"That man, Instructor… who was he?" One of the students following behind, Aiden, asked.
Instructor Flinn glanced back, his sharp gaze meeting Aiden's before shifting forward again.
"He's one of the instructors overseeing the trial. Instructor Sulien Von Wald, the third son of Duke Hugo Von Wald." Flinn's voice remained even, but there was a weight to his words. "He's also… the one responsible for leading the war to victory. The war that nearly lasted more than seven years." His eyes narrowed as he fixed his gaze on the path ahead.
At first, he hadn't known much about Sulien either. To him, Sulien was simply the man who had brought him here, the one who had given him a new path in life. For that, he was grateful. Naturally, he had wanted to learn more.
So, he asked around.
Almost every instructor had something to say about Sulien, but the more he learned, the more questions arose. After the war's victory, Sulien had vanished from the public eye. Some claimed he had been ambushed and killed. Others whispered that he roamed the continent, untethered to any land or title. Another rumor suggested he had returned to the Wald estate to recover from wounds too severe to face the world again.
No matter which version was true, one thing was certain.
Sulien Von Wald was not an ordinary instructor.
Aiden's steps slowed as he processed Instructor Flinn's words. His silver eyes flickered with thought, but he remained silent. The other students exchanged uneasy glances, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten as curiosity took hold.
A man like that, someone who had led a war to victory, someone who had vanished without a trace, was now here, standing among them as nothing more than an instructor. It didn't make sense.
Before anyone could question it further, Flinn suddenly stopped. His head tilted slightly, his stance shifting as his sharp eyes scanned the surroundings.
Aiden caught the change in his demeanor immediately.
"Something's wrong," Flinn muttered, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword.
The ground trembled.
A low, rhythmic scraping echoed through the mist, like something massive dragging itself over stone. The air thickened, pressing down on them.
From the shadows of the ruined structures, figures emerged.
Twisted, grotesque creatures, their elongated limbs jerking unnaturally with each step. Their mask-like faces split open, revealing rows of needle-thin teeth.
The students tensed. Some staggered back, still drained from the previous encounter, their bodies and minds struggling to recover from the mental assault.
Flinn exhaled sharply, stepping forward. "Step back."
In one fluid motion, he unsheathed his blade. The steel gleamed in the dim light as he braced himself.
The monsters lunged.
Flinn met them head-on.
His movements were precise, his sword slicing clean through the first creature. Blackened blood splattered across the cracked stone. Another beast swung at him, claws aiming for his head, but Flinn ducked, pivoting smoothly before driving his blade into its chest.
He was strong. A seasoned warrior. He wasn't Sulien, but he wasn't weak.
Still, there were too many.
For every monster he cut down, another emerged from the fog. Their screeches grew louder, reverberating through the ruins. The students were struggling, some barely able to stand, their bodies trembling from exhaustion.
Aiden gritted his teeth. He wasn't powerless, but he knew the truth.
They were being overwhelmed.
And then
The air shifted.
A sharp gust of wind howled through the battlefield, and for a single breath, the world seemed to hold still.
Then, collapse.
Space twisted violently, and in an instant, the monsters were wrenched from existence. Their bodies contorted unnaturally, crushed under an unseen force before they disintegrated into nothing.
The battlefield fell into silence.
A figure stood in the wake of the destruction, dark fabric settling around him. His piercing gaze swept over the ruins, indifferent to the lingering tension in the air.
Sulien Von Wald.
Flinn lowered his sword, exhaling. "...Instructor."
Sulien's eyes flickered toward him before landing on the students.
"This is what you call a safe place?" His voice was calm, but the weight behind it was undeniable.
Flinn clicked his tongue. "We didn't exactly have a choice."
Sulien hummed in acknowledgment, though his expression remained unreadable. His gaze lingered on Aiden for a moment before shifting back to the ruins.
"This trial has already spiraled out of control," Sulien muttered, fingers twitching slightly. "And it's only going to get worse."
Aiden swallowed hard.
There was something unsettling in Sulien's tone. It wasn't just a passing comment. It was a statement laced with certainty, with knowledge he had yet to share.
Flinn's brows furrowed as he sheathed his sword, stepping closer. His stance was steady, but there was tension in his posture, his sharp eyes scanning Sulien's expression.
"What do you mean by that?" Flinn asked, his voice low. "You've known something from the start, haven't you?"
Sulien didn't answer immediately. Instead, he exhaled slowly, gaze drifting toward the ruins ahead. The fog clung to the broken structures like ghostly fingers, the eerie silence stretching between them.
Then, he spoke. "The monsters here aren't natural," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "The corruption in them—it's deliberate."
Flinn's expression darkened. "You're saying someone tampered with this ruin?"
Sulien tilted his head slightly, his eyes gleaming under the dim light. "Tampered? No. This ruin was always dangerous, but the creatures here should never have been this strong. This isn't a simple mutation. Something. Perhaps someone, is forcing an unnatural evolution."
Flinn's fingers twitched at his side. He had seen powerful monsters before, but this was different. The creatures weren't just strong; they were twisted, distorted beyond their usual limits.
"Then that means…" Flinn trailed off, his jaw tightening. "This trial isn't just compromised. It's a trap."
Sulien nodded slightly. "If these monsters have been altered, then it's not a stretch to assume they were meant to test something, or someone." His gaze shifted toward the students, his expression unreadable.
Aiden felt his breath hitch. A test? No. This felt more like a hunt.
Flinn let out a slow breath, rubbing his temple. "And let me guess… you already have an idea who's behind it?"
Sulien didn't answer immediately. His fingers tightened slightly, the only indication of his irritation.
"If the monsters have changed, then it means a certain organization is involved," he finally said, voice colder than before. "And if they're here, the entire balance of this continent is at risk."
Flinn stiffened. He knew exactly what Sulien was implying.
Aiden watched them both, tension settling deep in his chest. He didn't know the full picture, but he understood one thing.
This wasn't just a trial gone wrong.
Something else was at play.
And Sulien Von Wald knew it.
***
Sulien's thought were deep. Something gnawed at the edges of his thoughts, an unease that refused to be ignored.
This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.
His fingers curled slightly.
The novel he remembered, the one that dictated the events of this world, had never mentioned creatures like these appearing in the academy's trial. The ruins were supposed to be dangerous, yes, but not to this extent. The monsters were meant to be a challenge for the students, nothing more than a stepping stone to sharpen their skills.
Not abominations filled with unnatural corruption.
Then why?
Why was everything different?
Sulien's grip tightened around the pulsating monster's eye in his palm. It was a tangible contradiction, proof that something was shifting outside his knowledge.
Was it his presence? Had his existence altered the course of events? Or… was the novel never a perfect script to begin with?
A chill settled in his chest. If the story was changing, then what else was different?
The people? The factions? The future?
He exhaled sharply, forcing the thought away. No. He needed more information before jumping to conclusions. But one thing was clear.
He couldn't trust the novel anymore. Not completely.
If he clung to it blindly, he would be walking into traps laid by an enemy he no longer understood. The novel had been his greatest advantage. The map that guided him through this world.
But now…
Now, it was starting to look more like a warning.
Sulien let out a slow breath, his eyes narrowing as he glanced up at the darkened sky. If the story was changing…
Then he would just have to change faster.