Kaelith and Rose moved through the forest at a steady pace, the sound of rustling leaves and distant calls of mana beasts filling the air. It was supposed to be a simple close-notation mission—observe, record, and return. But the sharp smell of blood led them off the intended trail.
They found the source a minute later.
Four students from the second group knelt in the dirt, their uniforms torn and smeared with blood. One clutched his shoulder, another pressed both hands over a deep gash in his thigh. The other two hovered nearby, panic in their eyes.
Rose stepped forward instantly. "You're hurt—"
"Don't," Kaelith interrupted, his voice calm but edged. He crouched beside the nearest student, his dark eyes sweeping over the wound. For a moment, it looked like he might turn away… but then the faint shimmer of crimson began to gather in his palms.
Rose blinked. Blood affinity.
Thin threads of glowing scarlet seeped from Kaelith's hands, weaving over the gashes like stitching, sealing torn flesh without leaving so much as a scar. The injured student exhaled shakily, his pain ebbing.
"You're… helping us?" one of them asked, disbelief lacing his tone.
Kaelith didn't look up. "I'm stopping you from bleeding out. That's all."
Rose shot him a small, knowing smile but said nothing.
Once their breathing had steadied, one of the students—the one with the shoulder wound—spoke quickly, still shaken. "We… we tracked two D-ranks. Thought we could handle them. They weren't even that big." He swallowed. "But when we killed them, their blood—it wasn't red. It was black. Like tar."
Rose's expression tightened. "And?"
The student glanced away, almost ashamed. "When the blood touched the ground… it hissed. Like it was burning through the soil."
Kaelith's hands paused mid-motion. His gaze flicked toward the forest, scanning the shadows. "Show me where."
The injured students hesitated, but Kaelith's tone left no room for argument. They led him and Rose back through the undergrowth, careful to avoid the thicker bramble patches.
It wasn't long before the stench hit them—thick, metallic, and wrong.
The clearing ahead was littered with the bodies of two D-rank beasts. They weren't just dead; they looked withered, their muscles caved in as though something had eaten them from the inside. Pools of viscous black blood seeped into the soil, smoking faintly as it made contact.
Rose took a step back, covering her mouth. "Gods…"
Kaelith crouched, eyes narrowing. He reached out, letting a single droplet hover above his palm, suspended by his affinity. It swirled sluggishly, heavier than normal blood.
His pupils constricted. "This isn't just corrupted mana…" His voice was low, cold. "It's condensed. Almost like someone forced mana into a single, unstable state."
The droplet in his palm pulsed—like a heartbeat—and Kaelith instantly flung it away. It struck the ground with a wet snap, burning a hole through the dirt.
"That's not natural," he muttered. "Someone made this."
Rose glanced toward the treeline. The forest suddenly seemed darker, heavier, as if every shadow hid something watching them. "Kaelith… whatever this is, it's connected to the other sightings."
Kaelith didn't reply. He was already scanning the perimeter, every muscle taut. The way his gaze shifted, calculating distances, made it clear—he was preparing for the possibility that whatever created this wasn't far.
____________________________________
The moment the camp came into sight, the main cast broke into a run.
Ruby was the first to burst through the treeline, boots skidding on the dirt as she scanned for Irene. "Irene!" she called out, her voice sharper than usual. "We—something's wrong."
Lucas and Aria arrived seconds later, breathing hard. Lucas's usual grin was gone, replaced by tight urgency. "It's not just beasts. They're… they're not acting normal," he said, trying to catch his breath. Aria just nodded quickly, her gaze flicking between Irene and the darkness beyond the camp.
Kaelith emerged next, Rose close behind him. His eyes were narrowed, voice low but urgent. "Injured students. Blood that didn't feel right. Mana… dense, corrupted." He didn't waste words—just enough for Irene to grasp the danger.
Marcus came in from the west, his gloves still faintly stained black. "Eyes burst. Blood like tar. Even the weaker beasts weren't moving like themselves," he said grimly. Ruby flinched, recalling the stench again.
Eren and Ryan stumbled in last, both panting. Ryan's hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, his voice stumbling over itself. "We—we killed six… E-ranks. But—" he swallowed hard, "their bodies… they didn't rot normal. The smell—"
"It's the same," Eren cut in, his tone steadier but just as tense. "Whatever's happening, it's spreading."
One after another, their voices piled up—different accounts, same threads. Controlled movements. Eyes darkening at the sight of blood. Black blood pooling in unnatural amounts.
Other students came, some injured while other's had their uniforms soaked.
Irene didn't move for several seconds, letting the words sink in. Her gaze swept over each of them, calculating, then she looked toward the forest. The A-rank guards were already tightening their patrols.
"Stay in the light," she said quietly. "And if you see anything… anything that feels wrong—don't engage. Call for me."
But the students could tell from her eyes—she already knew this wasn't going to stay outside the camp for long.