Daniel, David, Noah, and Mary finally returned to Nightfall after their mission.
Their bodies were still tired, but their minds were at ease.
They had survived.
But the moment they stepped inside—
Something felt wrong.
A student rushed past them.
"Did you hear? Felix and the others… they're badly injured!"
Daniel stopped.
"…What?"
Mary's expression changed instantly.
"Where are they?"
"The medical room!"
Without wasting a second—
All four of them ran.
They pushed the door open.
Inside, the atmosphere was quiet.
Too quiet.
Beds were lined up, and on them—
Felix, Zoya, and Lily were lying unconscious.
Bandages covered their arms and bodies.
Machines beside them beeped softly.
Mary's eyes widened.
"…They're hurt this badly?"
A staff member walked up to them.
"They're stable," he said calmly.
"They just need rest."
Daniel looked around.
"Who's awake?"
"Lucy," the staff replied, pointing to a corner.
Lucy sat on her bed, awake but clearly exhausted.
They rushed to her side.
"What happened?" Daniel asked.
"How did you get hurt like this?"
Lucy looked at them, then sighed.
"Our mission…" she began slowly.
"It wasn't normal."
She explained everything—
The blackened town.
The mansion
The terrible smell that made them feel sick.
"The smell…" she said, holding her arm slightly,
"Even our shield couldn't block it completely."
"We started feeling weak because of it."
The others listened carefully.
Then she told them about the fight.
"The ghost… it was made of smoke."
"It kept attacking from everywhere."
"We couldn't see properly…"
Mary lowered her eyes.
"That sounds… terrible."
Lucy nodded.
"It was."
Silence filled the room.
Then suddenly—
David spoke.
"Felix really goes to get beaten up in every mission, doesn't he?"
Everyone turned—
And stared at him.
"…What?" David blinked.
The silence became awkward.
"…Sorry," he said quickly.
Lucy couldn't help but smile a little.
After hearing everything, Daniel nodded.
"Rest well," he said.
"We'll handle things from here."
Lucy gave a small nod.
Soon, the four of them left the medical room.
Meeting Mr. Stone
They found Mr. Stone waiting.
He looked at them seriously.
"How was your mission?"
Daniel answered,
"It was difficult… but we managed."
Mr. Stone nodded slightly.
"You took longer than expected."
"Felix's team returned earlier."
David muttered quietly,
"Yeah… carried back, probably."
Mary elbowed him.
"Stop it."
Mr. Stone continued,
"If you're injured, go rest."
"Your next mission is tomorrow."
All four of them made tired faces.
"Again…?" David sighed.
The next morning, they returned.
But this time—
Someone else was there.
Finn Foster.
He stood beside Mr. Stone, talking calmly.
Daniel and David approached him.
"Hello, Master," they said respectfully.
Finn smiled slightly.
"How was your mission?"
"It went well," Daniel replied.
Finn nodded.
"Good. Take care of yourselves."
Then he added casually—
"And don't die."
They paused.
"…What?"
But Finn had already turned away.
As they walked back, David whispered,
"Was he joking?"
Daniel shrugged.
"…Probably."
Meanwhile, Finn and Mr. Stone continued talking.
"Don't you think it's strange?" Finn said.
"These missions… are too difficult."
Mr. Stone frowned.
"I only assigned low-level missions."
"Then why are they facing such dangerous situations?" Finn asked.
Silence.
"I did some research," Finn continued.
"There's something unusual…"
"These missions are attracting more negativity than they should."
Mr. Stone's expression darkened.
"…That's not normal."
Finn nodded slowly.
"It feels like someone… is controlling this."
"Someone stronger."
Just then—
A voice called out.
"Everyone, gather outside!"
The four students stepped forward.
Another instructor stood there.
"Your third mission is about to begin," he said.
"I'll explain everything."
The air grew tense again.
Another mission.
Another unknown danger.
And this time—
Something felt even more wrong.