The hidden, dust-laden corridors of Veridia Academy felt even colder to Junior Kaito than the abyss he had just escaped.
Here, the air didn't smell like rotting souls; it smelled like centuries of stagnant magic and forgotten textbooks. But the chill in Junior's bones wasn't from the temperature. It was the lingering memory of the Demon King Anos's red eyes, a horrifying image burned into the back of his eyelids.
"Natural. Right. Act natural," Junior whispered, his breath hitching. "Leo, I just teleported through a crack in reality and met a literal god of death. How am I supposed to act 'natural'?"
Leo Vance, a mischievous flicker of orange flame, floated lazily beside him. He looked like he didn't have a care in the world, though his flames occasionally pulsed with a sharp, warning white. "Easy, Monarch. You're just a lost Bronze-ranked student with a bad sense of direction. It happens to the best of us. Just don't start glowing again, or we're both toast."
Junior's head throbbed with a rhythmic, dull ache. He clutched his singed Veridia uniform, his knuckles white against the blue fabric. His kindness—his innate desire to not cause trouble—was warring with a primal, bone-deep fear. He thought about the classroom. He thought about Professor Eldrin being thrown against the board.
I did that, he realized, a sick feeling rising in his stomach. I'm the monster Alex said I was.
Suddenly, the heavy silence was shattered. Footsteps echoed from the end of the hall, accompanied by the low, electrical hum of a detection spell. Junior's heart hammered against his ribs. He instinctively ducked behind a stack of massive, leather-bound magical tomes, pulling the complaining Leo into the shadows with him.
A beam of amber light cut through the gloom. Sakura Hoshino rounded the corner, her face a mask of grim determination. Behind her, two Emberguard recruits followed, their hands on the hilts of their suppression blades.
"The residual energy is strongest here," Sakura murmured, her voice tight with focus. She raised her device, and the amber glow intensified, casting long, skeletal shadows against the walls. "It's not just a lingering scent. It's an echo of the original breach. This is where the tunnel collapsed."
As they passed his hiding spot, Junior felt a strange, magnetic pull toward the woman. It wasn't fear. It was a deeper, more profound resonance—as if the Aether inside him recognized the raw, disciplined power she carried. For a second, he almost wanted to step out and ask for help. Then he remembered the "Containment" orders he'd heard earlier. He swallowed hard, pressing his back against the cold stone until they were gone.
While Junior hid in the dark, the main common room of Veridia Academy had become a pressure cooker of anxiety.
Usually, this room was filled with the sounds of laughter and the occasional "accidental" levitation spell. Now, it was a scene of hushed containment. News of the ruined classroom had spread like a plague, fueled by rumors of a rogue mage or a demonic terror attack.
Student Council President Olivia moved among the groups like a calm beacon in a storm. Her posture was unwavering, and her Platinum-ranked aura radiated a soft, soothing light.
"The Academy remains secure," she told a group of sobbing freshmen. "Director Kaido is personally overseeing the investigation. We are simply taking precautions. Return to your studies."
Despite her calm words, Olivia's eyes kept flickering toward the closed-off East Wing. She could still feel the "after-image" of that explosion. It didn't feel like a rogue mage. It felt like the world had simply... cracked.
Jason Makuto wasn't buying the "all is well" act. His Silver-ranked earth mana was vibrating with restless energy, making the floor tiles beneath his feet hum. Jada Hamochu sat beside him, her wind magic stirring the air in faint, anxious currents.
"He'll be okay, Jason," Jada whispered, though her voice lacked its usual confidence. "Junior's tough. He probably just got knocked out and sent to the infirmary."
"Then why won't they let us see him?" Jason snapped. "They're hiding something, Jada. Junior didn't just fail a spell. He vanished."
Jenny Sakura sat in a corner with Abi Magochu, her light-blue uniform looking dull under the dim emergency lights. "I just can't shake it," Jenny whispered, her fingers twisting the fabric of her skirt. "That power... it was so pure. It couldn't have been Junior, could it? He's Bronze-ranked. He can barely light a candle without sneezing."
Abi, her scrying magic giving her a deeper, more terrifying insight, frowned. "The energy signature originated from him, Jenny. I felt it. But it was... too big. It was like something massive moved through him, using his body like a straw. And that thing... it's still in the building."
Junior, following Leo's silent directions, navigated the forgotten maintenance tunnels. He could hear the muffled sounds of Academy life above him—the ringing bells, the shouting guards—a stark contrast to the ethereal silence of the basement.
He found a narrow staircase and began to ascend, desperate for a way out. He pushed open a heavy, rusted door, expecting to find a hallway. Instead, he emerged into a dimly lit storage closet.
He stepped out, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the brighter light of a student corridor. He took one step, then froze.
Standing directly in front of him, examining a magical conduit with a detached, cold air, was Director Kaido.
The Director slowly turned. His eyes, usually enigmatic and distant, now held an intensity that made Junior feel like he was being dissected under a microscope. Junior's blood ran cold. The "Bronze Student" mask was useless here.
"Junior Kaito," Kaido's voice was calm, but it resonated through the walls. "An unprecedented event occurred in Eldrin's class. The magical signature... it was extraordinary. And it led directly to this spot. Explain yourself."
Junior's mind raced. He was a terrible liar. His kindness and his guilt were written all over his face. "I... I don't know, sir! There was a flash... I felt weird... and then I just ended up in the basement! I don't know what happened!"
Kaido didn't move. He didn't yell. He simply reached out a hand. Junior flinched, expecting a strike, but Kaido's fingertips only gently brushed Junior's forearm.
In that moment, Kaido's eyes widened. For a split second, he saw it—the chaotic echo of all five elements, the multi-colored veins of Aether, and a spiritual resonance that felt like it belonged to a god. He didn't know the term "Grandmaster-level" applied to a fifteen-year-old, but he knew he was looking at something world-altering.
"Director!"
Sakura Hoshino and her team rounded the corner, their detection devices screaming in a high-pitched, pulsing amber. She saw Junior, then Kaido, and her hand moved to the hilt of her blade before she caught herself.
"The anomaly is contained," Sakura said, her voice firm. "It's him. The signatures match perfectly."
Kaido nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving Junior's terrified brown eyes. "Indeed, Sakura. The Monarch has returned. But he is a storm without a rudder. He is a danger to everyone in this Academy—and a much larger threat has already felt his presence."
Junior stood trapped between the two most powerful people he had ever met. The weight of his destiny was no longer a theory. It was a crushing, invisible force that felt like it was about to bury him alive.
"Am I... in trouble?" Junior whispered.
Kaido's expression didn't soften. "Junior, 'trouble' doesn't even begin to describe the war you just started."