The academy had become quieter after the strange midnight incident.
Even though the missing Dawn Kingdom student had safely returned, the atmosphere around the academy still felt uneasy. Guards were patrolling more frequently, teachers stayed alert during every activity, and students whispered among themselves whenever Dawn Kingdom was mentioned.
Nobody truly understood what was happening.
Not yet.
Morning sunlight slowly spread across the academy training grounds while students resumed light training sessions under supervision. Since the second-level exam had been suspended, teachers were now focusing more on safety and recovery rather than competition.
Still, the tension inside the academy had not disappeared.
Especially for David.
David sat alone near the edge of the training hall, breathing heavily while holding his head. The pain from earlier still had not disappeared completely.
His nose had stopped bleeding, but the horrifying vision he saw inside the Dawn Kingdom student's mind kept replaying over and over again.
Chains.
Darkness.
The throne.
And that terrifying voice.
"Traitors of Ghost Killers…"
Just remembering it made his chest feel heavy.
Suddenly, footsteps approached him.
David quickly looked up.
Mr. Stone stood in front of him with a serious expression.
"What happened to you earlier, David?"
David hesitated.
"It's nothing, sir."
Mr. Stone narrowed his eyes.
"Nothing?"
He crossed his arms.
"Students don't normally start bleeding from the nose during training."
David quietly looked away.
Mr. Stone's expression softened slightly.
"David," he said calmly, "you've been acting strange since Dawn Kingdom returned."
David stayed silent.
He could not tell the truth.
Not yet.
If the teachers panicked now, things would only become worse.
"I was practicing my mind-reading ability," David finally replied.
Mr. Stone looked surprised.
"Practicing?"
David nodded slowly.
"I pushed myself too much, that's all."
Mr. Stone sighed deeply.
"You mind-readers are always reckless."
A small smile appeared on his face, though concern still remained in his eyes.
"You need to be careful. Your powers directly affect your brain. If you overload them too much, the damage can become dangerous."
David lowered his head slightly.
"Sorry, sir."
Mr. Stone looked at him carefully for a few moments before asking another question.
"Whose mind were you trying to read?"
For one second, David froze.
But immediately, he forced himself to stay calm.
"No one important," he replied quietly.
"Just random practice."
Mr. Stone did not look fully convinced, but after a moment, he sighed again.
"Fine."
"But be careful next time."
Then he turned and walked away toward the other students.
David silently watched him leave.
Inside his chest, guilt slowly grew heavier.
Because he knew this was not a simple accident anymore.
Something was terribly wrong.
And whatever was hiding inside Dawn Kingdom—
it was dangerous enough to fight back against mind-reading itself.
Meanwhile, far away from the main training grounds, Daniel was training alone.
Ever since the battle inside the forest, Thrones' power had become more unstable day by day.
Sometimes black energy appeared around Daniel without warning.
Sometimes Thrones whispered constantly inside his mind.
And worst of all—
sometimes Daniel genuinely felt like he was losing control.
That was why he had started training secretly.
If his body became stronger, maybe he could handle Thrones better.
Daniel stood alone inside an abandoned training area surrounded by broken stone pillars.
Sweat dripped down his face while his sword rested beside him.
"Again," he whispered to himself.
Inside his mind, Thrones laughed quietly.
"You never learn."
Daniel ignored him.
Slowly, white energy started surrounding his body.
A calm pressure spread through the training ground.
Five percent.
This was the level Daniel could currently handle safely.
His breathing remained stable while the energy moved smoothly around him.
Daniel clenched his fists.
Then slowly—
he increased it further.
Ten percent.
Immediately, the pressure around him became heavier.
The white energy surrounding his body became brighter while cracks slowly appeared beneath his feet.
Daniel gritted his teeth.
His muscles started aching instantly.
Handling even ten percent still felt difficult.
But he continued.
"I can do this…"
Thrones' voice echoed again.
"Your body still isn't ready."
Daniel ignored him again.
Slowly—
carefully—
he pushed further.
Fifteen percent.
And suddenly—
everything changed.
The white energy instantly darkened.
Black aura exploded violently around Daniel's body.
Wind burst across the training ground.
The sword beside him started shaking violently.
Daniel's eyes widened.
"No—"
The weapon suddenly changed form.
The blade stretched unnaturally into chains before instantly reshaping into sharp spikes.
Then back into a sword again.
The power became completely unstable.
Black energy spread wildly across the area while nearby stone pillars cracked apart.
Daniel immediately stepped backward.
"Stop!"
But Thrones' voice only laughed louder.
"This is your limit."
The black aura became heavier.
Daniel's breathing turned uneven.
His arm started trembling violently while dark veins slowly appeared near his hand.
The sword transformed again—
this time into massive chained blades spinning wildly around him.
BOOM.
One of the nearby walls exploded apart instantly.
Students training near the outer grounds suddenly stepped backward in shock after feeling the terrifying pressure.
Mary, who had been walking nearby, immediately turned toward the destroyed training area.
Her eyes widened.
Black energy.
Daniel.
She immediately ran toward the area.
Inside the broken training ground, Daniel struggled desperately to control the unstable power while debris floated around him violently.
The sword kept changing forms uncontrollably:
chains
spikes
blades
sharp whips
Everything around him was being destroyed.
"DANIEL!"
Mary's voice reached him.
For one second, Daniel lost focus.
The black energy exploded outward violently before suddenly disappearing completely.
Silence filled the training ground.
Dust slowly settled around the destroyed area.
Daniel dropped onto one knee while breathing heavily.
The sword returned to normal beside him.
Mary slowly approached him.
"Are you okay?"
Daniel avoided looking at her.
"…Yeah."
But clearly—
he was not okay.
Mary silently looked around at the destroyed surroundings.
The damage was terrifying.
And what scared her most was how unstable Daniel had become.
Still, she decided not to question him immediately.
Instead, she quietly helped him stand up.
"We should leave before teachers see this."
Daniel gave a weak nod.
Later that evening, Daniel sat quietly near one of the academy balconies while cold wind moved softly through the halls.
The sunset painted the academy sky orange and gold, but Daniel's mind remained restless.
Mary slowly walked toward him and sat beside him quietly.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke.
Then Mary finally broke the silence.
"Daniel…"
He looked toward her.
"You should calm down a little."
Daniel lowered his eyes.
"I'm trying."
Mary shook her head softly.
"No. You're trying to carry everything alone again."
Daniel stayed silent.
Mary continued gently.
"You keep acting like you have to prepare for every fight by yourself."
"But we're here too."
Daniel looked away toward the academy grounds.
"It's not that simple."
Mary's voice softened further.
"I know it's not simple."
"But if you keep forcing yourself like this, you'll only hurt yourself more."
Daniel clenched his fist slightly.
"I have to become stronger."
"Why?" Mary asked quietly.
Daniel hesitated.
Then finally whispered:
"Because I'm scared."
Mary looked at him carefully.
Daniel slowly continued.
"I'm scared that one day I'll lose control completely."
"The more I use Thrones' power… the harder it becomes to stop it."
His voice became quieter.
"And if that happens…"
"I might hurt everyone around me."
Mary's expression softened immediately.
She gently placed her hand over his.
"Daniel."
He slowly looked toward her.
"You don't have to carry this burden alone."
"If you fall, we'll catch you."
Daniel stayed silent.
Mary smiled softly.
"And next time you train like this…"
"…call me."
Daniel looked slightly surprised.
Mary continued:
"If you're going to fight dangerous powers, then at least let someone stand beside you."
For the first time that day, a small genuine smile appeared on Daniel's face.
"…Thanks."
Before Mary could reply—
footsteps approached them.
David walked toward them with an unusually serious expression.
Immediately, both Daniel and Mary noticed something was wrong.
"What happened?" Mary asked.
David hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"This morning… I tried reading a Dawn Kingdom student's mind."
Daniel's expression instantly darkened.
"You what?"
David quickly raised his hand.
"I know it was risky."
"But I needed answers."
Mary looked worried.
"What happened?"
David slowly sat down.
At first, he struggled to explain everything.
Even remembering the vision still made his head hurt.
But eventually—
he told them everything.
The darkness.
The chains.
The throne.
The kneeling students.
And the terrifying voice.
As David spoke, Daniel's expression slowly became colder.
Mary looked genuinely disturbed.
"And then…" David continued quietly, "something noticed me."
Daniel narrowed his eyes.
"Noticed you?"
David nodded slowly.
"It felt like someone was protecting their minds."
His hands slightly trembled.
"It wasn't normal."
"The moment I tried going deeper… it attacked me."
Mary looked shocked.
"That's why your nose started bleeding?"
David nodded again.
"My head felt like it was splitting apart."
"For a few seconds, I couldn't even stand properly."
Silence filled the balcony.
Cold wind moved softly around them.
Finally, Daniel spoke quietly.
"I think someone is controlling them."
Mary slowly looked toward him.
"You mean Kaden?"
Daniel stayed silent.
But his silence itself became the answer.
David lowered his voice further.
"If this continues… Dawn Kingdom could become dangerous without even realizing it."
Mary frowned deeply.
"Then we need to figure this out before something worse happens."
Daniel nodded slowly.
"Otherwise this will create problems for all of us."
None of them noticed—
that someone was standing outside the room.
Listening.
A shadow silently remained hidden behind the corridor wall.
Completely motionless.
The person had heard everything.
And slowly—
a faint smile appeared on their face.
Then quietly—
they walked away into the darkness.
Unnoticed.