Without saying anything, Khael pushed forward and hurried through the crowded area. His focus moved from one person to another, looking for the hooded figure's appearance.

Cade called from behind, “Where are you going?”

Khael didn’t stop. The image of that face replayed in his mind as he scanned other people's faces. The words kept repeating like a warning: They're evolving.

Cade caught up. “What happened, Captain?”

“There’s a new problem.” Khael answered without looking away.

“What?”

“Let’s go back. It’s getting late.”

“But what happened?”

Khael didn’t answer. He walked straight to the car without another word and sat on the passenger seat. He leaned back but didn’t relax, just stared out the windshield. Cade was a moment behind. He slid in after opening the driver's side door and glanced at Khael while he fastened his seatbelt. Even though he knew something was wrong he couldn't bring himself to ask.

They reached the apartment in silence. Khael walked straight to the couch and slumped down. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his chin resting on his hands. Cade walked further into the room and found the girl sitting on the floor, her back resting against the wall. She looked up when he approached but didn’t say a word. Cade handed her the bag of clothes they had bought. She hesitated for a moment, then took it with both hands.

Cade returned to the living room and dropped onto the couch opposite Khael. He leaned back and crossed his arms, staring at him.

“Captain, tell me what’s wrong?”

Khael exhaled slowly. “Alright, but don’t interrupt.”

He explained everything that had happened on the battlefield.

“So… Finn is dead?”

“You didn’t know?” Khael said with a flat tone.

“I heard he was moved to another sector…”

“Yeah, but later he was reassigned back with us.” Khael paused. “Aren’t you sad that your cousin died?”

“Honestly, no. I’m used to hearing things like that.”

“Huh?”

“By the way, you’re not the first one to face something like this, captain. There’ve been similar incidents in most places. Some reports say… something attacked them.”

“Is this another invasion?”

“No,” Cade said, shaking his head, “but the one you faced… it’s definitely different. To do something like that in such a short time…”

“Ughhhh… I thought my problem was solved. What’s happening to me? It’s like someone put a curse on me to suffer.” After a moment, he glanced around the room. “Oh, where is she?”

“I told her to sleep in one of the rooms.”

“Ah, good,” Khael muttered, nodding to himself. “I should probably get some sleep too…”

Khael straightened up when he saw a bright color outside one window.

“What the…” He approached the window and pushed the curtain aside. The sky outside was awash with pale orange streaks, the sun beginning to rise. “It’s morning already?”

Cade looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s 5:40.”

Khael stepped back from the window quickly. “Then let’s go to the academy now.”

“Now? It’s barely light out.”

“The sooner, the better.”

With a heavy sigh, Cade got up and grabbed his jacket from the chair. Silently, the two walked out of the apartment. Cade struggled to stay awake as he drove, yawning every few minutes. The drive was long enough to clear up some of the grogginess, but the early morning air made it more difficult to keep his eyes open.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

By the time they reached the academy’s main building, it was already bustling with cadets. Many of them were heading inside, some of them glancing at the car as it passed by. It wasn’t a common sight to see someone driving through at this hour.

Cade parked the car in the empty parking lot, moving slowly while Khael stepped outside. A few cadets looked at him but quickly turned their heads. TThey moved aside as he entered. Almost everyone kept their distance from him.”

He headed for the open space in the middle of the building. He quickly made his way to the vice principal's office by climbing the stairs to the third floor. But as he got closer to the office, his eyes moved to the right, where he noticed a small store. It wasn’t exactly an ordinary store. The glass front displayed a variety of essential items—bags, shoes, clothes, and uniforms. He hadn’t noticed it before but decided to take a quick look as he passed by.

Khael leaned on the railing and looked inside without entering the store. He didn't seem to find the items particularly interesting or significant.

What really caught his eye, though, was a simple necklace hanging in the corner. It wasn’t as if it reminded him of anything, but it felt strangely close to him.

He didn’t even realize how much time had passed while he was staring at the necklace. His mind was somewhere else entirely when a voice broke the silence from his left side.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Khael turned his head sharply, raising an eyebrow. Standing there was a tall old man with a white beard and a slim frame, wearing a long coat and a hat. Khael hadn’t even noticed when the man appeared or how long he had been standing there.

“You have eyes for things,” the old man said with a smile.

Khael eyed him suspiciously. “Who are you?”

“I’m just an old man enjoying life,”

“How do you know what I’m looking at?”

“It’s quite obvious,” the man said, gesturing toward the necklace. “You’ve been looking at that necklace for a long time. Why don’t you buy it?”

Khael scoffed. “What am I supposed to do with that?”

The man shrugged. “Who knows? They come in handy. You can gift them to someone you like…”

“Nah,” Khael said, shaking his head. “Why would I waste my time doing something like that?”

“Hahaha, you’re a unique one.”

“Mama told me never to chase girls.”

“It’s good to have girlfriends. You get to enjoy their–”

“Hey! What are you saying?!” Khael shot him a glare.

“I’m talking about my experience. So, I was–”

“Stop! Who wanted to know about your experience?”

The old man laughed again. Khael's attention shifted when he saw Cade approaching them, looking exhausted. Without saying anything, Khael quickly moved behind him, trying to distance himself from the strange conversation.

“Who is that psychopath?” Khael whispered to Cade as they stood side by side.

Cade let out a long, tired sigh, rubbing his eyes. “Stop playing, grandfather. You’re not a kid anymore.”

The old man chuckled again. “He’s fun to tease. You made a unique friend.”

Khael blinked in confusion, staring at Cade. “He’s your grandfather?”

“Yeah,” Cade replied flatly. “And also the director.”

“The director?”

“Yep, that’s him. Don’t worry. He’s harmless… mostly.” Cade’s eyes kept closing.

The old man grinned and gave a half-wave. “Nice to meet you, young man. Don’t worry, I’ll be good this time.”

“I’ll keep this short. I’m here to drop out.”

“Okay,” the man replied nonchalantly.

“… that’s all?”

“You wanted to keep it short,”

Khael watched him for a moment. “...Whatever. I got admitted just to get an ID. Can’t you just give me one?”

“I’m sorry, young man. I may be the director, but I can’t just do as I please. If you really want an ID, you’re free to join again.”

“Again? Am I out already?”

“Yes.”

“Then… I can just leave?”

The man nodded. Khael blinked once, then turned and ran off. Cade and his grandfather watched him go. The director adjusted his coat and turned to his grandson.

“Son, come with me. We have some work to do.”

Cade groaned, dragging his feet behind his grandfather.

Khael approached the other building. Just a not-too-long walk across the neatly trimmed grounds, but it felt like stepping into a different world. The closer he got, the quieter it became. As he entered the building, the silence deepened. He thought about meeting Felix as he moved through the wide hallway.

“It’s been a long time. I wonder what he’s doing?”

Turning a corner, he collided with someone, and both of them tumbled to the ground.

“Ugh… who the fuck…” Khael groaned, looking up. His eyes landed on a girl with long red hair sprawled on the floor, glaring at him.

Before he could stand up properly, the girl stood up and grabbed the collar of his jacket, pulling him forward. - “Oi! Watch where you’re going!” she snapped.

Khael blinked, taken aback for a moment, before his expression hardened. He grabbed the collar of her uniform in return,

“Who’s talking? You’re the one blocking the damn hallway!”

The girl’s grip tightened on Khael’s jacket as her eyes narrowed dangerously. “You’ve got some fucking nerve, asshole. You walked straight into me, and now you’re trying to blame me?”

“_You_ were standing in the goddamn way like a statue, princess. What, too busy daydreaming to use your fucking eyes?”

They both hissed at each other in the eye until someone stepped between them.

“Don’t fight in the hallway.” Felix said calmly. He looked at Khael. “Nice to see you again, sir.”

The girl turned to him. “Do you know him, Frosty?”

“FROSTY?! Felix, what the hell is she talking about?”

The girl scoffed. “Felix? Who’s Felix? His name is Frost!”

“Shut up! How do you know my boy?”

“EXCUSE ME?”

Felix sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We’re classmates,” he explained to Khael.

“Classmates?”

“Yeah, asshole,” the girl yelled. She grabbed his arm with both hands and started dragging him forward. “Come on, Frost, we’re getting late.”

“Wait, I–” Felix tried to protest but gave up as she tugged him away.

Khael stood there, dumbfounded, staring after them with his mouth slightly open.

“Eh?”