The academy looked the same.
But it wasn't.
The spires rose proud and polished, students bustled in uniform, and bells rang for classes—but an undercurrent of unease rippled beneath the surface. The air smelled faintly of incense, but it couldn't mask the stench of fear.
Eyes darted too quickly. Conversations dropped to murmurs when authority passed. And the banners now bore Vaelrick's sigil: a coiled serpent strangling a sun.
Brent stood in the shadow of a clocktower, his hood low, his armor disguised as rough traveler's leather. Beside him, Rae walked like a noble's daughter—cloak lined in thorns, staff hidden within the folds.
To get in, they'd had to earn their return.
Flashback: Three Nights Prior
The two stood before the Ironcrest border, where guards questioned all who approached. Rae's flamefused blood and Brent's system-charged aura had masked their identities—barely.
A forged letter. A name on a transfer roster. Just enough illusion magic. A few subtle words whispered to the right ears. One favor pulled from an old merchant Rae saved as a child.
The guard captain had peered down at Brent suspiciously.
"What's your name again?"
Brent looked up, voice calm.
"Alaric Dawnfell. My sister and I seek entry as new combat transfers. Specialized in field support and light manipulation."
He smiled just enough to not show teeth.
The lie passed.
Now
Their dorm was small—top floor of a forgotten wing no longer assigned to first-years. Dust coated the sills. The other rooms were "empty." Supposedly.
But Brent's system picked up faint heartbeat echoesin the walls.
Spies.
System Notice:
Cloak of Dusk engaged. Active illusion masking spiritual signature. Trace-level Light aura suppressed.
Passive Skill Activated: "Hunter's Vigil"
Enemy tracking range reduced by 80%. Can detect high-rank surveillance spells or wards.
"Eyes on us already," Rae whispered as she scanned the room.
Brent nodded. "Let them watch. They'll think we're just more pawns."
The real goal wasn't to survive.
It was to expose the rot.
Secret Resistance Within the School
That night, as Brent moved through the abandoned records wing, a scrap of enchanted paper fell from a hidden shelf.
It bore a mark: a white sun cracked in half.
Beneath it—seven names, crossed out.
Except one.
"Seer of the Hollow Garden – Still Watching."
He followed the symbol for days, through hallways no longer on the maps, old professors who spoke in riddles, and flickering illusions that vanished when touched.
Until, finally, a door opened for him.
And behind it: a boy with no eyes, sitting among dead vines, murmuring to himself.
"You're the twilight one… You're the key."
Kalen's Rise – and His Rage
That same night
Kalen stood before the upper students in the ceremonial atrium, leading combat drills with flair. His new arm shimmered silver with dark veins.
"They say the Gate will open soon," he shouted. "And we will stand as its first chosen!"
He grinned—vain, poisonous.
But behind his smile: fear.
He felt it.
Brent was alive.
And he hated that he couldn't prove it.
He beat one of the new recruits to a pulp that night, screaming Brent's name in private.
Rae's Memories Resurface
In a dream-walk under the Thorn Tree within the forest dormitory, Rae's pact awakened a vision.
She saw herself as a child.
Being taken.
She was taken to a chamber beneath the academy.
To the original gate.
And behind it… a face.
The true enemy wasn't Vaelrick. He was only a puppet.
There was another.
Something older, sealed, and furious that Brent and Rae existed at all.
A being of both origin and oblivion.
And Rae heard its name.
"Aeltherun, the Starved Flame."
Back in the waking world, Brent sat in the shadow of the tower, Rae at his side, watching students pass.
They were inside the lion's den now.
And Brent's system buzzed with quiet urgency.
Quest Unlocked: "Break the Mask"
Objective: Infiltrate the core administration of the academy
Subtasks:
• Discover Vaelrick's true plan (0/1)
• Find surviving members of the Seer's resistance (1/3)
• Gather evidence of Kalen's betrayal (0/1)
• Locate the true Gate (0/1)
Reward: System Awakening Stage II – Light/Dusk Balance Unlock
"We start tomorrow," Brent said.
Rae nodded. "Then let's bring this house of shadows to the ground."