Night settled over Seoul Hunter Academy like a velvet shroud.
The lights of the mana towers painted the sky in cold blue and silver, shimmering through the thin layer of mist that always lingered after rain. The air tasted faintly of ozone and anticipation — the aftershock of the Class Competition still buzzed through every hallway.
Class D had won.
Against all odds, against logic itself, they had toppled Class C.
And at the center of it all was Lee Shin — the "trash" of the academy.
He sat alone on the steps behind the arena, his practice sword lying across his knees. The glow of the mana towers reflected faintly off his eyes. His teammates had gone to celebrate, but he preferred silence. Victory never felt clean — not to him.
Every fight was a reminder.
Every cheer from the crowd echoed with ghosts.
Power, he thought. It comes with a price.
The ring pulsed once, warm against his skin.
Its glow flickered — almost like a heartbeat.
You are not alone, heir of the cycle.
Shin's eyes narrowed. "You again."
The whisper was softer now, distant.
The tower awakens. The watchers stir. Be ready.
"Watchers?" he murmured.
Before he could think more, footsteps echoed behind him.
Nonna's voice broke the quiet.
"I thought I'd find you here."
He turned.
His sister — tall, elegant, her long silver hair tied neatly behind her — stood under the lantern light, wearing the black-and-gold uniform of Class A, fourth-year insignia gleaming on her sleeve.
"Nonna," Shin said, standing quickly. His tone softened. "You shouldn't be out this late."
"Neither should you," she replied with a faint smile. "But then again, little brothers rarely listen."
He looked away, embarrassed. "You heard about the competition."
"Everyone did," she said simply. "It's all over the academy board. You took down Kang Dae-Jin." Her smile widened slightly. "Father's guild will be talking about that for weeks."
Shin's stomach tightened at the mention of their father. "I'm sure he won't care."
Nonna sighed softly. "You're wrong. He may not show it, but he watches everything. Even you."
He stayed quiet.
Then, her tone dropped. "Be careful, Shin. People will start noticing you now. The academy isn't as safe as it looks — not with the guild scouters prowling after the midterms."
"I can handle myself," he said, though the words sounded more like a wish than confidence.
She studied him a moment longer, then nodded. "I know. Just don't make the same mistake Mother did."
That name — that wound — still cut deep.
He clenched his hands. "I won't."
Her gaze softened. "Good."
Before she left, she added quietly, "And Hyun-Seok's looking for you. He's not happy about your little performance."
Shin's jaw tightened. "Let him come."
He didn't have to wait long.
Minutes later, as he made his way back toward the dormitory courtyard, a voice stopped him.
"Well, well. Look who decided to act like a hero."
Hyun-Seok stood by the fountain, his Class A badge gleaming obnoxiously under the moonlight. His friends — two other elite students — flanked him, arms crossed.
Shin's expression didn't change. "If you're here to congratulate me, save it."
Hyun-Seok's laugh was sharp. "Congratulate you? Please. Everyone knows Class C went easy on you. You think beating a few weaklings makes you special?"
"Maybe not," Shin said calmly, "but it still makes me better than you expected."
The smirk vanished. "Watch your mouth."
"I'm only speaking facts."
Hyun-Seok's mana flared — golden, fiery. His companions stepped back, wary. "You've forgotten your place."
"I don't remember having one," Shin said quietly.
For a moment, the air between them crackled with hostility. The courtyard lights flickered, reacting to their mana clash.
Then a voice cut through the tension.
"That's enough."
Nonna emerged from the shadows, her aura washing over them both — cool, commanding. "Hyun-Seok, I warned you about this."
"She's protecting him again," Hyun-Seok spat. "Like always."
"Because one of us needs to," she snapped.
Her mana rippled once, silencing even the air around them. "This is the academy. You want to prove you're better? Do it in the finals, not in the dark like a coward."
Hyun-Seok glared at Shin one last time, then turned on his heel. "You'll regret this," he muttered as he left.
Nonna waited until he was gone before exhaling softly. "He's still the same."
Shin smiled faintly. "So are you."
She smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment. Now get some rest. The Year-1 finals start soon — and you'll need your strength."
He nodded. "Thanks, Nonna."
As she walked away, Shin felt a rare warmth settle in his chest. For all the distance between them, Nonna had always been his only true ally in that house of cold pride.
Later that night, Shin stood alone beneath the main tower — the massive spire that rose over the academy like a silent sentinel.
The air here was different — heavier, denser, laced with mana currents that hummed through the ground.
He reached out to touch the base of the tower. The ring on his finger pulsed once, and for a brief moment, the entire surface glowed with intricate sigils.
A whisper brushed against his mind — the same voice, but clearer now.
The heirs awaken. The tower remembers. The cycle turns.
Shin's vision blurred. He saw flashes —
A battlefield drowned in fire.
Figures in ancient armor.
A sword plunging through the heart of a god.
He stumbled back, gasping. The glow faded instantly, leaving the tower dark and silent once more.
"What… was that?"
He looked down at his hand, trembling slightly. The ring had gone cold again, but faint symbols now shimmered faintly along its surface — markings he'd never seen before.
Whatever had just happened, it wasn't over.
Something inside the academy — something ancient — had recognized him.
And deep in the shadows at the top of the tower, the cloaked watcher from the coliseum lowered their hood, eyes gleaming faintly gold.
"Found you."