Izan slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the soft morning light. He found himself lying on a bed that looked like it belonged in a royal pace. The sheets were smooth and dark, and the pillows beneath his head were deep purple and bck, soft and luxurious. His mind raced.

  Where… am I? What happened?

  He swung his legs off the bed, confusion etched across his face. Just as he began to rise, a maid appeared beside him. She gave a polite nod and gestured for him to follow. Expecting her to lead, Izan trailed behind her, his mind still swirling with questions.

  They walked through a long, echoing corridor. As they moved, Izan noticed the castle itself. The walls glowed faintly, colors drifting across them like living paint. On the right side stretched shades of soft purple, and on the left, deep gaxy-blue shimmered gently, like starlight trapped in stone. The colors blended subtly, giving the entire hallway the feeling of walking through a dream.

  At st, the maid pushed open a pair of massive doors.

  They entered a grand throne room—and Izan froze.

  The entire room looked like a gaxy brought to life. The walls shimmered with swirling blue and purplish light, the blue deep and rich like a night sky filled with stars rather than pale or dull. The colors drifted together like distant nebue, glowing softly and making the chamber feel endless.

  At the center stood a throne shaped from the same luminous colors—light purple blending into dark blue, faint star-like sparkles embedded throughout its surface.

  Seated upon it was a witch.

  Her wide-brimmed hat immediately caught Izan’s attention. It was colored in shades of blue, purple, and bck, the tones shifting faintly like mist. On the right side rested a delicate butterfly, its wings tinted in cosmic colors. On the left side was a single glowing flower—just the blossom—shimmering softly in purple and blue.

  Her eyes met his.

  Her left eye glowed a soft light purple. Her right eye was deep gaxy-blue, faintly swirling as if tiny stars lived inside it.

  Resting beside her was a staff.

  It was long and elegant, colored in the same blue, purple, and bck as her hat and throne. At the top, curved shapes spiraled around a glowing sphere. Inside that sphere, a miniature universe slowly rotated—tiny stars drifting, clouds of color swirling endlessly, as if an entire gaxy had been captured and bound within the staff itself.

  Izan stood there in silence.

  For a moment… he forgot to breathe.

  The room was so beautiful, so vast and unreal, that it overwhelmed him. A tear slid quietly down his cheek before he even realized it. He didn’t wipe it away. He simply stared, stunned by the beauty surrounding him.

  Then he finally spoke.

  “Why… am I here? What’s going on?” he asked cautiously.

  The witch’s lips curved into a mischievous smile.

  She slowly rose from her throne. As she lifted her staff, petals and butterflies burst into the air with a gentle motion, drifting around them like fragments of a dream.

  Before Izan could react, the room dissolved around him. In an instant, he was standing atop a hill overlooking a clear, endless ocean under a sky so vast it made his heart pound.

  “What the hell… is happening?” Izan stammered.

  “You’re in a dream,” the witch said calmly. “I put you here.”

  “Why…?” he demanded, a mix of fear and curiosity twisting his voice.

  “Shush,” she replied, tilting her head. “You ask too many questions.”

  Izan narrowed his eyes, squinting suspiciously, but she ignored him. “I am Luneth,” she said, flicking her hair dramatically. “The greatest witch of all time. The entire world knows my name.”

  Her maid quietly appeared behind her, gently catching Luneth’s long hair before it could fall down her back, then began brushing through it with meticulous care. Luneth’s smirk deepened, her mismatched eyes—left light purple, right a gaxy-like blue—glittering with intrigue.

  “I have an interest in you,” she said, her voice calm but ced with curiosity.

  “Why?” Izan asked, tilting his head, curiosity tempered by unease.

  “Because your soul is… exquisite,” she purred. “Full of jewels and gold. Truly fascinating—more beautiful than anything I’ve ever seen.”

  Izan’s brow furrowed. “But… how did you put me in this dream? You weren’t even around—rumors said you disappeared… some even said you died.”

  “That is none of your concern,” she replied, her tone suddenly cold. “The only thing you need to know is that I am always near. Watching.”

  The maid behind her suddenly produced a tea cup, sugar, and liquid seemingly from nowhere, pcing them perfectly on a silver tray.

  Izan’s eyes widened. “What… how…?”

  Izan’s breath caught. A figure appeared before him—his mother. Not just a fleeting memory or ghostly image—she was real. Her hair shone softly in the sunlight of the dreamscape, her eyes glistening with warmth and tears. She waved gently, smiling at him, radiating the love he had missed for so long.

  Izan’s chest tightened painfully. He struggled to hold back the tears that burned in his eyes, feeling the ache of longing like a knife. His hands shook slightly, reaching forward as if he could grab her, hold her.

  Then, with a casual flick of her staff, Luneth made the image vanish. The warmth and presence of his mother evaporated, leaving only the emptiness of the dream behind.

  Izan’s chest tightened, and tears slipped silently down his cheeks. He didn’t make a sound, didn’t move to reach for her—he just let the quiet rush of emotion wash over him.

  Luneth chuckled, her tone teasing, almost cruel. “You miss her, don’t you? It’s so delicious to watch you squirm, torn between longing and restraint.”

  Her ughter echoed softly before her expression softened slightly.

  “Just know this: I am always watching. In the future, you may need to find me. There is much we will cover, and it will be some time before we meet again.”

  She leaned closer, her eyes glinting dangerously.

  “But if you even whisper my name—or hint of this meeting—I will destroy everyone in your school. Perhaps I will even take Rin and Sayaka for myself.”

  Izan’s eyes widened, the weight of her threat sinking into his chest like ice.

  Luneth calmly tossed her tea cup aside, letting it vanish mid-air as she stepped toward him. “If you ever need help… or a lesson… call my name in your head. If you wish to speak with me again, say it before you sleep.”

  Luneth raised her staff and held it gently against Izan’s forehead.

  “Goodbye for now, Izan. See you in the real world.”

  With that, she tapped his forehead lightly. The dreamscape shattered.

  Izan jolted awake in his dorm bed, gasping for air.

  Tears streamed silently down his face, drenching his shirt, but he didn’t make a sound. His cat slept peacefully in his p, unaware of the storm of emotions tearing through him.

  The lingering echo of Luneth’s voice made the room feel colder, seeping into Izan’s chest like ice. His hands trembled slightly as he pressed them to his face, trying to steady himself after the vivid, haunting encounter.

  Luneth had shown him what she could do: a dark vision of her sughtering everyone at the school, the halls turned into a nightmare, and worse—Sayaka and Rin reduced to lifeless puppets under her control, their faces empty.

  Izan simply sat frozen, chest tight, silent tears running down his cheeks.

  Suddenly, Sayaka appeared, quietly sitting beside him. Without saying a word, she gently guided his head to rest against her neck and began rubbing his hair softly.

  Izan stayed still, letting her touch soothe the lingering tension in his chest. For a long while, they remained like that—silent, connected, her calm presence grounding him as the remnants of the nightmare slowly faded. The tears on his cheeks remained, but the tight knot in his chest began to loosen.

  Gradually, Izan’s breathing steadied, and the tears finally stopped flowing. He wiped the st streaks from his cheeks and felt himself calming, the tightness in his chest easing slightly.

  He looked up at the window. The night sky was calm, dotted with stars.

  “It’s 5 a.m.,” she expined. “It’s been a day since the fight. Rin and I were worried, but you’re okay now. Did… you have another nightmare?”

  Izan nodded silently. Sayaka began rubbing his hair gently, letting him sit in quiet comfort. After a moment, he managed to speak, thanking her.

  “What happened to the others?” he asked finally.

  “Shiranami and Daiki are in the medical beds, being watched by Aurelia,” she replied. “Ayame is with her twin sister. Aurelia healed everyone—it’s incredible.”

  Izan got up, stretching slightly, and his cat stirred awake from its nap. With a soft yawn, it leapt gracefully from his p onto Sayaka, purring as it nestled against her.

  Izan made his way to the bathroom to check himself in the mirror. To his relief, there were no injuries on his body—no scratches, bruises, or marks from the night’s ordeal. He returned to the room, eyes sparkling with a newfound determination, the weight of the dream still lingering but fueling a quiet resolve within him.

  “I want to learn to heal… as well as she can,” he said eagerly.

  Sayaka smirked. “Well, since today is Thursday, you have Aurelia’s css. You missed Yurei’s css yesterday, by the way.”

  Izan groaned. “Wait… seriously?”

  She nodded pyfully. “Yep. So get dressed if you want to join the early csses. Breakfast starts at six, and teachers arrive at homerooms by seven.”

  He nodded and quickly began getting ready. Sayaka held his cat and walked toward the front room, smiling softly as he left, though a small trace of worry lingered on her face, her eyes following him for a moment longer than usual.

  Rushing through the hallways, Izan nearly ran into Drex, who looked mildly surprised to see him up so early.

  “Why are you up so early?” Drex asked.

  “I was hoping to run into you,” Izan replied. “I need you to expin something.”

  “Sure,” Drex said. “What’s on your mind?”

  “What was that… thing… when we struck each other at the end of the fight? It felt like a shockwave.”

  As they started walking down the hallway, Drex gave a small nod. “That’s called Force of Will. It isn’t anything extraordinary by itself—just the power of one’s determination. It amplifies aura and attacks. The stronger your resolve, the stronger your strikes.”

  Izan tilted his head. “What happens if two people with the same determination strike each other?”

  Drex’s lips curved into a small smile. “It’s like what happened in our fight. Strong enough to push back Ayame. In other words, our combined aura kept her at bay. If her will had been stronger than ours combined, she could have reached us—but she was exhausted.”

  Izan eagerly took notes as they walked. He loved recording everything, carefully jotting down every detail with sparkling eyes full of curiosity.

  Drex continued, a spark of mischief in his eyes. “It’s written in the histories of both northern countries—War and Justice. Far to the north, beyond both nds, lies Bck Sea Isnd. Long ago, the War God and the Justice God cshed there. Their battle was so catastrophic it created a bck hole, swallowing mountains, forests… even parts of the nd itself, and some of the ocean.

  The fight was so severe that the Water God and the Peace God had to intervene to stop it. Some say the csh was so violent that the ocean itself could not cover the damage, leaving the sea floor exposed—almost like a parting of the waters. And some believe the remnants of that battlefield may still exist to this day.”

  Izan’s eyes sparkled with awe, the sheer scale of the devastation and the lingering power of the gods igniting a fire of curiosity within him. “I… I have to see it for myself someday,” he whispered, a thrill of excitement running through his veins.

  As they continued walking, Izan kept writing in his notebook, the sound of pencil scratching paper following each step.

  “Those wolves you were summoning…” Izan asked, gncing up. “Are they part of your power? Or something else?”

  Drex smirked faintly. “It’s only one wolf. He’s my messenger.”

  As if on cue, Drex lifted his hand slightly. A ripple of aura shimmered beside him, and a rge spirit wolf manifested silently at his side. Its fur seemed woven from smoke and steel, eyes sharp and intelligent as it walked calmly beside its master.

  Izan blinked. “But… how did you multiply them during the fight?”

  Drex gnced down at the wolf, then back at Izan. “I suppose your teachers will expin it eventually, but I’ll give you a preview. Messengers are simir to spirit guardians. They can appear and disappear at will. But more importantly, they possess abilities that their summoner can use.”

  He paused.

  “However… the bond between you and your messenger must be strong. If it isn’t, you won’t access their true abilities.”

  Izan leaned in slightly, listening carefully.

  “My wolf’s ability allows duplication,” Drex continued. “Each time I physically strike someone—or one of my bullets nds—I can create another spirit wolf. The number depends on the number of confirmed hits.”

  He shrugged casually. “If I nd ten bullets on someone, I can summon ten wolves.”

  Izan slowly nodded, clearly impressed. “You’re… really strong.”

  Drex chuckled under his breath. “That’s not even half of what I can do. But we’ll save that for another time.”

  His eyes shifted toward Izan.

  “Let’s talk about you.”

  They entered Drex’s cssroom. Drex casually dropped into his chair and leaned back, while Izan took the seat in front of him, notebook already open.

  “You’re very strong,” Drex said pinly. “Especially for your age. But here’s what I’d recommend: focus more on your magical power.”

  “Wind,” he added. “My messenger sensed it clearly.”

  Izan’s eyes widened slightly.

  “You also need better stamina control,” Drex continued. “And strike discipline. Not every attack needs to be heavy or even medium. Sometimes you throw light attacks with the force of heavy ones. You burn energy faster that way.”

  He smirked slightly. “Your friend Daiki? He was throwing nothing but heavy strikes.”

  Izan blinked. “You mean—”

  Drex nodded. “He was almost as fast as you… while throwing heavy hits.”

  Izan went quiet, surprised—and slightly disappointed.

  Drex noticed.

  “Don’t look so down,” he said calmly. “Daiki is the best student in hand-to-hand combat. That’s his specialty.”

  He tilted his head slightly. “Mainly because he doesn’t have magical power.”

  Izan looked up. “He doesn’t?”

  Drex leaned back further, folding his hands behind his head while his spirit wolf zily pyed with the chain hanging from his pants.

  “Not everyone can awaken their affinity,” Drex said. “It’s considered lucky to have one. Only around forty percent of students possess magical powers… and actually awakening your affinity is even rarer.”

  He exhaled softly. “Daiki was simply one of the unlucky ones.”

  “I see…” Izan murmured, feeling a small weight in his chest.

  Then another thought hit him.

  “Why did you fight Ayame and Shiranami so seriously?” Izan asked. “Your hits were way harsher than when you fought me and Daiki.”

  Drex’s expression hardened slightly.

  “Because they’re reckless brats,” he said bluntly, irritation flickering in his eyes. “They interrupted our spar. Your friend Rin got lucky.”

  He took a slow breath, steadying himself.

  Then suddenly he groaned quietly. “Damn it. Why am I expining all this like I’m your history teacher? Power systems, gods, mechanics…”

  Izan let out a small ugh.

  Drex leaned back in his chair, staring out the window as the sun slowly began to rise, light spilling into the cssroom.

  “…Future,” he muttered under his breath.

  The same word Valeria had once said.

  He smirked faintly to himself, watching the sunrise glow against the gss.