The next morning brought with it a deceptive normalcy. Birds chirped, sunlight filtered through enchanted glass, and the academy resumed its daily rhythm. But beneath that thin veil of peace, something else stirred.
Kaen sat in the strategy room, flipping through an old Hunter Theory book, more for show than study. Across from him, Zian sharpened her blade, the shadowy aura around her flickering like a candle caught in the wind.
"You're quieter than usual," she noted, not looking up.
Kaen gave a casual shrug. "Just thinking."
She paused. "About the thing that watched us?"
He didn't answer directly. Instead, he closed the book and stood. "Tell Lirien we're taking a break. I need to clear my head."
Zian watched him leave, her golden eyes narrowing slightly. She knew Kaen well enough to sense when he wasn't telling the full truth. And lately, he'd been carrying a weight even he couldn't mask.
Outside, Kaen walked through the Academy's inner gardens, a place meant for peace. The trees whispered in ancient languages—only he could understand them. The residual energy of the white crow still lingered here.
In a clearing near the statue of the first Hunter Founder, Kaen spotted someone waiting: Selene. She leaned against a tree, arms crossed, watching him.
"You sensed it too," she said.
Kaen tilted his head slightly. "You're sharper than most."
Selene didn't smile. "That crow wasn't natural. I know runes when I see them, and that thing shimmered with pre-creation sigils."
Kaen raised an eyebrow. "Impressive."
She stepped closer. "You're not just some powerful student, Kaen. I don't know what you are—but whatever it is, I think we're on the same side."
He regarded her for a moment before giving a noncommittal nod. "Let's hope so."
Back at the dorm, Lirien and the others were reviewing field assignments. A+ rank gates had begun to appear with alarming frequency. Too many for it to be coincidence.
"It's like the world is preparing for something," Lirien muttered.
And far beyond the sky, at the edge of existence, a branch of the white tree quivered. Something ancient stirred.
The darkness had always known. Now, the gods would begin to remember.