Thunder rolled through the Crescent Grounds.
The corrupted creature was gone, but its residue lingered — dark mist clinging to every shattered branch and torn root. The once-vibrant air of the forest felt wrong, like it was breathing unevenly.
Renji sat on the infirmary cot, head pounding.
His body felt heavy, drained, as though the Eclipt inside him had been burned raw. He stared at his hands, still faintly glowing white and black.
(What was that back there…?)
Kaito leaned back in his chair.
> "Man, you should've seen yourself. You were all—'RAAAAH!'—and then boom! The whole field lit up! Everyone thought you died or turned into a god or something."
Renji frowned. "And you didn't think to help?"
> "Hey, I was cheering from a safe distance. That counts."
Renji sighed. "You're hopeless."
> "Hopelessly handsome."
> "Hopelessly stupid."
The nurse chuckled from the corner. "You two are loud for people who almost died."
Kaito grinned. "It's how we cope."
---
The Aftermath Meeting
Later that evening, all surviving squads were summoned to the Grand Hall of Veins — a vast circular chamber where the academy's Eclipt streams converged.
The 12 instructors stood in a half-circle at the center, faces grim.
Headmistress Celine spoke first.
> "What occurred today was no mere accident. The corrupted essence we encountered was of mid-tier abyssal origin. Such entities should not exist within the academy's barrier."
The hall went dead silent.
Professor Harto scratched his head awkwardly.
> "Well, in my defense, I didn't die. That's progress."
Liora shot him a look.
> "And your entire class nearly did."
> "Keyword: nearly," Harto said with a grin. "See? We're improving!"
Even in the tension, a few students laughed. Kaito snorted.
Renji, however, noticed Sir Darius and Cirin standing apart from the others, speaking in hushed tones.
Their gazes flicked toward him once, briefly — sharp, measuring.
---
Foreshadowed Fears
When the meeting ended, Darius stopped Renji and Kaito at the exit.
> "You two. Stay."
Renji froze. Kaito whispered, "We're dead."
Darius looked between them. "Your teamwork was… unrefined but effective. However, the Eclipt you used, Renji — that was not standard flow control."
Renji hesitated. "I didn't mean to— it just happened."
> "It shouldn't have," Darius said flatly. "Only those with resonance alignment can manipulate polarity without backlash. You'd be ash by now if it weren't for…" He paused, as though realizing something, then shook his head. "Never mind. Dismissed."
As they left, Kaito muttered,
> "So… we're alive, but maybe cursed?"
Renji sighed. "That's your takeaway?"
> "That, and I think the lady professor winked at me earlier."
> "You're imagining things."
> "You're jealous."
Renji rolled his eyes. "I'm disgusted."
---
The Morning After
By dawn, the academy returned to routine — but everyone knew it wasn't normal. Patrols increased, and whispers of "corruption" spread like wildfire.
The once-playful laughter in the halls was now strained.
In the cafeteria, Kaito tried to lighten the mood.
> "Alright, everyone, picture this — the heroic pose of our victory!"
He stood on a chair, striking an overly dramatic pose, flexing his nonexistent muscles.
A few girls burst into laughter instantly.
Leina almost spit her drink. "Kaito, sit down before you break something!"
> "I'm embodying valor!"
> "You're embodying embarrassment," Renji said.
Even Taro chuckled. "At least he's consistent."
Kaito placed a hand on his chest. "When I become the Zenith Sovereign, this will be the official statue pose."
> "When you become the Zenith Sovereign," Leina shot back, "we'll all move to another country."
The laughter that followed broke the tension — even if just for a moment.
---
The Return to the Battlefield
Their laughter didn't last long.
That afternoon, the top five — still injured but determined — led a recovery team to inspect the corrupted zone again. The first-year class accompanied them for observation, under the supervision of multiple professors this time, including Sir Darius, Lyra, and the perverted yet unexpectedly reliable Harto.
Harto spun his staff dramatically.
> "Alright, my lovely disciples! Today we march once again into the terrifying unknown — but fear not! For I, your exceptionally handsome teacher, shall—"
Thunk.
Lyra smacked him on the head with her wand.
> "Focus, Harto."
He rubbed his scalp, whispering to Renji, "She hits me because she cares."
Renji muttered, "Or because you're an idiot."
> "Same thing."
---
As they entered the forest again, everyone noticed it — the faint hum beneath the ground. The air was thick, humming with something unnatural.
> "The Eclipt flow's still unstable," Lyra said softly. "It's almost like… it's trying to mend itself."
Sir Darius frowned. "No. Something's feeding on it."
They reached the site where the Fallen Vessel had perished.
Or rather — where it should have.
The ashes were gone.
> "This isn't possible…" Rhea whispered. "We burned it completely."
Darius knelt, tracing the soil with his glove. The ground pulsed faintly black.
> "It left something behind."
Before anyone could react, the earth split open.
---
The Second Wave
A swarm of smaller creatures erupted from the soil — dozens of twisted beasts with glowing cracks of black Eclipt running through them.
Feral. Fast. Screaming.
> "Formation!" Darius roared. "Protect the rear line!"
The top five immediately leapt into action, cutting through the horde — but for every one that fell, two more emerged.
Harto cursed. "We've got a breach under us!"
> "Professor!" Renji shouted. "We'll cover the east!"
> "You? You're kids!"
> "We'll manage!" Kaito said, already forming Eclipt orbs in his hands.
Sir Darius turned briefly. "Let them. This is the world they're preparing for."
---
Renji, Kaito, Leina, Taro, and two other students — Mina and Edric — formed up, backs together.
Mina conjured flame arcs. "I'll keep them off your left!"
Edric, a hammer user, growled, "Just say when to swing!"
Renji nodded. "Leina, shields; Kaito, offense; Taro, explosives when I say."
> "I love when you say that," Taro grinned, lighting a fuse.
The fight was chaos — monsters leaping through the trees, clawing, shrieking.
Renji's blade glowed white, slashing through one as Kaito's orb detonated another.
> "These things don't stop coming!" Leina cried.
> "Then we don't stop either!" Renji yelled back.
A massive beast lunged at them — twice their size, claws like scythes.
Edric swung his hammer but was thrown back, rolling across the dirt.
Renji dashed forward, planting his sword into the ground, focusing. The Eclipt inside him flared white — and faintly black again.
(Not now. Not that power…)
But it responded anyway, instinctively — the twin flows bursting forth, forming a shockwave that sent three creatures flying.
Everyone stared.
Kaito blinked. "I'll be honest… I don't know whether to cheer or run."
Renji panted, chest heaving. "Neither. We're not done yet."
---
The Mid-Level Fiend
Then came the tremor.
A new presence emerged — heavier, colder, and suffocating.
A tall, monstrous form crawled out from the cracked soil, its body stitched from countless corpses of the smaller creatures.
Its face was mask-like, its chest marked by a black spiral sigil.
> "That's… no ordinary Vessel," Lyra said, paling. "That's a Fiend-class corruption."
Sir Darius drew his sword, eyes narrowing. "A mid-level fiend inside academy grounds…? Impossible."
The Fiend roared, and even the top five staggered under the force of its aura.
Students fell to their knees.
Kaito gasped, clutching his chest. "Renji… it feels like… gravity itself…"
Renji gritted his teeth. (So this is real power… The gap between us and them…)
Darius turned to the students. "Fall back! That's an order!"
Renji looked at Kaito, then at the others — battered, terrified, yet unwilling to leave.
> "No," he said quietly. "If we run now, what's the point of coming here?"
Kaito's eyes widened — then he smirked. "You're crazy."
> "Yeah. You're welcome."
They stood their ground.
---
To Be Continued…
Renji's class braced themselves as the Fiend raised its claw, the air trembling with killing intent.
The professors and top five prepared for a desperate defense.
And somewhere deep within Renji's chest, that unstable resonance pulsed again — darker, louder this time, as if something ancient stirred in response.
A whisper echoed faintly through his mind.
> "The seal… calls to you."
Renji's eyes widened — and then the Fiend struck.