Back in the classroom, Drayen headed to his usual seat.
Fedric wasn't there today, leaving the spot beside him empty.
The room felt… off somehow.
A subtle strangeness hung in the air—one he couldn't quite place. When he chatted with a few classmates, everything seemed normal. Too normal.
He had fainted on the very first day—yet not a single person brought it up. That was what felt strange.
The first period was some introductory web-related class. An old bald professor stood at the front, going through the absolute basics. Drayen sighed. "This is still better than another round of introductions… I guess."
There was a knock on the door. "Excuse me."
The whole class turned around. It was their class teacher, Dordo.
"Sorry for the interruption, professor. I need Drayen Wraithwing," he said.
Drayen scratched his head as he got up.
"Bring along your belongings," Dordo reminded him.
Drayen was now totally confused. He had fainted on the first day, so it might've been normal to ask about his health—but bring his belongings? Still, he packed up without questioning and followed Mr. Dordo.
There was pure silence as they walked out of the Computer School building. Mr. Dordo didn't speak a word. His face was calm on the surface—unreadable.
Drayen finally couldn't resist. "Sir… where are we going?" he asked, uneasy at Mr. Dordo's strange behavior.
Mr. Dordo turned his head. "To the Mysterious School. We'll talk later—let's just go for now."
Drayen followed him, even more confused.
Seeing Mr. Dordo, one of the guards opened the gate without question.
The Mysterious School really was… weird. The building was massive and grand compared to the others, yet its entrance was ridiculously small—barely wide enough for three people to walk through at once.
Drayen stepped inside.
A wide-open space spread out before him, every wall plastered with posters—creatures from the Nightmare Realm, records of strange phenomena happening around the world, and most noticeably, diagrams and reports about bloodlines.
Drayen frowned as he looked around. Talks about bloodlines?
Seeing all the posters, bit by bit, he began to connect the dots.
Drayen followed Mr. Dordo into a room. It was small, with just a table and a few chairs.
Inside, Fedric and Zuko were already there, sitting and waiting.
Fedric immediately waved with a wide smile. "Drayen!"
Dordo took his seat opposite the desk. "Please sit down."
Drayen sat beside Fedric.
"Are you okay, man?" Fedric asked with a concerned look. Zuko watched Drayen's face too, his expression a mix of fear and worry.
"Yes, man. I'm fine."
Fedric and Zuko already had a bit of information from Mr. Dordo about the Nightmare Realm. Dordo had been in full panic mode when he realized Drayen was missing, so he had explained things briefly before taking their help in the search.
Seeing their calm expressions finally eased Mr. Dordo a little.
"Good. Now, before I get into what happened in your nightmare… let me show you something."
He raised his hand.
With a soft poof, an orange flame burst to life at the tip of his finger.
All three students instinctively leaned back.
The professor casually played with the flame—shrinking it, stretching it, making it dance and swirl as if it obeyed his thoughts.
Drayen and the others sat there, jaws hanging.
Drayen had learned a few things about awakened abilities from Wing… but seeing it with his own eyes was completely different.
And it only made him more curious—especially about the Nightmare Realm.
Mr. Dordo smiled, seeing their surprised, curious gazes. He clasped his hands. "Now let's begin the real conversation."
He continued, "Do you know what Mysterious Science is? Where it originates from?"
Fedric answered, "Mysterious Science is a term referring to the study of the separation between the four continents. Am I right?"
Mr. Dordo nodded. "It's only half correct—or at least, that's what the world knows. The study of Mysterious Science is, in fact, the exploration of the Nightmare Realm and everything related to it. The Nightmare Realm is the cause of continental separation."
"It's still covered in mystery why the continents are completely isolated, but Nightmare Realm portals are connected to this world."
"You've already witnessed the truth yourselves. Mysterious Science is the future of this world. So, I'm recommending that all of you join the Mysterious Science School." He pushed three files forward as he spoke.
"Look through the files carefully and sign the agreement if you want to change schools."
Zuko was the first to speak. "Si… Sir, I don't wanna change schools," he said in a fearful tone as memories of his nightmare resurfaced. A chill ran down his spine.
Mr. Dordo squinted. "Are you sure you don't want to join? You can learn and do amazing things here."
Zuko shook his head. Dordo sighed. "Okay."
But there was a strange stress in his tone.
Drayen took the file and started reading. He noticed that this agreement wasn't like anything a normal school or university would use. Although he'd never joined the military, it reminded him of contracts he'd seen in movies. There were many strict terms:
– Non-disclosure to anyone
– Your life is your own responsibility
Drayen's gaze landed on the term portal — You can use portals, but loot distribution…
Drayen already knew what the portal referred to. But Fedric, confused, asked, "Sir, what's the portal mentioned here?"
Mr. Dordo explained, "You know how you entered the Nightmare Realm. That phenomenon is called a temporary portal—or an awakening. It appears only once in your life. You can't see it or touch it. It's completely invisible and intangible… yet it can pull your soul into the Nightmare Realm."
"As it only takes your soul, it's also called a Half Portal, or an Awakening Portal. It's the only one capable of awakening your bloodline."
He continued, "When the connection becomes strong enough—usually in people with stronger bloodlines—that temporary portal can turn into a permanent one, as long as there isn't another permanent portal within an eight-kilometer radius."
"Permanent portals are different. They can't awaken your bloodline, but after awakening, you can use them to enter the Nightmare Realm with your physical body."
A doubt surfaced in Drayen's mind, so he voiced it. "Sir, you said we all had nightmares on the same day. How?"
"Resonance," Mr. Dordo replied briefly. "You'll learn more about it in class."
"Can I submit this tomorrow?" Drayen asked.
Mr. Dordo understood his concern. He knew the boy had been terrified enough to nearly lose his mind after returning from the Nightmare Realm—especially waking up alone.
"Sure. You can attend classes today and take your time deciding," he said.
Fedric and Drayen nodded and followed Mr. Dordo to a classroom on the first floor. The floor had a huge open space with stages, various pieces of equipment, and training dummies. Drayen thought it felt more like a military training facility as he swept his curious gaze over everything. The actual classroom itself, however, was extremely small compared to the computer lab.
Three students were already seated inside. They were triplets—one male and two females—all wearing yellow T-shirts with blue training jackets loosely hanging open in the front, paired with dark, flexible training pants.
"Meet Leo, Lia, and Lina. These are your new classmates. You can ask them anything if you have doubts I couldn't clear," Dordo said. "Your class teacher might be late—she was just assigned today and has to arrange the bloodline checks. The department's been a mess lately, so she's still adjusting."
With that, he left.
Drayen and Fedric sat behind the triplets. The trio was full of energy.
"Hey, newbies! The class was boring with only three of us. Glad to have more people," the male said cheerfully.
"By the way, I'm Leo, and these are my nemeses—Lia and Lina," he added, pointing at them.
His sisters looked identical, and with the same clothes on, it was impossible to tell them apart.
"My name is Fedric, and he's Drayen," Fedric replied.
His voice faltered as Lina suddenly grabbed Leo's hair. "Who are you calling nemesis?"
Lia and Lina both jumped him with a few punches, while Leo dodged some and threw a few back. Drayen and Fedric were taken aback by the chaotic scene. Fedric continued watching the show, amused.
Drayen, meanwhile, drifted into his own thoughts and spoke to Wing.
"Wing, what's Resonance Mr. Dordo mentioned?"
[Resonance occurs when someone awakening their bloodline triggers nearby unawakened individuals to experience the same phenomenon, as their bloodlines begin calling the Nightmare Realm. You awakened first, which caused your other two friends to awaken at the same time.]
It explained, as it still remembered this.
[Another thing — permanent portals also trigger Resonance, so that's the most probable reason for your awakening during the classroom.]
The classroom door opened with a soft click, and the chaotic triplet fight stopped instantly.
A woman stepped inside, her footsteps calm yet carrying a strange pressure.
She wore a fitted red shirt under a long black coat, the sharp lines of the fabric giving her an air of confidence and authority. A pair of spectacles rested on her nose, and behind the glass, her pinkish-red eyes scanned the room with quiet intensity—bright, sharp, and impossible to ignore. Her long black hair flowed neatly over her shoulders, adding to her composed yet striking appearance. She looked no more than four or five years older than Drayen.
Drayen felt his breath tighten for a moment.
This was the new professor.
Her gaze moved across the triplets, then Fedric—before stopping on Drayen for a second longer than necessary.
The same boy, she realized. He is the boy.
The shadow that had chased him… had been her.
Drayen's heart raced as he blurted out involuntarily, "So pretty,". He shook it off. Rael, what are you doing? he laughed inwardly.
"Good," she said with a smile.
Drayen was fully focused on her.
"My name is Kira Nightfall—your class professor. Or more like your trainer, if I have to say," she continued. "Now, shall we begin your bloodline awakening?"
She slammed the book onto the table as she finished.
Kira adjusted her spectacles and looked at the students with a calm but sharp expression.
"Before we start, you need to know something important," she said. "Bloodlines decide everything in the Nightmare Realm—your strength, your talent, your survival rate."
She raised a finger.
"There are thirty-two types of bloodlines, each with its own specialty. Vampire, Werewolf, Lilim, and others."
All of them listened attentively as she continued.
"And bloodlines are divided into five grades: King, Super, First, Second, and Third," she said.
Fedric raised his hand. "Ma'am, if our bloodline is Third Grade… is it enough?"
She smiled coldly. "It's enough for you to enter the Nightmare Realm. But if you want to explore and grow stronger, you can forget it."
"Second Grade is the minimum. Higher is better. King Grade—don't even dream about it."
Fedric swallowed hard, silently praying he hadn't awakened a Third Grade bloodline.
Drayen, who could access his status window, checked again.
[ Status Window ]
| Host Name: Drayen
| Age: 18
| Gender: Male
| Bloodline: All 32 Types
He transmitted the command to open the bloodline section.
[ Bloodline: All 32 Types ]
| Original Bloodline: Moon Butterfly (First Grade)
| Other 31 Bloodlines: Vampire, Werewolf, ….. etc
(Each listed as Third Grade)
A huge sense of disappointment hit Drayen.
He hadn't even known bloodline grades existed.
So this is what "degraded" meant.
"Wing, did you know about this?" he asked silently.
[Yes. Wing has memory of bloodline grades, though not in detail.]
"Damn you, Wing. Why didn't you mention this? Didn't you think it was important? Fuck you."
[Do not curse Wing. It is the host's fault for not asking.]
Wing had never mentioned it. Only now, when Drayen transmitted the command, did it reveal the information. It felt like it was skipping details—even though it clearly remembered them.
Kira clasped her hands, interrupting the quiet exchange between Drayen and Wing. "Now, let's begin the bloodline checking… along with a ton of shitty paperwork."
She started calling names, beginning with the triplets.
"Leo."
With messy hair and a few scratches on his face, Leo stood up. His playful, cheerful aura vanished instantly, replaced by stiffness.
Each step he took felt heavy—almost as if he were dragging himself forward.
Everyone in the room could feel his tension.
Drayen was inwardly relieved; at least he didn't have to tense up yet.
Kira pulled out an electronic device and began pressing buttons, cursing under her breath. Cheap device… couldn't they just give us an expensive bloodline crystal? Huh—unbelievable.
She took out a tube. "Hand."
Leo extended his hand. With her sharp fingernail, she scratched it cleanly. Leo flinched.
The cut was neat, but when she squeezed his hand, he grunted in pain. After collecting enough blood, she wiped the area.
A warm sensation spread the moment her hand lifted. Leo looked down—there was no cut, not even a mark.
She inserted the tube into the device, which was about the size of an old telephone. The machine glowed as bloodline data appeared on the screen.
"Oh, an elemental bloodline—Ember Salamander. Second Grade. Good," she praised.
Leo let out a breath of relief and returned to his seat, looking satisfied.
Next were Lia and Lina. As expected, they had the same bloodline and the same grade.
Then it was Fedric's turn.
He trembled as he walked forward, glancing at Drayen one last time before stopping in front of her.
"Hand."
The procedure repeated.
"Beastkin Lion bloodline. First Grade," she said. "Not bad—the grade makes up for the bloodline's weakness."
Next would be Drayen's turn.
Unease crept into him. He had no idea what would happen with thirty-two bloodlines. His fists clenched unconsciously. He didn't understand any of this well enough. He was basically showing all his secrets openly.
Kira called out, "Drayen."