Ari clashes with the mysterious boy, unleashing everything—but he refuses to fall.
Tracey and Ashenfang fight desperately, holding off endless Hollowborn.
In a final flash, Ari lands a near-fatal blow—only to collapse, wounded and outmatched.
As the boy prepares to end her, Gray appears—and the tide begins to shift.
Gray narrowed his eyes, noticing the silver shimmer beneath the boy's foot—liquid mercury had crept up, locking him in place.
Before Gray could act, the boy smirked.
"Ignoring an old friend like this… that hurts, Gray. Have you really forgotten me?"
As his words faded, a surge of heat pulsed outward—the mercury hissed and vaporized instantly under the blaze of his fire magic.
Gray creates a circular cage and captures that boy.
As the metallic bars sealed in, Gray rushed over to help Ari stand. She was still not in a proper state, even struggling to remain on her feet.
Suddenly, the cage melted—liquified unnaturally fast—and the boy burst forward, throwing a direct punch toward Gray. But a mercury layer rose like a barrier, blocking the impact.
It was like Gray was untouchable.
Then, without a word, the boy withdrew two guns from his back and took a stance ready to attack.
Gray froze for a moment. The way that boy stood—there was something eerily familiar. Something Gray had seen before.
As that thought flickered in his mind, the boy suddenly sprinted—flames igniting under his feet—and appeared next to Gray from the left side, aiming directly for his head.
Gray somehow sensed the danger at the last moment. Realizing the boy's position, he quickly withdrew one of his blades and deflected the flaming bullet aimed at his skull.
With a follow-up step, Gray attempted a precise counter—slashing toward the boy's hands, trying to make the guns fall.
But he missed.
The boy jumped, spinning mid-air, and landed a fierce kick directly on Gray's face, sending him flying backward.
Boom!
Gray crashed onto the floor with force. The sound echoed, but he forced himself up, standing once again, slightly bruised but still focused.
The boy then fired several flame shots toward Gray—but they didn't immediately fly out. Instead, they hovered and froze around his own guns, suspended mid-air in eerie silence.
Gray narrowed his eyes. He was stuck for a moment—watching.
Then—bang!
The boy fired them.
But it wasn't just a random attack. The bullets moved as if they listened to his command. Some zipped from the left, others from the right, some zigzagging wildly, all charging toward Gray with deadly speed.
With his twin blades, Gray began deflecting the flaming bullets. Sparks and heat flew around as metal clashed with fire.
Some of the bullets hovered between Gray and the boy. That's when it struck Gray—this style… this technique…
He'd seen it before.
Gray: "Who… really are you?"
The boy smirked: "It doesn't matter now. But still—it's good to know the name of the person who's going to kill you."
He took a step forward. "I'm Ren."
Gray froze.
Ren…?
"I'm getting this feeling… but how it can be ?" he whispered internally, thoughts racing in his head.
Then without pause—they clashed again.
Fists met blades. The metal of Gray's twin swords rang out against the burning pressure of Ren's assault. The air between them flared with heat, tension, and the weight of a hidden past.
[Flashback]
[An Academy of Solaria]
A group of kids stood in a semi-circle, their eyes wide with wonder as they observed an adult performing magic at the center of the training ground. The instructor, calm and composed, was teaching them the art of manipulating magic to create whatever their heart desired.
With a swift motion, the teacher raised his hand, and from the swirling moisture in the air, a magnificent dragon made of water formed. Its body coiled mid-air, gleaming under the sunlight as if it were alive. The kids gasped in excitement, awe filling their young faces.
"See? With the right control, you can bring your imagination to life," the teacher said with a smile.
One by one, the students stepped forward, eager to replicate the same spell. Most of them managed to create small water creatures, usually a tiny whale or a blob resembling a fish — far from perfect, but a start. The teacher encouraged each attempt, nodding in approval.
Then he called, "Next, Gray Welhawk."
Gray stepped forward silently. He focused hard, but nothing happened. His mirror magic wasn't cooperating — it wasn't like water or fire. After all, most of what he had learned about his magic was only about reflecting attacks.
The teacher gave a gentle nod, trying to encourage him. "No worry, Gray. In the future, you'll definitely be able to do it."
Gray didn't reply. He simply walked back and stood in a corner quietly, his face unreadable.
"Next, Ren," the teacher called.
Ren stepped forward confidently. He closed one eye, extended his arm, and with a focused breath, he summoned his magic. Two small dragons made of fire appeared, their flaming forms dancing and twirling around each other. They weren't huge like the teacher's, but they were graceful — and beautiful.
The class erupted into applause, clapping enthusiastically for Ren.
Everyone except Gray.
Some kids whispered excitedly, "He's so good."
Another one chuckled and replied, "Yeah. And then there's that Gray… royal blood, but still so weak and pathetic."
Gray heard it all. Every word. But he chose to ignore them, staring at the floor.
________________________________________
The next day was Attack Class.
Wooden targets were lined up in front of the students. Each had to use their magic to destroy one. One by one, students took their shots. Some managed to break the targets, some just cracked them.
Then it was Gray's turn.
He stepped forward, raised his hand, and focused all his energy. He shot his magic.
Nothing happened.
Laughter broke out from a few students in the back.
One mocked loudly, "Oh man, he's seriously pathetic!"
Before it got worse, the teacher raised his voice. "Enough! Gray, you can take your seat now."
Gray nodded and returned to his seat, quiet and expressionless. Ren, seated nearby, had been watching everything. But he didn't laugh.
When Ren's turn came, he pointed his index finger at the wooden piece. He closed one eye, concentrated, and fire began to gather at his fingertip. In a flash, he shot a flame bullet. It hit the wooden piece directly and destroyed it completely.
The class cheered, clapping louder than before. Even the teacher nodded in approval. "Well done, Ren."
After the remaining students had their turns, the teacher concluded, "That's it for today. Training is over. You're all dismissed."
Everyone started leaving the academy, heading home for the day.
But then the teacher called, "Gray. Today's your turn to clean and arrange the academy room. Make sure it's done properly before you leave, okay?"
Gray simply nodded again. The teacher smiled faintly and left.
________________________________________
Ren, walking back to his home, suddenly paused.
"Ah—! I forgot something!" he realized. Without wasting time, he sprinted back to the academy.
When he reached the gate, he breathed a sigh of relief — it wasn't locked. That meant someone was still inside. Quietly, he moved towards the classroom.
As he reached the door, ready to push it open, he froze.
There was a voice inside. He listened carefully.
"Damn it… damn it… DAMN IT!! I HATE THIS—MY STUPID MAGIC!!!"
It was Gray's voice.
Ren stood frozen, realization hitting him. Gray was frustrated. The past few days of training weren't going well for him. That outburst — it was raw emotion, something Gray never showed in front of anyone.
Ren took a step back. He didn't want Gray to know he heard this. Being a royal, if Gray saw Ren — a commoner — eavesdropping in such a moment, he might twist the situation out of revenge. He could even fake a scenario to get Ren kicked out of the academy.
And Ren knew he was the only commoner qualified to train at this elite academy. He couldn't afford to lose this chance. Not for anything.
So he quietly turned around… and left without a trace.
The next day, there was another training session, but this time it was a dual team session. The teacher asked the kids to choose their pairs.
Most of the kids eagerly requested Ren to be their partner, but he directly turned to Gray and said he wanted to team up with him.
Gray, without a word, agreed—not with a smile of excitement, just his usual cold expression.
Then, the teacher explained what they had to do.
It would be a 2v2 session in which each participant had to both protect their teammate from attacks and attack the opponent.
A rope would be hanging with a crystal tied at the end, positioned behind each team.
The rule was simple: the team that destroyed at least one crystal of the opposing team would win.
The twist was that you cannot protect your own crystal.
That meant if your partner failed to defend it, you had no choice but to watch it get destroyed.
Most of the kids didn't fully grasp the meaning of this rule, but everyone was excited.
One by one, each duo stepped forward and fought.
Then it was time for Ren and Gray. Their opponents were two kids.
The fight began.
One of the opposing kids charged at Ren with a wooden sword.
The students watching were confused—Ren was far stronger than both opponents combined.
But then, surprisingly, the second kid also rushed toward Ren.
That's when it clicked.
Ren, Gray, and even the onlookers realized it—
The opposing team was targeting Ren's crystal, because by the rules, Ren couldn't defend it himself.
It was all up to Gray to protect it.
The sword-wielding kid swung his wooden blade at Ren's legs.
Ren jumped.
At the same time, the other kid fired a water shot aimed directly at Ren's crystal.
Gray instantly used his reflection magic to redirect the attack.
It worked.
Ren landed on the ground, but the sword kid launched another attack—this time, a relentless flurry of swings.
Ren dodged skillfully.
He couldn't block the hits with his own power, so he twisted and weaved, moving low, jumping high, doing whatever he could to avoid the strikes and protect his crystal from a single touch.
Meanwhile, the other opponent began approaching Gray.
Now it became clear:
If Ren stopped to save Gray, his crystal would be destroyed.
But if he didn't, then Gray's crystal would be destroyed, and they'd lose.