The red glow of the emergency ward bell bled across the evening sky like a wound. Airi's heart pounded as she stood beside Ryouma, her mind racing. In the distance, the black mist twisted and expanded, forming the silhouette of something massive — an ancient beast, long thought extinct.
"The sky… it's tearing," Yumi whispered behind them, rubbing her eyes. She had just woken up and stared out the window, horrified. "What is that?"
"A distortion of magic," Ryouma replied. "One that shouldn't exist inside the academy barrier."
Airi stepped back from the window and spoke quickly, her voice calm and sharp. "Yumi, get to the underground shelters. Now."
Yumi froze. "But what about you—?"
"Go!"
Ryouma raised an eyebrow at Airi's sudden command. Yumi blinked, startled, and then hurried out, still in her socks.
As soon as the door shut, Airi turned to Ryouma. "You knew this was coming, didn't you?"
"Not this fast," he replied, summoning his weapon — a long spear wrapped in flaming runes. "But they've been testing the Academy's wards for weeks. That thing outside... is a Wyrmshade. It feeds on ancient mana — yours."
Outside, the air grew heavier. Students poured from buildings, their spells lighting up the quad like stars in a chaotic sky. Professors appeared, warding circles flaring beneath their feet. But the beast… the Wyrmshade… didn't stop.
It hungered.
Airi summoned her own staff — black crystal with silver veins — and the illusion around her faltered. Her magic flared, her hair floating from the raw mana pouring off her. Ryouma's eyes widened slightly.
"So the rumors are true… You're not a student pretending to be strong.""You're a queen pretending to be weak."
She didn't answer.
A deafening roar split the sky.
The Wyrmshade landed on the far edge of the academy forest, shaking the earth. Its eyes were hollow, yet they pulsed with stolen light. Dozens of smaller shadowlings poured from its underbelly, screeching and gnawing at the protective barriers.
Headmistress Yozora appeared above the academy tower, her white cloak fluttering. Her voice echoed magically across the grounds: "All combat-capable students are to form defensive lines. First-years—evacuate immediately!"
But Airi didn't move. Her fingers curled around her staff.
"You're going to fight it, aren't you?" Ryouma asked.
"I don't have a choice," she replied.
A silence fell between them.
Then Ryouma grinned. "Good. I didn't want to fight alone either."
Within moments, the battlefield was chaos.
Explosions of fire, lightning, and crystal arrows struck the beast, but its hide regenerated faster than anyone could injure it. Professors were casting ancient spells, but even they looked desperate. The Wyrmshade opened its mouth, and a wave of corruption burst forward, melting the front lines.
Airi closed her eyes. Enough.
She stepped forward, her illusion falling away completely.
The magic surging from her was wrong — void-like, heavy, as if the air itself resisted her presence. Students stopped and stared. Whispers rose in terror.
"Who is that?"
"She's glowing black…"
"That's not normal magic—!"
Ryouma stood beside her. "Let them fear you. You're their only hope now."
Airi's eyes opened, glowing amethyst.
She slammed her staff down. The earth beneath her cracked in a perfect circle.
"Bind the beast in nothingness.""Seal it in the name of the Forgotten Queen.""Vana-Zei'them, Ishtar'kai!"
The sky pulsed.
Chains of dark light erupted from the ground and sky, wrapping the Wyrmshade's legs, neck, and wings. It shrieked, twisting violently, but the chains held. Even the shadowlings screamed as the magic touched them — and disintegrated.
The professors watched in stunned silence.
The creature reared back for one last roar—
—and Airi, with her eyes glowing, rose into the air and whispered, "Fall."
The Wyrmshade crashed to the earth, vanishing into black ash.
The entire battlefield went silent.
Not a single voice. Not a single breath.
Until—
"Who is she?""She's not a student…""She's a monster…"
Airi turned slowly. Hundreds of eyes were on her.
Ryouma landed beside her. "You saved them. But now they'll fear you more than ever."
Airi said nothing.
Because he was right.
She had revealed too much.
Back in the shadows of the Forbidden Tower, a mirror rippled.
An old man — his body twisted by time and magic — watched the scene through black water.
"So she's awakened," he whispered."The Queen of the Void lives again."
And he smiled.