The academy hadn't felt like home in days. The laughter that usually echoed through its halls had withered into silence. The air was tense—thick with unease, as if even the walls knew something terrible had happened.
Government officers were still stationed around the academy grounds, questioning staff and students about the "incident." Their black uniforms and cold eyes had become a normal sight. They said it was just an investigation, but Aira knew better.
She knew what they were really looking for—the one who had broken any seal.
Her.
Each night since then, she'd barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw flashes of the ministers' faces from the breaking news broadcast—lifeless, their names now whispered in dread. And her chest tightened with guilt.
Two people were dead because of her curiosity.
Because she couldn't stop herself from opening that damn box.
Zara had hardly spoken to her since. She wasn't cruel, just distant—her silence heavy with disappointment. "I told you not to touch it," she'd said the night before, voice cold and shaking. "You just couldn't listen, could you?"
Aira hadn't even tried to defend herself. What could she say? That she hadn't meant to? That the box opened on its own? Even to her, that sounded like a lie.
The next morning, a sharp announcement broke the restless quiet.
"All students, please gather in the Grand Hall immediately. This is an emergency assembly."
Aira's heart skipped. She exchanged a nervous glance with Zara, who sighed and muttered, "Probably another security meeting."
Josh and Aelric joined them near the dorm stairs, both looking equally tense.
Josh shoved his hands into his pockets. "You think they found out who did it?"
Aelric shook his head. "If they had, the whole academy would be in lockdown by now."
The four of them walked together to the Grand Hall, their footsteps echoing in uneasy rhythm. Officers stood at every corner, their badges gleaming under the crystal chandeliers. Even the air felt colder today.
The principal stood on stage with a few senior instructors. Her smile was strained, her voice formal as she addressed the crowd.
"Students, the government's investigation is still ongoing," she began, "but in the meantime, the Council has sent a special instructor to ensure your safety and guide you through these difficult times."
Aira frowned. A new instructor?
The principal continued, "He will be leading the Defense and Restoration Division for the next few months. Please welcome Professor Adrian Crowne"
The doors at the end of the hall opened.
And everything inside Aira froze.
The man who walked in was tall, dressed in the Council's dark formal coat. His presence was calm but commanding—every head turned toward him instantly. The faintest flicker of silver and violet shimmered in his eyes under the light. He carried himself with confidence, with grace.
With danger.
Aira's breath caught in her throat.
No… it can't be.
But she knew that face. She knew that voice when he greeted the students, smooth and measured:
"Good morning. I hope to restore peace in this academy. You have nothing to fear while I'm here."
Her pulse roared in her ears. The voice—calm, controlled, dangerously familiar—belonged to one person. Kyran.
Her body went cold, and she glanced around in panic, expecting Zara or Aelric to notice something wrong. But no one reacted.
No one seemed to see him the way she did.
Zara leaned toward her, whispering, "Finally, someone serious is taking control. He looks like he knows what he's doing."
Aira stared at her, stunned. "You… you don't recognize him?"
Zara frowned. "Recognize who? He's new, Aira."
Josh chuckled lightly. "You've been way too stressed lately, you know that? Maybe get some rest."
Aira's mouth went dry. She looked back at the man—at Kyran—standing on stage, smiling faintly as he greeted the other instructors. His eyes glowed for a moment, just enough for her to notice, and her stomach twisted.
That's when it hit her.
No one else had seen his face clearly before—not in the library, not in the forest. Only she had.
And he had used illusion magic before. Of course. That's why everyone else saw him differently now. To them, he was Professor Adrian. To her, he was the monster she'd set free.
Her breath hitched as realization sank deeper—she was utterly alone in this truth.
From where she stood, his eyes swept across the hall—and landed on her.
Just for a moment.
But in that moment, time seemed to stop.
He didn't smile. He didn't blink. He only looked.
A silent acknowledgment.
A warning.
Then he turned back to the stage, expression perfectly composed. Everyone around her was murmuring in admiration—"He's from the Capital!" "They say he trained under the High Council!" "Finally, we're safe!"
But Aira could barely stand still. Her knees felt weak.
He wasn't a savior.
He was the storm they had just invited inside.
Later that afternoon, Zara and Josh were talking about how Professor Adrian might train them. Even Aelric seemed intrigued. "If he's really from the Capital," he said, "maybe he'll prepare us for the next evaluation."
Aira forced a smile, pretending to listen. Her hands trembled under the table. She wanted to tell them—to beg them to listen—but when she tried to speak, the words got tangled in her throat.
"I… I think I've seen him before," she said weakly.
Zara frowned. "When? You're imagining things again, Aira. You barely sleeping these days."
Josh laughed softly. "You sure you didn't see him in one of those magazines you read?"
Aira opened her mouth to argue but stopped. Their confusion wasn't fake—it was real. They truly couldn't see what she saw.
Her heart sank.
If she said it aloud—if she told them that Professor Andrian was actually Kyran—they'd think she'd lost her mind.
So she smiled instead, nodding like everything was fine, even though her insides screamed otherwise.
That evening, as the corridors emptied, Aira lingered near the library stairs, lost in thought. Her guilt, her fear, her confusion—everything tangled inside her chest. She ran a trembling hand through her hair and whispered to herself, "What have I done?"
"Talking to yourself again?"
The voice came from behind her—smooth, deep, too familiar.
She froze.
He was standing there in the dim hallway, hands clasped behind his back, his expression calm but his eyes alive with dangerous amusement.
"You look surprised," he said, stepping closer. "Did you think I'd stay hidden in shadows forever?"
Her throat tightened. "Why are you here? Why pretend to be someone else?"
"Pretend?" He gave a low, humorless chuckle. "You still don't understand, do you?"
He stepped closer, lowering his voice until she could feel his breath brush her ear. "Before, I could only appear before you because of you. Your abilities let me slip through the cracks of the seal—briefly, weakly. I wasn't truly awake, just fragments of what I used to be."
His eyes glowed faintly as he continued, voice soft and venomous. "But when you opened that box—when you broke the last seal—you gave me form. Flesh. Power. Now I am no longer bound to dreams or shadows."
He smirked, eyes glinting with cruel satisfaction. "Now, I can walk freely. Control what I wish. Even the minds of those around you, if I choose."
Aira's breath hitched, her voice barely a whisper. "You're lying…"
"Am I?" he murmured. "Look around you, Aira. They welcomed me into this academy themselves. Every single one of them trusts me—because I made them. Because you let me."
Her legs felt like they would give out. "Why are you doing this?"
"Why?" His smirk vanished, replaced by something darker. "Because you freed me. And now, you'll live to see what that means."
Her heart thudded painfully. She swallowed, voice trembling. "Those two ministers… the ones who died—was it you?"
For a moment, silence. Then a faint, cruel smile curved on his lips.
"Yes," he said softly. "They were the first to chain me. The first to call me a monster."
He took another step closer, his tone smooth but his eyes glowing like fire.
"And I would do it again, Aira. A thousand times over."
Her breath caught. He looked almost… serene as he said it. Like killing them wasn't revenge—it was justice.
He tilted his head slightly, voice dropping to a whisper.
"That's what you set free."
Her body stiffened as he leaned in, murmuring against her ear—
"You've dug too deep, Aira. Broken too many seals. Now you'll face your consequences."
Before she could answer, a group of students turned the corner, laughing.
And just like that, he was gone.
Only the cold, echoing emptiness remained.
Aira stood there, heart racing, trying to breathe through the suffocating dread.
Everyone believed Professor Adrian Crowne was their savior. But only she knew the truth—The devil wasn't outside the walls anymore.
He was inside, teaching them how to fight him.