The night air felt heavy. The sky was cloudy. The moon was hidden. In the darkness, Eiden stood near the edge of the academy garden, his sword resting on his shoulder. The wind blew through the trees, whispering like ghosts.
He waited.
From behind the tall wall of ivy, soft footsteps echoed. Elara.
She had followed him again.
Eiden sighed and turned away. He didn't want trouble. Not now. Not when the strange magic around the academy was getting worse. The runes in the ground, the whispering halls, the sudden monster attacks—everything was moving faster than he thought.
He could feel it. A shadow growing.
And then, it came.
A scream.
Far from the dorms. Sharp. Short. Real.
Elara heard it too. Her eyes widened. She took a step back.
"That came from the east wing," she said.
Eiden nodded. He dashed forward.
He ran fast, past the silent trees, past the broken wall, into the deeper part of the academy. It was where no student should be at night.
He followed the sound. Down the stairs. Past the library's sealed door. Deeper.
A strange smell filled the air. Burnt wood. Blood.
Then he saw them.
Three teachers. Dead. Their bodies marked with black symbols. Magic symbols.
Elara gasped behind him. "Who did this... What kind of spell is this?"
Eiden looked closer. His face calm, but inside, he was worried. He knew those symbols. He had seen them before. Long ago.
"Black Thorn," he whispered.
"What?"
"A guild. One that should have been gone. They hunt magic users. They steal forbidden knowledge. They kill without mercy."
Elara shivered.
The shadows moved. A person stepped out.
A boy. Same age as them. Wearing the school uniform. But his eyes were dark. Cold.
"You know too much," the boy said. His voice was strange. Like many voices together.
Eiden stepped in front of Elara. "You're not a student. You're a spy."
The boy smiled. Then rushed forward.
Eiden moved fast. His sword blocked the strike. Magic exploded from the boy's fist. Fire and wind.
Eiden dodged. He felt the heat. The wind burned his skin.
Elara shouted. She raised her staff and shot a light spell.
The boy turned, blocking it with a dark barrier.
Eiden saw his chance. He slashed forward. His blade glowing slightly with light.
The boy jumped back, laughing.
"You're him," he said. "You're the one they fear. The one with the old magic."
Eiden's eyes narrowed.
"Tell your masters," he said. "I am not ready yet. But when I am... they will fall."
The boy vanished into black mist.
Elara fell to her knees. Breathing hard.
"Eiden... what was that? Who are you really?"
He didn't answer. He looked at the marks on the teachers' bodies again.
The Black Thorn had returned. And they were inside the academy.
Eiden clenched his fists.
It was only the beginning.