The main gate of the Azalith Academy loomed before him like a monument in agony. The white marble walls were covered in cracks and soot, and the ancient golden barrier that enveloped the entire structure shimmered in the air like torn fabric. Every few seconds, sparks of light fell from the sky and dissolved into ash—signs that the barrier's power was at its limit.

Kael watched the scene in silence, mounted on a creature that should no longer exist.

The undead horse snorted dark vapor with each breath. Its ribs were partially exposed, and where eyes should be there was only flickering blue fire. The reins were formed from ethereal chains, connected directly to Kael's shadow—as if the animal were not a mount, but an extension of his own will.

A cold wind blew, stirring up ash and burnt leaves. High above, the academy's towers still faintly glowed with protective runes that struggled to remain lit.

Kael kept his gaze fixed on the tall doors. "The barrier is weakening."

His voice was low, laden with weariness and determination.

Umbra appeared beside him, her spectral form flickering in the gloom. Her silver eyes observed the golden veil ahead—and even she hesitated for a moment, feeling the weight of that ancient magic.

"You probably won't be able to get through it," she said, crossing her arms. "It's still a divine barrier. Even in this state, it would destroy anything that isn't alive."

Kael turned his face, glancing at her. "Then I'll wait."

"Wait for what?"

"For it to fall."

Umbra let out a frustrated sigh, her voice reverberating like a distant echo. "You speak as if time is on your side."

Kael didn't answer. He simply stood there, watching the golden field waver. The sparks increased in frequency. Something inside the academy was forcing the barrier to remain, but the power sustaining the spell was being drained—perhaps by the same ritual that had consumed half the city.

The wind carried screams.

Faint, but unmistakable.

Umbra stopped, floating a little higher. "Did you hear that?"

Kael raised his head. Inside, beyond the shimmering veil, sounds echoed—cries of pain, steel clashing against steel, the roar of colliding spells. The war wasn't over. It had merely moved inside the walls.

"They're fighting in there," he said, softly.

Ahri appeared in her spirit form, materializing over his left shoulder. Her translucent tails fluttered in the wind. "Or they're being massacred. That doesn't sound like a battle... it sounds like a slaughter."

Kael didn't answer. He watched the energy pulses in the barrier intently. With each flash, the structure vibrated, the metallic sound echoing through the walls like a tired heart. And then, in the instant between one flash and the next, the veil vanished for a second—a blink of an eye—before returning.

Umbra narrowed her eyes. "That's the interval. When it blinks... the barrier reconnects, realigning the flow of mana. During that instant, there's a weakness."

Kael slowly turned his face towards her. "Enough to get through?"

"Maybe," Umbra replied, hesitantly. "But not with this entire army outside. The magical interference is immense. The barrier might interpret them as a mass invasion and pulverize you along with them."

Ahri landed in the air in front of Kael, her ears lowered. "She's right. If you try to enter like that, the still-active defense system will react. You need to reduce your magical presence."

Kael raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do I do that?" Umbra stared at him as if it were obvious. "Well… just tell them to go back."

He blinked, confused. "Tell who?"

She pointed to the horizon.

Kael followed her gesture—and saw.

Throughout the city, among the alleys and shattered streets, shadows moved like dark tides. They were his undead—the army he had raised, commanded, and used to cleanse Azalith of the corrupted mana creatures. Now, standing still, motionless, like statues of war awaiting orders, they watched him from a distance.

The sky, murky and lilac, reflected in the bone blades and cracked helmets. Thousands of bluish and purple eyes stared at him in unison.

"Are you telling me that I can simply…"

He made a vague gesture with his hand.

"…tell them to go back?"

"You're the necromancer, not me," Umbra replied, a little impatiently. "They exist through your shadow. So, yes, technically, you just have to order them."

Kael slowly exhaled, as if testing the weight of the idea. Then, he closed his eyes and murmured:

"Return."

The world seemed to hold its breath.

For a moment, nothing happened.

And then… the shadows moved.

A deep sound—like the distant murmur of an ocean—echoed throughout Azalith. The streets began to darken as the light was swallowed. One by one, the undead raised their heads and dissolved into black dust. The spears, swords, and bodies disappeared into particles, transforming into streams of dense mana that flowed across the ground towards Kael.

Umbra took a step back, surprised. "What… what is that?"

The shadows traveled like inverted rivers, climbing the walls, crossing alleys, and seeping through cracks until they reached the courtyard in front of the academy. There, they gathered around the undead horse—and began to be sucked into Kael's own shadow.

The ground vibrated. The air became heavy, almost impossible to breathe.

Ahri, watching, let out an impressed sigh. "You're not just dismissing them… you're absorbing them all back."

Umbra's eyes widened. "He… he's storing an entire army inside himself. That's insanity. That should be impossible."

Kael kept his face impassive, even as the ground turned black beneath the horse. Waves of necromantic mana intertwined with his own energy, forming concentric circles that spun around the animal's hooves. The runes on his arm began to glow—not in purple, but in a deep, ancient shade, something close to absolute black.

In a few seconds, the city fell silent.

The entire army had disappeared.

The only sound remaining was the distant crackle of the barrier trying to recompose itself, and the deep resonance of the mana vibrating within Kael, like an additional heart beating in sync with his own.

Umbra watched him, not knowing what to say.

Even for an ancient spirit, that was… too much. "Do you know what you just did?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "You absorbed thousands of souls. Of entities that were already beyond death. You are their vessel now."

Kael opened his eyes. The lilac glow was more intense than ever, but still human—contained, controlled.

"Then I'd better not die."

Ahri landed in the air before him and clicked her tongue. "If you die, the underworld will explode. Literally."

Kael simply adjusted the horse's reins. "Then I won't die."

Umbra was silent for a few seconds, her gaze distant. "You are truly becoming something different, Kael… something even I don't understand."

He didn't answer. He simply fixed his gaze on the golden barrier.

Now it flickered faster. Each flash lasted less time, and the distance between them increased. The cycle was failing—the structure was about to collapse.

Ahri turned to the gate, her nine tails fluttering restlessly. "It's going to fall. It's almost there."

Kael gripped the hilt of his sword, feeling the black steel vibrate under his hand. "It won't need to fall."

"What do you mean?" Umbra asked.

"When it flickers again," he said, softly, "I'll go in."

Umbra's eyes widened. "You're going to cross a divine barrier, even if only for a blink of an eye? That's suicide!"

"No," he replied, looking ahead. "It's inevitable."

Silence fell.

The golden light flickered at irregular intervals now, the runes etched into the academy walls began to fade one by one, like dying stars. The wind blew colder, and the distant sound of screams within the walls grew louder.

Kael took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His shadow expanded again, covering the ground beneath the horse, extending to touch the stones of the gate. The time between the flashes of light decreased.

Ahri glanced sideways, tense. "He's coming."

Umbra sighed, resigned. "Then may hell embrace you, necromancer."

Kael opened his eyes. "It already embraced me a long time ago."

The barrier glowed one last time—and flickered out.

The instant the light vanished, Kael moved.

The undead horse neighed, releasing a wave of dark vapor. The world seemed to freeze. Kael advanced like lightning, crossing the space between one flash and another.

During that brief interval, the golden veil rose again behind him—but Kael had already disappeared within the walls of the Azalith Academy.

The gate remained silent, covered in dust and shadow.

Umbra stood outside, watching the spot where he had vanished, and murmured—almost to herself:

"He will change the world… or destroy it completely."

The world flickered.

For an instant, Kael felt the weight of the divine veil crushing his bones.

The barrier—even weak—was designed to repel death, to erase any trace of unholy energy that dared to touch it.

His body burned from within, as if every drop of mana was trying to evaporate at the same time.

But then, the shadow reacted.

The darkness beneath his feet expanded, completely enveloping him. The barrier screamed, a sharp, metallic sound echoed through the magical corridors, and Kael's body simply... passed through.

On the other side, the air smelled of ozone and fresh blood.

The golden light of the protective field dissipated behind him, leaving only smoke and the crackling of breaking runes.

Kael took a deep breath, still mounted on the undead horse. The animal let out a hoarse neigh, the sound resonating against the cracked walls of the Academy.

And then he saw it.

The central courtyard, the same one where young apprentices used to train under the sun, was unrecognizable.

The mosaics that formed the Azalith coat of arms had been destroyed. In their place, black stains of corrupted mana spread like pulsating veins across the ground. The bodies of the students and instructors were scattered – some intact, others completely distorted by magical mutations.

Protective spells still floated in the air, like echoes of a recent battle.

Runes flew aimlessly, broken, trying to maintain personal barriers that no longer existed.

Ahri appeared over his shoulder in ethereal form, her ears drooping.

"By all the gods… what happened here?"

Kael dismounted slowly, the sound of his boots echoing on the blood-covered stones.

His eyes scanned the courtyard, each detail absorbed with cold precision.

The ground still vibrated – not with life, but with uncontrolled magic.

Umbra appeared shortly after, partially materializing. Her aura trembled, reacting to the environment.

"This isn't just destruction. This is… an overload. Something inside the Academy is sucking mana from everything – people, creatures, even the very air."

Kael didn't answer. He just walked.

Wherever he passed, the shadows stirred.

Each step seemed to echo in two dimensions: in the physical world and within the Underworld he carried. The broken walls reflected this power – and trembled slightly.

From the top of the fallen balconies, sounds of fighting still echoed.

Spells exploded, screams were swallowed, and deformed creatures – grotesque fusions of flesh and mana – crawled among the wreckage.

They were remnants of experiments that had gone wrong. Students and teachers transformed by rituals they tried to contain – and failed.

Kael watched one of these things crawl towards him.

Half of its face still human, half pure solidified mana, it stretched out its arm and tried to speak.

"He–…lp…"

But before it could finish, the body collapsed, dissolving into unstable particles.

Ahri looked away. Umbra just watched, silently.

"Damn… I need to find those three," Kael said softly.