5:30 AM.
The Private Sanctum of the Academy Headmaster.
After Humayun Kabir left, Headmaster Rasel Cheng stood frozen like a stone statue. A long, shuddering sigh tore from his chest.
"So... they really went through with it in the end."
He collapsed into his chair. The royal breakfast spread before him—aromatic rice, rich curry—seemed like ashes in his mouth. He had no appetite. His gaze was glued to the steel box sitting ominously at the corner of the table.
He let out a mocking laugh.
"There is no way Nuri could perform such a high-level dark ritual. This is someone else's work."
Outside the window, the sun was rising. The first light of dawn fell upon his face, highlighting the lines of terror etched there.
Rasel clasped his hands together and bowed his head.
"Lord Wuhan... please, show mercy. Grant me your strength. Save me from the clutches of these demons."
Then, his mind began to race. Why?
Why did Azgaar Ahmed make his move right now?
"Does he know? Does he know that our Cheng Clan has a secret, mystical connection with the Sun God Meng Wuhan?"
Immediately, he shook his head.
"Impossible! That cannot be. Only Miyoku and I know the secret ritual to borrow the Lord's power."
He thought hard but found no answer.
He opened his desk drawer and carefully pulled out a special sheet of paper.
First, he activated his 'Investigation Pret', scanning every inch of the room. Had Humayun left behind any spying spirits?
No. All safe.
He spread the paper on the table.
With a special pen, he drew a glaring, radiant sun in the center. Then, around the sun, he began to inscribe complex Chinese characters—ancient Mandarin script. The combination of the design and the secret mantras formed a complex geometric sigil.
At the very bottom of the paper, he wrote his question:
"Is it good for me to stay here?"
He pulled an inkpot from his pocket. As he opened the cork, a calming, enchanting fragrance filled the room.
Rasel looked at the ink inside. It was not a normal liquid; it was thick as honey. Within it floated countless golden particles, radiating a pure, holy aura.
Rasel murmured,
"The main ingredient of this 'Sun-Burn Divine Elixir' is the Golden Sunflower, found only on the peak of Mount Tai—the Sacred Mountain of the Rising Sun. Reaching that place is beyond the power of Azgaar or anyone else here."
He laughed a self-deprecating laugh. Even he only knew the recipe; he had never had the chance to verify its truth. He had found this elixir in the secret treasury of the Cheng Clan after becoming Headmaster.
"I had to spend 65,000 'Baowa' just to satisfy Miyoku and learn this ritual passed down from her ancestors. The knowledge of our forefathers is truly rare."
The thought of Miyoku brought her image to his mind. Her seductive charm, the fullness of her chest... in Rasel's eyes, her beauty was unmatched. He sighed deeply. Now was not the time for desire.
He dipped a special quill into the inkpot. Then, he traced over the design on the paper with the golden ink, overwriting it with divine power.
Finishing the inscription, he closed the inkpot and secured it in his pocket.
Then, he began the chant. His voice was filled with deep devotion and desperation.
"O Meng Wuhan—Lord of the Ascending Flame,
Warden of the Golden Peak,
Eternal Watchman of the Crimson Dawn,
Let the veil of falsehood turn to ash,
And grant me the vision to pierce the Truth."
He opened his eyes.
The paper began to glow. The elixir condensed into steam and rushed toward the bottom of the page where his question was written.
And in an instant—fire did not ignite, but the words burned.
No, not just the words.
WHOOSH!
The entire paper was incinerated into ash in the blink of an eye.
Rasel stared blankly. "Th... This..."
He could not believe his eyes.
According to the rules—if the answer was 'Yes' or auspicious, the characters would glow brightly.
If the answer was 'No' or ominous, the ink would burn into smoke and dissipate.
But neither letters nor ink remained. The entire paper had been reduced to nothingness!
This meant only one thing—DOOMSDAY.
His heart began to pound like a sledgehammer against his ribs.
"My end is here... No! No! I still have them. Didn't they say they would protect me if anything happened? I only executed their plan once, just for some money..."
He paused. A terrifying realization gripped him.
"To think... to think this is how my death was written."
He summoned a special Spirit from his 'Soul Realm'.
It was a 'Communication Spirit'.
It looked like a dark blue snail. Embedded in its shell were small, glowing gems. This spirit allowed communication with others, but each gem could be used only once. Thus, one had to carry multiple stones.
Rasel took out three stones. Each represented one of the leaders—Mansi Delal, Sukumar Talukdar, and Habib Biswas.
He activated the first stone.
Cling! Cling! Cling!
The signal went out.
No one answered. The stone turned black after use.
Rasel waited, breath held tight in his chest.
"Only two chances left..."
Second stone.
Cling! Cling! Cling!
Again, silence. The void mocked him.
Rasel screamed internally, "Damn those selfish demons! You are ignoring me? You made me the sacrificial lamb!"
Rage burned in his eyes. He didn't even attempt to use the third stone. He crushed it in his fist, grinding it to dust.
"Only 15 hours remain to catch the last launch from Ilisha..."
He looked out the window. In the distance, the sun was rising over the horizon, but to Rasel, that sun looked like a bloodthirsty monster. His expression darkened.
He threw a question into the void,
"Everything was planned from the start... wasn't it, Lord Meng Wuhan?"
✦✦✦
5:40 AM.
The Secret Research Room of Biswas Palace.
In this underground chamber, Habib Biswas and the others were gripped by a strange, erratic mood. Their behavior was unstable—sometimes they laughed for no reason, sometimes they sat expressionless, and sometimes they glared at each other with envy and suspicion.
Habib had already concluded several contracts with Mansi Delal and Monir Chaprashe. Now, his focus was on Sukumar Talukdar. He handed Sukumar a list of materials needed for his research.
"I need more raw materials, Sukumar," Habib's voice held a greedy edge. "20 kg of fresh meat from the Fire-Hoofed Mule from your farm, and 9 liters of blood. I know you have plenty in stock. Along with that, 54 eyeballs... and 8 tongues of Grey Donkeys."
Habib paused. His eyes gleamed.
"And if you can... send 5 to 6 living young women..."
Mansi Delal was dumbfounded. His jaw dropped.
"Already 23... he has taken 23 bodies through contracts with me and Monir. Now 5 or 6 more living women? What is he actually doing with all this?"
A cold shiver ran down Mansi's spine. He comforted himself, hiding a sigh.
"I supplied most of the bodies. A total of 13! If it were the me of the past, I would never have dreamed of such an act. But time changes a man."
The thought of his child crossed his mind.
"For my child... I have to do this. There is no room for failure here."
He looked at the others' faces. Everyone was doubtful of Habib's plan. First, he wanted corpses, then living humans, then women, now specifically young women!
Sukumar Talukdar wanted to shout—'If you need partners for your bed, why not just say so?
But no one spoke.
Monir Chaprashe was observing everyone with a deep gaze. His demeanor suggested he was waiting for a specific event. Or perhaps, he was preparing to do something himself.
Suddenly—
Cling! Cling! Cling!
One of the dark blue snails on the table rang out. The gems on its shell glowed with a signal.
The silence in the room shattered. Everyone stared at the snail with mixed emotions. Habib stopped his bargaining. He, too, had been waiting for this main event.
"It seems... he has made his move," Habib Biswas understood the situation instantly.
Suddenly, beads of sweat began to form on Mansi Delal's forehead. Pretending to have no fear was becoming difficult. Or rather, his acting wasn't perfect.
He mumbled, "That means Azgaar wanted to meet him. But... do they have any proof?"
The elderly Sukumar Talukdar said grimly, "Does he even need proof? He can create it himself, can't he?"
The others fell silent. It wasn't hard to imagine the terrible fate awaiting them if they failed to make the right decision at the right time.
They feared a monster like Azgaar like death itself, but at the same time, they relied on their own secret trump cards.
Another snail rang.
Cling! Cling! Cling!
Again, no one received it. They looked at each other. They sighed. No one was going to save Rasel Cheng.
"It seems Azgaar wants to meet Rasel tonight..." Habib said.
Monir chuckled softly. A strange laugh.
"Humayun has already played his move. I am certain he gave Rasel something that is undeniable proof against us. Perhaps we should finish Rasel first."
Everyone looked at Monir. This man spoke little, but when he did, he could make everyone happy or furious in seconds.
"I agree with Monir," Sukumar said in a heavy voice. "We don't know what the future holds, but if we let Rasel live, he will drag us down too."
He cleared his throat. "Since the matter involves his son... Azgaar won't let us off easily."
Mansi said in a fearful voice, "Does that mean... this was Azgaar's plan from the very beginning?"
Monir looked into Mansi's eyes and uttered a single word,
"Yes."
That gaze from Monir sent tremors through Mansi's chest. But he quickly hid his fear behind a smile.
Habib Biswas asked in a deep voice,
"Then... who leaked our internal information? Who is the spy?"
Everyone exchanged meaningful glances. But there was no way to suspect anyone. None of them were foolish enough to betray this alliance. The profit potential here was too immense to throw away.
But Monir Chaprashee... he was smiling brightly. A smile never seen on his face before.
Everyone thought—'Did Monir leak the info? Or why is he acting so strange all of a sudden?'
Monir extended his right hand.
Suddenly, a lump of dark smoke condensed on his palm. With a gust of wind, a creature emerged from his 'Soul Realm'.
It looked like a cat-like Spirit.
At that exact moment—a cold wave of terror washed down the spines of the others.
"Rank 3 Aura! How is this possible?"