Scene – Crimson Class Dormitory, Morning After the Trial
The sunlight didn't feel warm.
It filtered weakly through storm clouds, casting long shadows across the dormitory hallways. The wind outside howled like it had a warning to scream but no mouth to speak.
Kira stood at the mirror, silently tying the last buckle of his uniform. The lines on his face looked sharper—clean, controlled, colder. He didn't speak much since the trial. Not even to Chris.
From the other side of the room, Chris watched him, arms folded, eyes slightly narrowed.
"You're different now."
Kira glanced over. "So are you."
"Did you win your trial?"
Kira's hands paused.
"I didn't lose."
Chris smirked faintly. "I'll take that as a yes."
Their quiet moment was interrupted by the door slamming open.
Rhea rushed in, holding a scroll sealed in gold wax. Her hair was slightly damp from the morning rain, and her breath came fast.
"This was dropped at the gates. It's from the council."
Chris straightened. "What now?"
Rhea broke the seal.
Inside, only five words were written, but they hit like thunder:
> "Prepare. The Wastes are shifting."
Scene – Sovereign Class Tower – Emergency Meeting
Sera stood beside the map of the continent, which now pulsed with magical interference. Red sigils blinked from the southwest — the Demon Wastes.
A recent satellite spell had failed to scan the area. Something was scrambling detection magic. Worse—beast migration patterns were reversing. Animals were fleeing out of the Wastes.
"They're afraid," she said. "Something's pushing them."
Behind her, the Sovereign Commander paced slowly.
"This is Leo's doing."
"We can't prove that."
"Can we afford to wait until we can?"
Sera turned to face him.
"If we strike prematurely, we lose the Crimson Class. And with the demons remaining neutral, we risk open conflict with a race that hasn't moved in two decades."
The Commander's voice was calm but final.
"Then the decision has already been made."
Sera blinked. "What decision?"
He looked toward the distant skyline.
"We're sending a scouting team to the Wastes. And the Crimson Class will lead it."
Scene – Council Chamber, Later That Day
Tension buzzed like static.
The Human Chancellor, Reivana Seris, stood before the fractured table of nations. Her voice was steady, but her jaw was tight.
"We are sanctioning a student-led reconnaissance into the Demon Wastes."
Murmurs spread instantly.
"You're sending children into cursed land?" spat the Elven Matriarch.
"The Crimson Class are survivors of Leo's shadow," Reivana answered. "They've seen what we haven't."
The Spirit Queen's voice floated like wind. "If they fail, we lose our only wild card."
Reivana met her gaze directly. "And if they succeed… we may gain our only hope."
Only the Dragonkin emissary nodded.
"Let them go. The fire must be tempered in the storm, or it dies before the war begins."
[Leo's shadow here stands for the shadow king]
Scene – Crimson Class Briefing Room, That Evening
The classroom was cold. Too cold.
A magical map hovered in the center of the table, showing the paths into the Demon Wastes. Most were marked in red — dead ends, corruption zones, or active monsters.
Only one path remained viable. Barely.
Yuujin leaned back in his seat, arms behind his head. "So we're the canaries in the pit?"
Chris exhaled slowly. "Better than sitting here waiting to burn."
Ard narrowed his eyes. "What about the demons?"
"They're watching," Rhea murmured. "But not moving. They're still bound by the pact."
Kira hadn't said anything.
Not until now.
"When do we leave?"
Rhea looked at him. "Tomorrow."
Kira nodded. "Good."
Scene – Beneath the Academy, Secret Observation Hall
Liora stood before a massive orb filled with flickering visions — students training, council members arguing, Leo walking in ruins.
The cloaked agent beside her spoke carefully.
"You're sending them straight to the epicenter."
"They'll adapt."
"And if they don't?"
Liora's voice was calm.
"Then we'll know which ones to replace."
She turned to the orb and whispered:
"Let the storm begin."
---
Final Scene – Demon Wastes, Leo's Sanctuary
A shattered cathedral stood atop the broken cliffs. Half the sky above was black. The stars in this land didn't shine. They stared.
Leo sat on the ruined altar, hands folded.
Behind him, a dozen constructs — semi-living beasts made from bone, steel, and void magic — bowed in silence.
The earth trembled faintly.
A portal flickered open beside him.
A voice — masked, ancient — emerged from the void.
> "The Crimson Class approaches."
Leo's smile was slight. Almost… bored.
"They're too early," he said.
Then his eyes sharpened — bright, unholy silver.
"But not unwelcome."