The silence after Kael's words lingered heavily inside the room.
"I wanted to see if you were still you."
Leo could not answer immediately.
Because the question struck too deeply.
Not because he feared Kael's judgment—
because he genuinely did not know the answer anymore.
The lantern light flickered softly across the stone walls while the three remained motionless.
Kael stood near the entrance, his injured shoulder wrapped tightly in bandages. The instructor remained nearby, visibly cautious despite allowing him inside.
And Leo sat against the cold wall silently, staring downward while countless thoughts collided inside his mind.
Finally, Kael spoke again.
"…You're thinking too much."
Leo almost laughed faintly at that.
Thinking too much?
His entire existence had become fear, confusion, whispers, and uncertainty.
How was he supposed to think less?
"You didn't see what happened," Leo said quietly.
Kael's expression tightened slightly.
"I saw enough."
"No."
Leo slowly raised his gaze toward him.
"You saw the result."
The room fell silent again.
Leo looked down at his trembling hand.
"The shadows moved because of me."
The whispers stirred faintly beneath his awareness at the memory.
"I hurt people."
Kael did not deny it.
That honesty mattered.
But then Kael spoke carefully.
"You also looked terrified the entire time."
Leo froze slightly.
Because no one else had mentioned that.
Everyone only remembered:
the darkness the pressure the fear
But Kael remembered Leo's expression.
The instructor watched quietly from nearby, his eyes unreadable.
Kael stepped closer slowly.
Not recklessly.
Carefully.
Like approaching something wounded that might still lash out accidentally.
"I don't know what's happening to you," Kael admitted quietly. "But I know this."
A faint pause followed.
"You were never someone who enjoyed hurting people."
The whispers beneath Leo's awareness shifted strangely at those words.
Almost irritated.
Leo lowered his gaze again.
"…That might be changing."
Kael's expression hardened immediately.
"Then fight it."
The answer came without hesitation.
Simple.
Direct.
Human.
For a brief moment—
the whispers weakened.
The instructor noticed immediately.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
Then suddenly—
heavy footsteps echoed beyond the stone corridor outside.
Several people.
Approaching.
The instructor's expression darkened immediately.
"They're here."
Before anyone could speak further, the stone door opened heavily.
Three armored enforcers entered first.
Behind them—
stood the taller council member from earlier.
The same man who had called Leo a gateway.
The atmosphere inside the room sharpened instantly.
The council member's gaze moved briefly toward Kael.
"…You were not permitted here."
Kael straightened slightly but did not move.
"And yet I'm here."
The response carried surprising boldness.
The council member ignored him after that.
His attention shifted fully toward Leo.
For several seconds, he remained silent.
Studying him.
Assessing him.
Then finally—
"The council has made its decision."
The room became completely still.
Leo's heartbeat slowed slightly.
Not from calmness.
From inevitability.
The instructor stepped forward immediately.
"What decision?"
The council member answered without looking away from Leo.
"The boy will be transferred beneath the academy."
Kael frowned instantly.
"…Transferred where?"
The council member finally turned slightly toward him.
"The Hall."
The instructor's expression hardened immediately.
"No."
The answer came sharply.
Leo noticed something important instantly.
For the first time—
the instructor genuinely looked alarmed.
The council member remained calm.
"The vote is complete."
"He is not prepared."
"He is unstable."
The two men spoke almost simultaneously.
Kael looked between them uneasily.
"…What is the Hall?"
No one answered immediately.
Which only made the atmosphere worse.
Finally, the instructor spoke quietly.
"It is where failed vessels were studied."
Cold silence filled the room.
Leo felt his chest tighten instantly.
Studied.
Not trained.
Not protected.
Studied.
Kael's expression darkened.
"…You're sending him into that place?"
The council member's voice remained emotionless.
"The Hall was specifically created for situations like this."
Leo noticed something strange then.
Even the enforcers standing nearby seemed uncomfortable hearing the place mentioned.
The instructor stepped closer toward the council member.
"If his awareness destabilizes there—"
"Then we confirm the worst."
The answer came immediately.
Silence crashed over the room again.
Leo slowly stood despite the exhaustion weighing through his body.
"…So this is a test."
The council member finally looked directly into his eyes.
"No."
A faint pause followed.
"It is judgment."
The whispers stirred faintly again.
Satisfied.
Interested.
Kael clenched his jaw slightly.
"This is insane."
The council member's gaze sharpened.
"What is insane is allowing a potential doorway to remain unchecked."
The words echoed heavily through the room.
Potential doorway.
Not person.
Not trainee.
Not Leo.
The instructor noticed the change in Leo's expression immediately.
Then spoke quietly.
"You do not have to accept fear as your identity."
The whispers reacted violently to those words.
The black lines beneath Leo's skin pulsed sharply.
"…HE LIES…"
The voice echoed faintly inside Leo's mind.
Ancient.
Cold.
Leo gripped his wrist tightly.
Pain spread upward through his arm immediately.
The council member noticed.
"So it speaks more frequently now."
Leo's breathing became uneven.
Kael stepped forward instinctively.
But the instructor raised a hand sharply, stopping him.
"Do not touch him while the resonance is active."
The room fell silent again.
Only Leo's unstable breathing remained audible.
After several long moments, the whispers slowly quieted once more.
The pain eased slightly.
But exhaustion crashed through Leo immediately afterward.
The council member watched carefully.
Then finally spoke again.
"You leave tonight."
Kael frowned sharply.
"Tonight?"
"The Hall responds differently after sunrise."
That answer explained absolutely nothing.
But no one asked further.
Because the atmosphere surrounding the Hall itself already felt wrong enough.
The council member turned toward the exit.
Then stopped briefly beside the instructor.
And quietly enough that only those nearby heard—
"If the boy loses control beneath the academy…"
A faint pause followed.
"…we seal the entire sector permanently."
Cold silence spread instantly.
Even Kael froze.
Seal the sector.
Meaning everyone inside would die with it.
The council member finally left.
The enforcers followed immediately afterward.
Heavy footsteps gradually faded down the corridor.
Silence returned once more.
But now—
it felt suffocating.
Kael looked toward the instructor slowly.
"…What exactly is beneath this academy?"
The instructor remained motionless for several seconds.
Then finally—
"History humanity tried to bury."
Leo's chest tightened faintly.
The whispers beneath his awareness stirred softly again.
Not violent this time.
Almost eager.
"…The Hall…" Leo said quietly.
The instructor closed his eyes briefly.
Then answered.
"It was built above the ruins of the first containment site."
The room suddenly felt far colder.
Kael frowned.
"Containment site for what?"
The instructor looked directly at Leo.
And for the first time since all of this began—
genuine fear appeared openly in his eyes.
"The first place humanity ever sealed a Watcher."
Silence.
Absolute.
The whispers inside Leo's awareness became deathly still.
As though listening.
Waiting.
Remembering.
And deep beneath the academy—
something ancient slowly awakened.