The next morning came quietly.
The usual energy in the academy buzzed through the halls students rushing, chatter echoing, the smell of breakfast drifting faintly through the air.
But Mila wasn't her usual self.
She stood in front of the class, marker in hand, staring blankly at the board.
Her lesson notes were written halfway, then stopped abruptly at the word "discipline."
Her mind was somewhere far, far away.
"That depends… on which of us you let win."
The voice from last night still echoed faintly in her thoughts, like an unwelcome whisper that refused to fade.
"Miss Mila?" one of her students asked carefully.
"Uh… the next exercise?"
She blinked rapidly, shaking her head. "Ah-sorry. Yes, right. Five rounds around the field. Go."
The students ran off, glancing at one another nervously.
Even they could tell something was off about their usually sharp and confident teacher.
Later that day, she sat in the staff room.
Other instructors chatted around her about class schedules, upcoming events, and the Sage's absence.
"The Sage won't be around for a while," one of them said, sipping coffee. "Something's going on at the Magic Tower."
"Something serious, I heard," another replied. "But he left without telling anyone what."
Mila's fingers tapped idly against her cup, her mind drifting again.
The Sage isn't here…
Then who will notice if… something happens again?
"Miss Mila?"
She blinked and looked up another teacher was staring at her. "You've been zoning out all day. Are you okay?"
She forced a small laugh. "Ah- just… a bit tired. Too many night checks, maybe."
The other teacher smiled politely but didn't believe her. "Get some rest, okay?"
Mila nodded, but her gaze had already lost focus again.
Evening came.
Mila walked the empty corridor leading to the outdoor training fields, her mind lost in fragments of thought Arthianos' roar, the whisper in her dreams, and the strange energy that had begun pulsing faintly in her chest.
Her steps slowed.
Her vision blurred.
Why does it feel like I'm being pulled somewhere?
Then-
Thud.
"...Ow."
She blinked, realizing she had walked straight into a wall.
She stepped back, rubbing her forehead. "Seriously…?"
For a moment, she just stood there, staring at the blank stone surface like it held an answer.
Then a faint shimmer passed across it so quick she almost thought she imagined it.
Her pupils narrowed slightly.
"...What was that?"
She touched the wall, but it felt perfectly normal.
After a long silence, she whispered under her breath,
"Something's definitely wrong with me."
Her reflection in the polished metal nearby flickered faintly her blue eyes flashing gold for just an instant.