🐍 Chapter 79
"When a knife comes from behind, it's not the blade that kills—it's the trust that bleeds first."
🏛️ Scene 1: Aftermath & Uneasy Calm
Days passed since the Silent Order's judgment.
Sinjai Academy had returned to its usual routine on the surface—but below, paranoia grew like rot.
The students whispered behind closed doors.
Some admired Aeren.Some feared him.Some... wanted him gone.
Even among teachers, lines began to form.
"He's a ticking disaster.""He's our strongest chance against Nexilis.""He shouldn't be here at all."
Aeren walked the halls with his head lowered, his Clock Core dormant, but his instincts sharper than ever.
Someone's watching me.
🎭 Scene 2: Enter—The Rogue Seeker
Kael Vorun.Third-year. Silver-ranked.Top 5 in the academy.Head of Class 5.
Respected. Charismatic. Deadly.And... a sleeper agent of Nexilis.
In a darkened tower, Kael kneeled before a floating shard—projecting the masked image of The Veilmaster.
"You've been close to Aeren?" the voice hissed.
"Too close," Kael smirked. "He's raw. Powerful. But conflicted."
"Then it's time. Break him. Break Sinjai."
Kael bowed.
"As you command, my Master."
🧪 Scene 3: The Sabotage Begins
Strange things began happening around Sinjai:
A Level 5 monster breached the training dome—no one knew how.
Aeren's dorm was ransacked—yet nothing was taken.
Instructor Zephyra's memory crystal was corrupted, removing records of Aeren's training sessions.
And then—
Anshi's Time-Ward Glyph began to glow.
Which could mean only one thing:
Someone was trying to alter her timeline.
Aeren caught it just in time—freezing a spike of corrupted energy midair before it struck her in her sleep.
"Someone's inside the barrier," he whispered.
"But who?" Anshi asked, shaken.
"Someone we know."
🧠 Scene 4: The Foreign Thoughts
The next day, while meditating, Aeren heard… another voice.
Not the Paradox.Not Orris.
But a female voice, whispering frantically.
"...they're lying to you... you're not safe... Kael isn't who he seems..."
Aeren's mind-reading gift had activated passively.
But he didn't recognize the voice.
He focused—and saw a flash of a girl with white hair, bound in chains, deep underground.
Then everything went black.
When he woke, the message was still echoing.
"Find the girl. Before Kael does."
🔥 Scene 5: Kael Moves First
That night, Kael requested a private sparring duel with Aeren "for fun."
But he brought three elite Silver-rank friends, and the duel was rigged.
Traps, null zones, paralyzing fields.
Aeren dodged, deflected, and defended—but refused to use his powers.
"Scared?" Kael taunted.
"Careful," Aeren muttered, "you might wake something you can't kill."
Kael's blade grazed Aeren's neck—drawing blood—and triggering a deep memory.
For just a second, Aeren saw Kael kneeling… before the Veilmaster.
He stepped back, stunned.
"You're not a student…"
Kael smiled.
"You're not supposed to know that."
And with a single pulse of dark energy—Kael vanished.
🕯️ Scene 6: The Letter Left Behind
Later that night, Aeren found a slip of paper inside his dorm room.
It read:
"Beneath Sinjai's ruins lies the truth you were never meant to see.She's waiting. So are they."
—V
Aeren clutched the note.
"It's time I go deeper."
🔚 End of Chapter 79