The air was heavy with the smell of scorched earth and burnt mana. Smoke curled lazily from cracks in the canyon floor where the Anemosidon's massive body had fallen.

"We should move,"

Cedric said firmly, his voice steady but his shoulders taut. His sword arm trembled slightly from exhaustion.

"There's no point staying here. Let's find somewhere safe before—"

Kyle leaned against Eleanora, every step unsteady. Her arm was hooked firmly under his, supporting more of his weight than he wanted to admit.

Spirit mana still pulsed like fire in his veins, every muscle stiff, every breath ragged. He tried to straighten, to look less broken than he felt, but his knees wobbled again.

"I'm fine," Kyle muttered.

"You're not."

Eleanora replied without looking at him. Her pale face glistened with sweat, blonde strands of hair sticking to her cheek.

She was drained too, but her grip on him didn't waver.

Cassian nodded at Cedric's words.

"Safe place first. Rest later."

Lyra let out a groan, shoulders slumping as her bow hung useless at her side.

"Safe place? We just cut down the strongest monster in this damned Veil! Shouldn't that mean we're done?"

Her voice cracked with exhaustion.

"Why are we still stuck here—"

The ground answered her with a violent shudder.

The canyon floor groaned, fissures splitting wider, rocks tumbling down from the ridges. Dust filled the air, and everyone instinctively reached for their weapons.

Lyra's face drained of color. Sylvie yelped softly, darting behind her and clutching her robe like a frightened child.

"Don't—don't tell me another giant thing's coming…"

Cassian muttered, scanning the shaking horizon, gauntlet raised.

Eleanora's estoc shimmered faintly in her free hand.

Cedric shifted in front of the group, sword raised, normal red fire flickering faintly along the edge though his reserves were nearly gone.

Kyle didn't move.

He only closed his eyes, steadying his breathing. His voice, when it came, was calm compared to the others.

"No… this isn't another monster."

He exhaled, a shaky smile tugging at his lips.

"The Fractal Veil's breaking."

The others froze.

For a heartbeat, the only sound was the quake beneath their boots and the low groan of the canyon collapsing in on itself.

— — —

Somewhere else within the Fractal Veil, chaos still reigned.

Reo's chest heaved as he pivoted, the monster's claw narrowly missing his face.

It ripped through the air beside him, close enough that the wind burned his skin.

"Too close... dammit!"

He hissed, spear gripped tight.

With a roar, he spun the spear above his head, channeling the last of his wind mana into a clean arc.

A green slash of compressed wind cut outward, shearing the beast in half. Its screech was lost in the rush of air before it burst into ash.

He barely had time to breathe before another monster lunged from behind. His instincts screamed, he shifted, preparing to dodge...

But the monster froze mid-motion.

A thin violet line flashed across its body vertically.

An instant later, the creature split cleanly in two, black blood spraying across the broken ground.

Reo snarled, glaring at the figure who stepped forward.

"I could've handled that."

Serena didn't even glance at him. Her glaive dripped black ichor, violet sparks humming along the edge of the blade.

"You were about to get torn apart,"

She replied flatly, already turning toward the next monster.

A vein pulsed on Reo's temple. He bit back the retort, jaw tightening.

'This woman… I swear—'

But then the earth rumbled.

Both of them stilled as the monsters around them faltered.

Their snarls cut off. One by one, the creatures froze like broken puppets, before dissolving into motes of white light.

Serena lowered her weapon, her long black hair catching the faint breeze.

"Looks like they have already taken down the strongest monster."

— — —

Elsewhere, in a fractured corner of the veil, two students pressed back-to-back, trembling as monsters circled.

Their weapons shook in their hands, knuckles white, eyes wide with fear.

"This… this is it, isn't it?"

One of them whispered, his voice breaking. His grip on his blade tightened.

"We're not making it out."

The creatures prowled closer, faster, sharper than before. At first, they had been manageable. Now they were merciless, cutting off every escape.

One monster vanished in a blur, reappearing in front of the boy with its arm transformed into a jagged blade.

It thrust toward his face with blinding speed.

His breath caught. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the pain.

'So this is how I die—'

But the pain never came.

The rush of air against his face stopped.

Slowly, hesitantly, he cracked one eye open.

The monster stood frozen, its bladed arm suspended inches from his skin. Its entire body trembled, then began breaking apart into glowing motes of white light.

He staggered backward, heart hammering.

"What… what's happening?"

Around them, every other monster dissolved in the same way, collapsing into particles, scattering like fireflies into the darkening air.

Then the world itself began to shatter.

The sky cracked first, thin fissures of light spreading across it like broken glass.

The ground followed, splitting beneath their feet. Shards of reality itself peeled away, falling into a yawning black void below.

The two students clung to each other, bracing as the ground gave way. There was no time to scream, no time to think.

The last thing they saw was the world around them splintering into countless shards, before everything fell apart.

— — —

Back where Kyle and the others stood, the same cracks spread across the canyon walls.

The horizon split like a mirror breaking, glowing veins of light spiderwebbing across the air.

"Guess that's our cue"

Cassian said, forcing a smirk.

— — —

Hisss! Hisss! Hisss!

The sound came sharp and sudden, followed by a chain of hollow pops echoing through the simulation hall.

One by one, pods began to unlock, the lids lifting with a hiss of compressed air.

Students woke in waves.

Some gasped and clutched their chests as if they had truly been dragged back from death.

Others jolted upright screaming, drenched in sweat, eyes darting wildly until they realized they were safe.

Confusion swept the hall.

"What the hell—"

One boy muttered, looking around, his voice breaking.

A few laughed, loud and shaky, like they weren't sure if they should be relieved or terrified. Some broke down crying.

Others wore hollow, numb expressions as they tried to steady their breathing.

Kyle's pod opened with a soft hiss.

He pushed the lid up the rest of the way and sat forward, a sharp throb pounding in his skull. His hand went to his temple as he blinked, trying to clear the blur from his vision.

He looked around, heart still racing.

"As I thought..." He muttered under his breath.

"This really was the exam…"

All around him, students were climbing out of their pods. Many who had died early in the simulation had already been sitting there, waiting.

Some wore bitter looks, while others just looked exhausted.

There were those who'd found the shelters and made it through, those who'd fought until the end, and those who had been carried by others.

The reactions couldn't have been more different. Some students leapt in joy, pumping fists in the air like they had won something priceless.

Others sat frozen in disbelief, anger bubbling as they realized what they had just been forced to endure.

"What kind of exam was that?!" A girl shouted from across the room.

"Who the hell does this to first-years?!"

Her voice was met with a mix of groans, mutters, and bitter laughter.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

The sharp curse rang right beside Kyle.

He turned and found Cedric hunched over, his face twisted with frustration, one hand clutching the side of his head.

Kyle raised an eyebrow.

"Rough ride?"

Cedric looked at him, his jaw tight, eyes storming with something more than just the aftershock of the simulation.

His lips parted as if to say something, but he hesitated.

"They're gonna find out…"

Cedric muttered under his breath, almost too low for anyone else to hear.

Kyle didn't need him to finish. He already knew what Cedric was talking about.

His third affinity.

The space affinity Cedric had revealed inside the exam.

For a moment, Cedric's eyes held his, searching, almost desperate.

Kyle's expression softened.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine."

Cedric let out a bitter laugh.

"Easy for you to say. If they—"

He cut himself off and shook his head, swearing again under his breath.

"Cedric..."

Kyle said firmly, stepping out of his pod and stretching his stiff shoulders.

"You did what you had to do. No one's gonna crucify you for surviving. Keep your head. We'll figure it out."

Cedric let out a slow breath, his shoulders relaxing just a little.

"...Damn it. You're right. I'm just... fuck, I hate this."

"Yeah.."

Kyle muttered. His eyes swept the room, watching the chaos unfold.

"You're not the only one."

The two of them stood there for a moment, side by side, as the noise of the hall grew.

Shouts, cries, laughter, all colliding into one uneasy storm.

Then...

Clap!

The single sound cracked like thunder, echoing across the hall. Every voice froze. Every head turned.

The atmosphere shifted instantly, silence crashing over the room like a wave.

A crushing weight pressed down on the students, heavy and suffocating. Some flinched, others instinctively lowered their heads, sweat breaking on their brows.

From the center of the hall, a figure walked forward with measured steps.

Principal Lucain.

The pressure alone was enough to pin the air in their lungs. His presence was overwhelming, his eyes scanning the room with an expression as sharp as a blade.

And then, beside him, another ripple of power stirred.

Vice Principal Seris appeared at his side, her calm yet chilling aura intertwining with his.

Together, they stood before the students, silent for a long moment, the weight of their authority filling the hall.

— — —— — —