The sun hung low over the hills, casting a warm orange glaze across the stone-paved road that led into the village.
A single carriage rolled in—polished wood dulled by the dust of travel, flanked by two mounted guards in faded green. The villagers didn't crowd it. They didn't wave or cheer.
They simply watched.
The man riding up front beside the driver pulled down his hood, revealing a face drawn from both wind and worry. Tan, weathered, sharp-eyed. Darin, Sion's uncle.
He had the kind of quiet wealth that didn't need announcing. His boots were clean leather. His rings were simple, but each one real. His guards were lean, not flashy—but well-paid and loyal.
He nodded at a few familiar faces as they passed, but offered no words.
There was only one destination on his mind.
They were waiting outside before the horses even stopped.
Frank, arms crossed, stance still as stone. Broad-shouldered, greying at the beard, the kind of man who didn't raise his voice because he never needed to.
Beside him, Elizabeth, straight-backed, eyes tense but kind. She wore her worry in the way her hands clenched the edge of her apron.
Frank spoke first. "Well?"
Darin stepped down, brushing dust from his coat. He didn't answer immediately. Just looked at them—really looked.
Then:"He walked through."
Elizabeth let out a breath—not relief, not yet. Just breath.
Frank's expression didn't change. "I figured."
"He didn't hesitate," Darin said, quieter now. "Didn't even glance back. Just… walked through the Gate."
Elizabeth pressed her hands together, holding back a tremble. "That means he's in?"
Darin nodded.
Silence stretched between them.
Then Frank turned and walked toward the house. "Come inside."
They gathered at the table, warm tea untouched between them.
Outside, the village went on as if the world hadn't shifted a little to the left.
"I told him it was just an entrance test," Darin said, eyes on the steam rising from his cup. "I didn't think he'd—"
"You did," Frank cut in. Not harsh. Just firm. "You've always known what he is."
Darin didn't argue.
Elizabeth looked between them. "They're celebrating already. The neighbors. I saw them lighting candles. The mayor's already saying our son might be the first to wear the Academy's crest."
Frank grunted.
"They don't know," she said softly.
"They shouldn't," he replied.
Darin reached into his satchel and pulled something out. A charm. Wood-carved, slightly singed at the corner.
"He left this," he said, setting it on the table.
Elizabeth picked it up gently, thumb brushing across the grain. She remembered Sion carving it by the fire when he was ten. Said it was for luck.
"He doesn't need luck," Frank said after a beat. "He needs control."
"He has it," Darin said, then paused. "But for how long, I don't know."
Frank leaned back. The fire cracked in the hearth. Shadows danced behind his eyes.
"I served with boys who came from that place," he said. "Some came back monsters. Some didn't come back at all."
Elizabeth didn't flinch. "Sion won't be like that."
"He might not have a choice."
Darin looked up, gaze solemn. "He's not like other kids. He's… too good. He actually believes he can fix things."
Elizabeth gave a small, bittersweet smile. "That's because he grew up here."
Frank's fingers tapped the table once, twice. Then stopped.
"He wanted to be a hero," he said. "Let's just hope Death Academy doesn't teach him how to be something else."
The room fell quiet again.
Outside, the wind picked up, whistling low through the village trees.
And at the center of the table, the charm sat between them—worn, scorched, and waiting.
---
Far above them, in a high tower nestled deep within the Academy grounds, a dimly lit chamber pulsed with silent magic.
Multiple floating holographic windows hovered mid-air—each screen displaying a different quadrant of the forest. Students in combat, students hiding, students dying. It was chaos, segmented into clean frames.
Around the room, five instructors stood at separate stations, watching. They whispered among themselves, taking notes, tagging names.
At the center, before the largest display, stood Instructor Maki—straight-backed, arms folded, eyes fixed.
One screen showed a crater. Dozens of monsters torn apart. A boy at the center, unconscious.
Sion.
Behind her, the chamber doors slid open.
The Dean entered, robes whispering behind him. "Anything worth noting?"
Maki didn't look back. "He summoned them. All of them. Bled on purpose."
"Risky."
"Calculated," she said. "He was fighting to save others. Even now, his body's still protecting the pillar radius."
The Dean watched the feed, his gaze narrowing.
"So that's the lion cub."
He stepped forward, speaking low.
"Flag him. Top watch list."
Maki turned slightly. "He already is."
"Oh? Good." The Dean smiled.
Maki's eyes narrowed slightly, but she did not dwell on the matter.
"The girls? He made contact with them."
"You mean those from that place?"
"Yes sir."
"Let things unfold naturally."
A beat of silence from Maki. "Noted."
---
Sion's eyes snapped open.
His breath was steady—too steady. Like he'd been holding it the whole time.
"Tch. Barely a partial activation, and I already feel like roadkill."
He sat up, rolling his neck until it cracked. He could feel the ache in each of his bones.
The girls' voices still rang in his skull: Savage brute.
Amusing.
If they'd seen him at full strength—claws like sabers, fangs that could puncture steel—they'd have pissed themselves. But Father's warnings echoed louder: "A full transformation buys you less than 10 seconds of godhood… and an hour in a coma."
Not worth it. Not yet.
He flexed his fingers. The joints burned, but nothing was broken. Good.
The real question was—
Did the girls really think he'd blacked out?
His hands caught something by his chest, a piece of clothing.
The youngest of the girls had left it behind. In it he could feel a pulse of friendly energy.
Most likely healing magic... How nice of her...
Just then, a scent hit him.
Pleasant...
His head snapped to the side. There, to a spot outside the crater.
A beauty stood, just behind a tree.
Huh? Who is she?
Sion tilted his head.
The girl smiled at him in response.
Just as he was about to approach her, his ears twitched.
A voice boomed through the forest.
"The second phase of the test starts now."