I woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling, a bland, pale surface that wasn’t mine, dotted with faint water stains and lit by the warm hue of morning light filtering through a nearby window. For a mont, I didn’t recognize where I was. The sterile scent of herbs mixed with old wood wafted into my nostrils, grounding .
Then, like a tidal wave crashing through my skull, the mories returned—the ambush, the clash with Alad, the blinding pain, and then... darkness. My heart lurched in my chest, and I pushed myself upright in the bed, groaning as soreness prickled across my body like dozens of tiny needles. The blanket fell off , revealing bandaged arms and a few scrapes still healing.
A soft breath stirred beside . Turning my head slowly, I saw Fia, slouched in a wooden chair, dozing beside the bed. Her chin rested on her chest, arms wrapped around herself like she had dozed off waiting. Her once-tidy silver-blonde hair was a ss, strands sticking out in all directions, and dark circles under her eyes betrayed a lack of sleep.
"What happened?" I murmured hoarsely, my throat dry like sandpaper.
Her eyes fluttered open almost instantly, and the mont they t mine, her entire face lit up with relief.
"Will? You’re finally awake!" she exclaid, sitting upright in a hurry. The chair scraped against the wooden floor.
I blinked at her, startled by the sudden energy.
"Are you okay? Any part of your body hurting? I’ll call the healer imdiately!" she rattled off, already reaching for a bell on the nearby table.
"Ms. Fia, please calm down," I said gently, lifting a hand to stop her. "I’m fine. A little sore, maybe, but I can move. Thank you for your concern."
She paused mid-motion, hand hovering above the bell cord. Then she smiled, the kind of soft smile that made everything else seem montarily unimportant.
"Glad to hear it," she said with a breath of relief, shoulders sagging.
Her eyes flicked away quickly, but I caught the way her fingers clutched the edge of the chair. She must’ve been sitting here for hours. Maybe even days. Her expression... it was tired, but so full of worry, like she’d been guarding from the world while I slept.
Wait—how long had I been asleep?
"Ms. Fia," I said, more serious this ti. "Can I ask... how long was I sleeping?"
Her face shifted. That fragile smile wavered.
"Three days," she replied softly, eyes lowering.
Three days? My breath caught. That explained the heaviness in my limbs, the stiffness in my back, and the dryness in my throat. But then—what happened in the anti?
I sat up straighter. "And how did I get here? Where are my friends? Did they save ? Are they in class? What happened to Alad? Was he caught?"
I didn’t even notice the speed of my words until Fia’s brows knit together, her mouth slightly open as she tried to process it all. She looked overwheld, almost lost in thought, like she was reliving a mory she didn’t want to revisit.
"Sorry," I muttered, lowering my gaze. "I got carried away."
"No, it’s fine," she said, slowly shaking her head. "I have to tell you about what happened, after all..."
Her voice trailed off, and her eyes turned distant, haunted by the events I hadn’t yet heard.
****
FIA’S POV
It had already been nearly thirty minutes. The sun hung low in the sky, painting the battlefield with a red-orange hue, and yet the tension hadn’t let up. Leonardo and I stood side by side, facing the silent, masked swordsman who had barred our path without uttering a single word.
My hands were clenched tightly around my staff, fingers trembling despite myself. The air was thick with the scent of ash and sweat. The masked man’s sword glead, reflecting Leonardo’s cautious stance.
"I’m fed up!" Leonardo shouted, his voice cracking through the silence like thunder. "What’s wrong with you? Tell what you want!"
But the swordsman didn’t answer. He simply stood there, still and composed, like a stone pillar in the middle of a storm. His presence alone was suffocating.
Leonardo grit his teeth and took a step forward. "Sorry," he muttered, voice lowering with a rare seriousness, "but I won’t hold back anymore."
In that instant, his aura shifted. I could feel it even from beside him—the heat, the intent, the sheer focus in his eyes. He raised his sword, and a faint hum filled the air. The runes etched into the blade began to glow a deep crimson.
"Reaver!" he roared.
A surge of energy burst around him as he shot forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet from the force of his charge. His sword trailed behind like a cot of light.
I had seen Leonardo fight before, but never like this. He wasn’t just fast—he was unstoppable. Every motion was honed, clean, rciless. He wasn’t just swinging his blade; he was pouring his entire soul into each strike.
Their swords t with a deafening clang that rang in my ears.
For a heartbeat, ti stopped.
And then, with a mighty screech of tal, the masked swordsman’s blade split in two, cleaved cleanly by the force of Leonardo’s strike. The impact hurled the masked man backward like a ragdoll.
He crashed into the ground over three ters away, skidding across the dirt and kicking up clouds of dust. For a mont, I thought it was over. But then he stirred, standing slowly—completely unfazed.
My mouth hung open. "How...?"
Leonardo lowered his sword, panting, but keeping his stance. "Still up for it?" he asked between breaths.
The masked man didn’t respond. Instead, he reached into a small pouch at his waist and pulled out a rock-shaped object.
"Wait—Leonardo, look out!"
He threw it to the ground.
Boom!
A thick smokescreen exploded, engulfing the area. I coughed, shielding my face as visibility dropped to nothing. My eyes stung, and I fumbled forward, calling out, "Leonardo!"
As the smoke began to dissipate with the wind, I scanned the area frantically. But the masked swordsman was gone.
Leonardo sheathed his sword with a sharp motion. "Tch. Coward."
"You did it!" I ran over and bead at him. "That was amazing!"
He turned his head away slightly, cheeks pink. "I-it’s normal. No need to praise ."
I giggled despite myself. He could act all cool and brooding, but deep down, Leonardo was as easy to fluster as a first-year student.
"Let’s go find Will now," I said, determination returning to my voice.
"Yeah," he replied, serious once more, nodding as we began to walk through the smoke-streaked forest.
As we prepared to leave, a sharp buzz echoed through the room, cutting through the tension like a blade. The small, silver communication device the principal had distributed pulsed with a faint glow as it vibrated on the table. Leonardo and I turned toward it simultaneously.
A mont later, the device crackled to life.
"Do you hear , top cards and elite magicians?" ca the stern yet composed voice of the principal. His tone left no room for debate—it was a command more than a question.
"Loud and clear," Hans responded first, his gravelly voice sounding like he was already halfway into a fight.
"I’m listening," Ars added coolly, always the composed strategist.
"Yeah," ca Byen’s voice, casual as ever.
"I’m here with Pablo!" Fortuna chid in, her tone upbeat and light even in situations like this.
"Trea’s here too," said Trea in a more hushed tone, calm but ready.
"I’m here," Rosa confird, her voice soft yet resolute.
"That’s right, I heard you, Principal," Leonardo said next to , arms crossed, face hard with focus.
"I’m also here," I said, my voice still slightly raspy from the days of unconsciousness.
"Okay, you’re all present," the principal continued. "I have an announcent, and your participation is required."
There was a slight pause before Hans broke in again, voice tinged with suspicion. "Julie’s not here, though?"
The air grew a little heavier, everyone waiting for the answer.
"And that’s connected to my announcent," the principal explained. "Listen, everyone. The fighting ground has been located, thanks to Julie and Alad. The mastermind behind it is Ricky, a fifth-year student. I want all of you—top cards and elite magicians—to raid it imdiately, together with the teachers. Clear?"
Despite the gravity of the situation, our response was perfectly in sync, a testant to our unity in chaos.
"Roger!" we all replied, our voices a chorus of certainty.
"Very well," the principal concluded. "Join forces with the teachers and apprehend all those lawbreakers. That’s all."
The communication ended with a soft click.
Leonardo turned to , expression unreadable. "Let’s go."
I reached out instinctively. "Wait, but what about Will?"
Leonardo’s eyes narrowed as he looked back at . "If what the principal said is true, then Will must be there too—along with Alad."
There was no ti to waste. Without exchanging another word, Leonardo and I sprinted down the hall, eting up with our instructors and classmates outside. The raid on the underground fighting ground began with explosive force and focused precision.
The air inside the facility was heavy with smoke and magic residue. Screams and spells clashed in the background as chaos erupted. I rember casting spells on repeat, knocking back attackers, while Leonardo dueled a hulking opponent like a man possessed.
Then I saw him—Will.
He was collapsed against a wall, battered, shirt torn and soaked in dried blood, bruises covering his chest and arms like war paint. I didn’t wait for help. I ran. I rember screaming his na. I rember the panic rising in my chest like bile.
He had been barely conscious when I reached him, eyes fluttering open for the briefest second before he passed out again.
I carried him back to the clinic myself.
And that brought us here—to the present.
****
WILL’S POV
Fia’s words felt like stone dropping into the pit of my stomach. "After that," she said gently, her eyes downcast, "I learned that your friends—Raiden, Tork, Tyiyn, and Chris—got arrested."
I stared at her in disbelief. "Huh? Why? They saved , didn’t they?"
"That’s right," she said, nodding slowly. "But they still participated in the fight... even if it was to save you. That doesn’t change the rules."
I clenched my fists beneath the blanket. "And... did they get punished?"
She hesitated. Then, with a deep breath, she said, "That’s right. The verdict is deploynt to the battlefield in two weeks—right after the swordsmanship tournant. Right now, they’re at the correction facility."
The room seed to tilt. I could barely process the words.
"What...? What nonsense is that?" I barked, voice sharp with disbelief. "Is the principal thinking straight? Has he gone senile or sothing? Why is Alad free and not arrested, while my friends are being sent to war?! Are they working together?! Is that Alad working with that damn principal?!"
My voice echoed around the room, bouncing off the clinic walls. I couldn’t sit still. I couldn’t breathe right. This was all wrong—insane. My pulse thundered in my ears.
"Will, calm down," Fia pleaded, placing a hand on my shoulder. Her fingers were warm, grounding. "I understand what you’re feeling, but... we can’t do anything. That’s the principal’s decision."
I stared at her hand for a second. "I don’t care about that fucking principal," I growled, brushing her hand away and throwing the blanket off . "I’ll save my friends. Even if I have to burn this school to the ground."
"Another insult or accusation against my father," ca a familiar, threatening voice, "and I won’t hesitate to beat the crap out of you."
Leonardo stood by the door, arms folded. His expression was ice-cold. There was a weight behind his eyes I hadn’t noticed before, sothing dark and unwavering.
I glared at him, but sothing shifted in my gaze as I noticed soone else standing beside him.
Soone I didn’t want to see.
"What are you doing here, you bastard?" I spat, my voice venomous.
Alad.
He leaned casually against the doorfra, arms crossed, an infuriating smile tugging at his lips.
"Well, Leonardo forced to co here, so... here I am," he said with a shrug, as if he were just another guest at a tea party.
His carefree tone was like oil on fire.
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