The control chamber of the Uberhoul Academy of Divine hums with soft machinery and suspended holograms, each screen a floating window into violence. Judges, scholars, nobles, and guests stand behind a seamless crystal barrier, sipping pale morning tea while the Colossal Realm paints carnage beneath them.
Kael stands among them.
Straight back. Hands behind him. Coat perfectly aligned. Hat casting a calm shadow across his face.He looks serene. But serenity in Kael is always a lid over something dangerous.
President Halucius stands beside him, broad-chested, broad-laughing, wrapped in ceremonial robes too heavy and too gold. His eyes crinkle as the leaderboard shifts, new points blinking beside candidate names.
"Ha! Today's children are terrifyingly competitive." Halucius taps one screen where a team finishes off a horned crab creature. "Look at that technique. Raw. Unpolished. But the fire… splendid."
Kael's gaze remains fixed—not on prodigies, but on a far smaller number flashing blue.
(KRESOR — 3 Points) Just three. And none earned by his hand.
The boy stands on one of the screens, watching others fight as if the world is a nightmare he cannot wake from. Weak knees. Frozen stance. A tremor in every breath.
Halucius notices Kael's silence and chuckles.
"You're unusually quiet. Worried your adopted stray might be eaten?"His voice carries the smug amusement of a man who believes nothing can threaten his institution.
Kael doesn't answer. His eyes narrow a fraction.
Halucius leans closer. "Speaking of that boy… I heard something curious from the Order."He waves a hand, dismissing ceremonial aides.A few step back. A few pretend not to listen.
"I heard," Halucius continues, lowering his voice dramatically, "that you saved and adopted someone the Order itself labeled a threat."
Kael answers without shifting his posture."Incorrect rumor."
"Oh?" Halucius raises a brow.
"The boy isn't a threat to mankind."A slight breath."I believe he might become one of the Guardians of the Aether."
Halucius bursts into laughter—loud, booming, delighted.
"Ha! Kael, your humor remains as tragic as ever."
Kael finally moves—just his eyes. They flick toward a distant screen.
We see Kresor again, staring numbly as Norphis and Clauiy dismantle a cluster of half-fleshed skeletal monsters. Norphis smashes skulls with his reinforced fists. Clauiy slashes with effortless precision.
Kresor only watches, frozen.
Halucius scoffs."That boy? Guardian material?"He gestures at the screen."Look at him! He's dependent on teammates. Cowardly. No registered foible. No catena. He won't last fifteen minutes."
Kael replies quietly—dangerously quiet."Ryongola Solenheart was also like him in the beginning."
The room falls still.
Even the monitors seem to lower their brightness.
Halucius's smile stiffens.A shadow crosses his face."Don't compare that boy to The Lost Child of the Divine," he warns.
His tone shifts—sharp, defensive, almost offended.
Kael still doesn't break eye contact with the screens."I merely remind you of history."
Halucius folds his arms, irritated. "History doesn't repeat itself. And that boy—Kresor—will break long before any miracle saves him from those Creepy Creatures and Also Candidates
Kael glances sideways. "What do you mean… 'before other candidates'? You imply danger beyond the realm."
Halucius lifts his chin. "Ah. I see the Order didn't inform you."Then his voice drops to a conspiratorial whisper.
"There is another rule. A secret instruction."The words drip like oil.
Teams and individuals may steal points from others.
"By defeating them," Halucius clarifies, "and decaying their purity."
Kael's brows lift a fraction."That's barbaric."
Halucius shrugs. "Efficiency. We want Aetherions who can survive, not cry."
"They're children," Kael reminds.
"And you," Halucius snaps, "are not President here. You are just a guest. Remember your place."
Pressure ripples off Kael for half a breath—only half—but everyone feels it.Screens flicker.Aides flinch.Someone drops their clipboard.
Halucius coughs uneasily. "Control yourself."
Kael does.
Barely.
Back in the realm:
Norphis slams another skeletal creature into dust.Clauiy spins around a rusted pillar, her dagger slicing the last monster in a clean arc.
Kresor stands still as stone, blood rushing in his ears.
He hears Clauiy shouting something—his name maybe.He hears Norphis calling him to focus.
But fear clamps down like iron.
One skeleton lunges at him—jaw gaping, claws raised.
Kresor doesn't move.
Not even to scream.
Norphis appears in a blur of motion, smashing the creature aside with a single punch hard enough to shatter bone and here the last one also died
He turns, irritated."Focus, Kresor! We won't save you every time!"
The team Got 150 points
Clauiy adds, softer but frustrated, "You need to fight too. We're supposed to be a team."
Kresor lowers his head. "I… I know. I just got afraid"
Norhpis comes and says " You know I was once also a week coward, i couldn't even lift a sword, Even i fear from darkness i was so week that even my Whole family says to give him to the demons at least he would fulfil a demon's Hunger and he will not Demolish our Reputation, yet I proof them wrong and now I am one of their Pride Son. I train, fight back, Fight back from my fear and I promised to myself to become stronger and help weaker people than me"
Clauiy also tell that " First control your fear and than try to Memories your Training with Seren"
Norphis ask to clauiy folding his hands "Clauiy you say Seren, "The Assassin of Hell fire" of the 4th Gateway"
Clauiy answerd " I don't know very Much about him he usually stays very busy that is why we doesn't have conversation very much, And yahh I Froget to tell you He is my Older-Brother"
Norphis Gets Suprised and says in shock and childish way " You are a sister of a Guardian and you even don't know about him, WOW!! my team has very unbelievable Things Ha Ha Ha..."
All of three started laughing and than move on their Mission
But they don't know something is approaching towards them, A distant tremor cuts him off.Cracks form in the ground.Dust lifts.
Norphis's expression shifts instantly."Something's coming."
Clauiy stiffens."What do you sense?" "A strong catena…" Norphis whispers."Multiple. No an entire cluster."
The earth begins to vibrate.Footsteps.Skittering.Thousands.
Kresor's skin crawls.
A whole legion.Their bodies glimmer with dark violet. Their eyes burn with predatory hunger.
Clauiy doesn't hesitate.Wind swirls around her fingertips.
She whispers, "Disguise."
Air folds.The world blurs.Their forms melt into transparency—ghost silhouettes amidst chaos.
The Zoldicus army charges straight through them, thunderous and blind, destroying everything in their path.Rocks splinter.Ruins collapse.Ground trembles.
But just as the last demon crosses the ridge—
—their invisibility lifts.
Clauiy exhales hard. "I saved you two. You owe me."
Norphis shoots back, grinning, "Sure. I'll pay you later. Right, Kres—?"
He turns.
Kresor is gone.
Clauiy freezes."Kresor?"
Norphis scans rapidly."Where did he—?"
A chilling thought strikes them both at the same time.
They look toward the fading tremors of the Zoldicus horde.
Clauiy's face pales."Norphis… he didn't run."
Norphis whispers—voice tight—"…They took him. But how is that possible You have used Your abilities on him also"
Clauiy suddenly stops him and says "This is not time to discuss these things we should go and find Kresor as Fast as possible otherwise...."
They both started Running and Finding in all directions Shouting " Kresor..., Kresor"
as Kresor would listen and would find him, but Kresor wouldn't but Some other would find them
And far away, hidden behind the swarming mass, the control room sees it too a boy hanging from the claw of a demon, bleeding steadily as the horde rushes toward the Eastern Temple Ruin. A prohibited zone. The place no one returns from.
A vast room of glass screens and floating runes hums with energy. Teachers and officers monitor every candidate, every corner of the Mystic Realm. One teacher leans forward, squinting at a trembling screen. "…What is that…?" He zooms in. A boy, dangling from a demon's claw. Pale. Bleeding. Barely alive. His face drains of color. Without thinking, he sprints.
He rushes toward President Halucius and Kael Both men stand before a giant projection showing a different team locked in combat with an enormous crab-like monster. The group coordinates perfectly—spears, chains, and elemental bursts—until the monster collapses with a deafening thud. Halucius laughs, hands behind his back. "Today's generation of Aetherions…" he says proudly, "so much energy, fitness, drive. A sight to behold."
Kael nods, analytical as always. "Yes. Mutations and cross-breeding of high-potential lineages are bearing results. These children have inherited optimal genes: Purity, Catena compatibility, and improved skill aptitude. Their battle instincts—" His sentence is sliced in half. "P-President! Lord Kael!" the teacher stammers, breathless, trembling. "Z-Zoldicus demons… they've entered the Eastern Temple Ruin!"
Halucius barely turns his head. "So? They've claimed that ruin for years. High-Catena demons, devils, dark entities—it's normal. Why panic?" The teacher's lips quiver. "They… they have a boy." Silence. Halucius straightens. "…A boy?"
"Yes," the teacher blurts. "Hanging from the claw of a demon—injured, bleeding. I-I believe they're taking him to offer him as food for their Queen." Kael's body freezes.
Halucius narrows his eyes. "If someone entered that area, they're disqualified. Rules are rules. Who is the boy? A noble's son? Pure-blood? Clerk? Half-blood? Human?" The teacher swallows. "N-Neither. He looks… lean. Sharp-edged. Quiet presence. Pale skin, dark circles… as if haunted. Jet-black uneven hair. Grey eyes. Seventeen… maybe eighteen."
Kael goes still. "That's Kresor." Every screen seems to flicker at the name. Kael takes one step forward.
Halucius raises a brow. "So he's an orphan. Then forget it. Let him go to the Ruins. If the Queen wants to eat him, let her. We'll call it an accident, send condolences, and the case will vanish in a week. Nobody remembers orphans."
Kael moves before anyone breathes. He slams Halucius against the wall by his throat and lifts him off the ground. For the first time, the control room goes silent. Kael's voice is a blade dipped in night. "He is not an orphan." His eyes glow with a dangerous, ancient light. "I adopted him. And the Order recognizes his life."
Halucius wheezes, choking, yet he smirks—a cruel, reptilian curl of lips. "Oh, Kael…" he rasps. "You think this helps your precious boy? Kill me, and he dies faster. And yes—nobody cares about a cursed stray. He is alone." Kael releases him. Halucius crashes to the floor, coughing.
Kael turns, grabs his coat, drapes it over his shoulders, and adjusts his black hat with a cold, almost ritualistic precision. The room chills. Even the screens dim as if sensing the shift. He looks at the trembling teacher. "Open the portal."
The man flinches."B-But sir! Only candidates are allowed. Unauthorized entry during an exam violates the—"
Kael's stare cuts him open. "Open. The portal." That is not a request. It is a verdict.
Halucius dusts his expensive coat with a sneer. "Let him go," he says mockingly. "I'd like to see how The Cursed Light fights when someone he cares about is dying."
The teacher hurries, guiding Kael down a corridor lined with glowing sigils. They reach a giant circular gate carved with runic spirals. Energy crackles across its surface like silver lightning. The teacher presses trembling palms onto the panel.
"My lord… take this communication divine energy. I'll guide you to the demon colony." A glowing sphere forms between his hands. Kael touches it without a word. It dissolves into him like a whisper of light. The portal roars open. A storm of wind and gravity lashes outward. The gate becomes a spinning void, hungry and alive. Kael steps forward.
In the swirling force, his coat flutters like a broken banner. His hat casts a shadow over his eyes. "Kresor…" he thinks silently. "Don't lose hope." "I'm coming." He walks into the vortex and the world swallows him whole.