The laughter beneath the Awakening Hall continued.
Low.
Cold.
Ancient.
Nobody moved.
The students stared at the enormous black symbol that had appeared across the floor.
Evans could feel his shadow trembling.
Olivia's golden light flickered around her hands.
"What is happening?" she whispered.
The old instructor stepped forward.
"Everyone, evacuate the building!"
The students began running toward the exits.
But Evans remained where he was.
He couldn't take his eyes off the symbol.
"What is that?"
The instructor looked at him.
"The Ancient Seal."
"What's sealed beneath us?"
The instructor hesitated.
"Something that should never be released."
A violent tremor shook the building.
BOOM!
Several pieces of stone fell from the ceiling.
Olivia grabbed Evans's arm.
"We need to leave."
Evans nodded.
They turned toward the exit.
Then—
CRACK!
A huge wall of darkness suddenly rose between them and the doorway.
Evans stopped.
"That's my power."
The instructor shook his head.
"No."
He stared at the darkness.
"That isn't yours."
Evans felt a chill run through his body.
The darkness moved on its own.
It formed a giant eye.
Everyone froze.
The eye opened.
A deep voice echoed through the hall.
"After three hundred years..."
The students screamed.
"...I can finally see the world again."
Evans stared at the eye.
"Who are you?"
The voice laughed.
"You already know."
Evans's heart began pounding.
"The Shadow Sovereign."
The eye disappeared.
Then the darkness exploded outward.
---
The Royal Awakening Guard
Several guards rushed into the hall.
"Protect the students!"
Magical weapons appeared in their hands.
The guards attacked the darkness.
Fire.
Lightning.
Ice.
Wind.
Dozens of abilities struck the black barrier.
But nothing happened.
The darkness swallowed every attack.
Leon stood among the students, staring at the scene.
"This can't be..."
He clenched his fists.
Then he stepped forward.
"I'm helping."
Lightning covered his body.
Evans looked at him.
"You don't have to."
Leon glanced at him.
"Don't misunderstand."
He smirked.
"If something destroys this place, I won't get the chance to defeat you."
Evans smiled.
"Fair enough."
Leon raised his hand.
Lightning erupted.
At the same time, Olivia raised both hands.
Golden light filled the hall.
Evans felt something inside him respond.
His shadows spread across the floor.
"Together?" Olivia asked.
Evans nodded.
"Together."
Light and Shadow collided.
For a moment, everyone expected an explosion.
Instead, the two powers merged.
A massive beam of black and gold energy shot toward the Ancient Seal.
BOOOOOOM!
The black barrier shattered.
The hall became silent.
Evans fell to one knee.
Olivia caught her breath.
Leon stared at them.
"You two..."
The instructor looked horrified.
"That shouldn't be possible."
Evans looked up.
"Why?"
The instructor slowly approached them.
"Because Light and Shadow are supposed to destroy each other."
Olivia looked at her glowing hands.
"But ours didn't."
"No."
The instructor shook his head.
"They synchronized."
Evans stood.
"What does that mean?"
The instructor looked toward the broken seal.
"It means the ancient prophecy may have been misunderstood."
Suddenly, a small piece of the seal floated into the air.
It moved toward Evans.
He reached out.
The moment he touched it—
FLASH!
A vision appeared.
Evans saw an enormous kingdom burning.
He saw armies fighting.
He saw a man dressed in black standing before thousands of people.
But the man wasn't attacking them.
He was protecting them.
Beside him stood a woman surrounded by golden light.
The two warriors fought together against a gigantic creature made entirely of darkness.
Then the vision changed.
The black-clothed man turned toward the woman.
She was crying.
He whispered something Evans couldn't hear.
Then she raised her hand.
A massive seal appeared.
The man disappeared inside it.
The vision ended.
Evans opened his eyes.
"What did you see?" Olivia asked.
Evans looked at her.
"The Shadow Sovereign..."
He paused.
"I don't think he was the villain."
The instructor's eyes widened.
"What?"
Evans looked at the ancient seal.
"I think someone sealed him away."
Before anyone could respond, the entire hall went dark.
A single voice echoed through the darkness.
"Find the girl."
Evans froze.
Olivia looked around.
"Who is he talking about?"
The voice returned.
"Find the girl of Light..."
Then silence.
Evans slowly turned toward Olivia.
She stared back at him.
For the first time, both of them realized the truth.
The Shadow Sovereign wasn't searching for Evans.
He was searching for Olivia.