Aurelia guided them through the academy halls in silence.

  Her usual gentle smile was gone, repced by a calm seriousness that made Izan instinctively straighten his posture. The sound of their footsteps echoed softly as they approached the principal's office.

  They stopped in front of a tall bookshelf.

  Without expining, Aurelia reached forward and pressed her hand against a specific book.

  Click.

  The shelf shifted slowly, stone grinding against stone as it slid aside to reveal a hidden staircase descending into darkness.

  Izan blinked in surprise.

  "…Since when was this here?"

  Aurelia smiled faintly.

  "Since always."

  They followed her down.

  The air grew cooler with every step.

  Torches lit themselves along the walls as they descended, casting long shadows that stretched across the stone steps.

  At the bottom, a massive underground chamber opened before them.

  A long table filled the center of the room, and above it floated a glowing map of the world. Oceans shimmered in soft blue light while country borders pulsed faintly like living veins.

  Teachers stood along the walls.

  The commanding students sat in chairs arranged behind Valeria, with the six special instructors seated just behind them.

  And at the end of the table stood Valeria and Sayaka, speaking quietly.

  The room was silent.

  Heavy.

  Important.

  Aurelia gestured for Izan, Rin, and Kawa to sit behind Valeria.

  They did so without speaking.

  Minutes passed.

  The atmosphere grew heavier as Sayaka and Valeria finished their discussion.

  Finally, Valeria turned toward everyone.

  "Good evening. Thank you all for coming."

  Her voice carried easily across the room.

  She paused.

  "We have an upcoming war."

  The words dropped like thunder.

  Several teachers stiffened instantly.

  Sayaka walked forward and sat beside Izan and Rin.

  Valeria continued.

  "Our enemies — the Justice Nation and the War Nation — are preparing for conflict."

  Her gaze shifted.

  "And they are specifically targeting Rin Amagawa."

  The room erupted into whispers.

  Izan felt his body tense automatically.

  Rin remained still, but her grip tightened slightly.

  "We do not know their exact reason," Valeria said calmly, "but it likely involves restoring the Amagawa cn… and using her power."

  She paused again.

  Then she inhaled deeply.

  "The government of the Water Country has fled."

  Shock exploded across the chamber.

  One teacher stood up so suddenly his chair smmed against the floor behind him.

  "What do you mean fled?!" he shouted, voice cracking.

  His hands trembled visibly.

  "They just abandoned us? They ran away?!"

  He dragged a hand through his hair, breathing unevenly.

  "This academy isn't an army! We're teachers — students — children! How are we supposed to defend an entire nation?!"

  His eyes darted toward the glowing map.

  "They're sending TWO of the strongest nations against us and leadership just disappears?! That's insane! That's suicide!"

  He began pacing rapidly.

  "No command structure, no national defense system, no support lines — we're completely exposed!"

  His voice broke slightly at the end.

  A female teacher nearby stood gently, pcing a calming hand on his shoulder.

  "Please… try to breathe," she said softly, her voice steady but kind. "Panicking won't help us think clearly right now."

  The man's shoulders trembled as he exhaled shakily, her presence grounding him just enough to keep him from spiraling further.

  The room filled with heavy tension.

  Another teacher spoke.

  "…Where is the military?"

  Valeria closed her eyes briefly.

  "Half remains loyal."

  A small wave of relief moved through the room.

  "The rest fled with the government. We believe most escaped to the Peace Nation."

  Uneasy silence followed.

  "But we are not without allies," she continued.

  She pointed toward parts of the glowing map.

  "The Shadow Council has already begun weakening our enemies. Yara and Jack eliminated one of the War Nation's ruling cns."

  Murmurs rose.

  "Morgan and Ivy struck a major cn within the Justice Nation as well."

  Expressions shifted.

  Hope began to appear.

  "And the Seven Government of the Mothernd has accepted an alliance with us."

  That changed the atmosphere instantly.

  "It is not over," Valeria said firmly.

  "The Peace Nation declined to assist us… but we still have a path to victory."

  She looked around the room slowly.

  "Unfortunately, we will need to ask the students if they wish to help defend the country."

  Some teachers looked uncomfortable.

  "Yes," she said quietly, already anticipating their thoughts. "It sounds wrong to bring children into war."

  Her eyes hardened.

  "But if we lose… they will suffer far worse. You all know what they do to those they conquer." Her voice lowered slightly, growing colder. "They turn people into sves. They strip away freedom… identity… everything. If we fail, everyone here will suffer in ways far worse than fighting now."

  No one spoke — the truth in her words left no room for argument.

  "Training will intensify immediately," she continued. "Every student and teacher must grow stronger."

  She paused.

  "We have less than two years before war begins."

  The weight of those words settled heavily over everyone.

  "The Shadow Council will defend the borders while I coordinate with the remaining military forces."

  She stepped away from the table.

  "Prepare yourselves."

  She walked toward the exit.

  The room remained frozen.

  Then—

  A sudden ugh broke the silence.

  A woman with long crimson hair, seated behind the commanding students, leaned back in her chair with a grin stretching across her face.

  "So it's finally happening," she said, almost delighted. "War against them? Life was getting boring anyway."

  A few heads turned.

  Yurei, slouched zily in her seat nearby, didn't even lift her head.

  "Xialian… you're way too excited," she muttered, her voice ft with exhaustion. "Try pretending to be serious for once."

  Jinhai adjusted his gsses, his voice firm.

  "This isn't something to ugh about."

  Xialian only ughed louder, resting her chin in her palm.

  "Oh rex. I'll be serious when it starts."

  Jinhai sighed, continuing to lecture her while she barely listened, clearly amused by his one-sided scolding.

  Around the room, tension finally began to break as people moved.

  Some teachers sat silently, faces pale with fear.

  Others whispered quietly, anxiety clear in their eyes.

  Aurelia stood and moved gently between them, her expression soft as she pced comforting hands on shoulders and spoke in low, reassuring tones.

  "It's alright… breathe slowly," she murmured to one trembling teacher.

  "We will face this together," she told another, offering a warm smile that eased some of their fear.

  Nearby, Drex pushed himself up from his chair with a zy stretch.

  "…What a pain," he muttered under his breath before casually heading toward the exit without another word.

  Raikuro immediately followed behind him, a wide smirk on his face.

  "Hey, since war's coming, we should totally run a one-on-one," he said, talking nonstop as he walked beside him. "You and me — full power. I wanna see how much you've improved."

  Drex didn't even look back.

  "…No."

  Raikuro ughed.

  "C'mon, don't be boring."

  The two disappeared through the doorway as the rest of the room slowly emptied.

  One by one, chairs began to scrape against the floor as people started leaving the chamber.

  Izan walked out with Rin and Sayaka.

  His thoughts were heavy.

  War.

  Two years.

  Rin being targeted.

  Government fleeing.

  His mind kept repying everything.

  Rin gently reached over and held his hand.

  The contact pulled him slightly from his spiraling thoughts.

  Once they stepped into the hallway, Sayaka gnced at him.

  "Don't overthink it," she said calmly. "Worrying too much will only hold you back."

  Izan blinked, snapping out of it a little.

  "…I need to get way stronger," he said suddenly. "But I don't even know what to do besides what I'm already doing."

  Sayaka's usual calm expression slowly shifted.

  The corner of her lips lifted.

  A smirk formed.

  "Oh?" she said. "Do you want to train like a berserker?"

  Izan nodded immediately.

  Her smirk widened.

  "Alright then. After csses end at four, you get one extra hour with any teacher you choose."

  She crossed her arms casually.

  "How about you train with every teacher one by one… then repeat the cycle?"

  Izan's eyes lit up.

  "And after that," she added, "you train with me for an extra hour."

  His head started nodding fast.

  "Yes. Yes. I'll do it."

  Suddenly—

  "IZAN!"

  Daiki came running down the hall, slightly out of breath.

  "Wanna train?"

  Izan grinned.

  "Sure."

  He waved quickly to Rin and Sayaka before jogging off with Daiki.

  Sayaka waved back casually.

  Rin waved softly beside her.

  Sayaka's smirk lingered.

  Then Rin looked up at her.

  "…How can I get stronger too?"

  Her voice was innocent.

  Adorable.

  Completely sincere.

  Her fingers were lightly clenched at her sides as if she was trying to gather courage just to ask.

  Sayaka stared at her for a moment.

  Her expression softened immediately.

  She gently pced a hand on Rin's head and patted it slowly.

  "You really are too pure," she murmured fondly.

  Rin puffed her cheeks slightly.

  Sayaka smiled.

  "If you want to grow stronger, focus heavily on Yurei and Aurelia. They're your biggest advantages."

  She tapped Rin's forehead lightly.

  "Yurei will sharpen your instincts. Aurelia will help your control and recovery."

  She paused.

  "And Jinhai will help with your speed."

  Then her voice softened again.

  "I can help with awareness, reaction time, and movement efficiency."

  Rin nodded seriously.

  But Sayaka noticed the slight tension in her shoulders.

  The quiet guilt.

  She crouched slightly so they were eye level.

  "Rin," she said gently, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, "this isn't your fault."

  Rin's eyes flickered.

  "The Justice and War Nations would cause chaos regardless. Even if you weren't born into the Amagawa bloodline."

  Her tone was steady.

  "They're power-hungry. You're just an excuse."

  She pced both hands on Rin's shoulders.

  "You don't carry this war alone."

  Rin's breathing steadied.

  Her shoulders rexed slightly.

  "…Okay," she whispered.

  Sayaka smiled softly.

  "Good."

  They continued walking.

  Eventually they reached Yurei's cssroom.

  Sayaka pushed the door open.

  Inside—

  Yurei was slumped over her desk.

  Fast asleep.

  A small line of drool ran down the side of her mouth onto an open notebook.

  Completely unbothered.

  Sayaka stared.

  "…And this is one of your greatest advantages."

  Rin didn't question it for a second.

  If Sayaka said it seriously… then she meant it.

  They walked closer.

  Yurei was sprawled across her desk, fast asleep — a small pool of saliva forming beneath her cheek as she drooled openly onto the wood.

  Rin hesitated for a moment… then gently poked her leg.

  No reaction.

  She poked again.

  And again.

  Finally, Yurei stirred.

  Her shoulders shifted slightly as she slowly raised her head, eyes half-lidded and unfocused. A zy smirk spread across her face as if waking up had taken all the energy she possessed.

  "…How may I help you two…" she mumbled, voice heavy with sleep.

  Rin stepped forward.

  "I want help training my light powers."

  Yurei stared at her.

  Then she inhaled slowly.

  Very slowly.

  "…Ah…"

  She leaned back dramatically.

  "…Training…"

  Her head tilted toward the ceiling as if she were witnessing the greatest tragedy imaginable.

  "…Movement… effort… responsibility…"

  She sighed so loudly it echoed slightly through the room.

  "…Why does the universe keep testing me…"

  She pced a hand over her forehead like a dying noble.

  "I was just beginning a very important nap… a deep spiritual journey… and now I must rise… to teach…"

  Sayaka and Rin simply watched her without reacting.

  Yurei continued exaggerating, mumbling to herself.

  "…First war… now training… next they'll ask me to run…"

  She shuddered dramatically.

  "…Cruel world…"

  Before she could continue, Sayaka grabbed the back of Yurei's coat and pulled her straight out of the chair, dragging her toward the door.

  Yurei didn't resist.

  In fact, she rexed completely.

  "…Ah… transportation without effort…" she muttered happily.

  Her eyes closed again as she nearly fell back asleep while being dragged across the floor.

  Rin followed beside them calmly.

  Elsewhere in the academy, Daiki hurried Izan toward the practice area, moving with unexpected urgency.

  "Why are you rushing so much?" Izan asked, trying to keep up.

  Daiki chuckled.

  "They wanted me to bring you."

  "…Who?" Izan asked, confused.

  Daiki grinned.

  "The commanding students, of course."

  They reached the training grounds.

  The moment Izan stepped into the area, the twins immediately turned toward him, their sharp gazes locking onto him and Shiranami at the same time.

  Kawa was lying sideways on a nearby bench, one arm hanging off the edge as she zily lifted her hand to wave at him without even sitting up.

  Beside them stood another student Izan had never seen before — a tall boy with gsses and a serious expression, his posture straight and composed.

  Izan felt a small spark of curiosity.

  Before he could speak—

  Aiyana crossed her arms.

  "Well?" she said bluntly. "Speak already."