The barrier shimmered once more.
Then stabilized.
To everyone else, the trial was over.
To me—
It wasn't.
Ren stretched his neck, rolling his shoulders. "So… drinks after this? Because that was way more work than advertised."
Doran laughed weakly. "I'm just glad nothing else jumped out."
The silver-haired girl didn't relax. Her eyes were fixed upward, following my gaze.
"…You felt it too," she said quietly.
I nodded.
Beyond the translucent barrier, the sky above the canyon looked wrong.
Not dark.
Empty.
Like a hole cut out of reality itself.
And inside that emptiness—
Something moved.
Not a shape.
Not a creature.
More like a distortion, as if the air itself were bending around an unseen presence. My Despair Sense reacted instantly, flaring harder than it ever had before.
"Unknown presence detected."
"Threat classification: impossible."
My breath slowed.
That reaction alone was terrifying.
"What are you two staring at?" Ren asked, following our line of sight.
The moment his eyes focused—
His grin vanished.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "That's not part of the test."
The pressure wasn't crushing like the Guardian.
It was worse.
Indifferent.
As if whatever was beyond the barrier didn't even recognize us as worth killing.
Then—
The thing noticed me.
No eyes.
No face.
But I felt its attention lock on.
The blade screamed inside its seal.
"Do not respond."
"Do not acknowledge."
Too late.
The air vibrated.
A single ripple passed through the barrier—so slight that most wouldn't notice it.
But I did.
And so did the silver-haired girl.
She staggered half a step, blood trickling from her nose.
"Lena," Doran said sharply. "Hey—are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she replied, wiping it away, but her hand was shaking. "That thing… looked through me."
The instructor's voice suddenly echoed through the canyon, sharper than before.
"All students—remain still."
Teleportation circles ignited instantly around us.
For the first time since I'd met her, the blue-eyed instructor's voice carried tension.
"This trial is terminated. Immediately."
The world twisted.
As we were pulled away, I kept my eyes on the sky.
For a brief moment—
The emptiness twisted.
And I knew.
That thing wasn't sealed here by accident.
It wasn't a monster.
It was a watcher.
And it had just confirmed something.
Me.
We reappeared inside the academy's underground hall.
The barrier snapped shut behind us with a sound like a slammed door.
Instructors rushed in, layers of sealing magic activating across the walls.
No one explained anything.
No one answered questions.
Students were dismissed abruptly.
As we were escorted away, Ren leaned closer to me, voice low.
"You didn't panic," he said. "Why?"
I met his gaze.
"Because," I replied quietly,
"it's not the first time something like that has watched me."
The blade stirred faintly.
Far away—far beyond the academy—
Something remembered my existence.
And this time—
It was curious.