Scene 1 — Akraptor POV
"Are you sure it's fine?"
Teddy's voice landed like a pebble dropped into a cracked cup.
I kept my head down, palm pressed to my temple, letting the ache throb while I listened to the room breathe. Everyone was here—except Wangnan.
And Baam… Baam was technically here.
Just behind a closed door, leaking Shinsoo like a storm that didn't know it was poisoning the air.
"Which part?" I muttered. "Baam… or Wang?"
No answer.
So I gave one.
"Teddy, how long do you want to play dumb about that ring around Wangnan's neck?"
A few heads twitched up. Most didn't.
"If he won't wear it openly, and nobody from the higher floors is stepping in, then we're playing a dead man's game." I exhaled slowly. "That ring isn't a mystery. It's a claim. And claims attract knives."
Silence pressed down harder than Shinsoo ever could.
"Out of all the wars people whisper about," I continued, "FUG is the lightest web I've ever touched."
That finally got their attention.
"The princes of Zahard are worse. Worse than the 13 Months wars. That ring puts Wangnan on a board where Regulars don't get mercy."
Prince stared at the floor. Miseng hugged her knees tighter.
"Like it or not," I said, "neither Baam nor Wangnan wanted to do what was needed to keep Prince and Miseng in good positions."
My throat tightened.
"And Crow was right."
The room flinched.
"We didn't stop to think what it meant to protect kids in a place like this."
I looked around at their lowered faces.
"Regulars or not, a kid is a kid. And kids can be used."
I wanted to pretend the Tower wasn't like that.
But pretending was how people died.
"That's the only reason I haven't quit," I admitted. "Because if I do, the Tower wins."
The pressure shifted.
I looked up and felt it immediately.
Ha Jinsung stood there, hands in his pockets, eyes half-lidded.
"What's with the sad faces?" he asked casually. His gaze slid to Baam's door. "Did you brats finally have a run-in with V?"
No one answered.
I swallowed.
This was now or never.
"Can you train us?"
For a moment, he looked surprised.
Then his mouth curled into a grin.
"You'd be amazed how many people run from that idea," he said. "But as a kind-hearted elderly man, I can teach you brats a thing or two so you don't die early."
His eyes settled on me.
"Especially you, brainiac. Baam needs more brains these days than he needs idiots."
He turned toward the hall.
"And quit worrying about that golden brat. If Wangnan comes back, I'll make sure his 'older brothers' notice him."
That wasn't reassurance.
That was a threat.
Jinsung opened Baam's door.
Wild Shinsoo spilled out, jagged and unstable.
He waved a hand.
The pressure folded in on itself—compressed, silenced, caged.
Then he stepped inside.
And closed the door.
Scene 2
The video call hovered in front of me, faces from my second-floor days staring back.
People from before the climb turned into a war.
I glanced toward the side room.
Empty.
I'd sent Rachel out—shopping, food, anywhere public. Somewhere she couldn't poison the conversation just by being present.
"Are you sure you heard Crow?" Anak asked. "No one knows what happened to him during that test. And why would he show up just to bully Rachel?"
Androssi stayed silent.
That silence said more than words.
"I'm not asking you to believe me," I said. "I'm telling you what I heard."
"He's back active," I continued. "And he's calling a bluff I'm still trying to decipher."
"Bluff?" Anak frowned.
"Yeah," I said. "Crow doesn't move like a bully. He moves like he's been aware of Baam since we first met."
I paused.
"Either the 'night' he's talking about involves Baam… or it involves what happened when Baam lost control."
The call went quiet.
"And if Rachel matters at all," I finished, "it's only because she's connected to the lock."
Androssi's eyes flicked.
Not denial.
Recognition.
Scene 3 — Crow POV
"You knew your teacher was watching that whole time in the testing area."
It sounded more like a statement than a question.
The woman with the staff didn't look back as she led me into the caves.
"No," I said. "But I assumed he wasn't far from his baby chick. He's more protective than people think."
Stone swallowed sound as we descended.
"Even Karaka sits in Baam's tier in our teacher's eyes," I continued. "He has ways of watching them. Me? He only bothers if I come to him… or he needs a mission done."
She tapped her staff.
The entrance sealed behind us.
"I'm still a Slayer in name and position," I said. "They just slapped the title on me like it means something."
"That boy is special," she said calmly.
I glanced at her.
"His choices are what make him unique," she continued. "Even if his own father intends to use him as a shell."
I grinned.
They all kept staring at Baam like he was the storm.
They missed the real problem.
"In due time," I said. "Once my soul stabilizes. Once I refine my flames into something real."
The darkness thickened.
"Either it goes," I said quietly, "or I do."
She lifted her staff.
A controlled Shinsoo flame bloomed, lighting the path ahead.
"Yes," she said. "That will be for the best."
We moved deeper.
"He still needs to walk his road," she added. "So he can make his decisions."
I said nothing.
Because tonight wasn't about Baam.
Tonight was about the passenger.