John blinked awake to the pale morning light bleeding through the window shutters. His hair was a mess, his eyes crusted with sleep, but the rumble of movement outside his room stirred him.
He rolled out of bed, scratched lazily at his stomach, and slid the door open.
The hallway was buzzing.
Students lined the corridor in scattered pockets, many watching from the walls, silent and stiff. Ahead, voices rose—sharp, mocking.
John rubbed his eyes and wandered forward.
At first, he barely registered it.
Just some shouting. A little posturing. Nothing unusual.
Until he really looked.
The guys doing the shouting—big, broad-shouldered, dressed in dark red and silver—were unfamiliar. Not just unfamiliar. Wrong.
Sure, he hadn't memorized every Beast King's face. They'd only moved into this part of the hostel two days ago. But John had the memory of an Awakenener—trained instincts, sharp recall.
And those guys? He'd never seen them before.
He slowed near one of the scenes.
A smaller student was pressed against the wall, arms up, eyes darting between the two guys towering over him.
"What did we say? Huh? Beast King territory, sure, but no king. And when there's no king..."
"...the Destroyers collect." The other grinned, cracking his knuckles.
John's brows drew together.
Destroyers?
His eyes narrowed.
He stepped back, leaned against the wall, and just listened.
A few words here. A couple brags there. One guy outright stated it:
"That weak-ass Sion kid's gone ghost. That means the Beast King pups get leashed. Simple as that."
John stood in silence for a moment longer.
Then he turned around and walked back toward his room.
Except he didn't go in.
He walked past it.
To the far end of the hall, where a tall pillar framed the main stairway down into the common lobby. He stepped into the center, cracked his neck—
And shouted:
"EVERYONE SHUT UP!"
The hallway fell dead silent.
Even the bullies froze.
John looked around at the mix of stunned, angry, and confused faces.
His voice was calm. Cold.
"I'm John. I'm an Awakenener. I'm also very annoyed right now. So here's how it's going to go."
He pointed toward the group of unfamiliar students.
"You? You're not supposed to be here. You don't belong in this hostel. You're not Beast Kings, and you clearly weren't invited."
He cracked his knuckles, voice dropping lower.
"You want to talk about kings? Well, congrats. I'm in a bad mood, and now I rule this hallway."
Silence.
Then, one of the Destroyer students scoffed. "Who the hell do you think you are, yelling like—"
John's form blurred.
He vanished from his spot like smoke on the wind.
The bulky student barely had time to react.
In an instant, multiple mirror-like shields shimmered into place in front of him—layered defenses of glowing, translucent energy. Each one denser than steel, a fortress stacked in seconds.
But it didn't matter.
John's fist tore through the shields like wet paper.
CRACK.
The punch connected squarely with the bully's gut.
A sound exploded through the hallway—half thunder, half horror.
The destroyer's body folded in half.
Then shot backward like a missile.
He crashed through the hostel's window, sailed through open air in a perfect arc, and shattered through another window across the compound—
The Destroyer Abode.
Glass and stone followed him in an echoing trail.
Silence fell across the Beast King hallway.
John dusted his hands as he turned to look at the stunned students.
"Did he just... beat Adolf... with a single strike?"
One of the Destroyers muttered in a daze.
"He just sent him back to his hostel." One of the stronger students of the Beast chuckled to himself.
"He just sent him back to his hostel," a Beast King student chuckled to himself.
John's voice rang out, firm and commanding:
"From now on, I, the fifth ranker, assume temporary leadership over the Beast Kings."
His gaze locked on the Destroyers still standing.
"To anyone who tries to bully someone under me, be ready to face me."
Then his eyes turned to the Beast Kings.
"Anyone who thinks I'm not fit for the role... is always welcome. To. Try. Me."
A silence heavier than before settled.
Then—
CHIM.
The sharp chime of a school-wide badge message echoed from every chest.
Students looked down in unison.
[ 1 / 7 Ancient Relics Found ]
Gasps spread through the corridor.
Before they could fully react—
[ The Catacomb Will Open Soon ]
A few moments ago.
In the Destroyer's Abode.
Kale walked down a hallway, Crystal and Gorrana in toll.
His eyes traced through the sturdy walls of the hostel, taking in its intricate beauty as well as the composed chaos of its residence.
He suddenly came to a stop, prompting his two followers to follow suit.
A body crashed through the window a few feet away.
A student.
Kale recognized him, he was among the stronger Destroyers.
He looked out the window, peering through the destroyed window of the neighboring hostel. There he saw the culprit, now addressing the students around him.
Kale eyes narrowed, his now enhanced earring picked up on everything that John had said.
"Interesting."
Just as he had muttered this, the CHIM sounded out.
[ 1 / 7 Ancient Relics Found ]
A beat.
[ The Catacomb Will Open Soon ]
Kale scoffed as soon as he saw the Relics mentioned.
"Old pieces of junk no powers are interested in." He commented. "Why would the Academy keep them?"
Then, his eyes narrowed. "Wait, who found them?"
He pushed the thoughts down as he noticed the other message.
"Now, this is interesting. Maybe I will get to flex my new strength a bit."
Meanwhile.
A short distance away, in the private estate of Infernal Home—
Edward was jolted from his thoughts by the familiar chime of a badge notification.
[ 1 / 7 Ancient Relics Found ][ The Catacomb Will Open Soon ]
He stared at the message, unimpressed.
Then scoffed.
Old relics. Dusty remnants of a dead era. Nothing but forgotten jewelry to him.
He turned away, already refocusing on more important matters—like uniting the fractured Infernal Home. Too many strong individuals, too much pride. Rallying them under his rule would take precision... or overwhelming power.
And then—
Something clicked.
He turned back to the screen slowly, eyes narrowing.
"The Voidpetal."
His voice was quiet. Intent.
"If I can get my hands on that relic... I can amplify my Elemental Gift."
The thought sharpened his focus instantly.
No more hesitation.
If the Voidpetal truly existed—and it had surfaced—
He would claim it.
And if someone else had found it first...
He didn't finish the thought.
He simply stood.
And vanished from the estate in a streak of crimson light.
---
Elsewhere, in a private estate of similar stature—
Anessa stared at her badge in confusion.
"What the fuck are these Relics???"
---
The news of the relic took the Academy by storm.
Some students wondered why the Academy had planted them.
Others speculated on where.
A few wondered if the Relics were related to the catacombs opening or it was just a convenient coincidence.
While all this was happening, an ignorant couple wandered the Outer Edge — too caught up in their newfound relationship to notice the storm the relic had stirred.
Sion watched intently as Dara took her first bite of the meal he'd cooked.
Her eyes widened immediately.
She looked up, stunned. "I refuse to believe you made this."
Sion smirked. "Why? Too good?"
"It's mediocre at best," Dara said, refusing to yield.
"Hater."
"Bad cook."
She reached for a second helping—only to find the plate empty.
She looked up, eyes wide. "Sion."
He tilted his head. "You said it was bad, so I helped you out."
"Give me back my food, you weirdo!" Dara lunged at him.
Sion dodged smoothly, dashing straight out of the cave.
"In your dreams!" he called back, laughter in his voice.
He turned just in time to see Dara crash into him at full speed.
Bam.
They tumbled to the ground, dust and laughter swirling in the wind.
Dara sat triumphantly on his chest.
"We stay like this until you give me back my food."
Sion blinked up at her, calm as ever. "To be fair, I don't mind."
"We'll see," Dara said with a mock-sinister grin.
They stayed like that, the moment stretching, warm and absurd.
Then Sion asked, "...Why are you wearing the Voidpetal as a hairpin?"
"Because it's jewelry. Duh." Dara rolled her eyes.
Sion nodded like that made perfect sense. "Okay..."
Then he said, "Alright. You win. I'll return your food."
"Hehe, told you you'd cave," Dara said, grinning in triumph.
"I'm not giving in because I'm tired," Sion replied, that familiar smirk forming again.
"I can never get tired of physical contact with you."
"Pervert," Dara mumbled, barely pretending to sound offended.
Sion narrowed his eyes playfully, then fell silent.
*Unfortunately, he ignored the early signs.
"I want to take you somewhere," he said.
Dara leaned in slightly. "Where?"
"Down below."
"...Huh?"
"I can feel something. Under us."
He closed his eyes.
Extended his senses.
"There's something below the valley... not natural. Not wild."
A pause.
"It's like a cave."
Another beat.
"...A catacomb."