Silence.
A heavy, suffocating silence swallowed the entire academy the moment the screens flickered to black.
Students froze mid-step.Teachers stiffened.The air itself felt like it was holding its breath.
Then—
BZZT—
Every screen in Nexara lit up at once.
Classroom monitors.Hallway displays.Phones. Tablets. Home holograms.Even the massive city billboards.
All synced to the same broadcast.
A pixelated silhouette appeared at first, distorted like a ghost in static.
Then the picture sharpened.
A man appeared on the screen, sitting lazily in a dimly lit room, one leg crossed over the other, scratching the back of his head.
Messy purple hair.A casual slouch.A blindfold wrapped neatly around his eyes.
He didn't look like a supervillain.
He didn't look like anything special.
But every person in Nexara felt the same icy shiver—
This man was dangerous.
He sighed loudly before speaking.
"First of all… have you all lost your minds?"
The room erupted into confused murmurs.
Was this a joke? A hack? A threat?
He didn't wait.
"I mean seriously," he continued, irritated, "a few weeks ago I killed and delivered five heroes to your International Headquarters."
Gasps tore through the academy.
Rain covered her mouth.Roger nearly fell backward.Even Astra's eyes widened.
Raze's fists tightened.
"And after all that," the man said, pointing at the camera, "you people are busy cheering on children beating each other up in a school tournament."
His tone was flat—borderline disappointed.
"Really? Is this entertainment for you? Watching teenagers fight until they break something?"
He leaned closer.
"You're all insane."
The students had no idea what to say.What to think.Whether to scream or stay still.
His voice dropped, almost bored.
"And another thing… what's with this name you've all given me?"
He tapped the blindfold.
"'Blind Seer'? Really? Who came up with that? Do I look blind to you?"
Silence rippled across the hall.
"…Well, I suppose there's only one way to clear this up."
He lifted a hand.
Slowly… deliberately… he untied the blindfold.
A hush fell like a crashing wave.
The cloth slid away.
And beneath it—
One eye glowed deep, murderous red.The other radiant, shimmering violet, pulsing with unstable light.
Astra sucked in a sharp breath.
Gray's jaw locked.
Luna Arcwell, watching from home in their television, whispered:
"It's definitely him."
Raze felt something cold twist in his chest.
The man smiled thinly.
"As you can see—I'm not blind."
He let the blindfold drop onto his lap.
"Now. My real name."
He lifted two fingers.
"I am Vesper Fray. The last surviving Fray."
The name hit the crowd like a thunderbolt.
Teachers exchanged horrified looks.Students gasped.Whispers flooded the hall.
"Some know about the name Fray and some didn't"
Fray chuckled under his breath.
"But the name the world should remember—"
His red and violet eyes lit up like twin storms.
"—is Nightveil."
The temperature in the hall seemed to drop several degrees.
Even the lights flickered.
Nightveil leaned back casually in his chair.
"Now, let's talk about the reason for this broadcast."
He stretched his arms lazily, like this was all a minor inconvenience.
"Hacking every screen in the country by myself? Impossible."
He tilted his head thoughtfully.
"But with a little teamwork? Quite easy."
Sweat formed on the brows of the academy staff.
Government engineers across the nation were no doubt panicking, frantically trying to trace the signal.
Nightveil smirked knowingly.
"Oh, and to the dear hackers in the government watching this right now—please relax. You can't find me."
He waved dismissively.
"Don't embarrass yourselves."
Then his smile faded, replaced by cold seriousness.
"I'm not appearing today to threaten anyone."
He leaned toward the camera, expression chillingly calm.
"I'm appearing so you all remember something."
The hall went still.Dead still.
"You seem to forget," he whispered."That I'm still here." "And I'm watching."
The room felt like ice.
Students' hearts raced.Teachers clenched their fists.Even Astra felt a bead of sweat roll down her back.
Nightveil tapped the table lightly.
"I don't kill without purpose. Every person who died by my hand deserved it. Don't twist the narrative."
Then he stood up.
"Speaking of which… allow me to show you something."
He grabbed the camera.The angle shifted.The screen blurred.
When it refocused—
Gasps echoed everywhere.
A man lay unconscious on the floor behind him.
Navy-blue uniform.Golden insignia.
The President of the Nation's Hero Association.
Bound.Helpless.Alive, but clearly defeated.
Mira collapsed into her chair.Selene choked on her breath.Dozens of students backed away as if Nightveil were about to crawl out of the screen.
Nightveil walked slowly across the room.
Then he turned the camera—showing the walls, the decor, the emblem behind the desk.
Every viewer recognized it instantly.
He was inside the Hero Association Headquarters.
Inside the President's private office.
Casually. Comfortably.As though he lived there.
He placed a paper on the desk.
Neat handwriting.
"Yours truly — Nightveil."
He tapped the page once.
"This is your reminder," he said softly."In case you thought I disappeared."
The screen distorted.
Static roared.
His final words echoed through every speaker in the nation:
"Don't forget me."
BZZT—
Every device went pitch black.
The whole nation plunged into stunned silence.
In the academy hall, no one spoke.
No one moved.
Every heart pounded with the same realization—
Nightveil wasn't a rumor. He wasn't a ghost. He wasn't a myth.
He was real.
He was watching.
And he had just declared the beginning of something far more terrifying.