Kyle’s tachi, Zalrielle, carved through the air in a clean arc. The monster’s head slipped from its shoulders, black blood spraying in a foul mist before the body dropped with a heavy thud. It twitched once, then went still. His boots scraped against the cracked stone as he ducked low on instinct. A claw tore through the space where his head had been. He pivoted sharply, crouched, and swept his leg outward. The strike caught the beast’s ankles, sending its towering frame crashing backward. The moment it hit the ground, Zalrielle was already falling. The black blade pierced its skull with a sick crunch. Ichor spilled out in thick spurts, stinking of rot. Kyle’s eyes stayed sharp, his breath steady. He hadn’t been alone when he arrived. Two students had been there. One barely clinging to life, the other... A girl with torn sleeves and trembling hands, stood guard in front of her. Clara Reeves. Rank twelve. Kyle remembered the name. Serena had partnered with her once in a virtual exam. Clara’s condition was bad, cuts along her arms, blood staining her side, But she had refused to back down. Even against odds that should have broken her, she had kept standing. For someone else’s sake. That kind of resolve... was admirable. But resolve alone didn’t keep people alive. He’d cut a path through the monsters and ordered them both toward the training room. Clara had resisted, stubborn eyes shining even as her knees shook. She had wanted to go fight with him. To fight beside him. For a moment, Kyle almost smiled. That kind of fire reminded him of someone. But fire without steel only left ash. "You’ll slow me down," He’d told her flatly. "Rest. Drink a health potion. Recover your mana." She had frozen at his words, guilt written across her face. But at last, she nodded and stepped away. That was enough. She’d live. Now, it was just him again. Him and the swarm. Zalrielle slashed across another beast’s face, tearing through bone. He yanked the blade free and moved back as another claw swept past his chest. Black blood hissed against the stone. ’Tch... they’re getting faster.’ His grip tightened. It wasn’t just his imagination. The monsters were moving with more precision, more force. The longer this went on, the more dangerous each clash became. At first, they had been fodder. Now, every fight left him gambling with his breath. And protecting others on top of it... impossible. Kyle kicked a monster square in the chest, sending it skidding into a shattered wall. Lightning sparked faintly beneath his skin, humming with every movement. He didn’t waste mana on spells. Instead, he let the current sharpen his body, his steps quicker, his blade cleaner, his reflexes honed to the edge. Zalrielle slashed, carving through claws and bone with merciless rhythm. But his focus stretched further still. He felt them. Mana Signatures clustered together in the corner of the courtyard. Seven. Students. Kyle’s eyes narrowed as he drove forward, boots striking against broken stone. Two beasts leapt from the dark. His blade met them mid-air, cleaving through fur and bone before their claws could reach him. The courtyard spread open, its ruined walls leaning over a ground thick with bodies. Smoke and dust clung to the air. And there, beyond the carnage. He caught sight of them. Seven figures. Wounded, but still breathing. Two stood out at once. The first, short white hair catching the faint light. Luna. This text is hosted at NoveI-Fire.ɴet She moved with sharp, exact motions, twin blades covered in frost in her hands. Each strike cut with clean certainty, freezing flesh where it touched, shattering monsters into brittle shards. The second, unmistakable. Long blonde hair, slim frame, an estoc flashing black as it pierced through skulls. Her body flickered in and out of shadow, darkness folding as her affinity bent the world for her. Every blink left afterimages trailing behind, and with them came death before the beasts could react. A tightness caught in Kyle’s chest. Relief stirred, then he forced it down. ’Luna. Eleanora. Thank the gods.’ He cut a path toward them, Zalrielle splitting a beast in half as it lunged for Luna’s back. Both girls turned at once. Their voices overlapped, sharp with surprise, then softened when their eyes settled on him. A warmth slipped through their guarded expressions. Kyle pulled Zalrielle free, his mouth curving into that familiar grin. "You two look busy. Need a hand?" Eleanora let out a breathless laugh, brushing dust from her cheek. Luna lowered her blade, frost dripping from its edge. Her exhale was sharp, but the corners of her lips threatened to lift. "Missed me?" Kyle asked. Luna rolled her eyes, though her voice carried no bite. There was no more space for words. The courtyard still crawled with enemies, shadows pouring through the gaps in the walls. Kyle moved without thought, falling into step with them as if the three had never parted. Zalrielle’s edge carved black lines through the swarm. Luna froze the ones who pressed too close, her blades breaking them apart in a storm of ice. Eleanora slipped through shadows, her estoc driving into skulls with ruthless precision. Together, they pressed forward. Step by step, the monsters fell until the stones were painted with silence. Kyle let out a long breath, shoulders sagging as the tension drained from him. They had finally made it into one of the classrooms on the ground floor. The wide windows were cracked, half the desks overturned, and faint trails of dust hung in the air. But at least it was quiet, safer than the halls they’d just fought through. He glanced at the others. The five first-year students they had dragged along with them were all in rough shape. Uniforms torn, blood smeared across sleeves and faces, some holding onto their sides as if barely keeping themselves upright. Their breathing was ragged, their eyes hollow with shock. They were alive, but they looked like they’d barely survived. Kyle’s gaze softened before he shifted to where Luna and Eleanora stood. Luna was stepping forward, arms half-raised as if she was about to throw herself into a relieved hug. But before she could even reach him, Eleanora had already closed the distance. She pressed herself against him in a sudden embrace, her slender hands immediately patting along his arms, his chest, searching for injuries. Kyle blinked, a little caught off guard. "Eleanora... I’m fine." Her voice was low, almost urgent. Her fingers lingered at his sleeve where blood had stained through. "I told you, I’m okay." He caught her wrist gently, stopping her hands from fussing too much. "What about you? Are you hurt?" She finally looked up at him. Her crimson eyes softened, the shadows that usually lingered in them easing just a little. "I’m fine. Just... scratches." Kyle checked her over quickly despite her words. Aside from dirt and a torn sleeve, she really did seem okay. No major wounds. Relief loosened the knot in his chest. Luna let out a sharp laugh behind them, breaking the moment. "Well, well... way to go, princess." Her tone carried a teasing lilt. It was only then she seemed to realize what she had done, hugging Kyle so openly in front of everyone. She let go quickly, stepping back as if nothing had happened, though the faint pink dusting her cheeks betrayed her. Kyle coughed into his fist, trying to brush past the awkwardness. "What about you, Luna? Are you hurt?" She tapped her side where a cut had torn through her uniform. "Minor scratches. Reo’s the one I was worried about, but he’s fine. He’s with Cassian and a group of students holding position further down. They’re safe." Kyle nodded slowly, relief flickering across his face. "Good. I managed to get some students out earlier too. Sent them to the public training room. It was better defended than trying to hide scattered in classrooms. That place has reinforced barriers and enchantments, it’ll hold out longer if things get worse." Luna said, glancing around at the battered first-years huddled in the room. "We’ll need every safe zone we can get." The silence that followed was heavy, filled with nothing but shallow breathing and the faint hum of mana in the cracked air. Luna lowered her voice. "Do you know where we are exactly? This doesn’t feel right." Eleanora’s expression darkened as she slowly shook her head. "It seems like... the Fractal Veil." Her eyes flicked to the broken window, as if searching for confirmation outside. "But... there’s something wrong. The reports about the Fractal Veil always said the mana density inside was overwhelming. Even high-grade mages struggled to breathe within it." She raised her hand, flexing her fingers in the air. A faint shimmer of dark mana flickered to life at her palm. "But this... it’s heavy, yes, but not like the records say." Kyle frowned, rubbing his thumb against the hilt of his blade. A thought stirred in his mind, one he didn’t want to voice. An exam. It could all be part of an exam. But the blood staining their uniforms, the way students had screamed and died in the halls, it felt too real. He opened his mouth, then stopped himself, forcing the words back down. No. He couldn’t say it. He doesn’t have any solid proof. Before anyone could speak again, the ground shook. A massive explosion ripped through the silence, distant yet strong enough to rattle the glass still clinging to the windows. Dust rained down from the ceiling, the first-years yelping in panic as the walls groaned faintly. Luna’s head snapped toward the sound. Her eyes widened, and the color drained from her face. "...What the hell was that?" She muttered under her breath. Kyle’s gaze locked with Eleanora’s. No words were needed. Both of them understood instantly. They nodded in unison. Without hesitation, Kyle pushed off the desk he was leaning against, his body already moving toward the door. Eleanora was right beside him, her pale blonde hair whipping around her face as she matched his pace. "Wait.. hey, both of you!" Luna shouted after them, her voice rising above the panicked murmurs of the injured students. Kyle glanced over his shoulder just long enough to call out, "Protect the others, Luna! Keep them safe!" Her lips pressed into a tight line. She wanted to argue, but the seriousness in his tone stopped her. She let out a long sigh, shoulders slumping as she waved her hand in resignation. "Fine! But don’t you dare die out there!" Kyle’s footsteps pounded against the stone floor, Eleanora right beside him.