The air split with a sharp hiss as violet projectiles tore through the corridor.
Gray didn't wait to see where they landed. He smashed his shoulder through the nearest classroom door, the wooden frame splintering as he dove inside. The sound of shattering glass followed—each bullet piercing walls, windows, and desks. He rolled behind a row of tables, breathing hard.
The room resembled his history classroom—tiered rows of seats and broad, circular lamps hanging above. Dust floated lazily through thin shafts of light. Gray leaned against a desk and finally looked down.
His leg trembled.
Etched over his skin was a glowing, circular sigil. The runes spiraled inward, flickering faintly. Every time he tried to channel Vyre into his foot, it refused to respond. His leg was numb—cold, almost dead.
"Curse Affinity," Gray muttered. "Sounds pretty unique."
He tapped his thigh, wincing as pain shot through him. The seal pulsed in response.
He analyzed it quickly: it didn't just stop Vyre flow. It also interfered with blood circulation—a dual layer of spiritual and physical restriction.
"A seal that traps… or cuts off." Gray exhaled, frowning. "Not very versatile, but very annoying."
The problem was, he couldn't see them. These "traps" could be anywhere.
A faint crunch of glass made his eyes snap up. The door creaked open.
Elian stepped in, his small frame outlined by the corridor light. A faint shimmer of runes rotated lazily behind him—a wide circular formation like a clock of light. Tiny black marks floated along its edges, each one humming with restrained energy.
The boy's lips curved. "You're clever, running here. But you can't hide."
The runic ring behind him clicked. The symbols flared, locking onto Gray's position.
Gray swore and vaulted across the row of seats as a barrage of violet bullets slammed into where he'd just been crouching. The wooden table exploded into shards. Vyre residue burned through the air like embers.
He ducked behind another desk, gasping. "So, he can track his traps aswell…"
"That's right," Elian's voice echoed. "Every seal I place leaves a mark. A connection I can feel. You can't break free."
Gray's mind raced. If the boy could always sense his position, then hiding was pointless. The array floating behind him—that was the key. Without it, Elian wouldn't be able to aim.
But how was he supposed to approach? The bullets fired too fast, and the seal on his leg made movement clumsy.
His eyes flicked upward.
The chandelier.
It hung loosely from a chain, heavy with glass prisms and metallic wiring. Gray's gaze sharpened. It would be enough.
He inhaled once, channeled Vyre to his muscles, and sprinted out into the open. The floor erupted behind him as more bullets rained down. Splinters flew past his face, but he kept moving.
"Got you!" Elian shouted.
Gray leapt onto a desk and launched himself upward. His hand caught the chandelier's metal arm. The fixture swayed violently as another volley of bullets barely missed his legs.
Elian's expression twisted. He pointed upward, commanding the array. "Then I'll just shoot you down!"
The formation glowed brighter—but Gray had been waiting for that.
He swung forward and released the chandelier mid-swing, twisting his body in the air. As he fell, he slammed his foot—pulsing with Vyre—into the chandelier's side.
The kick sent it crashing toward Elian like a pendulum of glass and steel.
"What—!"
The chandelier smashed into the array's position, bursting into fragments. Elian dove aside just in time, the light fixture slamming into the floor with a thunderous crash. Dust filled the air, smoke and light mingling into chaos.
Coughing, Elian stumbled to his feet—only to see a shadow rising through the haze.
Gray's eyes gleamed pale silver.
Before Elian could react, Gray's foot connected squarely with his face. The boy flew backward, tumbling across the floor.
Gray landed hard, limping but steady. The array behind Elian had vanished—dissipated with the chandelier's strike.
"So that array behind you was a skill after all," Gray said quietly. "Not part of your affinity."
Elian's confidence cracked. His breathing turned uneven as he crawled backward. "How… how did you—"
Gray moved forward, grabbing his collar with one hand. He drew his fist back, ready to strike.
"If it wasn't your skill, it wouldn't have dissipated with that hit. A skill like that would have to be a constant channeling one, and I managed to break that flow of continuous Vyre. Now then—"
His words cut off.
His arm was... stuck midair.
Gray blinked. His hand trembled—yet it refused to move.
He looked down.
Another seal had appeared, a circular array pulsing faintly on his wrist. The same runes. The same glow.
"What!?"
Elian smirked despite his bruised face. His right hand was pressed against Gray's forearm. "You're too shallow-minded. You didn't notice when I touched you."
A wave of dizziness hit Gray. His thoughts fragmented for a moment, and he staggered back, releasing Elian. His limbs felt heavy. His chest tightened.
When his vision cleared, his blood ran cold.
Dozens of small arrays shimmered faintly across his body—on his shoulders, knees, elbows, even his chest. Each one pulsed in a dull rhythm, locking his movements.
He couldn't move. Couldn't even lift a finger.
"So that's how it is…" he muttered through clenched teeth.
Elian pushed himself up, panting. He picked up a knife that had fallen nearby and ran his thumb along the blade. "I'll tell you. My seals aren't just traps. They can bind, silence, even control. You're strong, Gray, but not enough."
Gray's body refused to respond. His mind screamed for movement.
Elian tilted his head, his voice light and mocking. "If only you hadn't been poking around where you shouldn't. Maybe you could've lived. But now…" His smile widened cruelly. "…I'll have to kill that friend of yours too. Renn, was it?"
Gray's eyes snapped open, fury burning beneath the silver.
Elian stepped closer, his knife raised. He laughed loudly. "Bye-bye!"
Then everything changed.
A low hum filled the room—deep, resonant, almost mechanical. The light bulbs flickered. Once. Twice. Then violently.
The chandelier's shattered pieces began to glow faintly yellow. The lamps along the walls buzzed. Even the air seemed to distort.
"What—what's happening?" Elian stammered, looking around.
The runic arrays floating behind him flickered erratically. The ones on Gray's body pulsed, dimmed, then cracked.
Gray's vision blurred—then cleared in an instant. His veins burned with golden light.
The seals shattered.
Elian stumbled backward, horrified. "This… this can't be!"
Gray didn't understand it either. But instinct took over.
He lunged forward, faster than before, grabbing Elian's wrist and twisting it sharply. The knife clattered to the floor. Gray kicked it aside, then slammed his knee into Elian's gut. The boy gasped, all air leaving his lungs.
Gray grabbed his hair, pulling his head up. In his right hand, he picked up the fallen knife again. He raised it—but froze as another faint sigil appeared on his arm, attempting to stop him.
Elian's lips twitched into a weak grin. "You… can't win…"
Gray exhaled slowly. "I never planned to stab you with this."
Before Elian could respond, Gray drove his knee upward again—straight into the boy's face.
The impact cracked the air. Blood splattered across the floor. Elian's body went limp.
For a long moment, the only sound was Gray's ragged breathing. The golden afterglow of his veins faded, leaving only silence.
'Should've taught Lucian a lesson from this.' He dropped the knife beside the boy and stared down at him—unconscious, bruised, but alive.
"Pathetic," Gray muttered. "You shouldn't have mentioned Renn."
He crouched, searching Elian's pockets until he found a small silver charm etched with the same runes—evidence. He pocketed it and turned toward the window.
Outside, the courtyard shimmered in the dusk. He took one deep breath and leapt through the broken frame, landing hard on the grass below.
Inside, the hallway lights flickered again. Moments later, footsteps echoed—a teacher appeared at the corridor's end, staring in horror at the wrecked classroom.
Behind him, Seraphine stepped through the doorway. Her gaze swept across the shattered floor, the broken chandelier, and the unconscious boy. Her expression was unreadable, but something flickered in her eyes—recognition.
Meanwhile, Gray landed smoothly and exhaled, pulling up his system screen.
Lines of text glimmered faintly. His Evolution Threshold had increased slightly. But one line flashed brighter than the rest.
[Skills: 3]
Gray took a deep breath before expanding the screen.
[Skills: Severing Bloom (1), Frozen Veins (1) Disruption Field (1)]
'Dis—Disruption Field? When did I unlock this skill? It wasn't during the fight so that means...'
The only explanation was that he unlocked it when he has read the book back in the library.
He squinted his eyes and expanded the screen again.
[Type: Catalytic]
[Description: Uses a surge of volatile Vyre through the user's veins. Exploding and temporarily disrupting the flow of surrounding Vyre within a limited radius. Effects include the destabilization of Vyre formations, eradication of Vyre and enchantments.]
Gray lowered the interface, the corner of his mouth twitching.
'So that's what that was, makes sense. Also, seems this new wristband is more detailed and can show even the skill type, handy. But what is exactly is an enchantment and why did the book give me a skill?'
He flexed his hand, feeling faint tremors in his fingers. The air around him still shimmered with residual interference.
He should've felt proud. But all he could think about was the weight in his chest—the faint pull of something deeper.
He looked toward the Academy's darkened towers, where shadows crawled between the lights.
"Not yet," he whispered. "Can't rest yet."
And then, without looking back, Gray disappeared into the night.