Only one day remained before Rush's departure for Elcaster.
The Royal Academy was quieter than usual.
The excitement that had followed the Inter-Squad Trials had settled, replaced by anticipation. Students could be seen discussing the Hexan Crucible in every corridor, wondering how far their Academy would go this year.
Rush, however, had other things on his mind.
He stood in his room, staring at the uniform laid out on his bed. The Academy had prepared it specially for the Hexan Crucible — a black leather battle longcoat with a high collar, a crisp white shirt, black fitted trousers with a harness, and a dark cape. The Academy crest was printed in silver on its back, catching the dim light of the mana lantern.
He ran his fingers across the collar. Then he picked it up, feeling the weight of the fabric. Quality craftsmanship. Designed for movement, for combat, for presentation.
A polished silver button secured it.
Rush unfastened the button and reached into the drawer beside his desk. There, wrapped in cloth, lay another — one with the Ryanheart crest.
A hooded face with hollow eyes, framed by blade-like wings, crossed daggers beneath. The crest his father had built from nothing.
He replaced the silver Academy button with the Ryanheart crest. Looked at it for a moment.
Then he folded the uniform carefully before placing it inside his travel pack beside his daggers, spare clothes, some necessities, and a small pouch of alchemical supplies Slavic had insisted he carry.
Rush closed the pack.
***
Morning came too quickly.
The Academy grounds were already crowded.
Students lined both sides of the stone pathway leading toward the private manaship resting in the center of the courtyard.
The vessel was enormous.
Its dark hull was covered in glowing runes, while several mana crystals pulsed beneath its exterior. Elegant lines ran along its body, giving it the appearance of something built for both war and royalty.
Rush arrived with Slavic and Ethan, the three walking side by side as they had countless times before.
The selected students were already gathering. Rush scanned the faces near the ship.
Jennifer was already there, calm and composed. Nia stood nearby, her posture relaxed but her eyes alert. Richard was alone, standing apart from everyone, his expression unreadable. The Aetos twins were nearby, speaking quietly to each other. Amber and Kimberly stood together.
Behind them stood the faculty and student council members accompanying the first-years. Professors Spellworth, Argonean, and Malon were present.
Rosetta stood among them, her familiar stopwatch hanging by a golden chain with her suit.
Beside her stood Alexis, the Student Council President.
Then the courtyard fell silent.
Elyse Worldword had arrived. She walked toward the manaship and stood at the base of the boarding ramp. Her presence was quiet but undeniable.
Her green ember eyes swept across the students standing before her.
Rush moved into position beside Jennifer.
For a moment, Elyse simply looked at them.
These students weren't merely leaving for another competition. They were carrying the name of the Royal Academy beyond Atherland.
Finally, she spoke.
"Give your best."
Her voice wasn't loud, yet everyone heard it.
"You're representing the Royal Academy of Atherland."
She allowed the words to settle.
"And remember—you're all a team now."
Her gaze moved across the students.
"Work together. And make everyone proud."
The words were simple. But they landed. Every student straightened instinctively.
Spellworth stepped forward.
"Board."
One by one, the students climbed the boarding ramp. Rush stepped onto the stairs leading to the manaship's entrance. The applause and cheers of the crowd swelled behind him.
"Good luck!"
"Bring home the title!"
"You can do it!"
He didn't look back.
The sound faded as he entered the ship. The doors closed behind him. A low hum vibrated through the floor. The manaship rose, smooth and steady.
The Academy became smaller beneath them. Then Prasta disappeared beneath the clouds.
Within seconds, nothing remained below except forests, rivers, and endless sky.
***
The journey to Elcaster would take two days, even with the manaship. Therefore, the interior was more spacious than it looked from outside — it had private rooms for the students, a large deck, a common gathering hall, enchanted crystal windows, and soft mana lighting that mimicked daylight. Powerful barriers and spells protected the ship.
Students filed in, finding their rooms. Rush was allotted a room near Richard's. He kept his pack in his room and went straight to the common waiting area.
He sat near a window. Nia came in silently and sat beside him.
Then, one after another, the rest of the students arrived. Slavic instantly started telling everything he knew about Elcaster, about the Elven kingdom.
"Did you know the Elven capital is supposed to be older than Atherland itself?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"You're making that up."
"I'm not!"
"You said the same thing about the Dwarven capital."
"Because it's probably true!"
Amber laughed.
Rush listened without saying much.
Across the room, Richard sat alone, staring out a window.
Rush sat in silence for a while, watching the landscape pass beneath them — forests giving way to plains, plains to hills, hills to mountains. Etherion stretched endlessly below, a world he had only begun to explore.
But there was something else weighing on Rush. Something he had been carrying since yesterday.
Beelzebub surfaced after a long silence.
"Have you decided what you are going to do, child?"
Rush remained silent. He knew exactly what Beelzebub meant.
He had received his father's reply the day before their departure. And he still hadn't decided what to do with it. His father's words had changed everything.
Rush remembered the letter. His jaw tightened. The letter had arrived the day before — a single parchment, sealed with the Ryanheart crest, delivered by a mana construct.
[ I think it's about time you know, his father had written, We are not just any nobles on the King's Council. We serve the crown in another way. We are assassins.
But we have one absolute rule: Never follow orders blindly.
We don't kill simply because the Emperor ordered. We investigate. We judge the target ourselves. And only when we are convinced that the target deserves death, we act.
It was the same for Alcristo Dragonean.
He was involved with demons. He was conspiring against the Empire. I gave him a choice — finish himself, or see the entire Dragonean house erased from history.
He chose the first option. He made it. ]
To Richard, there had never been another version of the story.
Only murder.
Only hatred.
Only revenge.
The letter had burned itself after Rush finished reading it. But its contents remained.
Rush looked across the room.
Richard was still staring outside. He still didn't know. He had spent years hating the Ryanhearts, believing his grandfather was murdered in cold blood. But the truth was more complicated — Alcristo was guilty, Erwin gave him a choice, and Richard's own father chose silence.
Rush had been thinking about it since he read the letter. Should he tell Richard? Or should he let him continue in ignorance?
Beelzebub spoke again.
"Have you decided?"
Rush lowered his eyes.
Yes.
He had. He stood.
The moment he did, the conversations around him slowly faded.
Slavic stopped talking. Ethan looked over. Jennifer turned. And Nia's expression changed immediately. She was alert.
Rush began walking toward Richard.
His steps were steady. His expression was calm. The closer he got, the quieter the room became.
Richard finally noticed.
He turned.
Their eyes met.
Richard's fists clenched at his sides.
Rush stopped in front of him. The silence in the room was absolute. Then Rush said quietly:
"Meet me tonight. On the deck."
He said nothing more. He turned and walked away. He didn't wait for a reply.
Richard didn't give one.
But Rush knew he would come.
***
After dinner, Rush went to the deck.
The night air was cold. The twin moons hung low and bright, casting silver light across the clouds below. Rush leaned against the railing and waited.
A few minutes passed. Then the door behind him opened.
Richard stepped onto the deck. He didn't speak. He simply walked to the railing, stopping a few feet away.
Rush didn't look at him.
"I know you hate me," he said quietly. "You hate Ryanhearts. But I want to know why."
Richard's jaw tightened.
"Why you ask. Let me tell you then."
His voice was cold, sharp.
"A Ryanheart killed my grandfather. And for that, I will eradicate Ryanhearts from Etherion."
Rush turned to face him.
"Your grandfather didn't die because a Ryanheart killed him. He died because he was involved with demons. Conspiring against the Empire."
Richard's eyes widened. Then narrowed.
"Stop lying, Ryanheart."
He grabbed Rush's collar and shoved him backward. Rush's back hit the railing. He didn't resist.
Behind Richard, the shadows shifted. Nia had followed—silent, coiled, ready. Her eyes were fixed on Richard's hands. Rush raised his hand slightly, a small gesture toward the shadows. Nia stopped. She faded back into the dark, watching.
Richard's grip tightened.
"You don't know anything."
"Then why didn't your father do anything?" Rush asked. His voice was calm. "Are you stronger than your father was, Richard? More capable of going after Ryanhearts than him? Why didn't he do anything?"
Richard's grip loosened. His breathing was uneven.
Rush continued,
"Because your father already knew. It was either your grandfather or the Dragonean house — you included. He knew. And he chose to protect what he could save."
Richard stepped back. His hands fell away as the memory surfaced — his father's silence, the lack of retaliation, the way his grandfather's death had been recorded, and the way his father had refused to speak about it.
Every memory suddenly looked different.
He looked back at Rush. At the face of the person he had considered his enemy. The hatred was still there. But beneath it was something else.
First disbelief. Then sorrow. Then the slow, crushing weight of truth.
Tears began flowing down his cheeks. He didn't say anything. He simply stood there, staring at Rush as though seeing him for the first time.
Rush said nothing. There was nothing left to say.
Richard turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing across the deck. His shoulders trembled slightly. He didn't look back.
The door opened and closed behind him.
Silence returned to the deck.
Nia emerged from the shadows. She looked at Rush with something close to surprise — not at what he had done, but at how he had done it.
Rush held her gaze for a long moment. There was a very long silence between them.
Then he turned toward the railing and rested his hands against it.
Above him, the twin moons hung bright and distant. Stars scattered across the dark sky.
The manaship continued its journey toward Elcaster.
Rush stared into the endless night.