The battlefield fell silent.
David's words echoed across the ruined academy.
"She's waking up..."
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Even the ghost soldiers seemed frozen.
Then—
BOOOOOOOM!
The entire academy shook violently.
Cracks spread across the courtyard floor.
Walls shattered.
Windows exploded.
Deep beneath the academy, something ancient roared again.
A roar so powerful that everyone felt it inside their chest.
Daniel stumbled backward.
The whispers returned instantly.
Louder than ever.
Vessel...
Vessel...
Come to me...
He grabbed his head.
"No..."
Mary immediately rushed to him.
"Daniel!"
Meanwhile David collapsed completely onto one knee.
The black marks had spread across his neck.
His eyes looked terrified.
"It's worse than before..."
Mr. Stone ran toward him.
"What do you hear?"
David looked toward the ground beneath them.
His face turned pale.
"Voices."
The hidden boy suddenly stepped forward.
For the first time since the war began—
he wasn't trembling.
Instead, he looked terrified.
"No..."
Everyone turned toward him.
The boy pointed toward the academy basement.
"No... no... it's happening too early..."
McLone smiled.
"Exactly."
The chained warrior laughed loudly.
"Our Queen grows stronger."
The masked spearwoman lowered her spear respectfully.
Even the floating Courted member bowed his head slightly.
Mary felt chills.
Queen?
Again?
Who exactly was this Queen?
Then suddenly—
A teacher crashed into the courtyard.
Covered in blood.
Exhausted.
"The western barrier has fallen!"
Students screamed.
The ghost army immediately advanced again.
The brief silence ended.
The battle restarted.
"DEFENSIVE POSITIONS!" shouted Mr. Stone.
The Great 8 reacted instantly.
They weren't the same students from yesterday anymore.
They moved like real fighters now.
Noah slammed both hands into the ground.
Massive stone walls erupted around fleeing students.
Zoya froze incoming ghost soldiers.
Lily directed evacuation routes.
Lucy strengthened barriers.
Felix charged directly into battle.
Mary stayed beside Daniel.
And David—
despite barely standing—
continued warning everyone.
"Left!"
A ghost soldier appeared.
Felix destroyed it instantly.
"Behind Noah!"
Another shadow emerged.
Zoya froze it immediately.
Everyone had begun trusting David's warnings.
Even Mr. Stone noticed it.
The infection wasn't only harming David.
It was connecting him to the enemy.
And that scared him.
Very much.
Meanwhile—
Daniel's condition was worsening.
Every time the Queen roared beneath the academy—
his power reacted.
Black energy leaked from his hands.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
Mary noticed immediately.
"Daniel."
No response.
"Daniel."
Still nothing.
His eyes were fixed on the earth below.
Listening.
Hearing.
The whispers.
Then suddenly—
he saw something.
A vision.
Darkness.
Chains.
An endless underground chamber.
And inside—
A woman sleeping upon a throne of black stone.
Her face remained hidden.
But her eyes slowly opened.
Daniel gasped.
The vision vanished instantly.
He almost fell.
Mary caught him.
"What happened?"
Daniel stared at her.
Terrified.
"I saw her."
Silence.
"What?"
"The Queen."
The words sent chills through everyone nearby.
Even McLone looked interested.
For a moment—
their eyes met.
And McLone smiled.
Not with cruelty.
With certainty.
As if she had expected this.
Then she raised one hand.
The ghost army stopped again.
Thousands of shadow creatures froze in place.
The battlefield became silent.
McLone stepped forward.
Slowly.
Calmly.
The Great 8 immediately gathered together.
Ready.
Waiting.
Then McLone spoke.
"Daniel Williams."
The entire academy listened.
"You've already seen her, haven't you?"
Daniel said nothing.
But his silence answered everything.
McLone nodded.
"Good."
Mr. Stone stepped forward angrily.
"What do you want?"
McLone looked at him.
"The same thing I've always wanted."
She pointed toward Daniel.
"The Vessel."
Felix immediately moved in front of Daniel.
"Not happening."
Lightning sparked around his fists.
Noah and Zoya stepped beside him.
Lucy strengthened barriers.
Lily prepared escape routes.
Mary grabbed Daniel's arm.
And David struggled to stand.
For the first time—
the Great 8 stood united.
McLone watched quietly.
Then she laughed.
Not loudly.
Not cruelly.
Almost sadly.
"You still don't understand."
The sky darkened.
Clouds twisted above the academy.
Ghost energy flooded the battlefield.
Then McLone revealed something terrifying.
"The Queen isn't waking because of us."
Silence.
Everyone froze.
Mr. Stone's eyes widened.
"What?"
McLone pointed toward Daniel.
"She's waking because of him."
The courtyard erupted with shocked whispers.
Daniel felt his heart stop.
"No..."
But deep down—
he already feared that answer.
The chamber.
The whispers.
The visions.
The connection.
Everything pointed to him.
Then the ground exploded.
A massive black pillar of energy burst from beneath the academy.
Straight into the sky.
Everyone looked up in horror.
The seal was breaking.
And somewhere deep below—
the Queen laughed.
To Be Continued... 🔥👀