The moment the Four Leaders stepped back, the hologram flickered off, and the lights returned to normal, the silence shattered.
It didn't start with screams or panic.
It started with whispers.
Sharp. Fast. Stacking on top of each other until the entire central hall felt like it was vibrating.
"Fourteen months… did they really say fourteen months?" A boy said.
"Unknown beings? No way—no way that's real."
"They destroyed a whole planet? In hours?"
"We're dead. We're actually dead."
"Why didn't the government say anything earlier?"
"Are we supposed to fight those things? We can't even beat upper years!"
Teachers tried calling for calm, but their voices were swallowed by the rising noise.
Some students looked angry.
Some confused.
Most terrified.
Raze watched them all, trying to make sense of the chaos.
A girl near the front clutched her chest, trying not to hyperventilate.
A boy slammed his hand against the wall, cursing under his breath.
Others stared blankly, as if the fear hadn't settled yet.
Liam muttered softly, "This is insane… they can't expect us to fight something that kills planets."
Beatrix exhaled through her nose, trying to stay composed. "They're not expecting us to fight it directly. They're expecting us to survive long enough to help humanity respond."
Felix rubbed the back of his neck, eyes scanning the hall. "Still doesn't make this any easier to swallow."
Raze nodded slightly, though his mind was somewhere else. Half in the room, half pulling at the quiet pulse he still felt from the system.
Felix glanced at Raze. "You okay? You look like you just got hit again."
"I'm fine," Raze said quietly. "Just… taking it in."
Around them, the hall continued to spiral into controlled chaos.
A group of first-years huddled together, whispers sharp:
"Do you think the upper years knew?"
"No way. They looked just as shocked as we do."
"Why would the leaders hide themselves? What else have they been hiding?"
Some of the second-years tried reassuring the younger students, though their own voices shook.
"We'll get special training."
"They wouldn't tell us unless they had a plan."
"…right?"
But the fear cut through every sentence.
One boy slammed his notebook shut. "What's the point? We train to fight beasts, not whatever that thing was."
Another student argued back. "We can't just give up! If the leaders think we can prepare, then—"
"Prepare for what? The end?!"
The argument escalated, but a teacher stepped between them before it turned physical.
Beatrix looked around slowly, analyzing everyone. "People are panicking because they don't feel in control. The unknown is always worse than the truth."
Liam shook his head. "We just got here. First week, and this happens…"
Felix sighed deeply. "Welcome, I guess."
Raze remained quiet.
He wasn't panicking.
He wasn't shouting.
He wasn't trembling like the others.
Instead, he felt something cold settle inside him. Not fear just a heavy weight of inevitability.
Because the moment the leaders spoke…
He felt the system's subtle reaction.
The unknown beings weren't just humanity's problem.
They were connected to him, but how? He doesn't know.
Felix noticed Raze spacing out again. He nudged him lightly. "Hey. Seriously. You good?"
Raze blinked, pulling himself back. "Yeah… yeah. I'm fine."
Felix raised a brow but didn't push.
The chaos continued until a sharp alarm tone beeped from the academy speakers.
"Students, return to your dorms. Further instructions will be provided tomorrow morning. Move in an orderly fashion."
The crowd slowly began to disperse, though the whispers never stopped.
Felix stretched his arms. "Come on. Let's head out."
Beatrix nodded. "We should talk about this later. Privately."
Liam looked uneasy. "…Yeah. Private sounds good."
Raze followed them, but his thoughts stayed locked on one thing:
If the world had fourteen months left…
Then what exactly was the system preparing him for?
The assembly had ended with the same tense feeling as it began.
Teachers guided the students out of the central hall, moving them in groups toward the dormitory wing. The crowd was quieter now. There was no shouting and no panic. Just heavy footsteps and uneasy murmurs.
Raze walked with the others, but his thoughts spiraled.
He had dozens of questions to ask the system… questions about the unknown beings, about their arrival, about what he was really meant to do.
But he already knew what the system would say.
Nothing.
'Fourteen months… I have fourteen months to get stronger… and fast.'
Thinking about it too much made his head throb.
By the time they reached the dorms, the sun had already dipped low, leaving the hallways washed in a dim orange glow.
Felix sat on the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees, his expression unusually serious. He wasn't cracking jokes or smiling…just silent.
Beatrix paced slowly around the room, arms crossed, her footsteps sharp against the floor.
Liam sat hunched at his desk, mumbling incoherent thoughts, clearly overwhelmed.
Raze leaned against the wall near the door, his arms folded loosely as he tried to figure out how he was supposed to prepare for everything that was coming.
The silence in the room felt heavy. Like the air itself was holding its breath.
After a long moment, Felix finally spoke.
"Alright… we need to calm down," he said quietly. "I know we're worried. Even I am."
He exhaled, steadying his voice.
"I'm thinking about my family… about you guys. I'm thinking about whether I'm even strong enough to protect anyone at all."
His tone was steady, but Raze could hear the strain beneath it. Felix was trying to stay calm for everyone's sake.
Felix continued, his expression genuine.
"We're not powerless. We're not helpless. And we're not alone. This academy exists for a reason, right? They have a plan. Humanity has been through far worse than this."
He paused, swallowing hard.
"...Or at least, I hope so."
Beatrix let out a soft sigh. "Felix… that's exactly not reassuring."
Felix shrugged slightly. "It was the best thing I've came up with right now."
Liam turned in his seat, rubbing his temples.
"I don't know what the unknown beings are supposed to look like. And they wiped out an entire planet? In hours? That's not normal. Not even close to normal."
Raze remained quiet for a long moment.
All three sets of eyes slowly shifted to him, waiting to hear what he thought, what he planned, what he felt.
He pushed off the wall and stepped forward.
"...We don't have time to panic. Fourteen months isn't a long time. But it's not nothing."
Felix watched him carefully. "What are you thinking?" He asked.
Raze looked down at his hands.
For a split second, he saw them covered in blood again. The memory of the deer flashing back like an unwanted echo.
He shook his head lightly, pushing the image away before lifting his gaze to meet the others.
"...I just need to get stronger," he said.
"Stronger than I ever thought I would need to be. We all need to get stronger."
Liam nodded almost immediately. "Raze is right. At our current strength, we wouldn't last a second against those things."
Beatrix and Felix both nodded as well, each of them wearing the same uneasy expression.
A short moment of silence fell upon them again, until Felix eventually broke it again.
"Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow's a new day." He was already climbing into his bed as he said it.
The others followed his lead. After everyone got into their beds, it didn't take long for all of them to fall asleep, since it had been a long day for them.
The moon shined through the blinds, casting thin silver lines across the floor.
Then suddenly, a familiar voice spoke inside Raze's mind. A voice that he had heard once before.