The school bell rang.
It was a quiet morning.
Eiden walked to class with his sword on his back.
He looked calm, but his mind was busy.
Elara is watching me.
Sera is asking questions.
And someone is still spying from the shadows.
---
In the classroom, Elara sat by the window.
She looked outside but didn't smile.
Her eyes were sharp.
She was thinking.
How did Eiden beat Kai so easily?
Why did his blade glow in the dungeon?
No sword student can move like that…
---
Class started.
The teacher talked about sword stances and footwork.
Eiden listened, but he already knew all of this.
He had learned thousands of forms in his past life.
Still, he took notes.
He had to act normal.
---
After class, the teacher said, "We will visit the training arena again."
Everyone cheered.
Eiden stood quietly.
Elara walked past him.
Their eyes met.
"You'll spar with me," she said.
It wasn't a request.
---
Later at the training ground, students paired up again.
Eiden and Elara stood inside the ring.
Everyone watched.
Even Sera looked nervous.
Kai stood nearby, arms crossed.
He said nothing, but his eyes were full of fire.
---
"Begin!" the teacher shouted.
Elara rushed forward.
Her sword moved fast—strong and perfect.
She's skilled, Eiden thought.
He blocked, stepped back, then struck.
Clang!
Their swords hit each other.
The sound rang through the air.
---
"You're hiding something," Elara said while they fought.
Eiden said nothing.
She moved again.
Left. Right. A sharp thrust.
Eiden dodged them all with ease.
She frowned.
He's not just strong. He's precise. Like he sees my moves before I make them.
---
After a few more clashes, Eiden stepped forward once.
His sword tapped her shoulder.
A clean hit.
Everyone gasped.
Elara froze.
She had lost.
But Eiden had moved so quietly, so simply—it didn't feel like magic or sword.
It felt like… something else.
---
The teacher clapped. "Match over! Good control, both of you."
The class clapped too.
But Elara kept staring at Eiden.
After everyone left, she spoke again.
"Tell me the truth," she said.
"What truth?" Eiden replied.
"Are you a mage?"
He paused, just for a second.
Then he smiled a little.
"No proof," he said, just like before.
---
That night, Elara sat alone in her dorm room.
She took out her notebook.
She wrote down every fight, every move Eiden had made.
She drew small diagrams.
Then she circled one word: Prediction.
---
"He sees too much," she whispered.
"This is not normal swordsmanship."
---
Far away, in a dark hall, the Watcher stood again.
He looked at a map of the academy.
"Soon, the mask will fall," he said.
"But will he run… or burn?"