Rain fell over the academy.
Soft at first.
Then heavy.
Like the island was weeping for something it couldn't say aloud.
Kael sat on the floor of the training hall, soaked, staring at the broken piece of the demon's armor they had brought back.
It was still warm.
"Kael," said Yue, entering quietly."There's something you need to see."
He didn't move at first.
Then slowly, he stood up and followed.
A Secret in the Library
The academy's underground library was off-limits to most students.
But Yue had found a way in.
She led Kael to a corner behind torn curtains, past shelves covered in dust and locked boxes.
She handed him the same book from earlier—the one without a title.
Kael opened it.
There it was again: the strange map of the island.
But Yue pointed at the corner of the page—where a new mark had appeared since their mission.
A red circle. Around a small dot. Labeled only as:
"Gate 1 – Broken."
Kael looked at her.
"What is this?"
"This map… it updates itself," Yue whispered."And I think… there are more gates."
Kael clenched his jaw.
"Then we're opening something… something we don't understand."
Zehr's Doubts
Later that night, Zehr paced alone outside the academy walls.
He looked up at the stars, his fists clenched.
"I'm strong… right?" he muttered."I was chosen, too. I'm not weak. I'm not…"
He remembered how, during the fight in the Demon Graveyard, he had hesitated.
Only for a second.But that second had felt like failure.
Suddenly, a figure stepped from the shadows.
It was Ashen.
"You doubt yourself," Ashen said."Good. That means you're growing."
Zehr turned quickly, startled.
"You always show up like a ghost."
"I am a ghost," Ashen replied with a faint smile."One who has bled more than he breathes."
Zehr asked:
"How did you become the strongest?"
Ashen looked at his single hand.
"By losing everything that made me weak."
The Lie
The next morning, Arden stood before the instructors.
"You were attacked?" asked Master Shin.
"Yes," Arden replied."But it was just a wild beast. Not a demon."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
He remembered the voice the demon spoke in.
The armor. The blue eyes.
That wasn't a beast. That was something more.
Why was Arden lying?
And why did he avoid looking at Kael?
Mikaho's Moment
Mikaho walked through the academy garden, her hand brushing over flowers.
She closed her eyes and remembered her father.
His smile. His voice.
His scream.
Kael found her there.
"You okay?"
She looked at him, nodding slightly.
"We have to get stronger," she said."No matter what. We can't let the next demon take someone again."
Kael nodded.
"I'll protect you. I promise."
Mikaho looked away, her eyes shining. But she didn't cry.
She didn't cry anymore.
The Map Grows
That night, Yue opened the book again.
A new symbol appeared. Slowly, like blood seeping through cloth.
"Gate 2 – Awakening."
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A broken friendship. A test beyond training. And a whisper in the dark that knows their names.