When the Music Fell Silent
When the music faded,
the hall was fully illuminated.
The crystal lights hanging from the ceiling reflected softly off the polished floor, while the melody flowed at a steady pace—not loud, not quiet—just enough to remind everyone that this night was different from any other day at the academy.
First-year students were scattered across the hall. Some were dancing, others laughing, and a few simply sat back to observe.
No tension.
No caution.
No sense of danger.
Just a party.
Nothing more.
I stood beside Charlotte, silently watching the room.
Everything was… normal.
—
Then it happened.
The explosion came without warning.
There was no alarm.
No surge of mana preceding it.
Just—
A deafening roar.
The front wall of the hall shattered in a single instant, as if struck by an invisible fist from the outside. Glass, stone, and magical barriers collapsed all at once.
Air rushed violently inside.
Students were thrown to the ground. Others slammed into walls or tables. The music died instantly, replaced by screams.
"What the—?!"
"An attack?!"
"That's impossible… this is the academy!"
I didn't move immediately.
Not because I froze—but because my mind was racing to catch up.
Dust filled the hall, but within seconds, shapes began to emerge through it.
People.
Dressed entirely in black.
Masks that revealed no features.
They moved with calm, deliberate steps, as if entering a battlefield they already knew well.
At the front stood three figures.
Even before their forms became clear, I knew they were different.
These weren't ordinary soldiers.
The one in the center stood calmly, posture straight. He didn't raise a weapon. He didn't bother scanning the room. His mere presence was enough to make the others position themselves behind him.
To his right was someone who moved too much—head tilted slightly, as though the entire scene amused him.
To his left stood a silent shadow, broad-shouldered, completely still.
I stood there, unmoving.
Not because I was afraid—
but because I couldn't believe it.
Then I saw it.
The symbol.
A symbol I could never forget.
The one I had spent countless hours designing in my previous life.
An open black hand.
And in its center… a closed eye.
My fists clenched unconsciously.
"…The Silent Hand," I muttered through clenched teeth.
I hadn't meant to say it out loud.
But the hall had gone silent.
The name spread like a spark through dry grass.
"The Silent Hand?"
"Is that real?"
"The organization ranked among the three most dangerous…?"
Panic doubled.
Some students screamed. Others tried to flee—but the exits had already been sealed. The black-clad soldiers moved swiftly, cutting off paths, forcing students apart.
Leander was staring at me.
"Nyx…" he said quietly. "Are these really…?"
"There's no doubt," I replied.
Charlotte, Naira, and Oriana heard it too. None of them spoke, but the shock was written clearly on their faces.
The leader in the center took a single step forward.
"Oh?" he said calmly. "It seems someone among you recognizes us."
I didn't respond.
My mind was overflowing.
The Silent Hand?
This made no sense.
In the novel… this wasn't the timing.
The attack was supposed to happen during the midterm exams. Weeks from now.
Not here.
Not tonight.
Why?
Why now?
A chill crept down my spine.
Was this… because of me?
Did my interference change the timeline?
Did my presence accelerate the events?
"Damn it…"
I tried to assess their strength.
I failed.
The three at the front… I couldn't read them at all. No visible mana flow. No measurable pressure. Yet my instincts were screaming.
They were at least high B-rank.
Possibly… A-rank.
The others spreading through the hall were weaker—E, D, a few C-ranks.
But their numbers…
One of the leaders turned slightly toward his men.
"You remember the plan, don't you?"
"Yes," the soldiers replied in unison.
"Then… begin."
They moved.
Not chaotically.
But with precision.
One soldier grabbed a student attempting to escape and struck him without hesitation. Another slammed a girl to the ground before she could even scream. This wasn't random slaughter… it was control.
But blood still spilled.
A scream tore through the hall.
Then another.
Something inside me cracked.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Not here.
Not tonight.
I looked at Leander.
At Charlotte.
At Oriana and Naira.
Then at the students who had no chance to defend themselves.
"Listen to me," I said sharply, my voice low. "Don't separate."
"Nyx—" Charlotte began.
"Not now."
The central leader turned his gaze toward us.
He wasn't looking at me alone.
He was looking at the group.
"Interesting," he said. "It seems the gems truly are here tonight."
I felt his gaze pass over me… then stop.
He smiled.
A faint smile, barely visible beneath the mask.
"That makes things… easier."
In that moment, I understood something with terrifying clarity.
This attack wasn't random.
It wasn't a test.
It was a harvest.
And the academy's students… were the crop.
I slowly raised my sword.
For the first time since entering this hall, every trace of the party vanished.
There was no music.
No laughter.
No hesitation.
Only one truth remained:
The Silent Hand had entered the academy.
And tonight…
would not end quietly.
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