CHAPTER 321: SIMULATION (2)

The class followed Kessler into the eastern arena, a broad expanse of stone inscribed with glowing lines of arcane circuitry. The air shimmered faintly above it, proof that the array was already active.

Kessler stepped aside, allowing Instructor Hale, who specialized in illusions, to take center stage.

"Today’s scenario," Hale said with a calm, almost gentle voice, "involves ambush tactics. You will be dropped into an illusory terrain designed to replicate unpredictable conditions."

Nathan groaned quietly. "Last time he said unpredictable conditions, we fought giant mana-wolves in a swamp."

"Be grateful," Dorian murmured without looking at him. "A swamp is preferable to Hale’s deserts."

"Deserts?" Adrian asked.

Dorian nodded once. "Heat. No shade. Limited water. Exhaustion tests. And scorpions the size of dogs."

Liliana shivered immediately. "So let’s all pray it’s wolves again."

Hale continued, "The simulation will react dynamically to your group actions. Stick together, or don’t."

His eyes flicked to Merlin.

That single second felt strangely pointed.

Uncomfortably so.

Merlin swallowed.

Someone else noticed.

Elara leaned closer, lowering her voice so only he could hear. "Why was he looking at you like that?"

"Not sure," Merlin lied.

She didn’t buy it. But she also didn’t push. Instead, she nudged his arm lightly, almost protectively.

The simulation began with a low hum, like a heartbeat beneath the earth. Blue lines pulsed beneath their feet. The air thickened, shimmering like heat haze before twisting into a swirling wall of mana.

One by one, the students stepped through.

As Merlin moved forward with the group, Nathan whispered, "Hey. If something’s wrong, tell me. I mean, seriously. You’ve been weird all morning."

Merlin glanced at him.

Nathan’s expression wasn’t joking or teasing.

He genuinely looked worried.

"...I’ll tell you," Merlin said softly. "I promise."

Elara’s gaze flicked between them, protective in its own quiet way.

Then they stepped into the light.

And the world changed.

The terrain manifested instantly, dense forest, fog swirling between trees, the faint glow of runes embedded in the fog itself. Shadows danced among the branches, illusions flickering at the edges of the students’ senses.

"Everyone stay close," Merlin said automatically.

Nathan nodded. "Good plan."

Adrian hefted his axe. "Can do."

Sera activated thin frost armor over her arms.

Ethan sighed. "I already hate this."

Liliana lifted her hands, summoning droplets of water that floated around her like tiny shields.

Elara summoned her spear with a ripple of hardened earth along the handle, her stance solid and ready.

Dorian melted into the shadows behind them, using the trees for cover.

Everything felt right.

Everything felt ready.

But just as they pushed deeper into the illusion—

Merlin felt it.

A faint distortion.

A wrongness behind the fog.

A second presence.

Someone, or something, was altering the simulation from the outside.

And only Merlin noticed.

His pulse steadied.

His expression sharpened.

Quietly, without turning his head, he whispered to Elara:

"Stay close. Something’s not right."

Her fingers brushed his briefly.

A silent acknowledgment.

Then the forest shifted—

And the real test began.

The illusionary forest shifted as though inhaling.

Branches twisted overhead, shadows lengthening unnaturally, fog thickening until it resembled drifting curtains of silver-grey. The ground underfoot pulsed faintly with mana, once, twice, then settled into an uneven rhythm, like the beating of a sick heart.

Something was hijacking the simulation.

Merlin felt the disturbance before any of the others sensed a thing, like a faint tug at the edge of his consciousness, a vibration in the air that did not belong to Instructor Hale’s magic.

This isn’t part of the original scenario.

Someone added another layer.

And not a friendly one.

Nathan froze mid-step, eyes narrowing. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Adrian whispered.

A low growl echoed through the trees. Not an animal’s growl, too deep, too resonant, like a speaker hidden inside the world itself.

Liliana’s breath hitched. "That... wasn’t in any simulation I’ve read about."

Elara stepped closer to Merlin, shoulder brushing his. "This fog isn’t responding properly. Hale’s illusions don’t behave like this."

Sera conjured a thin shard of ice and held it at her side. "It reacts like something is overriding the array’s mana distribution."

Dorian’s voice drifted from behind a tree, calm but tense. "Something wants us separated."

Merlin exhaled slowly.

Yes. Exactly that.

He looked around, noticing how the fog coiled around individual students, forming thin streams that pulled subtly apart, encouraging spacing.

"Stay close," Merlin commanded immediately.

Nathan moved beside him, blade drawn. "No splitting. Got it."

Adrian gripped his axe. "If anything tries to drag me away, I’m dragging you all with me."

Ethan sighed like a man being inconvenienced by horror. "If a demon pops out, I’m quitting school."

Liliana whimpered. "Please don’t joke about demons."

The forest dimmed suddenly.

Every student in the group stiffened.

Sera whispered, "The light source vanished. But we still have shadows..."

She was right. The light was gone, yet their shadows remained, stretched thin and long, twisting away from them like sentient ribbons.

"Behind!" Dorian warned.

A blur lunged from the trees.

Adrian swung instantly, his axe carving a clean arc through—

Smoke.

The creature dissolved into mist, curling away and reforming ten meters further.

Nathan cursed. "Illusionary beasts. But... wrong."

Ethan slashed through another shape. "These aren’t Hale’s style. His illusions break clean. These break like, like corrupted mana."

Liliana clutched her water orbs tighter. "Then whose are they?"

Merlin’s answer was quiet.

"...Those responsible for the early-year sabotage."

Elara’s head snapped toward him. "You think they infiltrated the simulation?"

"I know they did."

A cold whisper drifted on the fog.

"Everhart..."

Merlin’s breath stilled.

The voice wasn’t Hale’s.

Wasn’t a teacher.

Wasn’t a student.

It was thin. Raspy. Hollow. Filled with malice that didn’t need a body to speak.

Elara saw his reaction. "Who was that?"

"No one good," Merlin murmured.

Nathan stepped closer. "Merlin, what’s going on? You’re reacting like you know this voice."

Merlin swallowed once.

He did know it.

From the novel.

A minor recurring threat, one tied to a small but dangerous fringe organization, a group of rogue illusionists and mana-corruptors.

The Umbershade Cabal.

Their role in the story was small...

But deadly.

They specialized in twisting magical environments, killing students during "accidents," and vanishing without leaving bodies.

And they were never supposed to show up until the late second year—

Which meant the timeline was shifting again.