The day passed faster than expected.
Perhaps it was because everyone knew it was their last full day inside the academy before the expedition departed. Or perhaps it was because the atmosphere throughout the floating city had changed once again. The storm that had dominated the sky for nearly a week was finally retreating northward, leaving behind scattered clouds and cool winds that swept through the suspended districts. Sunlight occasionally pierced the heavens and painted sections of the academy in gold, only to vanish moments later behind drifting mist.
For the first time since the gate incident, the academy felt alive again.
Students filled the bridges.
Training grounds echoed with the sounds of combat.
The cafeterias overflowed with conversations.
Even the instructors seemed less tense than before.
Yet beneath that normalcy lingered something else.
Expectation.
The expedition had become the center of everyone's attention.
As Kael crossed one of the elevated bridges connecting the northern districts to the central sectors, he could feel countless eyes following him. Some students whispered among themselves. Others simply watched in silence. A few openly pointed before pretending they hadn't been staring at all.
Aren noticed immediately.
"This is your fault."
Kael glanced at him.
"My fault?"
"Obviously."
The boy gestured dramatically toward the students surrounding them.
"Look at them. Half the academy thinks you're some ancient chosen hero. The other half thinks you're secretly connected to the apocalypse."
Draven walked beside them with his usual calm expression.
"Technically both groups might be wrong."
"Might?"
"Hopefully."
"That isn't reassuring."
Lyra sighed softly.
"Nothing about this expedition is reassuring."
The conversation died briefly as they crossed another bridge suspended above the clouds. Below them, layers of mist drifted endlessly through open space while distant towers rose from the white sea like islands. The view remained breathtaking despite the years they had spent within the academy.
Aren suddenly stopped walking.
Everyone looked at him.
The boy narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Wait."
Nobody responded.
He pointed toward Kael.
"Have you noticed that every mysterious person we meet immediately starts talking to you?"
Kael frowned.
"What?"
"I'm serious."
Aren counted on his fingers.
"The Headmaster."
Another finger.
"General Caelan."
Another.
"The beast-human warrior."
Another.
"The weird silver-haired woman."
Another.
"The old archivist."
He folded his arms.
"Meanwhile nobody tells me anything."
Draven looked thoughtful.
"That may be intentional."
Aren looked personally attacked.
"What does that mean?"
"It means if someone wanted information to spread slowly, they probably wouldn't tell you first."
Lyra covered her mouth to hide a smile.
Even Kael almost laughed.
The boy stared at them in disbelief.
"You're all terrible friends."
"You'll survive."
"Emotionally? No."
The group continued walking through the academy while the afternoon sunlight gradually faded. Their destination lay near the western districts where one of the larger training arenas remained open despite the upcoming expedition.
Most of the selected students had gathered there.
The moment they arrived, Kael understood why.
The arena resembled a military camp.
Supply crates lined the outer walls. Instructors moved between groups of students reviewing equipment and discussing assignments. Several military officers stood near tactical maps while artificers inspected enchanted gear spread across long tables.
Preparation.
Real preparation.
Not academy exercises.
Not simulations.
The atmosphere felt completely different.
Selene stood near the center of the arena speaking with Elaris. The golden-eyed girl noticed their arrival almost immediately and crossed her arms.
"You took your time."
Aren looked offended.
"We were walking."
"You were talking."
"That's generally what happens while walking."
Selene ignored him.
A skill many people seemed to possess.
Elaris approached a moment later.
The silver-haired upper student appeared as calm as ever, though his expression grew slightly more serious when his gaze landed on Kael.
"I heard about the latest report."
So the news had spread already.
Kael nodded.
"The tracks around the monument."
Elaris remained silent for several seconds.
Then he asked quietly,
"What do you think they are?"
The question lingered.
Kael considered the answer.
"I don't know."
"Neither does the military."
That wasn't encouraging.
The upper student looked toward the northern horizon visible beyond the arena walls.
"Whatever gathered there wasn't present during the earlier reports."
The implication was obvious.
Something had changed recently.
Something significant.
Before the conversation could continue, another voice interrupted.
"I still think we're focusing on the wrong problem."
Everyone turned.
The speaker was Maerin.
The noble girl approached carrying several documents beneath one arm. Unlike most students, she looked completely comfortable surrounded by military officers and instructors.
Years of political education probably helped.
"What problem?" Lyra asked.
Maerin stopped beside them.
"The monument."
Aren blinked.
"The giant mysterious monument surrounded by disappearing expeditions?"
"Yes."
"That seems important."
"It is."
She handed one of the documents to Kael.
"But everyone keeps asking what the monument is."
Kael glanced down.
The report contained several sketches of ancient symbols.
Symbols that looked disturbingly familiar.
His expression darkened.
"The gate."
Maerin nodded.
"Exactly."
The group immediately became quiet.
The symbols matched those hidden beneath the academy.
Not perfectly.
But closely enough.
Maerin folded her arms.
"The real question isn't what the monument is."
A pause.
"It's who built it."
Nobody answered.
Because nobody had an answer.
The question itself felt dangerous.
Ancient civilizations were one thing.
Ancient civilizations capable of creating gates were something else entirely.
Aren stared at the sketches.
Then sighed dramatically.
"You know, there was a time when my biggest concern was passing examinations."
Draven looked toward him.
"You barely passed examinations."
"Exactly."
The boy pointed at the sketches.
"Now we're discussing whoever built reality-breaking monuments in frozen wastelands."
Nobody could argue with that.
The conversation continued as the afternoon slowly faded into evening. More students arrived throughout the arena. Some joined discussions regarding expedition logistics. Others focused on training. Several military instructors supervised combat exercises involving mixed teams from different divisions.
The academy was adapting.
Preparing.
Evolving.
And somehow that made the upcoming journey feel even more real.
Hours passed.
The sky gradually shifted from blue to gold and then from gold to crimson.
As sunset approached, the training finally ended.
Students began dispersing throughout the academy.
Some returned to dormitories.
Others headed toward dining halls.
A few continued preparing equipment despite the late hour.
Tomorrow they would leave.
That fact lingered in every conversation.
The group eventually found themselves walking through one of the quieter districts overlooking the western edge of the floating city. The setting sun painted the clouds beneath them in shades of orange and crimson while distant towers reflected the dying light.
For a while, nobody spoke.
The silence felt peaceful.
Rare.
Then Aren suddenly stopped.
Again.
Everyone immediately became suspicious.
"What now?"
The boy pointed toward the sunset.
For once, there was no joke.
No dramatic complaint.
No exaggerated reaction.
Only a strange smile.
"We're probably going to miss this."
The statement surprised everyone.
Even him.
The academy stretched endlessly before them.
The floating towers.
The bridges.
The clouds.
The familiar world they had spent years inhabiting.
Tomorrow, they would leave it behind.
Not forever.
But long enough for things to change.
Lyra looked toward the horizon.
"I know."
Draven nodded quietly.
"The frontier won't be like this."
"No," Elaris said from behind them.
The upper student had apparently followed the group without anyone noticing.
"The frontier won't."
The conversation faded again.
For several minutes, they simply stood there watching the sunset.
The moment felt strangely important.
Not because anything dramatic happened.
Because nothing happened.
No gates opened.
No ancient monsters appeared.
No mysterious warnings arrived.
It was simply a group of friends standing together on the last evening before their journey began.
Sometimes those moments mattered most.
As darkness gradually spread across the sky, academy lights began illuminating one district after another. Countless lanterns awakened throughout the floating city, transforming the towers into islands of gold suspended above a sea of shadow.
The academy looked beautiful at night.
Ancient.
Endless.
Alive.
Kael found himself wondering when he would see it again.
Then his gaze drifted north.
Toward the distant horizon.
Toward the storm that still lingered beyond sight.
Toward the monument waiting beneath endless snow.
The mark beneath his glove remained silent.
Yet deep inside, a strange certainty continued growing stronger.
Something awaited them in the frontier.
Not merely answers.
Not merely ruins.
Something far older.
Far more dangerous.
And somehow—
It already knew they were coming.