Clarence sat in his office, thumbing through a stack of documents with a rare look of focus. The pen in his hand danced almost reluctantly across paper after paper as he signed them, one by one. He didn't look up, not even once, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"This doesn't feel right," he muttered. "It's really one of those days... something's definitely off."

Just then, the door creaked open and in stepped Drago, holding a letter in his hand. But instead of speaking right away, he froze mid-step.

His eyes widened. His jaw almost dropped.

There Clarence was, seated at his desk, fully dressed, pen in hand, actually working.

"…Did I step into an alternate reality?" Drago blinked, tilting his head. "You're actually working. And early too. That's the real kicker."

Clarence raised an eyebrow without looking up. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean? I do my job too, you know. Need I remind you, I'm your boss."

"Only on paper," Drago snorted, walking in with a smirk. "I seem to recall a certain someone always finding a reason to dump paperwork on me. Don't forget, I've covered your sorry butt more times than I can count."

Clarence groaned and leaned back, clearly trying to ignore him. "Why are you here? Can't you go bother someone else?"

"This came in for you." Drago slapped the letter down onto the desk in front of him.

Clarence glanced at it, eyes catching the distinctive seal pressed in deep red wax. A phoenix with wings spread wide curled protectively around a sword, both encircled by golden laurels.

"…From Verena?" Clarence sat upright, reaching for it. The seal alone sent a ripple of tension through the air.

He broke it and unfolded the paper slowly. His eyes scanned the content once. Then twice.

"…Is that a…" His voice trailed off, and his lips curled into a frown. "You have got to be kidding me."

Clarence squeezed the paper in his hand, the crinkle of parchment sounding harsh in the quiet room. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the floor, shaking his head with a slow, deliberate motion.

'I know someone who definitely shouldn't find out about all this.'

His mind flickered, just for a second, to a memory buried deep beneath layers of time. It was cold, chaotic, and soaked in blood. A scream. A cry. A promise he failed to keep.

But just as quickly, Clarence shoved it away. Not now.

"So my suspicions were correct," he muttered, his voice low and grim. "He's been freed. This peaceful life… it won't last much longer. And if I'm right, his first targets will be those kids."

Clarence's expression was carved in visible disappointment, lips pressed tightly, eyes hardened with regret. The kind of look only those who had seen too much could wear so naturally.

Drago let out a long sigh as he sank into the seat across from him. "It seems so. All we can do is protect them… but carefully. If we're too obvious, the other kingdoms will think we're picking a side."

Clarence stood and walked over to the large window that overlooked The academy's central grounds.

The sky was clear. Students laughed, sparred, and studied below, completely unaware of the growing storm on the horizon. The warmth of their innocence seemed almost cruel against the weight of what he knew.

He placed a hand against the glass and quietly watched them. "So full of life. So unaware. So... unprepared."

Behind him, Drago stood and turned to leave, but paused as Clarence's voice stopped him.

"How long do you think we can last?"

Drago turned slightly, one brow raised.

"Against Zett? Please." A confident smirk formed on his face as he clenched his fists and mimed a punch into his palm. "If we go all out, the current us could wipe him out in a single night. I'm not worried about him."

Clarence chuckled softly, but there was no humor in it. "That's not what I mean."

Drago tilted his head, puzzled.

"I don't know what it is… but I get this subtle feeling. A cold whisper in the air." Clarence stared out again at the students below. "Something worse than Zett is coming. Something we may not be ready for."

He turned his head slightly, just enough for his voice to reach Drago. "When that day comes… do you think those children will survive it?"

"We'll just need to have faith in them," Drago replied with a final nod before walking out the door.

Clarence didn't respond. He merely watched his friend leave, the sound of the door clicking shut lingering in the silence that followed. He turned back to the window with a tired smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Right… faith. Good one."

His eyes scanned the courtyard until they landed on a familiar group walking together—Jett, Cedric, Rey, Asher, and Evelina.

A soft sigh left his lips. "They better be ready. Especially you… Jett."

*****

"Achoo!"

Jett rubbed his nose while walking alongside the others.

"Someone's talking about me," he muttered, giving a suspicious glance toward the sky.

"Keep dreaming," Rey said lazily, arms stretched behind his head as he walked directly in front of Jett. The casual swing of his elbows nearly hit Jett in the chest, prompting an irritated scoff.

"Hey, Jett. I want you to try out this sword," Cedric suddenly spoke, holding out a long, sheathed weapon he'd been carrying with care.

"A sword?" Jett blinked, mildly surprised. He reached out as Cedric unsheathed it, revealing a sleek, dark silver blade that glimmered faintly under the sunlight.

'Now that I think about it… I'm the only one here who still uses a basic weapon. Everyone else has something special, except for the mages, of course.'

"You actually took the time to make me something?" Jett's grin widened. "The least I can do is give it a swing."

As soon as the hilt touched his hand, a strange warmth coursed through his fingers, balanced, cool, yet pulsing with energy. The blade seemed to hum faintly, responding to his grip.

"Whoa… nice." His eyes lit up.

[Weapon: Adamantine Long Sword]

+20 Agility

+8 Strength

+5% Max HP

+10% Fire & Cold Resistance

+10% Sword Art Effectiveness]

"Wonderful. I like it." Jett gave it a test swing, the blade slicing cleanly through the air with a sharp whoosh. "Too bad I haven't learned any sword arts yet."

"It's forged with adamantium," Cedric said with pride swelling in his voice. "So don't even think you can break it. That thing could outlive us all."

Rey narrowed his eyes. "Wait a sec, why don't I have an adamantium sword?"

Evelina smirked, nudging Cedric with her elbow. "You really went all out for your boyfriend, huh?"

Cedric's face turned to her. "W-What?! He's not my… I just… I made it because he needed a new weapon, okay?!"

"Ha! I was joking" Evelina laughed, but Asher flicked her forehead making her to stop.

"I… it's nothing like that!" Cedric stammered, cheeks still red as he waved off Evelina's teasing.

Jett chuckled, twirling the new sword in his hand once more. "Well, I guess it's finally time to put my old sword to rest…"

But then, something shifted.

A strange chill ran down Jett's spine. His heartbeat suddenly pounded louder in his chest, thudding with unnatural intensity. The world around him slowed. Sound dulled. Even the breeze seemed to freeze in place.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

His breath caught in his throat.

"YOU UNGRATEFUL CHILD… NOW WATCH AND LEARN TO RESPECT ME."

A voice, harsh, annoyed, and commanding, echoed in his mind. His fingers twitched around the hilt of his old sword, and his entire demeanor shifted like a snapped string.

"Hey, Cedric," Jett said, his tone calm, eerily calm. "You don't mind if I give it a test run, right?"

There was something unnatural about the way he asked. A stillness in his eyes that made the others uneasy.

"What do you mean by th…" Cedric began, but the words barely left his lips when Jett moved.

With precision and speed, Jett tossed the new sword high into the air. The sun glinted off its polished edge as it spun upward in a slow arc. In the same motion, Jett unsheathed his old, ordinary sword and assumed a perfect fencing stance, not even looking at the falling blade.

The moment it descended into striking range…

SLASH!

One clean cut.

The adamantine sword split in half mid-air, both pieces clattering to the ground with a metallic clang.

"Nooooooo!" Cedric screamed, lunging forward and grabbing Jett by the collar. "Why?! You jerk! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"

"If you didn't like it, you could've just said so!" he whined, shaking him lightly. "I actually put effort into that, you heartless monster!"

"Did you really have to go that far?" Rey muttered, crouching beside the broken blade in disbelief. He patted Cedric on the shoulder. "There, there."

"You really are an asshole," Evelina said with folded arms and a glare sharp enough to pierce armor.

Asher said nothing. He only shook his head slowly in quiet disapproval.

"I… I'm sorry," Jett muttered, blinking as the haze over his mind faded. "I don't know what came over me."

'What the hell just happened…?'

His eyes dropped to the sword in his hand—his old, battered blade.

'That was adamantium. I cut clean through it. With this thing.'

Not a scratch on the edge. Not a tremble in his arm. It wasn't even dull.

For a moment, Jett felt something strange, an unease, a presence. He stared at his weapon like it had grown teeth.

'And for a split second… it felt like… it was jealous.'

*

*

*

Another Secret huh?