Malice. That was what it felt like, as though the world itself conspired against him.
But Michael was an Awakener. And Awakeners were greedy for strength. He was no exception.
Especially when it seemed both quests could be accepted simultaneously.
Though confusion lingered, Michael noticed neither quest carried a failure penalty. That alone made his choice easier. He accepted both—and then waited.
It didn't take long.
The moment his will confirmed the quests, his senses stirred with incoming signatures. First dozens, then hundreds, then more.
"One hundred… two hundred… five hundred… a thousand…"
The numbers kept climbing as his awareness swept 10 kilometers outward. More than a thousand students were gathering stopped 5 kilometers from his location, and still more signatures flickered into his range.
Yet none dared draw too close. They lingered, circling, as though waiting for something.
