That night, no one in the Shadow Academy could sleep.
After the attack, the atmosphere had completely changed.
Laughter, arrogance, and competition—everything had disappeared.
Now there was only fear and silence.
Arata sat alone in his room.
His hands were still trembling.
The face of that student…
who had almost died in front of him…
kept appearing again and again in his mind.
"If I had been one second late…"
he whispered softly.
There was a knock on the door.
Ren walked in.
For the first time, his face didn't carry its usual coldness.
"Are you okay?"
he asked without making eye contact.
Arata nodded.
For a moment, silence filled the room.
"Today…"
Ren said,
"If you hadn't been there—I would have lost someone."
Arata didn't reply.
Suddenly—
A siren.
The entire academy was flooded with red lights.
Kaito's voice echoed from every direction:
"All students remain in your designated sectors."
"This is not a drill."
Arata and Ren looked at each other.
"Let's go,"
they said at the same time.
---
### **Mission Zone – Sector C**
This part of the academy was an unfinished construction area.
Darkness, broken walls, and heavy cursed energy filled the air.
Three students were already there.
One of them was **Mira Hayashi**—
a quiet girl who always stayed in the background.
"Something… feels wrong,"
Mira said.
At that exact moment—
The ceiling shattered.
A gigantic cursed creature crashed down.
Its body was made of multiple human faces.
"This is… Grade-A!"
one student shouted.
Ren attacked instantly.
**"Frost Lance!"**
Arata gathered his energy.
**"Resonance—Flow!"**
The creature stepped back—
But suddenly, from its back, a **black chain** shot out.
Too fast.
"Mira—!"
Arata shouted.
Too late.
The chain pierced through Mira's chest.
Time froze.
Mira collapsed to the ground.
Her eyes were still open…
but there was no life in them anymore.
Arata's mind went blank.
"N—No…"
his voice broke.
The creature laughed.
Something inside Arata snapped.
The chains within him began to rattle.
His body started trembling.
"Stop!"
Ren grabbed his arm.
"Not now!"
But it was already too late.
Arata's eyes turned black.
In the center, a golden crack appeared.
**"Resonance—Third Pulse: Break."**
The entire sector exploded with energy.
The creature vanished in a single instant—
as if it had never existed.
But Arata remained standing there.
Blood dripping.
Eyes empty.
Kaito appeared.
He looked at Mira's body.
And for the first time…
his face wasn't cold.
"This is the truth,"
he said quietly.
"This is the price."
Arata fell to his knees.
"If even after having power…"
"someone still dies…"
"then what's the point of this power?!"
Kaito placed a hand on his shoulder.
"The point is this,"
"next time… you must become stronger."
Far away, in the darkness—
The leader of the Dark Organization smiled.
"The first sacrifice has been made."
"Now the story will move faster."
And somewhere deep beyond—
That ancient entity whispered:
"Pain… will make you worthy."
⚡ To be continued…