The class came back from Blackroot Forest.
Everyone looked tired.
But no one died.
Mr. Corvin smiled a little. "You all did well. Go rest."
The students walked back to the dorms.
But something was different.
They kept looking at Eiden.
---
Kai limped beside Sera.
"That freak… he killed the spider in three moves."
Sera looked at the ground.
"Yeah. It was kind of amazing."
Kai clenched his fists.
"No one moves like that! I bet he's cheating! He must have some secret item or hidden help."
Sera didn't answer.
She remembered Eiden's calm face.
He was not scared at all.
---
That night, in the boys' dorm…
Voices whispered in the hall.
"Did you hear? Eiden killed the monster by himself."
"No way. He's a bottom-rank."
"But the teachers didn't help. And Kai got hurt."
"I saw his sword. It looked… like it was glowing."
"Magic sword?"
"Or maybe… he's not normal."
---
Eiden sat alone in his small dorm room.
The lights were off.
He stared at the moon.
He was meditating.
Too many eyes on me now, he thought.
I was too fast… too clean.
He sighed and looked at his hand.
He could feel the old mana moving again.
Slow but steady.
---
Suddenly, a knock on the door.
Knock, knock.
Eiden opened it.
Elara stood there, arms crossed.
Her silver hair was tied back.
She didn't smile.
"We need to talk," she said.
Eiden nodded.
"Come in."
---
They sat across from each other.
Elara looked at him for a long time.
Then she asked:
"Who taught you swordplay?"
Eiden paused.
He thought for a second.
Then said, "I trained myself."
"Impossible," she said.
"Your footwork, your speed, your control—no beginner can move like that."
Eiden stayed quiet.
Elara leaned forward.
"You used magic, didn't you?"
Eiden's eyes stayed calm.
"…No proof."
Elara narrowed her eyes.
"You're hiding something."
---
She stood up.
"I'll find out what it is."
Then she left.
Eiden sat still.
He looked at the door and smiled a little.
Smart girl. Dangerous.
---
Outside, Elara walked back to her room.
Her heart beat fast.
She wasn't sure why.
But she felt it.
Eiden Valtz was not just a student.
He was something else.
Something… powerful.
---
Meanwhile, in the top tower of the academy…
An old man looked at a crystal ball.
Inside it, Eiden's face appeared.
The old man's eyes glowed.
"So… the ghost stirs once more."