⚔️ Chapter 33
"Light gathers crowds, but shadows gather secrets."
🎉 Scene: Sinjai Academy – Arena Grounds
One month had passed since the incident in the underground vault.
The memory of the glowing sigil on Aeren's hand still haunted him… but no one spoke about it anymore. The academy had officially labeled the event a "dimensional mana surge."
Now, the entire campus buzzed with excitement.
The Festival of Blades — an annual competition where top students from all five classes showcased their skills in a week-long spectacle of duels, monster hunts, and strategic team warfare.
The first-year class had gained major attention, especially Team 13, the dark horse team with the lowest stats but surprising performance — led by none other than Aeren.
Anshi stood beside him, arms crossed.
"Don't act lazy this time," she teased."I'm not," Aeren smiled. "Just trying not to accidentally shatter space again."
🔥 Scene: Arena Battle – Duel Exhibition Round
Students from Class 1 to 5 were selected to compete in solo duels.
Anshi was matched against a silver-rank flame seeker from Class 5.
The arena roared as fire clashed with her rare frost-bloodline, forming a storm of steam and ice. With graceful speed and brutal efficiency, Anshi dominated the fight, winning in under 90 seconds.
Meanwhile, Aeren observed every movement.
He wasn't scheduled to fight yet — but his eyes were tracking everything.
"Windstyle: Drift Step… she's hiding fatigue in her 2nd combo loop…""Defense arc is weak on his left. If I were her, I'd spin around then—"
He blinked.Anshi did exactly what he predicted.
"Weird…" he muttered. "She's reacting exactly the way I'm thinking."
🕵️♂️ Scene: Suspicion in the Shadows
At the edge of the arena, someone watched Aeren through enchanted binoculars.
Cloaked in violet and black, the figure whispered:
"There he is. The boy with the dormant void trace…""Begin Phase One."
🧪 Scene: Sinjai's Inner Circle – Professors' Chamber
Diamond-ranked Instructor Zareth held a relic stone in hand.
It projected the symbol that appeared on Aeren's back the day of the vault incident.
"No records match this sigil…" he said."It's not from our history," replied Headmistress Sael."Then where?""I fear… it may be from before our history even began."
🧟 Scene: The Underground Moves
Deep beneath the city, in the ruins beneath Nyxveil — the Order of the Silent Eclipse prepared for the Rite of Echoes.
This rite would summon shadow beasts, invisible to normal seekers — and unleash them during the festival to test the awakening Vessel.
"We don't kill him," the robed woman hissed. "We awaken him… fully.""Then the true King will return."
💡 Scene: Aeren's Room – The Spark
That night, Aeren had a dream.
He was back in the void realm. This time, not alone.
A girl — faceless — stood before him.
"Do you want to see?" she asked."See what?""Your truth."
She touched his forehead.
In a flash, he saw:
Himself, older, standing on a cliff.
His shadow splitting the sky.
Entire armies kneeling.
A massive creature made of stars, bowing before him.
Then —He woke up gasping.
His hands glowed briefly. Then faded.
⚔️ Scene: The Final Match of the Day
Team 13 was finally called.
Aeren stepped onto the battlefield.
Their opponent: Team 5, top of the year — featuring a gold-level spear seeker, a diamond-bloodline healer, and a tactician with beast control.
The match began.
But Aeren didn't attack.
He waited. Observed. Watched. Then countered every move perfectly — without using a single known ability.
The audience was stunned.
He wasn't stronger — but he knew everything they were going to do.
Even the staff were watching now.
"He's… predicting moves before they happen?""No. He's seeing the future of actions."
⚠️ Cliffhanger Ending: A Festival Under Siege
As night fell on the Festival of Blades…
A faint ripple shimmered through the arena skies.
Dozens of shadows crept through the campus unnoticed.
One by one — students started collapsing in their dorms, drained of energy.
At the same time, Aeren's sigil began to glow again — and a voice echoed in his mind:
"Awaken, Vessel. Your hunters have come."
🧩 Chapter 34 Preview:
"Whispers in the Walls – The Invasion of Shadows"As the festival continues, something unseen begins feeding on the students. Aeren, guided by his unstable powers, becomes the only one who can detect them — but time is running out...