Night fell heavy across the makeshift camp. The air carried the acrid scent of burnt feathers and blood, a grim reminder of the battle none of them could explain.
The students sat in scattered clusters around small fires, voices hushed. No one laughed. No one dared raise their tone above a whisper.
"It couldn't have been Jorin," one boy muttered, his face pale in the firelight. "Even he can't take down twenty skybeasts alone."
"Then who?" a girl asked, hugging her knees tight. "I saw something move in the dust, but… it wasn't human. It was too fast."
"It was the storm," another insisted, though his voice shook. "The storm killed them. Nothing else."
Bren sat apart from the rest, arms crossed, his expression dark. "You're all imagining things. Jorin fought, Jorin won. That's it." But the crack in his voice betrayed him.
Feyla stared into the flames, silent. Her hands curled into fists against her knees. She had seen something. Not clearly, not enough to understand, but enough to know Bren was lying. Her eyes drifted toward the medical tent where Kael lay unconscious. Her chest tightened.
None of them dared say it aloud, but the same thought lingered on every tongue.
What if it was him?
---
Inside the tent, Kael stirred.
Darkness folded away, replaced by the familiar void of the shadow realm. Nathan stood waiting, arms crossed, eyes glowing with a quiet pride.
"You fought," Nathan said evenly, voice echoing as if the shadows themselves carried his words. "Not because I told you to. Not because you planned it. You moved without thought. Instinct. That's the mark of a warrior."
Kael blinked, his head still pounding. "But… I don't remember all of it. I just—"
"You weren't ready," Nathan interrupted, stepping closer. "Your body can't yet handle the power you called on. That's why I pushed it for you. I refused to let you die. You did good, Kael. Better than good."
Kael swallowed hard, confusion warring with a flicker of pride. "So… I really… killed them?"
"You saved them," Nathan corrected, his tone sharp. "Don't waste energy worrying about the rest. Power is not about glory—it's about survival."
Before Kael could respond, a sudden flash of crimson light swept across the shadow realm.
[ LEVEL UP! ]
[ LEVEL UP! ]
[ LEVEL UP! ]
The words carved themselves into the air, one after another, until the darkness pulsed with their glow.
Kael stumbled back as the shadowy screen reshaped itself before his eyes.
Name: Kael
Level: 10
Ability: Nether Code – Shadow Blade (100%)
New Perk: Shadow Step (Basic Mastery)
His breath caught in his throat. Level 10.
Nathan's smile was thin, edged with something dangerous. "Good. Now the real training begins."