Kael was still kneeling.
But the academy hall was no longer the same.
No laughter.
No whispers.
Just silence.
Heavy… unnatural silence.
Every student stood frozen in place.
Even the examiners.
Even the guards.
All eyes locked on Kael like he was something that should not be alive.
Kael slowly raised his head.
"…Why is everyone looking at me like that?"
No one answered.
Not because they refused.
But because their instincts refused.
Something inside them was screaming:
Don't respond to him.
The First Forgotten Legend was nowhere to be seen.
Gone.
As if she had been forcibly pulled away by something higher.
Kael clenched his chest.
The burning sensation from before was still there.
But now… it was quieter.
Like something had retreated back inside him.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then—
A teacher finally stepped forward.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like approaching a sleeping disaster.
"Kael Ardent…"
Kael looked up.
The teacher hesitated before continuing.
"…Come with us."
Kael frowned. "Where?"
Silence.
The teacher didn't answer directly.
Instead, he said something worse:
"To containment."
The word hit the hall like a shockwave.
Students gasped.
"Containment?!"
"They're treating him like a forbidden artifact!"
"He's just F-rank!"
But even as they spoke…
none of them moved closer.
Kael stood slowly.
"…I didn't do anything."
The teacher's hand trembled slightly.
"That's exactly the problem."
Before Kael could respond—
The ground beneath the academy shifted.
Not an earthquake.
Not magic backlash.
Something else.
Like reality itself had been stepped on.
A loud alarm exploded across the entire campus.
⚠️ WARNING: UNKNOWN HOSTILE PRESENCE DETECTED
The sky above the academy darkened instantly.
Kael looked up.
"…Not again."
But this time—
It wasn't coming from the sky.
It was coming from inside the academy walls.
BOOM.
One of the outer towers exploded inward.
Not outward.
Inward collapse.
Like something erased its existence from the inside.
Screams erupted instantly.
"ATTACK!"
"DEFENSIVE FORMATION!"
"WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?!"
Kael stepped back instinctively.
But his body froze halfway.
Not paralysis.
Recognition.
Something inside him had reacted before he could think.
A voice echoed in the air.
Not the system.
Not academy magic.
Something older.
"He is here."
Kael whispered:
"…That voice again."
Then—
The walls of the academy began to crack open.
Not destruction.
Revelation.
Like something was peeling reality apart.
And from the cracks…
Figures began to emerge.
Not human.
Not spirit beasts.
Not summons.
They looked like armored shadows with missing faces.
Each one carrying a broken emblem on their chest.
One of the teachers stepped forward.
His voice shook:
"That emblem… it's pre-system era…"
Kael stared at them.
"…What are they?"
No answer came.
Because they weren't looking at the academy.
They were looking at Kael.
Then, all at once—
They knelt.
Every single one.
The entire academy went silent again.
Even the alarms stopped.
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
"…Why are they kneeling?"
A shadow figure raised its head slightly.
And spoke:
"Protocol awakened."
A pause.
Then:
"False Vessel located."
Kael froze.
"…False Vessel again."
The shadow stood slowly.
And pointed at him.
"Eliminate breach."
The academy erupted instantly.
"PROTECT KAEL?!"
"No—CONTAIN HIM!"
"WAIT—WHAT IS HE?!"
But it was too late.
The shadows moved.
Too fast.
Too precise.
Like they weren't fighting—
They were executing a script.
Kael turned sharply.
"I SAID I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"
And then—
A hand grabbed his shoulder from behind.
Cold.
Familiar.
The First Forgotten Legend had returned.
But something was wrong.
Her chains were partially broken.
And her voice… was lower.
Tighter.
"Kael… don't move."
Kael's eyes widened.
"…What is happening?"
She stared at the shadows.
And whispered something that made Kael's blood run cold.
"They are not attacking you."
A pause.
"They are correcting history."
The shadows raised their weapons.
All aimed at Kael.
And in unison, they spoke:
"Erase the anomaly."
Kael stepped back.
"…I'm not an anomaly."
The First Legend looked at him directly.
And said:
"That's what makes you dangerous."
The ground cracked beneath Kael's feet.
Light exploded upward.
And for the second time—
Kael began to fall into darkness.
But before he disappeared completely…
He heard her final warning:
"If they erase you completely this time… even I will forget you existed."
Everything went black.