The main hall was filled with pure essence, Everyone feeling pure as soon as they entered.
Kairo filed in with the other students, finding a spot near the back wall. Takumi nudged in beside him, still grinning like an idiot. Sayaka positioned herself on Kairo's other side, standing stiff as a board and staring straight ahead.
"You good?" Kairo whispered.
"Fine." She didn't look at him.
"You sure? Because you've been acting weird since—"
"I said I'm fine."
Takumi snorted. Sayaka's elbow found his ribs.
Headmaster Raijin got on the stands, Looking at the face of each student.
"Three dead," Raijin announced. "Among the dead were two second graders, found in the eastern courtyard area, and the instructor was at the barrier anchor point near the east wing."
Hearing this, everyone looked at themselves in worry.
"Through and among them the beasts made seven breach points. They were coordinated. They were precise." Raijin's face showed anger but he was also an inquirer. "This was not mere chance. Therefore, somebody— or something— was behind this, and planned it."
"Training schedules are suspended effective immediately," Raijin persisted. "New circulation will be posted tonight. Combat focus. Essence development. No exceptions at all." His eyes covered the whole audience. "The realm is changing quicker than we thought. You must be able to adapt to the change."
He stopped talking, and for the first time, Everyone witnessed something that they had never seen before in the Head Sensei's face.
Doubt.
"Go."
The students left the room, completely deserted. Their talk was very quiet and limited.
The sky in the west was still graced with the colors of the sunset but in the east smoke was billowing from the wing in the form of a gigantic black cloud.
"Seven breaches," Sayaka said in a low voice. "All at once."
"Right." Kairo was staring at the smoke. "It didn't just happen."
"Do you connect it?" Takumi asked. "To the incident in Naiathe?"
Kairo remained mute.
They went back to the dormitories in silence. The whole area seemed different to them now—smaller in a way, more delicate. Like the security that they had thought was firm was actually very thin, like paper.
"Get some sleep," Sayaka said as they got to where the path split. She at last gazed into Kairo's eyes, but only for a moment. "And try not to get a nightmare."
She was gone before either of them could say a word.
Takumi followed her with his eyes and then turned to Kairo with that stupid grin creeping back onto his face. "So. Sensei Nevara, huh?"
"Don't."
"I'm just saying was it...."
"I will teleport you into the nearest wall."
"...worth it."
Kairo pushed him away. Takumi giggled and swooshed aside, already moving backwards to his bed.
"Catch you at sunrise, lovebird!"
"I can't stand you!"
Left to himself, Kairo lingered in a circle for a second or two. The kiss came again—Nevara's drowsy stare, her hand, the complete fright of undermining everything.
He scrubbed his face with both hands.
No don't think about it. Don't—
He thought about it.
"Damn it."
Two days later, inside Cloudspire Tower, the council chambers felt like a tomb.
Lord Vextros slammed his fist on the table so hard the essence-wards flickered. "One thousand years of peace, and THIS is what we have? Thirty-seven thousand dead and the number keeps rising?"
"The ward-barriers held during the Tide Wars," Lady Miraeth said coldly. "They held during the Essence Storms. During the Great Convergence breaks. Now you're telling me they just... failed?"
Master Vayne stood by the window in his battle-worn armor, looking like he hadn't slept in days.
"They didn't fail," he said quietly. "The creatures found the weak points."
He turned from the window, his eyes hollow. "I think we have a traitor."
Chancellor Aldeus, the oldest among them, coughed. His aged hands trembled slightly. "Commander, are you saying—"
"Sabotage." Vayne's voice was flat. "Yes."
The word dropped like a stone into still water.
"That's a serious accusation," Lady Syenna said carefully.
"It's the only one that makes sense. The ward-barriers were inspected a month ago. Master Kellan himself cleared them. So how did something find weaknesses our best architects couldn't see?" Vayne shook his head. "Either our defenses were never as strong as we thought, or someone made sure they'd fail."
Lord Vextros leaned forward. "Then we interrogate everyone who had access. Truth-sight. Essence-probes. Whatever it takes."
"And destroy what's left of our authority?" Lady Miraeth's eyes blazed. "We can't rule through fear."
"Well, we can't rule at all if we're dead either"
Far below the council's argument, in the Concordium, the six Trueborn sat in silence.
A floating map of Astralyn hovered in the center, covered in thousands of tiny red flames. Each one was a death.
"Seven breach points," Yunrei said, his voice strange and harmonic. "All triggered at nearly the same time. That's not coincidence."
"Then what caused it?" Mizuko asked sitting cross-legged. "I've traced every essence flow in this realm. Nothing here has that kind of intelligence."
"Nothing in our realm," Tsuyari said softly. "We've always assumed the Beyond was empty. What if we were wrong?"
The other Trueborn went quiet.
"You're suggesting a mind outside Astralyn," Yureina finally said. "Something beyond existence as we know it?"
"I'm saying what the evidence shows." Shadows gathered around Tsuyari despite the truth-light.
"We've been so focused on our empire we forgot to watch what might be coming for us."
Kurojin's voice rumbled. "What bothers me more than the method is the timing. Why now? What changed?"
They all went still at Rinako's answer.
"Because something was taken. Something they wanted."
Yunrei's eyes sharpened suddenly. "There's more. I've been tracking a disturbance in the time stream for months. Small at first. Now it's growing stronger."
"What kind of disturbance?" Mizuko asked.
"Someone's changing the past. Not major events—nothing that would cause paradox cascades. Small changes. Subtle adjustments. Unless you know exactly what to look for, you'd never notice."
If someone had been tampering with the timeline, then everything they knew about current events was suspect.
The missing child in Silverstone.
Even this attack.
All of it.
Kairo sat in his bed looking up at the message flyers the instructors handed out.
Your training schedule has been altered with immediate effect. Combat classes are from dawn to dusk. Essence development sessions are for everyone and are going to be at maximum safe intensity.
Please take note that: Conventional safety restrictions regarding essence overload have been lifted. Students who show exceptional adaptation may be moved to advanced tiers faster than the standard schedule.
Be informed that: This fast development comes with risks that are inherent such as essence-burn, spiritual exhaustion, and power destabilization. These risks are considered acceptable due to the current threat levels.
Upon reading this, Kairo just fell on his bed and dozed off. He was to tired to start thinking of what happens tomorrow.
Takumi had already fell asleep before kairo, with his leg upside down again.
The two of them were slowly forgetting one simple detail.
Itsuki was still missing.