Classes resumed the following morning, but the atmosphere inside Reikosha Academy had changed slightly. The Base Energy exam was finished, yet instead of the usual relief that came after tests, an odd tension seemed to linger in the air.
Students whispered more than usual in the hallways.
Some spoke about the practical exam from yesterday. Others compared results or argued about whose energy control had been better.
But mixed among those conversations were quieter rumors.
Rumors that didn't start inside the academy.
Kairo noticed it while walking toward the cafeteria with Kimimaru, Yura, and Tyouro.
Two second-year students stood near the corridor window speaking in low voices.
"…they said the village was destroyed."
"No way. By what?"
"Not sure. But the patrol team reported abnormal energy."
Kairo slowed down slightly, trying to hear more, but the older students noticed him looking and immediately stopped talking.
Tyouro nudged him.
"You look like a spy."
"I'm not spying," Kairo said. "Did you hear what they said?"
Kimimaru had already heard it.
"Village damage," he said quietly.
Yura frowned slightly.
"That's not something they'd normally discuss in the academy."
Reikosha wasn't just a school.
It was also closely connected to the organizations that monitored energy disturbances across the region. Many graduates became Divine Warriors who protected cities and villages from dangerous energy users or supernatural threats.
But incidents like that rarely reached the students directly.
"Probably just rumors," Tyouro said, though he sounded less confident than usual.
They continued walking.
When they entered the cafeteria, the usual noise of students eating and talking filled the room. But even here the rumors were spreading.
"…energy signature was huge…"
"…patrol group disappeared…"
"…they said the ground was frozen…"
Kairo sat down slowly.
"Frozen?"
Kimimaru paused mid-bite.
Yura's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That's not normal Yami energy," she said.
Tyouro looked between them.
"You two are taking this way too seriously."
Kimimaru didn't answer immediately. Instead, he quietly finished his food before speaking.
"If the academy patrol teams are involved, it means the disturbance wasn't small."
Kairo leaned forward.
"You think something dangerous happened?"
Kimimaru shrugged slightly.
"Possibly."
Before the conversation could continue, the large cafeteria doors opened.
Professor Takahano entered.
The entire room slowly quieted.
Not because he demanded silence.
But because whenever Takahano appeared unexpectedly, something important usually followed.
He walked calmly through the room until he reached the center.
"Attention, students."
The room fell completely silent.
"There have been reports of a minor energy disturbance in a nearby region," Takahano said. "At this time there is no immediate danger to the academy."
A wave of whispers spread instantly.
Takahano raised his hand slightly.
"However, until further notice, students are not permitted to leave academy grounds without supervision."
That made the room even more restless.
Kairo exchanged a glance with Tyouro.
"See?" Tyouro whispered. "Something actually happened."
Takahano continued speaking calmly.
"This restriction is precautionary. Continue focusing on your studies and training."
His eyes briefly swept across the room.
When they passed over Kairo and his friends, Kairo felt the same strange sensation he had experienced during the energy exam.
Like Takahano was quietly watching them.
Then the professor turned and left the cafeteria.
The noise returned immediately.
"Okay," Tyouro said, leaning forward. "Now I'm curious."
Yura stood up.
"Curiosity won't help if something dangerous is happening."
Kimimaru nodded.
"Agreed."
Kairo looked toward the cafeteria window.
Beyond the academy walls, distant mountains stretched across the horizon under the pale afternoon sky.
He couldn't explain why, but the strange vibration in his chest had returned again.
Faint.
Unsettling.
Like something moving slowly closer.
Far away from the academy, deep within a frozen forest valley, the wind howled violently through broken trees.
The ground was covered in ice.
Not natural winter frost.
Something colder.
Something unnatural.
A figure walked slowly through the frozen landscape.
Each step cracked the ice beneath his feet.
The air around him shimmered with destructive energy.
His eyes glowed faintly in the pale light.
And on the frozen ground behind him…
Several bodies lay motionless.
The man looked toward the distant mountains.
Toward the direction of Reikosha Academy.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Interesting…"
His voice was quiet.
"But it seems I've finally found something worth visiting."
The wind rose again.
Carrying the cold deeper into the valley.
And slowly…
The figure continued walking.