Night wrapped Mystic Academy in quiet silver. The halls were still, torches flickering against marble, the faint hum of the barrier echoing like a heartbeat. It should've been peaceful.
It wasn't.
Professor Noir stood outside the main hall, his shadow long under the moonlight. His hand hovered over the air, feeling it tremble. "Darenn," he said as the footsteps approached, "you feel it too?"
Darenn arrived with Irving in tow, both in patrol coats, the professor insignias stitched proudly on their sleeves.
Darenn crouched, pressing his palm flat against the floor. The faintest vibration rippled beneath. "The barrier's pulse is irregular. Something's draining it."
Irving's hammer crackled faintly with sparks. "Irving says this isn't natural. The forest's energy is feeding backward, like someone's pulling mana from the wrong side."
Noir frowned. "That shouldn't be possible unless—"
