The rain continued throughout the night.
By dawn, the academy seemed to have become part of the storm itself. The floating city drifted through a sea of dark clouds while curtains of rain descended from the heavens and vanished into the endless abyss below. The silver towers that usually dominated the skyline appeared muted and distant, their outlines blurred behind mist and falling water. Even the countless bridges connecting the districts looked like fading threads suspended between islands of stone and light.
Kael slept little.
The encounter on the bridge refused to leave his thoughts.
Elara.
The strange woman had appeared without warning and disappeared just as suddenly. She had known about the mark. She had known about the frontier. More troublingly, she had spoken as though she understood something the academy itself did not.
The monument was never the prison.
The words echoed through his mind long after the storm swallowed the night.
Most mysteries became easier once enough information was gathered.
This one seemed to grow larger every time a new piece was revealed.
The morning bell rang somewhere beyond the rain, its deep tone rolling across the floating city like distant thunder. Kael stood beside the narrow window of his room, watching water slide down the glass while the clouds shifted outside. The academy was already awake. Students moved through the lower bridges carrying books, equipment, and supplies. Restoration crews continued their work despite the weather. Farther away, several military airships floated near the northern districts, their dark silhouettes partially hidden by mist.
The expedition would leave in two days.
The realization carried a strange weight.
For years, the academy had defined the boundaries of his world. Every challenge, every friendship, every victory and defeat had unfolded within its walls. Even the gate beneath Platform Three had remained part of the academy in a sense.
The Northern Frontier was different.
The frontier belonged to the unknown.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
Before he could answer, Aren entered carrying breakfast.
Naturally.
The boy stepped into the room with all the confidence of someone who had never once considered the concept of personal space. His dark hair was damp from the rain, and his academy uniform looked as though he had dressed while running.
Which was probably exactly what happened.
"I've decided something important."
Kael sighed.
"Should I be worried?"
"Deeply."
Aren placed a tray on the table before claiming a chair for himself.
"The expedition is cursed."
The statement arrived with complete confidence.
Kael sat opposite him.
"And why is that?"
Aren pointed dramatically.
"Because every single person involved keeps saying mysterious things."
That was difficult to argue with.
The boy leaned forward.
"Think about it. First there was the gate. Then there were the bearers. Then we discovered ancient monuments. Then military expeditions vanished. Now strange people are appearing out of nowhere and giving cryptic warnings."
Kael paused.
"...How do you know about that?"
Aren froze.
The silence lasted approximately two seconds.
Then he looked away.
"That isn't important."
"It is."
"No."
"Aren."
The boy immediately surrendered.
"Fine. Lyra told me."
Of course she did.
Aren folded his arms.
"The point is that none of this feels normal."
"None of it is normal."
"Exactly."
The rain intensified outside, drumming softly against the window.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then Aren's expression became unexpectedly serious.
"You know something is going to happen, right?"
The question lingered in the room.
Kael looked toward the storm beyond the glass.
The academy seemed distant this morning.
Smaller somehow.
Not physically.
In significance.
The world beyond its walls had begun pressing inward.
And the deeper they looked, the stranger everything became.
"Yes."
Aren nodded slowly.
For once, he did not make a joke.
The atmosphere remained quiet until another knock sounded at the door.
This time it was Lyra.
Draven followed behind her.
Both looked as though they had already been awake for hours.
"The briefing was moved."
Kael frowned slightly.
"What?"
Lyra stepped inside.
"The military received another report from the frontier."
That immediately captured everyone's attention.
Even Aren sat up straighter.
Draven crossed his arms.
"The instructors were called to the northern command district before sunrise."
The room fell silent.
Reports from the frontier had become increasingly rare.
That was precisely what made them valuable.
When no one returned from an expedition, information itself became precious.
"What happened?"
Lyra hesitated briefly.
Then answered.
"No one knows."
The answer was not reassuring.
Apparently, the academy agreed.
Because an hour later, the four of them found themselves crossing rain-soaked bridges toward one of the restricted northern districts.
The weather had transformed the academy into something almost unrecognizable. Mist drifted between the towers like wandering spirits while rain blurred distant structures into ghostly silhouettes. Students hurried beneath enchanted barriers designed to repel water, and countless lanterns glowed throughout the city despite the early hour.
The Hall of Strategic Operations appeared ahead through the storm.
Its dark walls rose above the surrounding structures like a fortress preparing for war.
Which, in many ways, it was.
Military guards occupied every entrance.
More than before.
That alone was enough to raise concern.
As the group approached, Kael noticed something unusual.
Several airships had arrived.
Not academy vessels.
Warships.
The hulls bore symbols belonging to multiple kingdoms and races. Massive runes glowed across their reinforced frames while armored soldiers moved along elevated loading platforms nearby.
The sight made the situation feel suddenly real.
The world beyond the academy was no longer a distant concept.
It had arrived at their doorstep.
Inside the hall, the atmosphere was tense.
Representatives from various nations filled the chamber. Military officers studied floating projections while academy instructors exchanged reports in low voices. Even the students invited to participate in the expedition appeared more serious than usual.
Something had happened.
Everyone knew it.
No one seemed eager to discuss it.
Then General Caelan entered.
The conversations ceased almost immediately.
The military commander crossed the central platform and stopped beneath the enormous crystal projection array suspended above the chamber. His expression revealed little, but something about his posture felt different.
Sharper.
More focused.
The crystal brightened.
A map of the Northern Frontier appeared above the gathering.
Snow-covered mountains emerged from silver light.
Ancient forests stretched across the projection.
Frozen wastelands expanded toward the horizon.
Then the image moved.
Toward the crater.
Toward the monument.
Silence filled the chamber.
The projection descended closer.
Closer.
Until the black monument dominated the hall.
Kael immediately felt the mark stir beneath his glove.
Not pain.
Recognition.
The same sensation as before.
Only stronger.
The monument appeared unchanged.
Ancient.
Motionless.
Silent.
Yet something around it was different.
The snow.
At first glance, it seemed ordinary.
Then General Caelan enlarged the image.
A murmur spread through the chamber.
Tracks.
Thousands of them.
The frozen landscape surrounding the monument had been disturbed.
Countless trails crossed the snow.
Some resembled footprints.
Others looked like long grooves carved into the ice.
All of them converged toward a single location.
The monument.
No one spoke.
The sight was unsettling in a way Kael struggled to describe.
The tracks looked recent.
Fresh.
As though something had emerged from the frozen wilderness and gathered around the monument.
General Caelan finally broke the silence.
"This image was captured yesterday."
His voice echoed through the chamber.
"A reconnaissance team transmitted it shortly before communication was lost."
The atmosphere became heavier.
The projection shifted.
Another image appeared.
This one was worse.
A section of forest several miles from the crater filled the hall.
The trees were enormous, their branches buried beneath centuries of snow.
At first, nothing seemed unusual.
Then someone noticed the shadows.
Figures stood among the trees.
Hundreds of them.
Watching.
Motionless.
Their forms were too distant to identify clearly, yet their presence immediately unsettled everyone present.
The figures weren't hiding.
They weren't moving.
They simply stood there.
Facing the direction of the monument.
The hall remained silent.
Because everyone understood the implication.
Whatever had gathered around the monument was spreading outward.
General Caelan studied the projection for a moment before speaking again.
"The expedition leaves tomorrow."
No hesitation.
No delay.
No discussion.
The decision had already been made.
Perhaps because waiting no longer seemed like an option.
Kael looked up at the monument suspended above the chamber.
The mark beneath his glove pulsed once.
Then again.
For the briefest moment, he thought he heard something.
Not a voice.
Not words.
An echo.
Distant.
Ancient.
A call carried across impossible distances.
Then it vanished.
Leaving behind only silence.
And the growing certainty that whatever waited beneath the snow was no longer sleeping.