The underground hall became completely silent after the mysterious figure appeared at the top of the stairs.
Cold air moved slowly through the basement while the strange black symbols on the walls seemed darker than before.
Daniel, Mary, and David stood frozen.
The teacher-like figure remained hidden inside the shadows, making it impossible to clearly see his face.
Only his academy uniform could be seen faintly.
Then—
a calm voice echoed through the basement.
"Hello, Daniel Williams."
Daniel's eyes narrowed instantly.
The figure continued:
"David Smith."
"Mary Brown."
Mary felt chills run through her body.
How did he know they were here?
The figure slowly stepped down one stair.
"I honestly expected you three to reach this place much earlier."
David clenched his fists.
"Who are you?"
The figure ignored the question completely.
Instead, he looked directly toward Daniel.
"And Daniel Williams…"
"…I know everything about Thrones."
Daniel froze instantly.
The underground hall suddenly felt colder.
The teacher's voice remained calm.
"The black power."
"The white flashes."
"The unstable energy."
"I know about all of it."
Mary immediately looked toward Daniel worriedly.
Even David's expression changed.
Because Thrones was supposed to be a secret.
Then the figure tilted his head slightly.
"So tell me…"
"…how much has Thrones shown you already?"
Daniel stayed silent.
But deep inside—
his heartbeat was becoming faster.
Because for the first time—
someone else actually knew about Thrones.
Suddenly—
all the Dawn Kingdom students standing around them moved at once.
Their heads slowly lifted upward together.
And then—
they all spoke.
In the exact same voice.
"The awakening has begun."
The sound echoed unnaturally through the basement.
Mary immediately stepped backward.
David's breathing became uneven.
The students continued speaking together.
"She will rise."
"Everyone will die."
The voices overlapped unnaturally like dozens of people speaking as one.
Daniel gripped Thrones tightly.
"What the hell is happening to them?"
But the teacher simply sighed softly.
"Children…"
"Please calm yourselves."
Then he spoke almost casually:
"We don't need to kill them this early."
The moment those words ended—
something horrifying happened.
The Dawn Kingdom students suddenly disappeared.
One after another.
Like shadows fading into darkness.
Within seconds—
the entire basement became empty again.
Mary's eyes widened.
"What—?!"
Even David looked shocked.
"How did they just disappear?!"
Only the teacher remained standing near the stairs.
The darkness around him somehow looked alive.
Then slowly—
he turned away.
Before disappearing into the shadows, he spoke one final time.
"If you tell anyone about this place…"
"…there will be a massacre inside this academy."
Silence.
Then—
he disappeared too.
Completely.
The basement suddenly became quiet again.
Too quiet.
For several long seconds, none of them moved.
Mary's hands trembled slightly.
David looked pale.
Even Daniel could not properly process what had just happened.
Because now—
everything had become much worse.
This was no longer just strange behavior.
Something dangerous was hiding beneath the academy.
Something powerful enough to control students completely.
And now—
they could not even tell anyone.
David finally spoke quietly.
"…We're trapped."
Mary slowly nodded.
"If we tell teachers…"
"…we don't even know who's involved anymore."
Daniel remained silent.
Because one thing disturbed him more than everything else.
The teacher knew about Thrones.
And that meant—
someone had been watching him for much longer than he realized.
The three slowly began searching the basement more carefully after calming themselves slightly.
The underground hall was massive.
Old chains hung from walls.
Broken weapons covered several corners.
Dust-covered papers and files were scattered across different tables.
It looked less like a basement—
and more like some hidden experiment facility.
David quietly picked up another file.
"These records are old…"
Mary moved toward another desk nearby.
Most papers looked damaged or burned.
Then suddenly—
Mary froze.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Daniel."
Her voice sounded serious.
"Daniel, come here."
Daniel immediately walked toward her while David followed behind.
Mary grabbed several dusty files from the table.
"These names…"
Daniel looked carefully.
And his expression slowly darkened.
The files contained names of missing students from different kingdoms.
Some names were crossed out.
Some had strange symbols beside them.
And next to several names—
there were notes.
"Subject unstable."
"Power rejection."
"Memory collapse."
"Failed synchronization."
David looked horrified.
"These weren't just missing students…"
Mary slowly nodded.
"They experimented on them."
The atmosphere suddenly became heavier.
Daniel quietly grabbed one file from the table.
The moment his fingers touched it—
something changed.
A violent black pulse exploded from Thrones instantly.
Dark energy spread around Daniel uncontrollably.
The underground hall shook slightly.
David stepped backward immediately.
"Daniel!"
Daniel suddenly grabbed his head painfully.
Images flashed inside his mind rapidly.
Screaming students.
Chains.
Dark rooms.
Experiments.
And someone whispering:
"Perfect vessel…"
Daniel's breathing became unstable.
Black energy started spreading across his arm.
The symbols on the basement walls suddenly glowed faintly in response.
Mary's eyes widened in fear.
"Daniel!"
Daniel's expression twisted painfully.
"I—I can't—"
The black energy suddenly became stronger.
Nearby papers flew violently through the air.
Cracks spread across the floor beneath him.
David immediately stepped back further.
"This is bad—!"
Then suddenly—
Mary grabbed Daniel's hand tightly.
"Daniel!"
Her voice echoed sharply through the basement.
"Look at me!"
Daniel's breathing remained unstable.
Black energy still surrounded him wildly.
Mary tightened her grip.
"You're not alone."
"Come back."
Daniel slowly looked toward her.
For several painful seconds—
the black energy continued fighting violently around him.
Then slowly—
very slowly—
it began fading.
The cracks stopped spreading.
The papers slowly fell back down.
And finally—
silence returned.
Daniel fell onto one knee breathing heavily.
Sweat covered his face.
Mary immediately knelt beside him.
"Daniel!"
David carefully approached.
"Are you okay?"
Daniel stayed silent for a few moments.
Then quietly whispered:
"…Something is wrong with Thrones."
Mary looked genuinely worried now.
But before anyone could speak again—
they suddenly heard something.
Footsteps.
Coming from deeper inside the basement.
The three immediately looked toward the darkness ahead.
And somewhere far below—
something laughed softly.