As both teams rested after Stage Two, teachers approached them separately.
⚔️ Team Rose
A senior instructor knelt beside them, voice low and careful.
"You fought bravely," he said."But listen closely. If you stop now, you will not fail the Academy. You will only receive punishment."
Prince Rose clenched his jaw.
"But if you continue," the teacher continued,"and fail later… you may be expelled."
Team Rose exchanged exhausted looks.
Their bodies trembled.Their mana was unstable.Their wounds were barely closed.
They understood.
They accepted the warning.
🌳 Team Father
Another teacher approached Team Father.
They were lying under a tree 🌿, eating berries, looking disturbingly relaxed.
"This is your final warning," the teacher said firmly."If you continue and fail, you will be kicked—"
King snored loudly 😴.
Ben chewed on a leaf like a cow.
Aren closed his eyes and ignored him completely.
The teacher stared.
"…Are you listening?"
No response.
Team Father slept like rocks 🗿.
The teacher left in defeat.
🐎 Into the Quiet Forest
The tiny blue horse trotted ahead, guiding them deeper into the forest.
The buzzing faded.The trees thinned.Wind replaced danger.
Ahead, on a moss-covered stone, sat a knight.
Cracked armor.Helmet at his feet.Long, unkempt hair moving with the breeze.
Ben tightened his fists.King slid his sword slightly from its sheath ⚔️.
Aren raised one hand.
"Don't."
They stopped instantly.
Aren walked forward alone and sat in front of the knight—not like an enemy,but like an old acquaintance.
💔 The Knight's Story
The knight did not lift his head.
His voice came out hollow.
"I once served a kingdom…and loved its princess."
Silence.
"She loved me too. But I was cast out for being unworthy."
Ben frowned.King's eyes hardened.Even the blue horse lowered its head.
"When I returned… she had been executed by her own father."
The knight's voice cracked.
"Her last words were…'If you still wish to see me… find my resting place in the bear's cave.'"
Ben exhaled."So we defeat the bear and—"
Aren didn't look at Ben.
He looked only at the knight.
"What did you do," Aren asked quietly,"after learning she was executed?"
The knight was silent.
Long.
Heavy.
"…I did nothing."
☠️ Regret Awakens
Aren closed his eyes.
"You did not deserve her."
The world changed.
Darkness spilled across the ground like ink 🖤.The air trembled.A suffocating aura erupted.
Teachers watching through the screens panicked.
"He triggered the Regret Knight!""That thing is meant to be avoided!""WHY DID HE SAY THAT!?"
The knight's eyes turned hollow.
"If I had been in your place," Aren said calmly,"the castle would've become a blood pool."
Ben stepped back.King swallowed hard.Even the forest went silent.
Aren placed a hand gently on the knight's shoulder.
"Let me free you from this hell…so you can return to her."
Gasps exploded across the Academy halls 📺.
"IS HE CRAZY!?""HE'S FREEING AN S-CLASS CURSED SPIRIT!?""WHAT KIND OF FIRST-YEAR DOES THIS!?"
⚔️ Mercy Strike
The knight finally lifted his face.
Tears streamed down—glowing blue like stars ✨.
Aren drew the knight's own sword.
One clean motion.
One merciful strike.
The knight's head separated from his body.
No scream.No resistance.
His form flickered…then dissolved into shimmering dust.
But before fading completely, the knight spoke one final curse:
"You cannot die in night…or darkness.You will endure everything."
Aren's eyes narrowed slightly.The only sign he heard.
The glowing tears fell like fading lights.
Aren called after him:
"But what if she went to heaven…and you to hell?"
The knight laughed—a broken, haunting sound.
"Then do not meet me again…or I will kill you."
And he vanished.
🌑 Aftermath
Silence.
Ben stood frozen.King's jaw trembled.The blue horse stared at Aren with wide eyes 🐎.
The Academy erupted.
"WHAT DID WE JUST SEE!?""HE KILLED A CURSED KNIGHT LIKE IT WAS NOTHING!""HE RECEIVED A PERMANENT CURSE!?""WHO IS THIS MAN!?"
Aren turned back to his team.
"Let's go."
Like nothing had happened.
Team Father followed him quietly, shaken to the core.
And across the Academy, one truth settled in everyone's mind:
⚠️ Aren's path was no longer something anyone could predict…or stop.