The Executioner's sword fell.
And the sky broke.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Darkness exploded across the battlefield.
The attack swallowed everything.
Buildings.
Walls.
Stone.
Light itself seemed to disappear.
The Great 8 braced for impact.
Noah roared and slammed both hands into the ground.
Massive stone walls erupted around them.
Zoya froze the barriers instantly.
Lucy poured every ounce of her energy into strengthening them.
Daniel released black energy.
Mary stood beside him.
Felix clenched his fists.
Lily grabbed David before he could collapse.
Then—
The attack hit.
CRAAAAAASH!
The barriers shattered.
The ice exploded.
Stone fragments flew everywhere.
Noah was thrown backward.
Zoya crashed into a broken pillar.
Lucy screamed as the force knocked her across the courtyard.
For one terrifying second—
it looked like they would lose.
Then Daniel stepped forward.
The black energy around him surged violently.
The darkness struck him directly.
The entire battlefield froze.
The attack should have destroyed him.
Instead—
the energy was being absorbed.
McLone's eyes widened.
The Spearwoman lowered her weapon.
Even the Chained Warrior stopped laughing.
Daniel stood at the center of the destruction.
His eyes glowing.
Dark energy swirled around him like a storm.
The Executioner stared silently.
Then spoke.
"The Vessel."
The whispers returned immediately.
Thousands of voices.
Thousands of cries.
Yet Daniel remained standing.
Barely.
Mary ran toward him.
"Daniel!"
The moment she grabbed his arm, the energy calmed slightly.
His glowing eyes returned to normal.
He nearly collapsed.
Mary caught him before he fell.
The battlefield erupted into noise again.
Everyone had seen it.
Everyone.
Students.
Teachers.
Ghost soldiers.
The Great 8.
They had all witnessed Daniel absorb part of the Executioner's attack.
Mr. Stone's face had gone pale.
"No..."
The hidden boy looked terrified.
"It's happening faster than before."
Far beneath the academy—
another impact struck the seal.
BOOM.
This time the ground cracked beneath their feet.
Long black fractures spread across the courtyard.
The academy was literally breaking apart.
Meanwhile David screamed.
He dropped to his knees.
Blood ran from his nose.
The whispers were stronger than ever.
Images flooded his mind.
A ruined temple.
A frozen mountain.
A black ocean beneath a moonless sky.
Then—
Three symbols.
The Three Locks.
Again.
And again.
And again.
David grabbed his head.
"Stop..."
But the visions refused.
Then he saw something new.
A person.
Standing before the second lock.
Their face hidden.
Only a cloak visible.
The figure turned.
And looked directly at him.
David gasped.
The vision vanished.
"What did you see?" Lily asked immediately.
David's breathing was uneven.
"I saw..."
He hesitated.
Everyone waited.
"I saw someone searching for the second lock."
Silence.
McLone's smile faded.
For the first time—
she looked concerned.
Only for a moment.
But Daniel noticed.
Someone else was involved.
Someone even McLone didn't expect.
Before anyone could ask more questions—
the Chained Warrior attacked again.
His blade smashed into the ground.
BOOM!
The battlefield shook violently.
"Enough talking!" he shouted.
Felix grinned despite his injuries.
"Finally."
Lightning exploded around him.
The two charged.
Their clash lit the battlefield.
Meanwhile the Spearwoman appeared before Mary.
Her silver weapon gleamed.
"You are the reason."
Mary frowned.
"What?"
"The reason he resists."
The Spearwoman glanced toward Daniel.
Before Mary could respond—
the attack came.
CLANG!
Their weapons collided.
The fight continued.
Across the battlefield, Noah struggled to stand.
His arms trembled.
His powers were nearly exhausted.
Zoya helped him up.
"You okay?"
"No."
"Good."
Noah stared.
Zoya smirked slightly.
"If you said yes, I'd know you were lying."
Even during the war, Noah almost laughed.
Then another wave of ghost soldiers arrived.
Neither laughed after that.
The battle intensified again.
Everywhere.
Fire.
Ice.
Stone.
Lightning.
Darkness.
The academy had become a warzone.
Above it all, McLone watched silently.
Her eyes fixed on Daniel.
Something was changing.
The Vessel was awakening.
But not the way anyone expected.
Then suddenly—
A horn echoed across the battlefield.
A deep ancient sound.
Everyone froze.
Ghost soldiers stopped moving.
The Courted turned toward the sky.
Even the Executioner looked upward.
The horn sounded again.
MOOOOOOOONNNNN!
"What was that?" Lucy whispered.
No one answered.
Because nobody knew.
Then David's face went completely white.
He recognized it.
From the visions.
From the whispers.
From the memories that weren't his own.
"The Hunter..."
Everyone looked at him.
David stared toward the dark horizon.
"The Hunter has arrived."
Silence fell.
Even McLone's expression changed.
For the first time since the battle began—
she looked genuinely shocked.
Far beyond the academy walls...
something enormous moved through the darkness.
And whatever it was—
even the Ghost Court feared it.
To Be Continued...