The patrol halted along the rocky ridge overlooking the valley.
From their position the entire basin stretched out below them, a wide depression surrounded by broken cliffs and scattered stone pillars that had likely once been part of an ancient formation. Now the valley floor moved with life.
Monsters.
Dozens of them.
Creatures of different shapes and sizes prowled through the basin: wolf-like hunters, thick-skinned burrowers, long-limbed crawlers that moved in slow sweeping arcs through the tall grass. At the center of the valley stood something far larger than the rest, a hulking creature whose back rose above the surrounding terrain like a small hill of dark armor.
Even the experienced patrol members fell silent.
"This is far beyond normal density," one of the veteran adventurers muttered.
The students stood close together near the rear of the patrol line. Mira instinctively grabbed Elira's sleeve while Cassian stared at the valley with narrowed eyes.
Shin exhaled slowly.
"That thing in the middle…" he said quietly.
"Yes," Commander Kael replied, his voice calm but firm. "That would be the reason everything is gathering here."
The massive creature shifted slightly, its body scraping against the stone behind it. Even from the ridge they could feel the weight of its presence.
But Rei wasn't looking at the large monster.
His eyes moved across the valley floor instead.
Watching.
Tracking.
Something about the movement felt wrong.
At first it just looked like monsters wandering randomly through the basin. But the longer he watched, the more a strange pattern began to emerge.
The smaller creatures never moved toward the central monster's blind side.
They circled.
Some approached briefly before turning away again.
Others moved outward toward the valley edges, only to return moments later.
Rei narrowed his eyes.
"…They're rotating."
Shin glanced at him. "What?"
Rei pointed down into the valley.
"There."
The others followed his finger.
Two of the wolf-like monsters approached the center of the basin, paused for several seconds near the large creature, then moved away again toward the outer edges. Moments later two different monsters replaced them.
The pattern repeated.
Again.
And again.
Shin's expression slowly shifted.
"…That's not random movement."
"No," Rei said quietly.
"They're maintaining distance."
Another rotation happened.
A group of smaller creatures moved outward while others approached the center in an almost deliberate exchange.
Like sentries.
Like patrols.
Shin let out a low whistle.
"They're guarding it."
Rei nodded.
The realization spread through the patrol as others began noticing the same pattern.
The monsters weren't simply gathering.
They were organizing.
Commander Kael stood at the front of the ridge with his arms crossed as he studied the valley. His sharp eyes followed the movements below for several seconds before a slow smile appeared on his face.
"Well," he said.
"That's new."
Behind him, Professor Hale spoke quietly.
"Coordinated behavior."
"Looks that way."
Kael glanced back toward the students.
"And our young observer spotted it first."
Rei didn't respond.
He was still watching the valley.
The rotations continued with mechanical consistency.
The smaller monsters were acting like guards.
Which meant only one thing.
The large creature in the center wasn't just another monster.
It was commanding them.
That realization sent a ripple of unease through the patrol.
Because monsters didn't organize like this.
At least… they never had before.
Kael's expression hardened slightly as he looked back toward the valley.
"If that thing continues gathering monsters like this," he said quietly, "we'll have a problem on the frontier."
He turned toward the patrol group.
"We end this here."
The reaction was immediate.
Several guards straightened.
The students froze.
Cassian blinked. "You're attacking that?"
Kael chuckled.
"What, you thought we hiked all the way out here for sightseeing?"
The commander rolled his shoulders once before looking toward the valley again.
"But we do this properly."
His gaze shifted toward Hale.
"Students stay back?"
Hale nodded.
"They observe."
Kael turned to the patrol members.
"Form strike teams."
The experienced adventurers and guards began moving instantly, spreading across the ridge while quietly preparing weapons and spells.
Then Kael's eyes landed on the six academy students.
"Except," he added casually, "I suppose they should at least see what real combat looks like."
Mira's face went pale.
Cassian looked both excited and terrified.
Elira stepped slightly closer to Mira.
Kael gestured toward the far end of the ridge.
"You'll stay there with professor Hale."
"Watch carefully."
Then his grin widened.
"Because we're about to wipe out that valley before it gets any ideas about marching toward the border."
Kael didn't give the monster time to notice the patrol forming.
He simply stepped off the ridge.
For a brief moment the students thought the commander had just thrown himself off a cliff.
Then the ground below the ridge exploded upward.
Stone erupted from the valley floor in a violent surge as Kael rode the rising pillar of earth downward like a falling meteor. The massive column slammed into the valley with a thunderous impact that shook the entire basin.
Dust and shattered rock blasted outward.
Dozens of monsters immediately turned toward the disturbance.
"Strike teams move!" one of the veteran adventurers shouted.
The patrol split into formation instantly.
Two wind mages leapt forward, raising their hands. Instead of simply boosting speed, they pushed streams of compressed air across the battlefield, bending the tall grass and forcing the smaller monsters into predictable lanes.
The moving air currents worked like invisible fences, guiding the creatures toward the waiting fighters.
"Left flank collapsing!" someone called.
Water mages followed behind the assault group. Thin streams of water spun through the air, not as attacks but as floating lenses. Through them the support mages watched the battlefield from multiple angles, relaying movements and blind spots to the fighters below.
"Three wolves approaching rear line!"
"Burrower emerging beneath the rocks!"
Their voices carried through the wind currents, the information spreading across the battlefield faster than shouting alone.
The patrol fighters moved like a machine.
Fire and wind tore through the first wave of monsters while earth mages raised jagged barriers to prevent flanking attacks. Whenever someone took a hit, water flowed instantly over the wound, closing flesh and slowing blood loss.
From the ridge the students watched in stunned silence.
"This… this is real combat?" Mira whispered.
"It's organized," Valen said quietly.
Professor Hale simply folded his arms.
"Professional soldiers," he replied.
Below them chaos consumed the valley.
But at the center of it all stood Commander Kael Draven.
The massive monster had finally noticed him.
The creature rose fully from the ground, revealing its true size. Its body was covered in layers of jagged bone plating, and its four legs ended in thick claws that crushed the earth beneath them. A long armored tail dragged behind it like a battering ram.
The monster roared.
The sound rolled across the valley like thunder.
Kael tilted his head slightly.
"…Loud."
The creature charged.
Each step cracked the ground as it rushed forward with terrifying speed for something so enormous.
From the ridge Cassian leaned forward.
"That thing is going to crush him!"
Kael didn't move.
Not until the last second.
The earth beneath his feet shifted.
A wave of stone lifted him sideways just as the monster's claw smashed into the ground where he had been standing. The impact shattered rock and sent debris flying.
Kael landed lightly on another raised slab of stone.
"Too slow."
The monster swung its tail.
Kael stomped once.
A wall of earth erupted from the ground, intercepting the tail strike. The impact blasted the wall apart, but it slowed the attack enough for Kael to casually step away.
From the ridge Shin blinked.
"…Is he dodging or sightseeing?"
Another massive claw came down.
Kael stepped aside again.
Then another.
And another.
The commander moved through the monster's attacks with irritating ease, sometimes jumping onto rising pillars of earth, sometimes letting wind mages from the patrol redirect dust and debris to obscure his movement.
At one point he actually rested an elbow against a chunk of stone while the monster smashed the ground around him.
Cassian frowned.
"…Is he serious right now?"
Valen crossed his arms.
"That's not a battle."
"That's bullying."
Below them the monster grew more furious.
It roared again and slammed both claws into the ground.
The valley floor cracked open as a shockwave of force surged outward.
Kael finally sighed.
"Alright."
He rolled his shoulders once.
"Let's stop playing."
The ground beneath the monster suddenly dropped.
The entire section of earth collapsed into a deep pit as Kael's magic ripped the soil apart. The creature stumbled, its massive body losing balance as the terrain shifted beneath it.
Before it could recover—
Stone spears erupted from below.
Dozens of jagged pillars shot upward, impaling the monster's underside where its armor was weakest. Black blood exploded across the battlefield.
The creature screamed.
But Kael wasn't finished.
He raised his hand.
The surrounding cliffs trembled.
Every loose boulder across the valley lifted into the air.
From the ridge Mira's mouth slowly opened.
"…Is he lifting the entire valley?"
Hale nodded calmly.
"More or less."
Kael closed his fist.
The floating stones shot forward like artillery.
The first wave shattered against the monster's skull.
The second wave broke its armored back.
The third wave—
Erased it.
The impact detonated like a collapsing mountain.
Stone, blood, and shattered bone erupted into the sky before crashing back into the valley floor.
Silence followed.
For a moment nothing moved.
Then Kael casually brushed dust from his coat.
"Problem solved."
On the ridge Cassian blinked several times.
"…Is he really a commander?"
Shin stared at the smoking crater.
"No."
Valen exhaled slowly.
"He's a natural disaster."
Around the battlefield the remaining monsters had already begun fleeing into the forest. The patrol fighters hunted down the last few stragglers before regrouping near the center of the valley.
Water mages moved through the ranks, healing wounds and washing blood from armor while wind users cleared the thick dust from the battlefield.
Within minutes the organized chaos settled.
But the students remained frozen on the ridge.
Mira finally exhaled.
"…That was insane."
Cassian shook his head slowly.
"I refuse to believe that was the same rank of mage Professor Hale calls 'Stage Five.'"
Valen folded his arms, staring at the ruined valley.
"If that's Stage Five… what in the world are the gods capable of?"
Even Shin looked unusually quiet.
Rei said nothing.
But his eyes remained fixed on the battlefield where Kael had been fighting.
The commander's control had been flawless.
Not a single spell wasted.
Every movement precise.
For the first time since arriving at the academy, Rei felt something close to genuine admiration.
"…Impressive," he said quietly.
Professor Hale glanced at him.
Then he sighed.
"Yes, yes. Enough admiring the show-off."
The students blinked.
"Show-off?" Mira repeated.
Hale gestured toward the valley where Kael was casually chatting with patrol members beside the monster's corpse.
"That idiot has always liked dramatic entrances."
A moment later Kael began walking back toward them.
The students instinctively straightened.
"Well?" Kael said when he reached the ridge.
"What did you think?"
Cassian immediately spoke.
"That was incredible!"
Shin nodded.
Valen simply said, "Efficient."
Kael grinned proudly.
"Good."
Hale rolled his eyes.
"Try not to inflate his ego any further."
But the sun had already begun dipping below the mountains.
By the time the patrol finished securing the valley and began marching back toward the frontier wall, darkness was spreading across the plains.
The earlier wolf fight and the long march were beginning to show on the students.
Mira dragged her feet.
Elira looked ready to collapse.
Cassian's oversized pack once again seemed determined to destroy his spine.
Even Shin looked drained.
Only Rei remained relatively steady, though the faint tightness in his breathing suggested he was not entirely unaffected.
About halfway back to the fortress, Kael raised his hand.
"We stop here."
The patrol quickly set up camp.
Unlike the students' earlier disaster on the plains, the frontier patrol was properly prepared. Tents went up quickly in neat rows while guards established a perimeter around the clearing.
Within minutes a proper camp stood beneath the dark sky.
At the center of it all, Kael crouched beside a pile of firewood.
He snapped his fingers.
Flames erupted instantly.
The campfire roared to life.
Mira's eyes lit up.
"Ooooh."
Shin smirked.
"Looks like we found another stove."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Another?"
The students immediately pointed toward Valen.
"Our original stove," Mira said proudly.
Valen sighed.
"Please stop introducing me like that."
Kael burst out laughing.
"I like this group already."
Soon the patrol gathered around the fire.
Food was distributed. Some soldiers roasted meat while others heated travel rations over the flames.
For once the students were too tired to complain.
They simply ate.
Kael leaned back beside the fire, clearly enjoying himself.
"So," he said casually.
"How was the battle?"
Cassian didn't hesitate.
"Amazing."
"Terrifying," Mira added.
Valen nodded.
"Educational."
Kael nodded smugly.
"Yes. I thought it was a good performance too."
Hale muttered something that sounded suspiciously like idiot.
Gradually the camp quieted.
One by one the students crawled into their tents.
The patrol guards rotated into night watch while the others slept.
Only a few figures remained awake.
Professor Hale sat cross-legged near the edge of camp, meditating.
Several patrol guards watched the forest line.
And Rei sat alone, staring at the stars above.
Footsteps approached quietly.
Kael dropped down beside him.
"Still awake?"
"Yes, Sir Kael."
Kael leaned back on his hands, glancing up at the sky.
"Hale told me something interesting."
Rei waited.
"That strange dark energy you produced during training."
Rei nodded slightly.
"I could only produce a very small amount."
"And it exhausted you."
"Yes."
Kael grinned suddenly.
"Do it again."
Rei blinked.
"…Now?"
"Yes."
The commander leaned forward with the enthusiasm of a curious child.
"I want to see it."
Rei hesitated.
But he raised his hand.
Nothing happened.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
Kael watched with growing amusement.
"Come on, that can't be all."
Rei frowned slightly.
Then he began repeating the strange poses he had used during training earlier in the journey. Slow breathing. Unusual hand positions.
Once.
Nothing.
Twice.
Still nothing.
On the third attempt—
A tiny flicker appeared above his palm.
Dark.
Unstable.
Barely larger than a candle flame.
Kael burst out laughing.
"There it is!"
Rei exhaled slowly.
Even producing that tiny spark had drained him.
But Kael leaned closer, eyes wide with interest.
"That's fascinating…"
"Do it again."
Rei rubbed his temple.
"I am… slightly tired."
But he shifted closer to the fire anyway and sat beside Kael.
Just as he raised his hand again—
Both of them froze.
There was someone behind them.
Neither moved.
Neither turned.
They already knew who it was.
A tired groaning voice spoke behind them.
"…Grow up."
Two hands grabbed them by the backs of their collars.
A moment later both Kael and Rei were dragged unceremoniously back toward the center of camp.
Professor Hale stood there glaring at them.
Several patrol guards watched from nearby.
None of them dared laugh.
"Commander of the frontier," Hale said slowly.
"Encouraging exhausted students to experiment with dangerous mana at midnight."
Kael scratched the back of his neck.
"Well when you say it like that—"
"And you," Hale continued, turning toward Rei.
"Trying to perform unstable magic while barely conscious."
Rei lowered his head slightly.
"Yes, Professor."
The lecture continued for several painful minutes.
The patrol guards stared very intensely at the fire.
A single glance from Kael eventually forced them to look away completely.
Finally Hale waved a hand toward the tents.
"Go to sleep."
Rei obeyed immediately.
Within minutes he was asleep.
Behind the dying campfire, Kael and Hale remained sitting quietly.
After a while Kael chuckled.
"Remember when you used to drag me out of bed like that?"
Hale snorted.
"You were worse."
Kael leaned back, staring at the stars.
"Yeah."
"Good times."
Morning arrived quietly.
The sky was still dark when the first patrol guards began moving through the camp, waking the others.
A faint gray light stretched across the eastern horizon.
Most of the soldiers were already used to it. They packed their equipment quickly, dismantling tents and stamping out the last traces of the fire.
The students, however, looked like they had been resurrected from the dead.
Mira stumbled out of the tent half asleep.
"Why… is the world awake…"
Elira followed behind her, rubbing her eyes.
Cassian emerged next
Shin stretched his arms with a quiet groan.
Valen climbed out last, still stiff from the previous day's march.
Only Rei was already awake, sitting on a nearby rock and tying the straps of his pack.
Kael passed by and glanced at him.
"You sleep at all?"
"A little, Sir Kael."
"Good enough."
Nearby, Professor Hale stood with his arms crossed as the camp finished packing.
"Move out in five minutes."
No one argued.
The patrol left the clearing before the sun even rose.
The world was still cold and quiet as they began the march back toward the frontier wall.
For the first hour no one spoke.
The ground was uneven and rocky, forcing careful footing through narrow animal paths and broken terrain. The patrol members moved steadily, their pace controlled and efficient.
The students struggled.
Mira's earlier energy had completely vanished.
"My legs… don't belong to me anymore…"
Cassian muttered darkly behind her.
"I'm filing a complaint with the gods."
Shin snorted.
"Pretty sure they're the ones who gave us this assignment."
Valen remained silent but his breathing had grown noticeably heavier.
Elira lagged slightly behind the group until Rei slowed his pace to walk beside her.
"You should shorten your stride," he said quietly.
"It saves energy."
She nodded gratefully.
Ahead of them Kael walked beside Hale, both moving as if the brutal march meant absolutely nothing.
At one point Mira pointed weakly at them.
"How… are they not tired…"
Shin answered immediately.
"Because life hates us."
The sun slowly rose behind the mountains.
By midday the distant shape of the frontier wall finally appeared along the horizon.
The massive structure stretched across the land like a man-made mountain.
Cassian stopped walking for a moment.
"…Please tell me that's real."
Kael glanced back at him.
"Keep moving."
The last stretch of the journey was the worst.
The students had already exhausted themselves the previous day, and the long march pushed what little energy remained.
Mira dragged her feet.
Valen's posture had completely abandoned its noble composure.
Cassian's pack had once again declared war on his spine.
Shin walked with stubborn determination.
Elira looked ready to collapse.
Only Rei remained relatively steady, though even he showed faint signs of fatigue now.
Finally the patrol reached the outer gate.
The massive doors of the frontier wall opened slowly as the guards recognized Commander Kael returning.
Soldiers along the battlements saluted as the patrol entered the fortress.
The moment they passed through the gate, Mira stopped walking entirely.
"I'm done."
She sat directly on the stone road.
Cassian dropped his pack beside her.
"Same."
Valen leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.
Shin laughed weakly.
"We survived."
Rei simply adjusted his pack straps and looked back toward the distant mountains they had crossed.
The patrol members dispersed to report their findings.
Kael stretched his shoulders once before glancing at the exhausted students.
"Well."
He said casually.
"First patrol completed."
Then he grinned.
"Try not to die during the next one."