"Who is he? And why do we have to be scared of him? Why do I have to hide myself… my mana?"
I took a step forward, frustration laced in my voice. I didn't want to be afraid of someone I didn't even know. And more than anything—I wanted answers.
Kael closed his eyes for a brief moment, as if bracing himself. Then he looked straight at me, and something shifted in his expression. The strict mentor faded. The soldier in him stood tall. And beneath it all, I saw a man who had seen things—terrible things.
"Gansovi… He was once one of us."
Kael's voice was quiet, but each word carried weight.
"A top-ranking student. Brilliant. Gifted. He could manipulate mana like no one else. All elements bent to his will. But there was one thing he craved more than power—control."
He started pacing slowly, hands behind his back.
"He wanted to surpass the natural limits of mana. To create new types. Forbidden types. The kind that didn't just bend nature… but broke it. And then one day, he did."
I held my breath.
"He created a mana that could consume others. Steal their essence. Their powers. Their memories."
Kael paused, glancing at me. "They called it Hollow Mana. But he… he was the only one who ever used it and survived."
A heavy silence filled the room, pressing on my chest like gravity.
"He turned on the Academy. Slaughtered his mentors. Took half of his squad with him—twisting their minds with whatever spell he cast. He disappeared after that, became a ghost in every high-ranking file."
Kael stepped closer, his tone suddenly sharper.
"He hunts people, Elias. People with rare mana. People like you. If he finds out you carry dark mana—not just any dark mana, but that kind—he will come for you. Not because he's afraid of you… but because he wants it. He wants to own it."
I felt a cold chill race down my spine.
"And no one will be able to stop him?"
Kael didn't answer right away. His jaw clenched.
"No one ever has."
My heart thudded harder now. I looked down at my hand, still remembering the way the mana had erupted during the spar—so natural, so powerful, like it had been waiting.
"So what now?" I asked, my voice low. "Am I supposed to run? Hide?"
Kael shook his head slowly.
"No. You're going to train. You're going to learn to control it. And you're going to pretend it doesn't exist in front of anyone else. Not until you're strong enough to face him if that day ever comes."
I looked at him.
He wasn't just warning me anymore.
He was preparing me.
That realization settled like lead in my stomach.
But before I could say anything else—a sharp noise echoed from outside the door.
A quiet shuffle, like someone stumbling over loose stone. Both Kael and I froze.
His eyes narrowed, his body instantly alert. Mine widened in alarm.
"Did you hear that?" I whispered.
Kael didn't answer. He was already moving. I followed him, heart thundering in my chest. He flung the door open in one swift motion, and I stepped out behind him—
Just in time to see a figure turning the corner at the end of the corridor.
A blur of black robes and hurried steps.
But it wasn't just anyone.
Even from behind, even with that brief glimpse—I knew that silhouette. The straight posture. The way his coat flared as he walked.
It was Professor Voss.
My stomach dropped.
"No…" I muttered, taking a step forward. "That was Voss."
Kael's jaw clenched as he stepped out into the hallway, looking in the direction the man had fled.
"Damn it." he growled under his breath. "He was listening."
I turned to him. "Why would he—why would a professor be spying on us?"
Kael didn't answer right away. His face was a storm of suspicion and tension.
"Because not every professor here is what they seem, Elias."
His voice was low, grave.
"And Voss… Voss has always taken a strange interest in the gifted students. Especially those with… unusual mana."
I felt the chill return, this time colder than before.
Had he heard everything? About my mana? About Gansovi?
"What if he tells someone?" I asked, my voice shaking just slightly.
Kael looked at me, dead serious. "Then we may already be too late."
A knot formed in my chest. This wasn't just about me anymore.
Someone dangerous might know my secret.
And now... the game had changed.