the guard.
But the guard lifted his massive arm in front of his face—and suddenly...
It grew heavier, like it was forged from solid iron.
The lightning collided with his arm but fizzled out, as if it had hit an invisible wall of steel.
Leon moved swiftly, lowering gravity around himself, making his body feel almost weightless. He dashed toward the guard's side, aiming for his knee joint—but the moment he closed in...
The guard lightened his left leg and raised it, then slammed it down with doubled weight.
It hit the floor with the force of a falling mountain, sending dust and rubble flying in every direction.
Raven rolled back, gasping:
"He can control his body weight?! That's... annoying."
Leon, tense and focused, responded:
"He can increase weight to turn his body into armor, and lighten it for speed... We're not just fighting raw strength—we're fighting strategy."
The guard dashed forward again—his weight reduced, his speed terrifying.
He grabbed Raven with one hand and lifted him into the air like a rag doll.
"Feeble... like the others," he growled, preparing to slam Raven into the ground.
But before the impact, Leon shouted and created an inverted gravity field under Raven.
Instead of crashing, Raven hovered for a second, giving him just enough time to twist out of the hold.
He blasted lightning into the guard's face at point-blank range, forcing the giant to stumble back slightly.
The guard redistributed his weight, anchoring it across his body, turning himself into a mountain that wouldn't budge.
He advanced slowly—each step left a crater—then launched a series of devastating punches. One hit could shatter bones.
Raven and Leon moved in sync—lightning from one side, gravitational shifts from the other.
They were fast and unpredictable, but no matter how much they tried, they couldn't land a blow strong enough to bring the giant down.
"We're not hurting him! We're just distracting him!" Raven yelled.
Suddenly, Leon's eyes widened—he had an idea.
"I've got it!"
He created a powerful but unstable gravity field beneath the guard, pulling his weight downward then releasing it in a burst.
The ground shook. The guard lost balance for a moment, staggering forward.
Raven didn't hesitate. He charged up, channeling all his lightning into his fist, and leapt.
He struck the guard in the neck with a concentrated blast.
The hit didn't drop him immediately, but he froze for a second, then collapsed—first to his knees, then face-first into the ground with a thunderous crash.
Silence.
Leon rushed over, pulling the exhausted Raven by the arm.
"We have to go, now, before he wakes up."
Using his gravity magic, Leon lifted them both toward an old ventilation shaft in the ceiling.
They squeezed through, emerging onto the roof of the abandoned hospital, both gasping for breath, bodies battered and scorched.
Raven (breathing heavily):
"What the hell was that place…?"
Leon (calmly, glancing back):
"The place no one ever returns from... until today."