Saturday early morning, the academy carried a heavy, serious atmosphere. All members of the Shadow Council and the six main teachers were gathered inside Valeria's office, the room quiet as she unrolled a large map across her desk and looked over everyone.
"There will be two people assigned to each side of the country," she said, pointing across the map. "Position yourselves near the shores and remain there. If the escaped slaves from the War Nation reach the Water Nation, "We intercept them first. Most likely, they'll head toward the north where we are… or approach from the west."but anything can happen. They might not come from either direction. They could appear anywhere."
Her tone stayed calm, but there was a slight edge of concern beneath it as she moved on.
"Morgan and Ivy, you'll take the south."
Morgan gave a small nod while Ivy followed quietly beside her.
"Yara and Jack, you're covering the west."
Jack raised a hand casually while Yara stretched, already looking half-bored.
"Sylvia and Drex, you'll defend the east."
The moment she said it, Drex immediately shot her a sharp glare. Valeria noticed but ignored it, continuing as Sylvia stood beside him, clearly uneasy.
Ken stepped forward slightly. "Why am I not paired with Sylvia?"
"You're coming with me," Valeria answered without hesitation. "We're heading to the army district in the center of the country. You're my closest assistant, so it's natural."
Ken didn't argue, but his expression tightened as he nodded, his eyes briefly shifting toward Sylvia before landing on Drex. Drex caught the look and scoffed quietly, which only added to the tension building in the room.
Valeria cleared her throat, cutting through it.
"As for the remaining teachers, all five of you will defend the north while we're gone. I have no doubts about your abilities, but don't try to show off."
Her eyes lingered briefly on Jinhai, who chuckled nervously as if already caught.
Xialian muttered under her breath in irritation, Raikuro laughed loudly and slapped his knee, and Yurei simply stretched across the couch like none of this concerned her.
Valeria turned toward Aurelia. "You're in charge while I'm gone. I shouldn't be away for long."
She shifted her attention back to the room.
"Ken and I leave today. Everyone assigned to positions should be gone by the end of the day. If you find the slaves, protect them at all costs and immediately send your spirit animals to deliver the message—or use your mobile devices if you have the time. We'll request backup as soon as we receive it."
She straightened slightly.
"Dismissed."
Chairs shifted as everyone began leaving, conversations low and brief as the room slowly emptied until only Ken remained. He looked at Valeria, his expression still uneasy.
"Why would you pair Sylvia with Drex?" he asked. "You know how he is."
Valeria let out a quiet sigh and crossed her arms. "They need to work through whatever they have going on. Sylvia may be sensitive, but she's still an adult. She needs to stop being so sensitive and learn to stand up for herself."
Ken didn't like the answer, but he understood it. Sylvia had always been the most emotional out of all of them, and deep down he knew she needed to learn how to be more stern with people.
"…When do we leave?" he asked.
"In less than an hour," Valeria replied as she began gathering her things. "Go say your goodbyes and pack. I'll be waiting at the gate."
Ken nodded once before turning and leaving the room.
He walked through the quiet halls of the academy and eventually made his way outside, heading toward the same spot he and Sylvia had stood the night before—the garden courtyard near the training grounds, where a single stone bench faced the open horizon.
Sylvia was already there.
She sat quietly on the bench, watching the sun rise slowly over the academy walls, soft golden light spilling across her face.
Ken approached and stopped beside her.
"…Can I sit?" he asked.
Sylvia nodded slowly.
He sat down next to her, leaving a small space between them as they both stared ahead in silence for a few seconds.
Then Ken spoke.
"How do you feel about being paired with Drex again?"
Sylvia's fingers began to fidget in her lap.
"I don't know…" she said quietly. "It's probably going to be… awkward."
She shifted slightly on the bench, her body tense.
Her knee began to shake lightly, a nervous habit she couldn't control.
Ken noticed immediately.
Without saying anything, he reached over and gently held her hands, stopping the movement.
"You have to stand up for yourself," he said calmly. "You know what's right… and you know who's wrong."
He looked forward, his voice lowering slightly.
"…I miss when we were all actually friends."
He exhaled quietly.
"Now it just feels like a rope hanging on by a single thread."
Sylvia's eyes watered.
"I can't…" she whispered. "That's not who I am."
Her voice trembled.
"I can't hurt another person… especially Drex."
She lowered her head.
"He's been through a lot… he has every reason to hate me."
Ken felt a sharp flash of anger rise inside him at those words.
But he forced it down.
He didn't let it show.
Instead, he nodded slowly.
"…Don't worry about it," he said. "I'll find a way to fix this."
He paused.
"…Sorry for pushing you."
Sylvia shook her head quickly.
"No… I understand."
Her voice softened.
"I should be the one saying sorry."
She leaned forward and hugged him.
Ken hugged her back without hesitation, his expression serious as his mind quietly searched for a way to fix everything.
At the same time—
Valeria stood near the academy gates, holding a small mobile communication device to her ear as she spoke.
"I'm informing you of the situation," she said calmly. "If anything goes wrong, I'll need backup immediately."
On the other end, a lazy voice responded.
"Yeah, yeah… we're on the same land anyway. I wouldn't want anything happening to my students or teachers—and besides, I don't want anything happening to my precious Val."
He chuckled to himself, lightly kicking his feet in the air.
Valeria rolled her eyes.
"Don't call me that."
The man ignored her.
"You're still as serious as ever," he continued teasing. "Always acting so strict… especially with me."
He laughed again.
"And it's funny, you know? Back in school, you used to be stronger than me."
He leaned back further, grinning.
"But ever since we graduated… I've been stronger."
He laughed louder.
Valeria's expression darkened.
"When I see you again, I'm killing you," she snapped before hanging up.
On the other end, the man kept talking.
"Yeah yeah, you always say that—"
He paused.
"…Wait."
He looked at the device.
"She hung up…"
He groaned and sat up straight, suddenly bored.
At that moment, a blindfolded girl stepped into the room.
"Was that Valeria?" she asked.
He nodded, pouting slightly.
"…Yeah. I miss her."
The girl tilted her head.
"What did she say?"
Back at the academy gates—
Ken and Valeria stood ready to leave.
Aurelia stood nearby, watching them, with several guards positioned around the area.
She tried to hold herself together—
But tears still filled her eyes.
Valeria noticed.
She stepped forward and pulled Aurelia into a gentle hug.
"We won't be gone long," Valeria said softly. "Maybe a week at most."
Aurelia nodded—
But the tears didn't stop.
She looked like a daughter watching her mother leave.
Ken stood nearby with the guards, slightly confused at how emotional the moment had become.
As Valeria and Ken began to walk away—
A guard quickly handed Aurelia tissues.
She wiped her eyes, still watching them leave.
Some guards looked like they wanted to comfort her—
But most of them had no idea what to say.
So they just stood there awkwardly.
As the morning slowly settled over the academy, the quiet still lingered from the early hour.
Inside the cafeteria, Izan was already awake.
The room was nearly empty.
No students.
No noise.
Just silence.
He sat alone at one of the tables, eating a simple breakfast of cereal and tea, still half-awake himself, having completely forgotten that it was Saturday.
Suddenly—
The doors burst open.
Daiki ran in at full speed, laughing while trying to catch his breath.
Behind him—
Kawa chased after him, a confident smirk on her face.
Daiki rushed toward one of the cafeteria tables and leaned forward, hands on the bench as he hunched over, gasping for air.
Kawa slowed to a stop behind him, clearly proud.
"Good morning, Izan," she said casually.
Izan stared at both of them like they had lost their minds.
"…Why are you guys playing tag this early?" he asked. "People are still trying to sleep."
Daiki lifted his head slightly, still breathing heavily.
"It's just tag…" he muttered.
Kawa shrugged.
"And the dorms aren't even close to the classrooms anyway."
Daiki finally caught his breath and stood up straight.
Then he looked at Izan.
"Wanna come with us to the city?"
Izan raised an eyebrow.
"…What are you guys doing in the city?"
Daiki shrugged.
"Probably missions."
He grinned slightly.
"We want more points. You can only take missions on weekends anyway."
Izan sighed.
"I'm not doing any fighting missions," he said. "I actually need a break."
Kawa nodded.
"We can just take light missions."
Daiki agreed.
"Yeah, nothing serious."
Izan groaned slightly but stood up.
"…Fine. Let's go."
They made their way to the mission board.
Several requests were posted:
Cafés needing help with cleaning, people reporting lost items, missing pets and small animals, and more.
Daiki walked straight up to the receptionist.
"Can we take about ten of these?" he asked.
The receptionist nodded and pulled out the mission log.
"You'll earn 150 points total once everything is completed."
Daiki smiled immediately.
"Worth it."
Kawa crossed her arms.
"That's it? For all that work?"
She sighed dramatically.
"That's a lot of time for barely anything."
Daiki rolled his eyes.
"Stop complaining."
Kawa mumbled under her breath, "Still not worth it…
The three of them headed toward the academy gates.
When they arrived—
They saw Aurelia.
She was still standing there.
Tearing up.
The guards remained nearby, unsure what to do.
Izan walked closer.
"…Why are you crying, Aurelia?"
Aurelia quickly turned toward them and forced a small smile, trying to speak—
But one of the guards stepped in.
"Valeria and Ken left earlier," he explained.
Aurelia nodded.
Izan tilted his head slightly.
"Aren't they only gone for a little while?"
She nodded again.
Behind him, Daiki and Kawa exchanged looks.
They were both silently questioning how old she actually was.
Aurelia slowly calmed herself and wiped her eyes.
Then she looked at them.
"…Why are you three up so early?"
"We're going to the city," Izan said. "Doing missions. Just helping people out."
Aurelia's expression softened.
"That's very kind of you," she said gently. "Waking up this early just to help others… that's really thoughtful."
She gave them a soft smile.
"The city needs people like you three."
They nodded.
Then turned and began walking toward the gates.
Aurelia watched them leave.
Still smiling.
For a moment.
Then—
Her smile faded.
Tears welled up again.
"…More people are leaving me…"
She whispered softly.
And began crying again. The guards stumbled slightly before quickly getting her more tissues, unsure of what else to do.
During their travel, the three of them stayed busy.
They picked up herbs along the roadside, carefully storing them away for extra points, occasionally stopping to collect small materials or help with minor requests they found along the way.
Between tasks, they talked, joked, and laughed, the tension from earlier completely gone.
The path eventually opened up.
And in the distance—
A massive structure came into view.
A large, elegant school building stood beyond tall gates, its design far more refined than anything around it. The walls were cleaner, the structure taller, and the entire area felt more… advanced.
Izan slowed slightly as he looked at it.
"…Isn't the city supposed to be this way?" he asked.
Daiki nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "But this comes first."
He gestured toward the building.
"This is the high school division. Same academy system as ours."
He glanced back at Izan.
"It's called the High School of Aetherion Academy."
He added casually—
"I think the principal here and Valeria are friends."
Kawa groaned loudly.
"Can we just go in already?"
Daiki laughed.
"Yeah, yeah."
They walked up to the large gates.
Izan knocked.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
The gates opened.
But instead of guards—
They were greeted by a man.
The principal himself.
Standing beside him was a girl with a blindfold covering her eyes.
She had a faint smirk on her face, as if she already knew exactly who they were.
"Well, well…" she said, her tone playful.
"If it isn't Valeria's students."
She tilted her head slightly.
"How may I help you three on this fine morning?"