Dariu and Naylu chased after the rat through the grass field. Unable to catch it, The little creature emerged from within the grass and headed west.

"It's going to the castle!" Shouted Naylu.

"No it's not! Blind it with Raya!"

In his sprint, Naylu made use of his expansive Arsha, conjuring Raya directly into the path of the rat. The radiant light blinded the creature, disrupting its balance and causing it to trip.

Dariu leaped at the rat, but the critter skillfully evaded him in the final moment, swiftly resuming its run.

"Darn it!" He exclaimed, before picking up his sprint.

The rat rushed to the rear entrance of the castle and slipped inside. Aiming to avoid suspicion from the students roaming the castle after classes, the duo stopped running once they entered. Beyond the entrance stretched a long hallway that divided into two paths at the end.

"Let's split up," said Dariu, who went right.

As he walked in hurried steps, Dariu scanned his surroundings. In the midst of his quick glances, he unexpectedly bumped into someone.

"I apologi— hey! You're the guy from that night. Dariu, is it?" Inquired the person, who turned out to be Bartus, the man who took care of the injured on the first night.

"A-ah, yes. Nice to see you again," Dariu answerd in a rushed tone.

"How is it going with you?"

"It's fine fine, great, even! Listen I would like to chat but I'm in a bit of hurry, so..." He said as he hastily walked away.

From a distance, Dariu noticed the rat scratching at a door, as if attempting to gain access to the room. Without hesitation, he dashed towards it and delivered a powerful kick, sending the critter airborne. It collided forcefully with a large painting, presumably of Mariadaishu, leaving a substantial splatter of blood on the face. The blood gradually descended, leaving a distinct smear on the portrait. The rat then collapsed dead on the ground.

With a look of relief, Dariu sighed. Suddenly, the door slid open, and from behind emerged Karnella, the Lardhia language teacher.

"What brings you here?" Asked Karnella in her eerie voice.

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"N-nothing in particular... I was just exploring."

"This section of the castle is designated for teacher accommodations; you're not supposed to be here."

"I understand, I will take my leave."

Having returned to the grassy field near the towering boulder, Dariu and Naylu had another meetup.

"Karnella, huh?" Questioned Naylu, "you think it's her?"

"It got to be, the rat went right to her."

"So what do we do now?"

"We observe her, I suppose. Wait for her to make a move."

"You do realize how difficult that is?"

"I do, that's why I'm not asking you to help. I understand how dangerous it is."

"No, I will help. I still owe you from last time."

"Thanks, Naylu. I appreciate it," he said, extending his hand for a handshake.

Heading back to the dorms before sunset, the pair observed a disturbance near the castle's front entrance. A large crowd had gathered around something, sparking the duo's curiosity to investigate.

Upon reaching the crowd, they witnessed a scene where two students were facing eachother with fighting stances; it was a duel.

"You've always pissed me off, Rantu. I will take great pleasure in this," taunted one of them.

"Awww thank you. The pleasure is all mine," responded Rantu with a smug expression.

Rantu swiftly charged at his opponent, unleashing Dhormu that was met by a Dhoshyl. The clash shattered the shield, unsettling Rantu's opponent. Seizing the moment, Rantu attempted a punch to the face, but it was blocked and countered with two rapid punches, causing him to stagger. A forceful kick to the stomach sent Rantu to the ground, where his opponent, capitalizing on the advantage, cast Dhormu. However, Rantu managed to block it with Dhoshyl just in time, yet the impact pushed him down, resulting in a hard hit to his head.

"Pathetic," said his opponent, "you've been begging for this fight all day long. Is this all you've got?"

While gradually raising himself, Rantu turned his back to his opponent.

"Oh no," he laughed hysterically, "I left the best to the end."

"Moro," he whispered, trying his best to conceal his hand mouvements from his opponent.

A Daishi spell?! Thought Dariu, who was watching from an angle that allowed him to see what was Rantu up to.

"Tarlus," Rantu continued.

"Naylu, get back!" Dariu yelled.

Rantu's opponent began to grow suspicious, and attempted to approach him.

"Just what are you plot—"

"Nara," Rantu concluded the incantation, then stood up and turned around, revealing the orb that had manifested at the tip of his finger.

In fear of being caught in the spell's trajectory, the crowd quickly dispersed.

"That's not possible, it has only been two weeks!" He shouted.

"It is when you have a high Nayum," Rantu said in smug, mocking voice.

In an attempt to shield himself from the upcoming attack, the other student conjured a Dhoshyl and raised it up to his head.

"Kudaishi," uttered Rantu.

With his right hand, Rantu swung the Kudaishi beam through the air, guiding it and leaving a trail of dust and destruction on the ground. The beam finally reached his opponent, slicing his legs on two.

Collapsed on the ground, leaving his two legs standing independently behind him, the student unleashed a deafening scream.

A large amount of blood sprayed from his lower half, quickly saturating a considerable space in a deep shade of red.

With a giggle, Rantu approached him, "how did you like my Kudaishi?" He then stepped on his head, pushing it down onto the pool of blood, "is this all you've got, huh?! You pathetic piece of shit."

"What on earth is wrong with that guy?" Questioned Naylu, who watched from afar.

The other students shared the same reaction; some of them disgusted and others disturbed from the unsettling view.

The screams quickly came to an end, and the lifeless body, drown in a pool of blood, finally stopped moving.

Rantu spat on body before he walked away, leaving everyone in awe.

"I was wrong, Naylu," said Dariu, his gaze fixed on the gory scene, "I thought the most dangerous part of this place was the tests."

He then turned his head to Naylu, "turns out, the most dangerous part was the other students all along."

"No... Dariu, that was just... A maniac."

"That was a person with a high Nayum, others like him exist."

"You think this will happen again?"

"I do. The Nayum adepts have the advantage of mastering spells faster than the others. They will have the upper hand on us, and when that happens..."

"We will be ready for it."

"Yes, we will."