The sun had just begun its descent, casting long, golden rays across the village rooftops and the dusty training ground where we had spent the better part of the week. The air was cooler now, but the heat from hours of relentless training still clung to my skin.
It had been a grueling seven days.
My arms were sore, legs aching, and every breath I took reminded me of how far I'd come—and how far I still had to go.
But progress was there. I could feel it in the way mana moved through me now—less like a raging river and more like a calm, steady stream. A part of me. No longer foreign. No longer something to fear.
Kaito stood a few feet away, hunched over, panting. His hands sparked with faint traces of lightning—controlled, precise bolts that didn't sizzle wildly or backfire like they used to. For someone who kept accidentally shocking himself just days ago, this was huge.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Maito said, yawning as he rolled his shoulders. "You both did well."
I dropped to the ground with a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from my brow. Kaito flopped down beside me like a dead fish.
"I swear," he groaned, "if I have to meditate one more time, my soul's going to exit my body and refuse to come back."
I chuckled. "You're lucky. Wind magic makes me dizzy. Every time I channel it too fast, I feel like I'm about to throw up."
He grinned weakly. "Wind magic sounds overrated anyway."
"Tell that to the guy who got flung into a tree two days ago."
"That was one time!"
I laughed again, but then… something shifted.
The laughter faded from my lips. I sat up straighter, sensing something—off.
A cold shiver ran down my spine, as if a phantom hand had just brushed against the back of my neck. The wind stilled. The birds stopped chirping. Even the distant rustle of leaves faded, like the world itself was holding its breath.
Kaito sat up too, eyes narrowing. "Do you feel that?"
Before I could answer, Maito had already turned, his body tense. His easygoing expression was gone—replaced by something colder, sharper. The aura of a warrior, not a teacher.
Ryoji appeared silently from the treeline, like he'd been watching the whole time. His eyes, always calculating, locked on to Maito's.
"You sense it too, don't you?" he asked quietly.
Maito gave a grim nod. "Yeah… it's faint, but it's there."
I stood up slowly, brushing grass from my pants. "What's going on?"
Kaito looked around, frowning. "Did something just… change?"
Neither Maito nor Ryoji answered at first.
Then Ryoji's hand drifted to the hilt of his blade—an action so subtle and instinctive it made my heart race.
"An unfamiliar aura," he muttered. "It's distant. But it's approaching."
"Where from?" I asked.
He turned, pointing toward the edge of the forest that bordered the village. "There. Just beyond the trees. Something's watching."
I squinted, but saw nothing but shadows between the branches. Still, my gut churned. The very air felt heavier, like the oxygen itself was resisting my breath.
Kaito looked pale. "Even I can feel that… whatever it is."
"That's not a good sign," Maito muttered. "If even you two can sense it, it's no minor threat."
Suddenly—
DING!
A chime echoed in my head, sharp and metallic, like a sword drawn too fast.
A system notification appeared in glowing letters in front of my vision, hovering in the air like a ghostly message from another world.
---
> [WARNING: GRADE 2 BEAST DETECTED]
[LOCATION: SHADOW REALM PRESENCE CONFIRMED]
---
I blinked, then read it again to make sure I hadn't misread.
Grade 2?
My heartbeat quickened. I'd barely survived the Grade 3 Direwolf encounter. What kind of monster qualified as Grade 2?
I turned to the others, but their expressions told me everything I needed to know.
Maito's fists were clenched. His posture shifted from casual to combat-ready.
Ryoji's eyes glinted with cold focus. He hadn't drawn his sword yet—but only because he was waiting for confirmation.
"This is serious," I said. "Isn't it?"
Maito didn't look at me. His eyes stayed fixed on the trees. "Grade 2 isn't just serious. It's deadly."
Kaito swallowed hard. "What's a Grade 2 even look like?"
"You don't want to know," Ryoji said, voice low. "And if we're lucky, we won't have to find out."
But I wasn't so sure. The oppressive air, the chill on my skin, the primal dread crawling through my veins—it all pointed to one thing:
Something had already crossed the boundary.
The village lights flickered.
Maito narrowed his eyes. "Shadows are lengthening faster than they should. It's manipulating the dusk."
"Wait," I whispered. "You think it's… watching us?"
"No," Ryoji answered flatly. "I think it's hunting."
That single word froze my blood.
Maito finally turned to us. "Both of you—head back to the village. Now. Alert the elder. Tell him to activate the wards."
"But—" I started to protest.
"No 'but,'" Ryoji cut in sharply. "If it gets closer, you'll only slow us down."
His words weren't cruel—just honest. I hated how true they were.
Kaito and I exchanged a look, then nodded.
"Be careful," I said.
Ryoji smirked faintly. "We always are."
As we ran, the trees seemed to lean in. Shadows crept faster. The light bled from the sky more rapidly than it should have.
And somewhere in that unnatural darkness…