The simulation had ended, but its echo lingered in the minds of everyone who'd participated. As the team exited the training grounds, murmurs followed them. Students who had watched portions of the test from the spectator crystals couldn't stop whispering about the raw coordination—and power—they had just witnessed.
Kaen walked silently at the front, his hands in his pockets, eyes distant. His thoughts weren't on the test. They were on the remnant—the one presence that hadn't been part of the illusion. Something had watched. And it recognized him.
Behind him, Zian moved in step, the trailing mist of her shadows curling lazily around her boots. "That feeling," she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else. "It wasn't part of the simulation. I know it."
Kaen didn't respond, but his gaze flickered.
They returned to their dorm wing, the halls filled with the scent of polishing oils and mana inscribed tapestries. Most of the second-year dorms were shared, but Kaen and Zian had earned special accommodations—isolated rooms, a quiet recognition of their extraordinary status.
Later that evening, the team gathered in the shared strategy room assigned to them for group meetings and research. Lirien sat at the head, sipping tea calmly.
"Well?" she asked, glancing across the group. "What did you all learn?"
"That you're sadistic?" Mira grumbled, cracking her neck.
Kyel smirked. "We need better coordination under separation protocols."
Selene folded her arms. "And never underestimate the illusion zone's capacity for adaptive aggression."
Rayden leaned back, crossing his arms. "But we handled it. Even Rin held her own."
"I was terrified the whole time," Rin admitted. "But I managed to set up a triple-layered barrier. That's a first."
Lirien nodded, then looked at Kaen. "And you?"
He looked up from the cup in his hand. "Something inside that simulation wasn't a simulation. Something old… watched us."
Everyone went quiet.
"Are you sure?" Zian asked, eyes narrowing.
"I don't doubt it," Kaen said.
Lirien didn't question him. She just smiled faintly and set her cup down.
"Then consider this your next assignment," she said, standing. "Find out what it was—before it finds you."