Everyone quietly returned to their beds.
"Master Magnus… he's not at all like how we used to think he was."
"Yeah, you're right. We never imagined…"
"…that behind that angry face and harsh behavior, there was such a broken soul hiding."
And just like that, everyone slowly drifted off to sleep, a silent weight in the air.
The next morning, at exactly 8 AM, an alarm rang, waking everyone from their sleep.
An announcement echoed through the room:
"Good morning, new comers! I hope you all had a restful night. At 10 o'clock, the left-side door will open — please make sure no one is late. Also, the right-side door of your room is now open. You can go there to freshen up. Your suits are placed there for you. Breakfast will be served in this room shortly. We'll meet you all again at 10 o'clock."
The announcement ended.
"Good morning, guys!" Gen greeted cheerfully.
"Morning!" Gary replied.
Just then, Ember walked back in through the right-side door.
"Wait, that door is already open?" Gen asked in surprise. "But the announcement just said it will open!"
"It opened at 7 itself," Ember said casually. "I've been up since 6. That's my daily workout time."
"Whoa! You seriously follow such a strict routine. No wonder you're so different from all of us," Gen said with a smile. "By the way, this black suit looks really good on you."
"Thanks, Gen," Ember replied with a small nod.
"Anyway, guys, let's get ready too," Gen said. Then turning to Ray, "Hey Ray, what's wrong? Why the long face, man? Didn't like the breakfast or what?"
"No… it's not that," Ray replied, "I'm still thinking about last night… about Master Magnus."
"Ohh… yeah, that," Gen nodded. "But honestly, you should be inspired by him, not heartbroken. The man lost his entire family… everything! And yet, even after going through all that, he's now an Elite Member. A beacon of hope for newcomers like us. A top-class sorcerer."
"You're right," Ray admitted.
"His story made me cry too, Ray. But seeing his dedication gave me strength. I told myself, I want to become strong like that one day."
"Yeah... you're right, Gen. I should stop overthinking and focus ahead."
Slowly, one by one, everyone got ready. At exactly 10 AM, the left-side gate opened.
"Welcome, new comers!" a voice echoed.
"Today, we officially welcome you to our team. From now on, you are all sorcerers. Your mission is one — to protect this realm until your final breath."
The voice belonged to Master Harry, who stood tall and commanding.
"As your Grand Enforcer, I'll now divide you into your teams. There are a total of 20 of you — 15 boys and 5 girls. You'll be split into 4 teams, each having 1 girl and 4 boys. Now, without further delay, I present to you your team leaders, under whom you'll be handling future missions."
"Welcome… the Four Great Masters: James, Ava, and William."
Everyone looked around in confusion.
"Wait… that's just three!"
"Didn't Master Harry say there would be four masters?"
"Hey Gen, who do you think the fourth one is?" Ray asked.
"No idea," Gen grinned. "But I love this suspense!"
Sam, clearly nervous, said shakily:
"W-what if… what if they're planning to eliminate five of us? Like, the ones with the fewest kills or something? I haven't even gotten one yet. What if I'm the one they send home today?"
"Stop crying, baby," Gary snapped. "If they wanted to eliminate you, they would've done it yesterday."
"Who knows, though?" Max added. "Anything could happen here. There's no guarantee about anything in this place…"
Everyone stood around, filled with anxiety and confusion. Why were only three masters introduced when four had been promised?
Suddenly, Master Magnus entered.
The room went completely silent.
"Is he the fourth master?" someone whispered.
Magnus stood in front of them, calm and commanding.
"Welcome, new comers," he began. "I hope you slept well last night. First of all, I owe you all an apology."
"By now, you must've seen the masters you'll be working under, right?"
"Am I correct?" he asked.
No one responded.
Then Gary stepped forward, speaking boldly:
"Excuse me, Master Magnus. But… there are only three masters here. Who's the fourth one? Is it you? Or Master Harry?"
There was a moment of silence.
Master Magnus closed his eyes for a second, and then spoke:
"This… right here… is your mistake."
"A sorcerer must have keen observation skills. You never know when someone beside you might be a clone… or a Soul Devourer in disguise. If you don't pay attention to even the smallest of details, how will you survive?"
"Even a normal police officer pays attention to every minor thing when catching a criminal. And you? You are going to face death itself. You missed something so obvious... I'd say your observation skills are worse than that of an ordinary citizen."
"This won't work."
"The fourth master… was right in front of you this whole time."
"You just needed to open your eyes."
"Listen carefully to every word I say… pay close attention to every detail… and you will find your master."
Everyone was stunned. They all began looking around at one another in confusion.
Who was it? Who was the fourth master?
Why was everything in this place wrapped in mystery?
Ray slowly closed his eyes… letting Magnus' every word play again in his head… trying to piece it together.
Who… is the fourth master?
And so, the mystery deepened once again…