[Academy – Underground Chamber]
Lohan stood before a chalkboard filled with arcane formulas, his coat dusted with magic chalk and ancient residue.
Winter sat cross-legged, notebook in hand. Kael leaned against the wall, arms crossed, clearly bored.
Lohan tapped the board.
"Today, we're starting with fundamental truths the Tower never teaches."
He drew three sigils—Fire, Mind, and Time.
"Magic isn't just power. It's memory. It's control."
Winter's eyes narrowed. "You mean… gods erased this?"
"No," Lohan replied, smirking. "I did. To keep it from them."
---
[System Alert – Teaching Sequence: Arcane Theory of Transcendence Initiated]
> [Winter – Learning Efficiency: 92%]
[Kael – Learning Efficiency: 54% (Distracted)]
[Hidden Trait Detected – 'Legacy of the Ardyn Lineage' in Winter Arclight]
[Compatibility Rising…]
Lohan paused.
He stared at Winter, a strange recognition in his eyes.
> "No wonder she's so damn talented…"
---
[Elsewhere – Justine's Inner Conflict]
Justine sat within a floating shrine, eyes closed, meditating.
Chains still bound her—but now, they were silent.
Her thoughts swirled.
> "He taught them again… Winter and Kael."
She remembered her days as his student—how he'd pushed her, shaped her, trusted her.
And how she betrayed him.
Her fingers clenched.
---
[Meanwhile – God-Sent Squad Approaches]
From the sky descended five cloaked figures—each a demigod-class assassin forged by divine decree.
> "Target: Hajun Ardyn. Kill on sight."
"Sub-Target: Winter Arclight. Capture or eliminate."
"Do not engage Justine if encountered."
The winds howled as they landed outside the academy, invisible to mortal detection.
The hunt had begun.
---
[Academy – Later That Night]
Lohan stepped outside the chamber, looking up at the stars.
The sigil in his palm burned faintly.
"They're coming," he whispered.
Winter stood beside him. "Then let them come."
Kael groaned in the background. "Can I at least finish my noodles first?"
Lohan chuckled for the first time in days.
The calm before the storm.
---