The news of the stolen grimoire swept through the academy like a wildfire, leaving a trail of paranoia in its wake. Aria and Saria stood in the center of the ransacked library, their eyes wide with disbelief as they stared at the empty, cold pedestal.

  Carol approached them, stifling a yawn. "What’s with the long faces?"

  "D-do you have any idea where it went?" Saria asked, her voice trembling with shock.

  "Nope. But I’d bet Aria has a theory."

  Aria’s shoulders stiffened instantly. "What makes you think I know anything?"

  "Well, you were hovering around that book pretty intensely a few days ago," Carol noted.

  "That’s because I wanted to seal it somewhere more secure than this campus!" Aria hissed, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Honestly, I don’t know what the faculty was thinking, leaving it out in the open."

  "I-is it really that dangerous?" Saria whispered.

  "Of course it is, you idiot! I’ve heard that grimoire is packed with forbidden spells linked to the Leviathans." Aria shuddered, a cold chill visible in her posture. "I don’t know its origin, but just standing near it made my skin crawl."

  "Huh. I didn't think a Successor like you knew the meaning of fear," Carol teased.

  "I... No, forget it."

  "Well, let's just pray whoever took it doesn't have any grand ambitions," Carol stated, her tone shifting to something more serious as she saw Aria’s genuine distress.

  "I hope you’re right, Carol."

  The campus clock chimed, its heavy toll echoing through the halls.

  "Class is starting," Aria noted, pulling herself together. "We shouldn't be late."

  Carol nodded. "See you later, then," she said, watching them go their separate ways before heading toward her own lecture.

  In the classroom, Carol found herself drifting. The image of the empty pedestal and Aria's pale face looped in her mind. However, Professor Grey’s lecture was about to demand her full attention.

  "Alright, everyone," Grey said, clapping his hands to command the room. "I know the grimoire is all you’re talking about, but let’s focus on the foundation of our world: The Elements."

  He moved to the blackboard, his chalk scratching with a silent, rhythmic grace.

  "There are seven common elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Shadow, Light, and Plant. Most Margias are born with a dual affinity, wielding two elements in tandem." He drew his wand, casting a minor flame and a clump of earth simultaneously. "I, for instance, use Earth and Fire."

  A student raised a hand. "What about those with only one element, Professor?"

  "An excellent question," Grey said, his expression turning grave. "Margias with a singular affinity are much rarer, and significantly more powerful. Because their ender isn't split between two paths, their focus is absolute. This is the foundation upon which the Seven Holders were built."

  The room went silent. Carol leaned in, her gaze sharpening.

  "For a single-element Margia, the element can evolve into its 'True Peak' form," Grey explained, listing them on the board:

  "Make no mistake," Grey warned, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous register. "Challenging a Holder means challenging a force of nature itself. To stand against them is to invite a fate worse than death."

  A collective gulp echoed through the room. Only Carol remained still, her eyes locked on her uncle.

  "Now," Grey said, pointing his chalk at her. "Carol, would you demonstrate the ego-manifestation for the class?"

  Understanding his intent, Carol walked to the front. She took a breath, her ender humming. "Vergus: Lightcia."

  The air rippled as her wand elongated into a shimmering blade of light. The students gasped as a result.

  "This," Grey explained to the class, "is a Vergus Spell, or an Ego Spell for simple term. They are mirrors reflecting the user's memories and soul. While they grant immense power, they are quite fragile in their own. Should the user’s mental state break or become corrupted, the weapon will shatter or corrode alongside them."

  He nodded for Carol to sit. "Finally, we must discuss Holy Magic, the exception to the law. It can only be wielded by the true Child of Light."

  He wrote the term in bold letters.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "Holy Magic is the absolute counter to the Leviathan, whose power manipulates space and the mind. Against other Margias or Holders, Holy Magic is surprisingly ineffective. Thus, the Child of Light exists for one purpose and one purpose only: To hunt the Leviathan."

  Carol caught a trace of profound sadness in her uncle’s voice. The clock chimed again.

  "Enjoy your holiday, everyone. But keep training," Grey added, packing his books. "The exams are coming, and they will not be kind. So, I expect all of you already ready yourselves on the exam, okay?"

  At the training field, the air was crisp. Carol turned to Revir. "Hey, Revir. Want to have spar with me?"

  "Sure. What's the occasion?"

  "I want to test this new technique I learn before the exams."

  In response to her request, Revir pulled his wand, which shimmered and morphed into a massive, heavy long-axe. Carol blinked in surprise.

  "I didn't know you could use a Vergus spell," she admitted.

  Revir gave her a confident, shark-like grin. "I earned it through experience, if you catch my drift."

  "Is that so?" Carol smirked, her own blade humming. "Then don't hold back."

  Meanwhile, in the washroom, Rein splashed cold water on his face, only to be interrupted by his older brother, Luke Azerin, leaning against the bathroom door.

  "What do you want, Luke?" Rein asked without turning around. "Shouldn't you be busy with House Azerin business?"

  "I just wanted to see how my little brother was settling in." His voice was warm, but to Rein, it felt like a cage.

  "That's not the real reason, isn't it?" Rein muttered, his shoulders tensing.

  "Sharp as ever, huh?" Luke chuckled. "I'm here for an investigation into the stolen grimoire. Though, it might be forgotten just like any case so far," As Rein still didn't bothered to looked on his face, Luke's expression shift into guilt, where he decided to turned her body away to leave. "Well, see you on the house, and Good luck on your exams, Rein. You’ll need it."

  "I don't need your luck," Rein whispered to the empty room once Luke was gone. "I just need the pressure, the false truth you establish to stop... just for a second."

  Back on the field, Carol and Revir were panting, their weapons clashing in a spray of sparks.

  "Your control is getting better, Revir," Carol noted.

  "I spend all my free time training," Revir replied, a shadow crossing his face. "Just like she always did."

  (She? Who is he talking about?) Carol wondered, but before she could ask, Rein appeared at the edge of the field.

  "Took you long enough in the bathroom, Gloomy!" Revir teased.

  "Stop calling me that, Revir. We aren't even a friends," Rein said, his voice ice-cold.

  "Are you sure? We're the only ones you talk to without sounding like a textbook, you know?" Revir grinned.

  "We are colleagues. Nothing more." Rein countered back, couldn't hold back his annoyance.

  Noticed the tension escalated, Carol stepped between them. "How about we lower the temperature before you two start a second war?"

  As they bickered, a hooded figure watched from a dark alleyway behind the campus buildings. He opened the stolen grimoire, his fingers tracing the ancient, cursed ink.

  "So, there you are," he whispered. "Let’s see if you survive the introduction."

  He began a low, rhythmic chant. The ground groaned and split. A monstrous Devil Mantis, all jagged chitin and serrated blades, clawed its way into the light.

  "Show me your worth... Priestess," the figure hissed, his eyes locked on Carol.

  The creature let out a soul-piercing shriek. Chaos erupted instantly. Students screamed, fleeing the classrooms as the monster loomed over the training grounds.

  "What the hell is that?!" Rein yelled.

  "Doesn't matter!" Revir roared, already mid-leap. His Vergus axe slammed against the mantis’s claw with a shower of sparks. "Kill it first, ask questions later!"

  Rein joined in, launching a barrage of ice bullets, but they shattered against the creature’s armored hide.

  "It’s too tough!" Rein dodged a scythe-like limb.

  "And too fast!" Revir grunted, struggling to find an opening.

  Carol focused, wrapping her blade in a swirling tempest. "Revir, move!" She unleashed a volley of wind blades. Most were parried, but a few found the gaps in its armor, drawing dark ichor.

  The Mantis shrieked, its multi-faceted eyes locking onto Carol. It ignored the boys and charged her with terrifying speed.

  "Carol!" Revir cried out, too far away to intervene.

  Just as the claw descended, a spear made of shimmering ice intercepted the blow. Rein stood in front of her, his wand having morphed into a Vergus spear.

  "Rein?"

  "You're out of ender, aren't you?" Rein grunted, struggling to hold the Mantis immense strength. "That's why you didn't move, isn't it? If so, stay back and recover. I'll buy you the time." he said, finally broke the clashes between them as he pushed the Mantis slightly.

  "Can you help me here, Revir!" Rein shouted, try to grabbed his attention while try his best to hold back the Mantis. "I don't know if I can hold this things any longer!"

  "Heh, I thought we weren't friends?"

  "I don't have time for your ego!"

  The two moved in a frantic dance of ice and steel. Rein tanked the heavy blows with his spear, while Revir circled, hacking at the Mantis's legs.

  "Now, Carol!" Revir shouted, backflipping clear.

  Carol stood, magic circles erupting around her feet. "Windiria... Horizon!"

  She vanished in a blur of motion, reappearing behind the beast and unleashing a flurry of slashes. She skidded to a halt, exhausted, but the Mantis was still standing.

  "No way..."

  She closed her eyes as the creature turned, expecting the end.

  "Is this really the extent of your vengeance?"

  The voice was like a bucket of ice water. Carol opened her eyes to see Grey. With a single, casual fire spell, he sliced the Mantis in half. The creature dissolved into ash before it even hit the ground.

  "How...?"

  Grey didn't look back. "I expected more from you."

  "Uncle... I—"

  "The path you chose has consequences, Carol." He walked past her, his sword reverting to a wand. "If you can't even handle a scout like this on your own, you’ll end up just like your mother. Dead and forgotten."

  Heared his statement, Carol widened her eyes in disbelief. "W-What did you just..?"

  But Grey was gone, vanishing into the shadows of the corridor before she could asked another questions.

  High above, the hooded figure closed the grimoire. "Just as I thought," he whispered, a grim smile touching his lips. "The measurements are complete. Enjoy the peace while it lasts, little Priestess. When the chaos truly breaks... it will consume everything."