Aftermath of the Duel
The duel had ended, but the storm it left behind continued to ripple through the academy.
Whispers of Jiwoon's strange power spread faster than wildfire. Some called him a fake. Others feared him. But none could forget what they saw.
Vera Aclaine, however, said nothing.
She sat quietly in the corner of the observation tower, staring at the shattered training circle where Jiwoon had stood—untouched, unreadable, and… terrifyingly calm.
A Private Conversation
Later that evening, she found him again—by the edge of the academy's inner sanctum, watching the stars as if they were strangers.
"You shouldn't have won that duel," Vera said.
"I didn't win," Jiwoon replied. "She lost to herself."
The silence between them was dense.
Then Vera stepped closer, lowering her voice.
"You absorbed Kaelya's divine lances… like they were nothing. That's not something a first-year can do."
"And yet I did."
"You're not from here, are you?"
Jiwoon turned to her—eyes still, but the shadows behind them shifted like ocean tides.
"Does it matter?"
Vera hesitated… then smiled faintly.
"No. But it makes sense now."
The Marked Eye
The faint glow of her Divine Mark flared across her eye—a sigil of clairvision, used for tactical awareness.
But now it reacted… only around Jiwoon.
Her vision blurred.
Time fractured.
She saw flashes of things not meant to be seen:
– A world consumed by fire
– A throne made of bones
– Jiwoon… wearing a black armor, wings spread like a god of ruin
She gasped and gripped the railing beside her.
"What… are you?"
Jiwoon stepped away.
"Something forgotten."
System Log (Hidden):
[Observation Link Detected: Divine Eye – Vera Aclaine]
[Link Status: Partial Synchronization Initiated]
[Warning: Subject Jiwoon is tagged as "System Anomaly – Origin Class: Forbidden Sin"]
[Suppression Protocol: Not Applicable]