Roy didn't sleep.
The message from the pendant kept replaying in his head.
"Come before they find you."
He sat beside his window, staring at the academy grounds.
Who were they?
And why did whoever was communicating with him want him to reach the Northern Hall?
Roy had already asked Kenneth about it.
The principal had warned him to stay away.
That alone made Roy even more suspicious.
"If it's really that dangerous, why does everyone keep hiding it from me?"
He reached into his drawer and took out the pendant.
It looked completely ordinary again.
No glow.
No strange energy.
Nothing.
Roy turned it over in his hand.
"You're becoming a problem."
He put it back.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
Tomorrow.
The academy was holding another round of the club competition.
There would be plenty of students and instructors around.
If he disappeared, someone might notice.
Roy sighed.
"I'll have to wait."
---
The Following Morning
The academy was already alive when Roy arrived.
The remaining events of the club competition had attracted even more students than the previous day.
Leo was waiting near the entrance.
"There you are!"
Roy walked over.
"You came early."
"I couldn't sleep."
Roy raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Leo grinned.
"I'm excited."
"About the competition?"
"Obviously."
Roy shook his head.
"You're strange."
"You're just jealous."
"Of what?"
"Of my enthusiasm."
Roy laughed.
They walked toward the central courtyard.
The large ranking board had already been updated.
CLUB RANKINGS
1. Combat Club — 186 Points
2. Weapon Club — 171 Points
3. Elemental Development Club — 164 Points
4. Tactical Strategy Club — 153 Points
5. Beast Club — 142 Points
The rankings continued below.
Leo pointed toward the board.
"We're winning."
Roy looked at the score.
"By fifteen points."
"Still winning."
"There's still a lot of competition left."
Leo smiled.
"Then we'll just win more."
---
The next event was the Team Challenge.
Each club would select five students.
Their objective was to capture three flags placed throughout a training field.
The catch was that each team had to defend their own base while attempting to capture the opposing team's flags.
Roy listened carefully to the rules.
"That's basically a battle."
Leo smiled.
"Exactly."
The Combat Club team consisted of five students.
Roy.
Leo.
Darius.
Another first-year named Marcus.
And a girl named Aria.
The five stood together.
Aria looked at Roy.
"You're our strategist?"
Roy shook his head.
"No."
Leo looked at him.
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know everyone else's abilities."
Darius nodded.
"Fair."
Roy looked across the field.
There were several teams.
Some specialized in defense.
Others focused on speed.
One team had three Earth users.
Another had several ranged attackers.
Roy studied them carefully.
"Leo."
"Yeah?"
"You're our strongest attacker."
Leo smiled.
"I knew you liked me."
"Don't get excited."
Roy pointed toward the opposing team.
"Take the left side."
Leo nodded.
"Darius, stay behind him."
"Support?"
"Exactly."
Darius smiled.
"Got it."
Roy looked at Aria.
"What can you do?"
"Water."
"Offense or defense?"
"Both."
Roy nodded.
"Stay with me."
Marcus looked at Roy.
"And me?"
"Defense."
Marcus nodded.
The instructor raised his hand.
"Teams ready!"
Roy took a deep breath.
The whistle blew.
FWOOSH!
Every team moved at once.
---
Roy immediately sprinted toward the center.
Leo went left.
Darius followed.
Aria stayed behind Roy.
Marcus remained at the base.
A massive Earth wall suddenly appeared ahead.
Roy stopped.
"Earth!"
The wall blocked their path.
Leo shouted from the side.
"Roy!"
Roy looked.
Several opponents were approaching him.
"Leave them!"
Roy activated Lightning.
CRACK!
He dashed forward.
One opponent swung an Earth-enhanced fist.
Roy ducked.
Another attacked.
Roy jumped.
He landed behind them.
"Too slow."
Lightning surged through his legs.
He accelerated.
One of the opponents released a wave of Earth spikes.
Roy narrowly avoided them.
Then Aria stepped forward.
"Water Art!"
A large wave crashed into the spikes.
The attack dissolved.
Roy looked at her.
"Nice."
Aria smiled.
"Keep moving."
Roy nodded.
They reached the first flag.
But someone was already there.
A student from the opposing team.
He raised his hand.
"You're not taking it."
Roy looked at him.
"Move."
"No."
Roy sighed.
"Fine."
The student attacked.
Roy activated Lightning.
The fight lasted only a few seconds.
Roy dodged the first attack.
Blocked the second.
Then used a Lightning-enhanced shoulder strike to knock the student outside the marked zone.
The instructor immediately called:
"Point secured!"
Roy grabbed the flag.
"One."
---
Meanwhile, Leo and Darius had broken through the left side.
Leo's Fire exploded across the field.
"Move!"
Darius used Sound waves to disrupt their opponents.
The two worked surprisingly well together.
Roy looked toward them.
"Good."
He turned.
Something was wrong.
The center of the field was suddenly empty.
Too empty.
Roy narrowed his eyes.
"Everyone stop."
Aria looked at him.
"What?"
"Something's wrong."
Marcus spoke through the communication device.
"Roy!"
Roy immediately answered.
"What?"
"Three teams just moved toward our base!"
Roy's expression changed.
"They're attacking our flag."
Roy looked at Aria.
"Go back."
"What about you?"
"I'll get the second flag."
Aria hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Be careful."
Roy smiled.
"I'll be fine."
---
Roy sprinted toward the second flag.
The area was heavily guarded.
Several students stood around it.
Roy slowed down.
"I can't fight all of them."
He looked around.
Then noticed something.
A narrow path behind the flag.
He smiled.
"Perfect."
Roy activated Lightning.
He didn't charge directly.
Instead, he ran around the battlefield.
The opponents noticed him.
"He's escaping!"
"Stop him!"
Roy suddenly turned.
He accelerated.
The students attempted to intercept him.
But Roy changed direction again.
He wasn't fighting them.
He was making them chase him.
He pulled them away from the flag.
Then—
CRACK!
He disappeared.
The students froze.
"Where did he go?"
Roy appeared behind the flag.
He grabbed it.
"Thanks."
He sprinted away.
The instructor shouted:
"Second flag secured!"
---
The competition became chaotic.
Teams were constantly attacking one another.
Flags changed hands repeatedly.
Roy's team managed to secure two.
But their own base was under attack.
Roy rushed back.
When he arrived, he saw Marcus defending the final flag.
Three opponents were attacking him.
Marcus was struggling.
Roy immediately activated Lightning.
"Get away from him!"
BOOM!
A Lightning-enhanced strike forced one opponent backward.
Leo arrived from the opposite side.
"You're late!"
Roy smiled.
"You survived."
"Of course."
Darius appeared behind them.
"Third flag!"
Roy looked at him.
"Already?"
Darius nodded.
"Got it while you were gone."
Roy smiled.
"Then we're finished."
Suddenly—
A massive explosion erupted across the field.
Everyone stopped.
The ground shook.
A huge pillar of Fire rose into the sky.
Roy looked toward it.
Leo's expression changed.
"That's not supposed to happen."
The instructors immediately reacted.
"Everyone stop the competition!"
A barrier formed around the field.
Kenneth stood at the center.
"All students remain where they are!"
The explosion continued.
Roy stared.
Something about the Fire felt wrong.
It wasn't normal Fire Nexis.
It was unstable.
Wild.
Then Roy felt something.
The pendant inside his pocket became warm.
His eyes widened.
"Again?"
The strange symbol began glowing beneath his clothes.
Roy looked toward the northern side of the academy.
A faint blue light appeared in the distance.
The Northern Hall.
His heart began pounding.
Someone was activating something there.
---
Beneath the Academy
Deep underground, several sealed mechanisms began moving.
A massive metal door opened slightly.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Inside the darkness, a faint blue light appeared.
Then another.
And another.
A machine suddenly activated.
SYSTEM RESTARTING...
NEXIS SIGNATURE DETECTED.
IDENTIFICATION: ROY
STATUS: UNSTABLE
The machine paused.
Then another message appeared.
RESONANCE DETECTED.
AWAITING CONTACT.
---
Back at the Academy
Kenneth suddenly turned toward the northern wing.
His expression changed.
"Impossible."
One of the instructors looked at him.
"Principal?"
Kenneth didn't answer.
He immediately disappeared.
Space Nexis.
Roy watched him vanish.
"What was that?"
Leo looked at him.
"I don't know."
Roy's hand moved toward the pendant.
It was burning hot now.
He pulled it out.
The symbol was glowing brighter than ever.
Roy stared at it.
Then a voice entered his mind.
Not a whisper this time.
A clear voice.
"You have returned."
Roy froze.
"Returned?"
The voice continued.
"The Northern Hall awaits you."
The pendant suddenly released a burst of energy.
Roy stumbled backward.
Leo grabbed him.
"Roy!"
Roy looked at him.
"I'm fine."
But he wasn't.
Because somewhere deep inside his mind, something had awakened.
A memory.
A place.
A voice.
And for a fraction of a second...
Roy remembered a woman's face.
He couldn't see it clearly.
But he knew one thing.
She had been crying.
And she had been holding him.
Roy's eyes widened.
"Mom..."
The memory vanished.
Roy clenched his fists.
This time, he wasn't confused.
He was determined.
He was going to the Northern Hall.
Even if Kenneth told him not to.
Even if someone was waiting for him.
He needed answers.
And he was done waiting for them to come to him.