(POV: Caspian)
Caspian slid his phone back into his pocket, letting out a soft breath.
The map on his screen confirmed it — he was about 150 kilometers southwest of the academy.
Close enough that he could make it back by night… if he moved fast.
The nearest bullet train station wasn't far — maybe a thirty-minute walk.
He could reach the academy by 11:00 pm.
The streets were empty this late.
The kind of silence you only heard outside city limits.
The occasional rustle of wind through trees.
A car engine humming faintly in the distance.
Caspian walked steadily, hands in his coat pockets.
He didn't rush.
The conversation with Kismet replayed in fragments — certain words sticking heavier than others.
Be sharp in the A-Rank mission.
A simple warning… but one that meant a hundred different things.
The A-Rank mission wasn't just some academy achievement.
It was something else — a stage maybe.
