Silence hung over the battlefield.
Even after Finn Foster and the Ghost Court began retreating, nobody moved.
Nobody cheered.
Nobody celebrated.
The war wasn't over.
But something had changed.
Something far more dangerous than a battle.
A secret.
Daniel couldn't take his eyes off Mr. Stone.
The old Ghost Killer stood motionless.
Pale.
Silent.
Afraid.
Daniel had never seen him like this before.
Not during the attacks.
Not during the Executioner's assault.
Not even when the academy was on the verge of collapse.
Yet a single sentence from Finn Foster had shaken him.
Twenty years ago.
What happened twenty years ago?
Daniel took a step forward.
"Mr. Stone."
No answer.
Another step.
"What happened?"
The battlefield watched.
Teachers.
Students.
The Great 8.
Everyone.
Mr. Stone slowly closed his eyes.
For a moment, Daniel thought he might answer.
Then—
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted from the western wall.
The academy shook violently.
Everyone spun around.
Ghost soldiers.
More of them.
Hundreds.
Perhaps thousands.
The retreat had been a trick.
The Ghost Army was attacking again.
The battlefield immediately descended into chaos.
"No!" Noah shouted.
Teachers rushed into action.
Students scattered.
The Great 8 grabbed their weapons.
The war had returned.
Yet Daniel couldn't look away from Mr. Stone.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Bill noticed too.
He walked over.
"Stone."
The old Ghost Killer didn't respond.
Bill's voice became quieter.
"You can't keep hiding it forever."
Daniel froze.
Bill knew.
Of course he knew.
Mr. Stone finally opened his eyes.
For a moment he looked older than ever.
Tired.
Exhausted.
Broken.
Then he looked at Daniel.
"I'm sorry."
Daniel's heart skipped.
Sorry?
Why was he apologizing?
Before anyone could ask—
A scream echoed across the battlefield.
Mary.
Daniel instantly turned.
A massive ghost soldier had broken through the defenses.
Its blade was descending toward Mary.
Daniel reacted without thinking.
Black energy erupted around him.
The Vessel power exploded.
BOOOOM!
The ghost soldier was blasted backward.
The battlefield froze.
Everyone stared.
Daniel stood surrounded by swirling darkness.
The ground beneath him cracked.
The Queen's voice echoed in his mind.
"Control it."
The power surged higher.
Daniel struggled to breathe.
Mary grabbed his arm.
Immediately the darkness weakened.
Daniel blinked.
The power faded.
The battlefield resumed.
But everyone had seen it.
Again.
The Vessel was growing stronger.
And Finn knew it.
Meanwhile, David dropped to one knee.
The whispers had returned.
But this time they weren't screaming.
They were remembering.
He saw flashes.
A snowy mountain.
Ancient ruins.
A group of Ghost Killers.
And among them—
A younger Mr. Stone.
A younger Bill Williams.
And two people David had never seen before.
A man.
A woman.
Standing together.
Protecting something.
Protecting someone.
The vision blurred.
Then one name echoed through the whispers.
"Williams."
David's eyes widened.
Williams.
Daniel's last name.
The man and woman—
Could they be Daniel's parents?
The vision vanished.
David gasped.
Lily immediately noticed.
"What did you see?"
David looked toward Daniel.
Then toward Mr. Stone.
"I think..."
He swallowed.
"I think Daniel's parents were there."
Silence.
Lily's eyes widened.
The mystery was getting bigger.
Much bigger.
Across the battlefield, the fighting intensified again.
Felix and the Chained Warrior resumed their battle.
Lightning exploded.
Chains shattered.
Neither fighter would back down.
Lucy continued healing despite exhaustion.
Noah and Zoya reinforced the defenses.
The academy was surviving.
But only barely.
Then suddenly—
The horn echoed again.
MOOOOOOONNNNN!
Everyone froze.
The sound came from beyond the mountains.
The Hunter.
It was still there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Even Finn's departure hadn't driven it away.
Bill looked toward the horizon.
His expression darkened.
"This is getting worse."
Mr. Stone nodded.
For the first time in the entire battle—
The two men looked worried about the same thing.
Daniel noticed.
"What aren't you telling us?"
Neither answered.
That was answer enough.
Then, far above the battlefield, the cracked sky began slowly closing.
The last trace of Finn Foster's presence vanished.
Yet his words remained.
Like a wound.
Like poison.
Like a question nobody wanted to answer.
Ask him what happened twenty years ago.
Daniel looked directly at Mr. Stone.
The old Ghost Killer met his gaze.
Then finally spoke.
Only four words.
Four words that changed everything.
"Your parents trusted me."
Daniel froze.
Mr. Stone looked away.
And for the first time—
Daniel wondered if trusting him had been a mistake.