Night had fallen like a secret.
In the East Tower, silence had a texture.
Thick. Velvety. Almost conscious.
The mystical forest stretched beneath the window, black and silver. The trees whispered to one another, their leaves vibrating with ancient magic. The moon hung above the castle, bathing the stained glass in amethyst light.
In room 17, two breaths coexisted.
Zayn lay on his bed, arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling as if trying to read an invisible prophecy.
— This is insane… he murmured.
Yojuro sat upright, as before. Helmet still in place. Back straight. Heavy presence.
— What's insane? he asked calmly.
Zayn turned his head toward him.
— This morning I was a normal guy. Well, exceptionally stylish, but normal.
And now… a hidden magic castle in New York, Paladins, invisible city… It's too much for one day.
Silence.
The wind brushed against the window.
Yojuro observed the watch on Zayn's wrist.
It pulsed gently.
An almost organic glow.
— Your artifact, he said.
It doesn't sleep.
Zayn raised his arm and examined it.
The Guilthitree… Borealis.
The surface seemed calm. But beneath the glass, something was breathing.
— It does that sometimes, Zayn replied with a childlike smile.
It likes to get noticed.
Yojuro didn't smile.
— This isn't unstable energy.
It's… contained. As if something is waiting.
A subtle shiver ran through the room.
Zayn sat up.
— You talk like you know it.
Yojuro hesitated.
Then, slowly:
— I don't know this object.
But I know the things people lock away.
The silence grew denser.
Zayn narrowed his eyes.
— Your helmet.
Does it really limit you?
A heartbeat.
Yojuro placed a hand on the metallic surface. The fine inscriptions glowed faintly red.
— Yes.
— Could you take it off?
— Yes.
The wind stopped.
Even the forest seemed to hold its breath.
Zayn felt, without understanding why, that this answer weighed more than the entire castle.
He stood and approached the window.
— I have nothing to limit me, he said softly.
I found the Guilthitree in a temple. It was glowing. It called me.
I took it.
He shrugged.
— Maybe it chose me. Maybe not.
But I've never been afraid of it.
Yojuro finally turned fully toward him.
His red eyes weren't threatening.
They were tired.
— You should be.
Not as a threat.
As advice.
Zayn stayed silent for a moment.
Then, against all expectation, he burst into laughter.
— You know what?
If something this stylish wants to destroy me, we'll discuss it over coffee.
A very slight breath — almost a laugh — escaped Yojuro.
Tiny.
But real.
The distance between them had just broken.
Zayn sat back on the floor, leaning against Yojuro's bed.
— You know… I think I'm glad it's you as my roommate.
If I had to share my room with a guy who snores while summoning demons, it would've been complicated.
Silence.
Then:
— Me too, Yojuro replied.
Simple.
Without dramatic effect.
But sincere.
The Guilthitree pulsed stronger.
A bluish flash briefly crossed the room.
Yojuro stared.
— It reacts to emotions.
— Mine? Zayn asked.
— Yours…
Or mine.
Their eyes met.
Something invisible flowed between them.
Not a threat.
Not yet.
But recognition.
Two different forces.
One explosive.
The other contained.
The moon rose higher.
In the depths of the castle, runes illuminated for a fraction of a second.
As if the tower itself was watching.
Zayn lay on the floor, hands behind his head.
— Say, Yojuro…
If your helmet limits you…
He closed his eyes.
— Who were you before they decided you had to be limited?
The silence lingered.
Then, very softly:
— Someone I don't want to become again.
Zayn didn't insist.
For once.
The night enveloped them.
Two strangers a few hours ago.
Two opposing energies.
And between them…
An ancient artifact.
Glowing.
As if it had found something it wasn't looking for.
Or someone.
And in the shadow of Celestia's towers…
Something had truly awakened.
---
Dawn did not rise.
It seeped in.
A pale light slipped between the Academy's towers, flowing along the stained glass like a silent promise.
In the great outer courtyard, hundreds of students had gathered.
The ground was etched with immense runic circles.
The air vibrated with an almost electric tension.
Zayn yawned.
— They could've warned us that "magic academy" meant "military wake-up call."
Next to him, Eothe adjusted his gloves.
— Nervous?
Zayn stretched his shoulders.
— Me? Never.
At worst, I die in style.
Eothe smiled, but his eyes betrayed real focus.
In the center of the courtyard, a man stepped forward.
Tall. Straight silhouette. White cape trimmed with gold. A thin scar across his left eye.
His presence alone demanded silence.
— I am Paladin Kael Viremont.
His voice didn't shout.
It commanded.
— The entrance exam will begin.
A collective shiver ran through the ranks.
Kael raised his hand.
Behind him, space tore slowly.
Not a violent crack.
A controlled opening.
And beyond…
A forest.
Dense. Immense. Alive.
The trees were too tall.
Their trunks marked with blessed symbols.
A golden mist slithered between the roots.
— Fumetsu Forest, Kael declared.
Blessed zone.
Unstable zone.
A murmur.
— You will encounter creatures called Fumetsu Beasts.
They are sacred.
But they will make no distinction between weakness and courage.
The silence thickened.
— Your goal is simple.
Survive.
Reach the central beacon before sunset.
A pause.
— Those who fail… will be recovered.
If they are still conscious.
A nervous laugh somewhere.
It quickly died out.
Eothe placed a hand on Zayn's shoulder.
— Good luck.
Zayn turned.
Their eyes met.
For a second, nothing else existed.
— You too, he replied.
Then, softer:
— Don't die. I need a witness for my legend.
Eothe let out an amused breath.
Kael lowered his hand.
— The trial begins.
And the world exploded into motion.
---
They ran.
Hundreds of silhouettes surged toward the forest like a human wave.
The ground vibrated under their steps.
Zayn felt his heart race — not from fear.
From anticipation.
The air changed as he crossed the threshold.
Heavier.
Purer.
Light filtered through gold-and-shadow foliage.
Behind him, the screams of students echoed and dispersed.
Then—
A rumble.
Something moved in the mist.
A shape emerged.
Massive.
Four legs.
Body covered in white fur streaked with luminous lines.
Its eyes shone with a sacred light.
A Fumetsu Beast.
It did not roar.
It watched.
Like a judge.
Then it leapt.
A student on the left screamed, barely dodging.
Another stumbled.
Chaos fragmented.
Zayn dove to the side.
The creature landed where he had been a second ago, the ground shattering beneath its impact.
— Okay…
This is serious.
His watch pulsed.
Borealis vibrated against his skin.
Like shared excitement.
The beast turned its head toward him.
It stared.
No.
It stared at the Guilthitree.
A suspended moment.
Then a sacred roar split the air.
Around, other shadows moved.
The forest was not empty.
It teemed.
Students scattered in all directions.
Some climbed trees.
Others invoked minor techniques.
Some were already fleeing in panic.
Zayn slowly stood.
A smile stretched across his face.
— Good.
He cracked his neck.
— Let's see if I'm really made for this.
The beast charged.
The earth shook.
And in the heart of the blessed forest…
Fumetsu Forest was no longer merely blessed.
It had become a living nightmare.
Zayn pressed his watch. Borealis responded.
A brilliant light enveloped his body.
His skin cracked like molten rock,
colossal plates formed,
huge stone scales.
His eyes burned with inner fire.
— Roks…
he murmured, and his voice echoed like a mountain.
He leapt.
The Fumetsu monster advanced.
Massive. Sacred. Terrifying.
The clash was titanic.
Roks struck, his fists of living stone smashing the ground.
The monster howled in resonance that made the trees tremble.
Two points.
Two strikes.
Zayn had already scored victory.
But the calm was brief.
A piercing scream.
In the distance.
Human.
Vulnerable.
Zayn covered the distance in a single bound.
The golden glow of the mist was replaced by the redness of fear.
Students lay scattered, some still, others convulsing.
Blood stained the leaves.
Reality had shattered.
— Impossible…
Fumetsu Beasts never kill. They disappear before the worst.
And yet… there were no beasts.
Only Djinns.
Baraka.
Achille.
And countless others.
Their eyes glimmered with malice and ancient blood.
Eothe.
The blond.
He was there, wounded.
Zayn rushed, rage burning in his chest.
But Baraka had seen him.
Black snakes shot from his hand,
whipping through the air with deadly precision.
Zayn fell.
Roks shattered.
His metallic human body, his emmatic form, regained dominance:
a metal humanoid, cold-headed, steel-eyed.
He dodged the snakes.
Achille struck.
Sharp pain.
The transformation failed.
Borealis vibrated.
Aurora, the voice of the Guilthitree, rose:
— Flee… you cannot win.
Zayn shook his head.
— I do not flee.
Achille wounded him again.
Baraka seized him, slow and sure, ready to crush.
Then, a flash of light.
Yojuro.
A blinding intervention.
A white, calm figure, precise, cutting through the air with exact decisions.
— Zayn!
Together, they coordinated.
Strategy, coordination.
Students tried to flee.
Yojuro activated his helmet.
A sonic wave overwhelmed the Djinns.
Chaos turned to confusion.
But Eothe…
Eothe tried to escape,
but Achille struck.
A swift, precise blow.
Pierced his stomach.
Zayn leapt.
His hands trembled.
Eothe murmured, a faint smile:
— I… I'm… glad…
— No… no… stay…
And his eyes closed.
Eothe's last breath faded.
Zayn's world shattered.
Anger, pain, despair… all merged into a single roaring energy.
Yojuro struggled still.
Baraka forced him back.
Time seemed to suffocate.
Yojuro lost consciousness under the pressure.
Then… everything stopped.
The wind, the shadows, the Djinns… time frozen.
A silhouette appeared.
It was not Yojuro.
Yet it bore his features.
Dark eyes. Incandescent aura. A flaming clock floating behind him.
— I am Lucifer, he said.
— Your vessel… your host.
Yojuro opened his eyes.
His mind wavered.
A foreign, icy voice whispered:
— Let me take control.
After a moment, a silent agreement.
Lucifer laughed.
A cruel, ancient laugh, burning with amusement:
— Hahaha… All those centuries in Hell… so boring… I can finally have fun in this dimension.
Achille, naive, tried to attack from behind.
Lucifer obliterated him.
A fraction of a second.
A blast of pure energy.
Baraka, witnessing this power, recoiled, terrified.
Zayn stood frozen, eyes wide.
He had never felt such pressure, such an aura, a power… transcending everything he knew.
The forest was no longer merely blessed.
It had become a ground of judgment.
And at the center, a new god had risen.
---