A small victory on the Training Field hadn't changed their standing in the academy. The next morning, whispers still followed Class F's steps down the stone corridors of Ironcrest like shadows that could not be shaken. Students from Classes B and C glanced at them with a mix of curiosity and subtle mockery; Class A didn't even bother to look. Status didn't change simply because three magic constructs had been destroyed faster than expected. On the weekly leaderboard displayed in the main hall, their names remained at the very bottom.
Mira read the board with an expressionless face.
"Not moving up at all."
Kael leaned against a stone pillar, his ears twitching slightly.
"Because it's just internal practice. It doesn't count."
Dax clenched his fists.
"Then let's make something that does count."
Rian stood slightly apart—not because he wanted to distance himself, but because observing was easier from the edge. The main hall of Ironcrest shimmered faintly with streams of aura visible only to him—different colors, different rhythms. He was beginning to realize that being an Observer wasn't just about seeing physical movements. He saw imbalances. Pressures. Tensions on the verge of bursting.
And that morning, the tension felt heavier than usual.
The great doors of the hall burst open with the thud of thick wood. An academy guard rushed in, breath unsteady. Several instructors standing along the sides immediately moved.
Instructor Varren appeared on the upper steps, striding quickly.
"What's happening?"
"A small crack in the eastern sector. Two kilometers from the outer wall. Low-level monsters have appeared."
The hall changed instantly—not panicked, but tense. Senior students began moving toward the preparation area.
Varren looked over the crowd.
"Classes B and C, prepare for containment missions. Class A, standby as core unit."
Mira hissed softly.
"Of course."
Class F wasn't mentioned.
Rian felt a stab at the back of his mind. That word. Crack.
He looked up, instinct surfacing unconsciously.
Not visible from here. But he could feel it.
Instructor Varren glanced briefly toward them.
"Class F stays inside the academy. Do not move without orders."
Kael smirked.
"Sounds like we're kids."
"Because you're not ready yet."
Varren left without waiting for protest.
Silence hung for a few seconds.
Mira broke it.
"We're going."
Dax nodded immediately.
"We can't keep being considered a burden."
Lyra hesitated.
"But the order was clear…"
Kael shrugged.
"A small crack means small monsters. We won't die."
Rian didn't speak immediately. He felt that pressure again—subtle, almost imperceptible, like a faint vibration beneath the skin of the world. A "small crack" shouldn't feel this strong.
"It's not small."
They turned to him.
"What?"
Rian furrowed his brow slightly.
"Something's wrong."
Mira crossed her arms.
"You can see it from here?"
"No."
"Then?"
Rian drew a breath.
"The pattern is different."
Kael exhaled.
"The pattern again."
Dax stared at Rian more seriously.
"Let's check it. If it's strange, we report it."
Mira smiled faintly.
"If it's nothing, we get bonus points."
The decision was made without formal announcement. Five people who had been a team for less than a week moved toward Ironcrest's side gate with steps uncertain, yet not retreating.
The air outside the walls was colder. The land wilder. Trees grew dense, like nature's guardians that disliked humans. From a distance, the clashing of metal could be heard—Class B had already begun fighting.
As they approached the eastern sector, Rian felt the pressure increase. Not just monster aura. Not just magic.
Something like… a pull.
They reached the edge of a small hill and saw it.
The crack wasn't large. Just a gap in the air about two meters high, faintly shimmering like fractured glass revealing darkness beyond. From it, small, dark-skinned, red-eyed creatures crawled out one by one.
Class B held them off fairly well.
But that wasn't what made Rian's heart tighten.
Above the small crack—almost invisible—was another line. Thinner. Higher. Like the shadow of a crack not yet fully opened.
"Dax."
His voice sharper than usual.
"Look at the top."
Dax squinted.
"I don't see anything."
"Because it hasn't opened yet."
Mira rotated a fireball in her hand.
"Explain, quickly."
Rian swallowed.
"It's not one crack. It's two. The second… is growing."
As if answering his words, the air above the first gap vibrated. Subtle. But enough to make nearby leaves rustle without wind.
Kael stopped smiling.
"That wasn't in the report."
Lyra gripped her staff tighter.
"Do we call the instructors?"
Rian stared at the crack without blinking.
"Too late."
A shattering sound like enormous glass echoed in the air.
The second crack opened.
And from within, something far larger began to push out.
Class B hadn't noticed yet.
Not yet.
Mira whispered softly, almost inaudibly.
"We're in trouble."
Rian didn't look away.
Not this time.
Because for the first time since arriving in this world, the crack felt… familiar.
Like something that knew him.
And perhaps—
Was waiting for him.