A soft, artificial moonlight bathed the towering halls of Star Academy as the second month of the semester began. The daily rhythm of theory lectures and combat drills masked the whispers of deeper truths stirring beneath the surface.
Late one evening, Kain Vagor found himself at the edge of the Forgotten Grove, summoned by a single cryptic note. When midnight arrived, a cloaked figure emerged from the mist, carrying a curved blade and wearing a wolf mask.
Their duel was swift and brutal—sword against sword, sparks flickering under the moon's glow. Each strike echoed memories of Kain's hidden heritage. As the clash reached its peak, the masked man broke Kain's guard and forced his blade from his hand.
With the flick of his mask, the stranger revealed a scarred face and icy eyes. "You fight well," he said. "But your true test lies ahead."
Recognition flashed across Kain's features. It was Calem Vagor, his father's exiled brother, a rogue knight thought lost to legend. Before Kain could respond, Calem pressed a black crest into his palm. "Remember this emblem. Your path will split with its meaning." Then he slipped away into the woods, leaving Kain with more questions than answers.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the academy, Yujin sensed an unsettling disturbance. A trail of corrupted mana seemed to pulse through the deserted library corridors. He followed it to the alchemy building's closed third floor, where muffled chanting drifted through a hidden door.
Inside, hooded figures circled a demonic rune etched on the floor. One of them was an instructor—Edren—performing a forbidden ritual. Yujin crept closer, heart pounding, and grasped a warding charm from the circle's perimeter.
When a guard noticed him, Yujin leapt into action, disabling one cultist and shattering the altar's centerpiece. Alarms rang out. He fled through winding passages, the cultists in pursuit, until he burst into the moonlit courtyard. He collapsed, bruised but victorious, clutching the stolen charm.
The next morning, Headmaster Arcen Lucian moved swiftly. The chamber was sealed and the instructor vanished without a trace. The academy's barrier was reinforced, and Yujin's report remained confidential—another threat neutralized.
Days later, Yujin sat alone in the cafeteria when Sylvia Estelle approached with a small, ornate box.
She placed it before him and met his curious gaze. Without a word, she left.
Inside, he found a single root of Goryeo Ginseng, aged a century and renowned for enhancing mana focus and recovery. Yujin's mind raced—this was more than a gift; it was a bond.
That night, his system interface glowed with a new entry:
Mistake Solved – Sylvia Estelle's Trust Secured.
He exhaled, recalling the other corrections he had made. The Fuyugiri Gorge dungeon incident had been Mistake Solved #2, and now this was #3.
As he stood on the academy's highest balcony, the distant spires gleaming under the moon, he realized the path ahead would be paved with more secrets, more tests—and far darker shadows yet to come.
And somewhere beyond, the devils
watched, waiting to strike again.