In the quiet library, numerous students roamed the aisles, searching for books that piqued their interest.

Kane sat quietly, engrossed in a book about elemental magic, his expression shifting from serene to happy, then to curiosity as he alternated his gaze between his book and the people sharing his table.

"I'm not surprised to see Miss Rachel in the library, but… in all my years, you're the last person I expected to find here," Kane remarked, lowering his book and narrowing his eyes in surprise at Aaron, who sat across from him, quietly reading a book about swordsmanship.

Aaron, unaffected by Kane's words, replied in a mature manner that further surprised him, "Just because I spend most of my time holding a blade doesn't mean I don't enjoy reading a book," he said casually, turning a page.

Both Rachel and Kane were rather bewildered by his response, "Is this the Aaron I know?" they thought to themselves.

Rachel remarked in her usual demeanor, "I'm rather surprised as well, Mr. Aaron. But it's a pleasant surprise nonetheless," She continued reading her book about spirit.

The three of them spent a long moment in silence, absorbed in their respective books. The quiet was so profound that the conversations of others around them were easily picked up by their exceptional hearing.

"So that's how it is?" a man to their right said to his fellow student. "I know, right? He's so cute!" a girl from another group exclaimed.

The sounds of these conversations reached their ears, but they paid them no mind, remaining focused on their reading. That is until a particular conversation caught their interest.

"Really?" a man said, laughing. His friend joined in, "Yeah, the rumor says that the two of them are close." They continued laughing, but at Kane's table, Rachel's eye twitched in annoyance.

Of course, it didn't go unnoticed by the other two, who subtly leaned to eavesdrop.

"Yeah, they call it 'The Fated Love of the Kidnappee,'." one man mocked. He then started to narrate, "A story about the forbidden love between a country bumpkin and the royal—"

Before he could continue, a sudden thud interrupted him, drawing everyone's attention. They turned to see an enraged Rachel glaring daggers at them. Her fierce expression scared them so much that they immediately fled the library.

Rachel tried to quickly regained her composure and turned to see both Aaron and Kane staring at her, she fell silent as she covered her embarrassed expression with her book.

"So… Davis?" Aaron asked, his tone curious. Kane said nothing, but a mischievous smile played on his lips.

Rachel sighed and shook her head, "Please don't believe those rumors about me and Davis."

Aaron persisted, "Then, Princess, you're saying it's all made up?"

"Yes," Rachel replied firmly. But the two already saw her split second embarrassed expression and shared a knowing gaze.

Trying to change the subject, Rachel quickly turned to Aaron and asked, "Mr. Aaron, may I ask why you're reading a book about basic swordsmanship?"

Aaron closed his book and read the cover. "After some enlightening experiences, I've come to understand that my family's style doesn't suit me," he said with sorrowful eyes, "I'm learning it again from the basics in the hope of finding a solution to that problem."

Aaron recalled watching K and Davis’s battle with a mesmerized gaze. His blood boiled with excitement as he observed them fight, and how fluent and elegant it was, this experience opened his eyes and sparked a new flame inside of him.

Kane noticed the change in Aaron's eyes and way of speaking. The once prideful and arrogant Aaron now seemed determined and open-minded. The arrogance had vanished, replaced by humility.

Aaron then inquired about Kane's choice of reading.

Kane turned to his book with a smile, reminiscent of his battle with K. He remembered how K had utilized his magic and how, for the first time since embarking on the path of magic, Kane had encountered a wall—a wall that others often saw him as, one he now had to overcome.

As they were lost in thought, contemplating the images of their new inspiration, a shockwave rippled through the city. Though subtle, everyone could feel it. Soon, screams erupted from outside the Academy.

They sprang to their feet and rushed to the window. Smoke billowed into the sky, obscuring their view beyond the Academy grounds.

Without hesitation, the three of them dashed outside to assess the situation. Standing before the Academy gate, they saw citizens surging in a frantic horde, rushing past them and into the Academy grounds.

As they pushed against the rushing horde of people, they finally saw what was causing the chaos. "Monsters!" most of them shouted, but the words were lost in a mix of panicked screams and terrified panting.

Suddenly, a group of humanoid lizards appeared and charged at them. Rachel, Kane, and Aaron swiftly dealt with the creatures before more showed up. Seeing the top students of their school fighting, other students joined in to assist.

They fought valiantly against the oncoming wave of monsters until a giant rock golem emerged. Its body was unlike anything in their training simulations, tearing through the students who stood in its path.

"I'll handle it," Kane declared, rushing at the golem. With a swing of his blade, he cut into the monster's body with his aura blade. However, the golem's body quickly reformed and retaliated with a powerful punch, which Kane blocked with his magic just in the nick of time.

Chains of light appeared, restraining the golem, "Are you alright, Aaron?" Kane said, his hand adorned with a magic circle as he controlled the chains.

"Yeah, thanks for your help!" Aaron focused his aura on his blade. With a powerful motion, he unleashed a devastating slash even more potent than the last, destroying the golem.

Kane walked over to Aaron with a happy smile, "You've gone soft?" he teased.

Aaron shook his head as he sat on the ground, "Perhaps I have, but not for long," he replied confidently.

Rachel approached them with a serious expression, her bodyguard by her side, "We can't celebrate just yet," she said, turning to look down the street behind them, "The real struggle has just begun."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

They turned to see hundreds of monsters advancing towards them. The trio readied themselves for the impending battle. However, before the monsters could reach them, powerful lightning strikes obliterated the approaching horde.

Principal Wulder hovered in the air, his expression calm, "These mere monsters dared to infiltrate our esteemed land."

The other professors arrived and their resolve was evident in their expression, "We will eradicate them from our Empire," Wulder declared, before launching a fire spell that incinerated everything on the street.

Davis dispatched one monster after another with his combination of magic and close-quarters combat. Despite Rowan's assistance, the onslaught of monsters seemed endless.

"Move right, Davis!" Rowan shouted. Without hesitation, Davis obeyed, leaping aside as Rowan's sword cleaved through a monster sneaking up behind him.

Earth magic: earth spike*

In return, Davis conjured multiple earth spikes, hurling them toward the approaching lizardmen targeting Rowan. The spikes pierced through the creatures, clearing Rowan's path.

With a nod of understanding, the two students separated to cover more ground.

Davis rushed toward the source of the citizens' screams and spotted a family trapped under a collapsed building, surrounded by lizardmen and other monsters chipping away at the rubble above them.

With a powerful blazing spell, Davis incinerated the creatures to a crisp, "It's alright, everyone," he panted, exhaustion evident in his voice. "I'm here to help. Please come to me."

Using his magic, Davis lifted the rubble, watching as the family approached him with hopeful gazes.

"Watch out!" the girl shouted. Before Davis could react, a powerful fist struck him, sending him crashing into a building across the road.

The monster that attacked him was a large humanoid with a goat-like head and elongated limbs. Sniffing the air, it turned toward Davis’s direction. Finding no movement, it shifted its attention back to the collapsed building.

With a swing of its hand, the creature sent the building flying, revealing the trembling family. When their eyes met its gaze, the creature slowly but firmly gripped the girl, who was at the forefront of her family, and lifted her, opening its mouth wide in preparation for devouring the child.

Light magic: Chains of light*

A chain of light held the monster's mouth shut, while several more wrapped around its body, tightening with a force that made the creature screech in pain and release the girl.

From the rubble, Davis emerged with blood dripping from his head, one hand hanging limp, and struggling to walk straight. His eyes, filled with unwavering focus, masked the pain clouding his mind.

"I'm your opponent," he spoke with palpable difficulty, his gaze showing no hint of backing down, "Don't even think about hurting them," His remaining arm controlled the chains.

The monsters using all their force broke the chains and released a powerful screech in Davis's direction, but Davis stood unmoving nor reacted to its battle screech. His hand gesture creates a magic circle.

The creature glanced briefly at the family, then turned back to Davis, recognizing him as the greater threat. It lunged forward, but Davis, unable to use his right arm, conjured multiple flaming magic spears with his remaining strength.

Fire Magic: Flame spears*

Davis sent the flaming magic spears hurtling toward the monster. They struck with a direct hit, causing an explosion. However, the creature emerged from the dust cloud unscathed and lunged at Davis, slashing at him but barely making contact.

Davis jumped away, shouting, "Run, goddamn it!" His scream snapped the family out of their trance, and they fled. The monster, seeing its prey escaping, screeched at them but was interrupted by a fireball striking its skull.

K sat atop the roof, observing the one-sided battle below, "It's such a one-sided attack," he sighed, watching Davis being hammered by the beast, "Guess I should help him out." He stood up, preparing to intervene, but paused as Davis unexpectedly surprised him.

Lying on the ground, Davis felt his body failing. Looking at the approaching monster, he thought, "I-I can't… can't die here." The creature grabbed him, preparing to devour him.

"So be it," Davis muttered hazily, his eyes fixed on the beast's approaching maw.

He let go of his reasoning and tapped once more into K's crimson energy. This time, with K awake, his connection to the power surged beyond his previous experience losing any bit of control he had in the past.

A powerful surge of crimson energy shot forth, its shockwave spreading across the city. Every monster roaming the streets halted their actions for a long second, their bodies visibly trembling as they sensed something ominous.

On the other side of the city, far from the ensuing chaos, a woman sat in a garden. Her eyes were sorrowful yet reluctant as she stared at the smoke billowing into the sky.

"Athena, why wouldn't you let me go there?" Miya questioned with slight annoyance. Athena turned and replied in riddles, "It's not the right time. We have something far more important at hand," she said, her gaze shifting back to the scriptures laid out on the table.

Suddenly, K's crimson aura spread and enveloped them. Miya couldn't sense it, but Athena trembled, "Was that?" She turned to the scripture on the table, brows furrowed in worry, "Has that monster awakened already?"

"I hope you’re right, Apollon," Athena said, then took her seat. "Miya, I need to ask a favor of you." Her gaze remained fixed on the numerous scriptures spread across the table.

Unbeknownst to the monster, Davis has mangled its arm. In a split second, he stood atop its head and with a casual stomp, crushed the monster's skull along with the ground and everything around it.

K smiled sinisterly, "I didn’t know he could wield my Chaos Magic to this extent without any guidance…" He chuckled menacingly, "Good, good… You have dispelled any doubt I had about you!"

"This is only the start, Davis. You'll need to grow far more powerful to be my sword against… them," With a giggle, K disappeared.

Davis lost himself in madness, but the sudden overload of power caused him to collapse unconscious as Professor Wuldor and reinforcements arrived.

Only Wuldor and the other Patriarchs could feel the dreaded and terrifying aura hidden in the energy shockwave. Though they didn't know its origin, they instinctively feared it.

"Davis, are you alright?" Wuldor inquired, casting a healing spell on Davis with his mana.

"I'm alright, just… tired," Davis replied, his breathing erratic and heavy.

"Davis!" many other voices called out to him from afar.

Davis turned to see his friends coming in his direction, "Student Davis, I would like to ask if you know anything about the surge of energy coming from this area?" Alistair Helsar asked with a narrowed gaze. The others who had felt the energy stood quietly, waiting for Davis's response.

Rowan, Rachel, Aaron, Kane, and many others were confused by the question, "What energy?" one of them whispered, "I don't feel anything!" their whispers grew louder.

Davis did not want to expose his connection to K, which would reveal their demonic contract to everyone present. "I apologize, sir, but I was so focused on my battle that I'm not sure what energy you're referring to," he said.

Alistair Helsar gave him a skeptical stare and probed further, "Are you sure about that, Student Davis?" His eyes analyzed Davis for any hint of deceit. However, after living with K for so long, Davis's acting skills had become almost as natural as K's, mirroring K's demeanor and actions flawlessly.

Wuldor Herald steps up defending his student, "Enough, we'll investigate that later. But now we need to deal with the problem at hand" the other agreed making Alistair Helsar back down.

After resting, Davis joined the reinforcement team in their mission to rid the city of the invading monsters. As they battled, they saw the distant dimensional rift slowly closing, signaling the end of their nightmare.

With the aid of the Empire Pillar, Academy professors, and students, the monsters that invaded the Celestial Empire were systematically wiped out, until the last one lay slain.

Most of the dimensional rifts were closed and disappeared except for one which was nearly closed.

As the city fell silent, a knight shouted triumphantly, "We've won!" Cheers erupted but were abruptly halted by the sudden expansion of the dimensional rift caused by K.

They watched in shock as hundreds of monsters, far stronger than the previous ones, flooded out of the massive tear in reality.