The academy was silent.
Not the peaceful silence of dawn, but the uneasy silence left after disaster. The shattered courtyard had been sealed off with glowing barriers, while teachers and healers rushed between injured students. No one spoke Eiryn's name loudly anymore. They whispered it.
"The Veilbreaker..."
"The boy who erased that monster..."
"Was that really magic?"
Eiryn walked through the empty corridor with Jay beside him. His expression was as calm as ever, but his mind was anything but peaceful. The memories from the battle came and went like broken dreams.
A burning sky.
A silver-haired girl crying.
A voice saying...
"Choose."
Jay glanced at him. "Bro... you've been quiet since yesterday."
"I'm thinking."
"Thinking usually means trouble follows."
For the first time that day, Eiryn smiled faintly.
"You worry too much."
"Of course I do! Every time you're calm, a building explodes."
Before Eiryn could answer, the academy bell rang three times.
Dong... Dong... Dong...
Students immediately stopped walking.
Three bells.
An emergency assembly.
Inside the Grand Hall, thousands of students gathered beneath a ceiling painted with ancient constellations. At the front stood Dean Arvyn, his face unusually serious.
"Our academy has suffered an attack unlike anything in its history."
The hall became silent.
"The creatures that invaded yesterday were not ordinary monsters. They came from beyond the Veil."
Gasps spread through the crowd.
"The academy will remain under lockdown until further notice."
Students began whispering nervously.
Then the dean continued.
"And from today onward... a special investigation unit will remain inside the academy."
The giant doors opened.
Five figures entered wearing black cloaks marked with a silver eye.
Their presence alone made the air feel heavy.
Jay leaned toward Eiryn.
"They look like they haven't smiled since birth."
One of the cloaked figures suddenly turned toward Jay.
Jay immediately looked away.
"I was joking..."
The leader stepped forward.
"My name is Commander Kael."
His sharp eyes scanned every student before stopping on Eiryn.
Only for a second.
Then he looked away.
But Eiryn noticed.
"So..." Eiryn thought.
"They're here because of me."
After the assembly ended, students slowly returned to their classes.
Jay stretched his arms.
"I don't know about you, but I vote we skip school forever."
Rei appeared from the hallway.
"Too late."
Jay jumped.
"Can you PLEASE stop appearing like a ghost?"
"I walked here."
"No, you teleported dramatically."
Ignoring him, Rei looked directly at Eiryn.
"They're watching you."
"I know."
"The Silver Eye Order never moves without reason."
Jay frowned.
"Silver Eye Order?"
Rei nodded.
"They investigate forbidden powers."
Jay slowly turned toward Eiryn.
"...Bro."
Eiryn sighed.
"I know."
Far beneath the academy...
In a chamber untouched by time...
A massive stone door trembled.
Chains covered every inch of its surface.
Ancient runes glowed one after another.
Then...
A deep voice echoed from behind the door.
"So..."
"It has begun."
The chains shook violently.
A single crack appeared across the stone.
Outside the chamber, dozens of hooded guardians immediately knelt.
One of them spoke with fear.
"My Lord... please remain sealed."
A low laugh answered him.
"You cannot stop destiny."
The crack widened.
Far away...
Eiryn suddenly stopped walking.
His chest tightened.
He looked toward the mountains beyond the academy walls.
Someone...
Or something...
Had just awakened.
Commander Kael stood alone on the highest tower.
A soldier approached.
"Sir."
Kael never looked away from the horizon.
"Did you confirm it?"
"Yes."
The soldier swallowed nervously.
"The energy matches the ancient records."
Kael closed his eyes.
"So the prophecy was true."
He looked toward Eiryn, who was walking across the courtyard below.
"The Veilbreaker has returned."
Eiryn suddenly felt cold.
Without knowing why...
He looked up.
For a brief moment...
He saw a single silver thread stretching across the sky.
Watching him.
Then it disappeared.
The calm in his heart vanished.
And somewhere deep within the darkness...
Something smiled.