The academy had finally become quiet.
After the strange party and the long discussions about Dawn Kingdom, everyone slowly returned to their dormitory rooms to rest. The atmosphere was calmer than before, but deep inside, nobody truly felt safe anymore.
Earlier that night, Daniel, Mary, David, Felix, Lucy, Noah, Lily, and Zoya had been talking together about Dawn Kingdom and the strange behavior of some students. David especially looked disturbed after noticing several unusual things during the party.
But eventually, exhaustion defeated everyone.
One by one, they all went to sleep.
The dormitory became silent.
Outside the windows, cold wind moved softly through the academy halls while guards continued patrolling carefully around the building.
For a few peaceful hours—
everything looked normal.
Then suddenly—
rapid footsteps echoed through the hallway.
"Someone is missing!"
Daniel's eyes opened instantly.
Beside him, David also woke up immediately.
Both sat up at the same time.
Outside, nervous voices could already be heard from the corridor.
"What do you mean he disappeared?!"
"He was sleeping here earlier!"
Daniel quickly stood up while David opened the door slightly to look outside.
Several teachers and guards were already moving through the hall in panic.
"One Dawn Kingdom student is gone," a guard whispered urgently.
David's expression immediately darkened.
Daniel looked toward him silently.
Both understood the same thing instantly.
Something was wrong again.
But if panic spread through the academy now, everyone would lose control completely. Students had only recently started recovering after the forest incident.
"We should search first before everyone wakes up," Daniel said quietly.
David nodded immediately.
If they found the student quickly, maybe the situation could still remain under control.
Without waking the others, Daniel and David quietly left the dormitory room and entered the dark hallway.
The academy felt strangely cold at night.
Their footsteps echoed softly through the empty stone corridors while moonlight entered through the tall academy windows.
As they searched, David spoke quietly.
"You think this is connected to what happened in the forest?"
Daniel stayed silent for a moment.
"…Probably."
Ever since Dawn Kingdom returned, too many strange things had been happening.
The forced smiles.
The memory problems.
The blank expressions.
And now—
a missing student.
The two searched multiple academy areas carefully:
training grounds
library halls
academy garden
empty classrooms
practice arena
But there was no sign of the missing student anywhere.
Then suddenly—
David stopped walking.
Daniel looked toward him.
"What happened?"
David narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…Listen."
At first, Daniel heard nothing.
Then slowly—
a faint humming sound reached them through the cold wind.
A strange melody.
Broken.
Quiet.
Almost unsettling.
The sound was coming from outside the academy walls.
Daniel and David immediately followed it.
The humming became clearer as they approached the outer pathways near the academy boundary.
And then—
they saw him.
The missing Dawn Kingdom student was sitting alone beside the academy wall near the dark forest edge.
His back faced them.
He sat completely motionless while quietly humming to himself.
The moonlight barely touched his figure.
The atmosphere around him felt unnaturally cold.
Daniel slowly stepped forward.
"Hey."
The humming continued.
No response.
David looked increasingly uncomfortable.
Something about this situation felt deeply wrong.
Daniel tried again.
"You shouldn't be out here alone."
The humming suddenly stopped.
Complete silence filled the area.
Then slowly—
the student turned his head toward them.
His eyes looked empty.
Not evil.
Not angry.
Just… empty.
Like someone who had not fully awakened.
Then quietly—
almost like a whisper—
he spoke.
"He's coming."
Daniel and David froze.
The student kept staring directly at them.
"He's watching…"
David felt chills run down his spine.
"Who?" David asked carefully.
"Who is coming?"
For a few seconds, the student said nothing.
Then suddenly—
his expression changed.
Confusion appeared on his face.
"Huh…?"
He looked around nervously.
"Why am I here?"
Daniel and David exchanged silent looks immediately.
The student genuinely looked confused.
Like he truly did not remember anything.
Soon after, several guards and teachers arrived after hearing where the missing student had been found.
Relief spread instantly among them.
"Thank goodness…"
"At least he's safe."
The teachers carefully took the student back inside the academy while explaining that stress and trauma probably caused sleepwalking.
Most people accepted that explanation immediately.
But Daniel and David did not.
Something about the student's voice…
felt unnatural.
As if someone else had spoken through him.
The next morning, the academy tried returning to normal again.
Students walked through the halls, teachers resumed light training schedules, and guards remained heavily stationed around the academy grounds.
But David could not stop thinking about last night.
"He's coming."
Those words repeated endlessly inside his head.
Finally, during afternoon break, David quietly sat alone near the academy garden.
He remembered the strange feeling he sensed from Dawn Kingdom members ever since their return.
At first he ignored it.
Now he could not anymore.
"If something is controlling them…"
"…I need to know."
Later that evening, David secretly approached one Dawn Kingdom student sitting alone outside the training hall.
The student looked completely normal.
He was calmly reading a book while smiling softly.
David hesitated for a moment.
Then activated his mind-reading power.
At first—
nothing happened.
Only silence.
David frowned slightly.
Usually thoughts appeared almost immediately for him.
But now—
it felt like someone had blocked the student's mind completely.
Still, David forced himself deeper.
And suddenly—
everything shattered.
Darkness.
Chains dragging across the floor.
Screams echoing endlessly.
A dark room covered in shadows.
David's breathing stopped.
Then—
a terrifying voice echoed through the darkness.
"Traitors of Ghost Killers…"
Another image flashed violently.
A man sitting on a throne made of black chains.
And kneeling before him—
Dawn Kingdom students.
Their eyes empty.
Controlled.
David immediately tried disconnecting from the vision—
but suddenly—
something grabbed his mind.
A horrifying pressure exploded inside his head.
"GET OUT."
David was thrown backward violently onto the ground.
Blood instantly started dripping from his nose.
Pain exploded through his head so strongly that his vision blurred.
Nearby students panicked immediately.
"David?!"
"What happened?!"
"Call someone!"
David held his head painfully while breathing heavily.
Meanwhile, far away near the training grounds—
Daniel suddenly froze.
Black energy appeared around his arm for a second.
Dark mist slowly surrounded him.
Thrones' voice echoed inside his mind.
"They are waking up."
Daniel clenched his fist tightly.
"Stop."
But the black energy spread further.
For one dangerous moment—
his eyes darkened slightly.
Nearby students stepped backward nervously.
The energy around Daniel felt terrifying.
Then suddenly—
everything disappeared again.
Daniel immediately turned away from everyone.
His breathing became uneven.
Inside his mind, Thrones spoke calmly.
"I warned you."
"You are not strong enough to control me."
Daniel gritted his teeth.
"I don't need your help."
A low laugh echoed inside his head.
"But you will."
Not far away, Mary had witnessed everything.
The black energy.
The sudden pressure.
The fear in Daniel's eyes.
And for the first time—
Mary truly realized something terrifying.
Daniel was slowly losing control.