When the battle in the academy square was over, students and faculty members began to gather the wounded and fix obstacles. Bais stood still, clenching his fists. His gaze was fixed on the monster's body, which slowly crumbled into black ash. "This wasn't supposed to happen," he thought. - "They were all destroyed in the finale. How did they come back? Or did I miss something?" A familiar figure appeared beside him. Caelan, out of breath, approached, shaking the dust off his cloak. - You surprise me again, newcomer," he said, squinting. - How did you know of their vulnerability? Bice looked at him and hesitated for a moment. 'If I tell the truth, he certainly won't believe me. - Я... wasn't far from them when I was preparing to enroll," Bais lied, trying to sound confident. Caelan frowned, but apparently decided not to inquire. - Hmm, that's odd. Those things hadn't appeared in over a hundred years. Even the academy archives had all but forgotten about them. But you were right. - Have you seen them before? - Bice jumped at the chance to learn more. - No," Caelan replied, "but I've heard the legends. If they've returned, it means someone is behind them. Uneasy magic summoned them. Those words confirmed Byce's safety. Everything was going exactly according to his plot, but now something had changed. Someone or something had intervened. A few hours later, Bais returned to his room. The academy had fallen back into relative calm, but the silence no longer seemed safe. The system activated again, words flashed before his eyes: [Final Chapter Progress: 2%.] [New Goal: Find those behind the return of the monsters.] - Find them? - Bice whispered. - How am I going to do that? The system somehow heard his thoughts. A new inscription appeared in front of him: [You can use "Autorun Search". It allows you to see the key events of your world."] Bais blinked. "Key events? Is that like rewinding the plot?" - Okay, let's give it a try... Autor search! A map of the academy appeared in front of him, but it was unconventional, with brightly colored markers shining over several points. One of the proposed ones was larger than the others. It is located in the northern wing of the academy. [Key Event Area: library. Bais frowned. The library? He wrote that ancient magical books were kept there, but there was no mention of any important subjects related to her. - So something had changed. As he was about to get up, a memory came over him, this character there was a woman in her 30s with a child when he realized it was him as a 10 year old child and he closed his eyes then opened them and it was over, he got up and went to the door. Bice wasted no time. The night wasn't over yet and the silence had only come closer to heightening his anxiety. The north wing of the academy was empty. The lights of the magic lamps flickered slightly, casting long shadows. As he approached the library, the door that should normally have been closed was ajar. Bais froze, staring into the darkness. - Who's in here? - He asked, but no one answered back. He stepped cautiously inside. Rows of shelves of books led off into a deep hall, like an endless maze. But the system activated again, lighting the way to the golden world, which led to one of the tables. On the table was an old book with burnt pages. Bais recognized it immediately. It was the Book of Shadows, one of the most important documents he had described in his short story. Its appearance here was not just strange, but dangerous. - It shouldn't be here," Bice muttered, reaching out for the book. But the moment his fingers touched the cover, the room was filled with dark smoke. A low laughter could be heard in the air. - Author, you're finally here," said a cold voice. Bais looked around, trying to see where the sound was coming from, but there was only darkness around. - You wrote me yourself. But now I won't obey. Bais felt a chill run down his skin. This was the antagonist he had invented - the main enemy of his story. But now he wasn't a character. He was real. - 'I've come to your work,' the voice said. - 'But on my own terms.
