The alarm continued to ring.
WEEEEEEEEEE!
Students poured out of the Awakening Hall under the direction of instructors.
"Move!"
"Stay together!"
"Don't panic!"
But panic had already spread throughout the Academy.
Kelvin stood with Sofia, John, Michael, and Lydia as they watched instructors rush toward the eastern gate.
Beyond the Academy walls, dark clouds had gathered over Valoria.
Lightning flashed between them.
Then came another roar.
ROOOOOOOOAR!
The windows shook.
Sofia swallowed.
"That doesn't sound like an ordinary beast."
Michael stared toward the eastern wall.
"No."
John summoned a small layer of ice around his hand.
"Do you think it's an S Rank?"
Lydia shook her head.
"Don't say that."
John's expression became serious.
"I'm just asking."
Kelvin didn't answer.
Something felt wrong.
He could feel it.
Not with his ears.
Not with his eyes.
Something inside his soul was reacting.
A strange pressure was spreading through the city.
And beneath that pressure was another sensation.
Recognition.
As though something outside the walls knew he was there.
Kelvin looked toward the eastern gate.
"I think it's looking for someone."
His friends turned toward him.
"Who?" Sofia asked.
Kelvin hesitated.
"I don't know."
Suddenly, a powerful voice echoed throughout the Academy.
"ALL STUDENTS, REPORT TO YOUR DESIGNATED SHELTERS!"
The command came from the Academy's magical communication system.
Teachers began moving the students underground.
Kelvin and his friends followed the crowd.
But as they approached the stairs leading to the shelter, Kelvin stopped.
He looked back.
The eastern sky had become completely black.
A massive shadow moved behind the clouds.
Then something descended.
BOOM!
The eastern wall of Valoria shook violently.
A second explosion followed.
BOOM!
Students screamed.
"Get underground!"
"Move!"
"Now!"
Kelvin looked toward Headmaster Adrian.
The Headmaster was standing on the Academy's highest tower.
His silver staff was glowing.
Around him stood several instructors.
Then Adrian raised his staff.
A massive barrier appeared over the city.
WHOOOOOOM!
The barrier covered Valoria from one end to the other.
Kelvin stared.
Even from where he stood, he could feel the enormous amount of energy being used.
"This is an S Rank barrier," Michael whispered.
Kelvin nodded.
The five friends finally entered the shelter.
Heavy metal doors closed behind them.
CLANG!
The underground chamber was packed with students.
Some were crying.
Others were praying.
Many were staring at the magical screens showing the situation outside.
Kelvin found a corner and sat down.
He closed his eyes.
The strange sensation remained.
Something was wrong.
He activated his new ability.
[Soul Perception.]
The world changed.
The students around him became glowing figures.
Hundreds of souls filled the shelter.
Then Kelvin looked upward.
His vision passed through the ceiling.
Through the Academy.
Through the walls.
He could see the instructors.
He could see Headmaster Adrian.
Then his perception reached beyond the Academy.
The city was filled with thousands of souls.
But one soul stood apart from all the others.
Kelvin's breath caught.
It was enormous.
A deep crimson presence stood outside the eastern wall.
Its soul was so large that Kelvin couldn't see its entire shape.
And around it...
were dozens of smaller souls.
Kelvin's eyes widened.
"There are more."
Sofia looked at him.
"More what?"
"Beasts."
Michael stood.
"How many?"
Kelvin concentrated.
"At least fifty."
John's expression changed.
"Fifty?"
Lydia looked frightened.
"Where?"
"Outside the eastern wall."
Michael immediately looked toward the instructors.
"Does the Academy know?"
Before anyone could answer—
BOOOOOOM!
The shelter shook.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Several students screamed.
A System message appeared before Kelvin.
[WARNING.]
[Multiple magical beast signatures detected.]
Kelvin stared.
Another message appeared.
[Highest detected entity: Unknown Rank.]
[Analysis impossible.]
His heart pounded.
Then something happened that terrified him even more.
His System displayed another message.
[Soul connection detected.]
Kelvin froze.
[Connection source: Unknown.]
[Distance: 4.7 kilometers.]
[Compatibility: 87%.]
Kelvin's face became pale.
"What is it?" Sofia asked.
Kelvin didn't answer.
The enormous soul outside had a connection to him.
But how?
He had never seen the creature before.
At least...
he thought he hadn't.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced.
The Beast Tide.
Five years ago.
The night his parents died.
The enormous creature in the sky.
Kelvin remembered its silhouette.
His body began trembling.
"It was there."
"What?" John asked.
"The creature."
Kelvin looked toward the ceiling.
"The one that destroyed my village."
His friends became silent.
"You saw it?" Lydia whispered.
Kelvin nodded.
"I think..."
He struggled to breathe.
"I think it's the same one."
Before anyone could respond, a massive roar shook the shelter.
Then came a voice.
Not through the communication system.
Not through the walls.
Directly inside Kelvin's mind.
"KELVIN."
His eyes widened.
Nobody else reacted.
It was speaking only to him.
"YOU HAVE FINALLY AWAKENED."
Kelvin stood.
"Who are you?"
His friends stared at him.
"Kelvin?"
The voice answered.
"I HAVE WAITED FOR YOUR SOUL."
Kelvin clenched his fists.
"Why?"
Silence.
Then—
"BECAUSE YOUR FATHER STOLE SOMETHING FROM ME."
Kelvin's eyes widened.
"My father?"
The voice laughed.
A deep, ancient laugh.
"YOUR FATHER WAS NOT WHO YOU BELIEVED HIM TO BE."
Kelvin's entire body became cold.
His father had always been a simple D Rank awakened warrior.
A brave man.
A protector.
Nothing more.
Or so Kelvin believed.
"What did he steal?"
The voice didn't answer.
Instead—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The shelter doors shook.
Everyone screamed.
An instructor ran toward the entrance.
"Everyone stay back!"
A massive crack appeared across the metal door.
Something was trying to enter.
The instructor raised both hands.
"Barrier!"
Several teachers joined him.
Magical energy surged through the room.
BOOM!
The door bent inward.
BOOM!
Another impact.
Kelvin stared at it.
His Soul Perception activated automatically.
Behind the door...
was a beast.
Its body was covered in black scales.
Two enormous horns rose from its head.
Its eyes burned crimson.
But what frightened Kelvin wasn't its body.
It was its soul.
The beast's soul was damaged.
Broken.
And inside the broken soul...
Kelvin saw something.
A symbol.
The same black symbol that had appeared on his palm.
Kelvin stepped backward.
"No..."
Michael looked at him.
"What?"
Kelvin pointed toward the door.
"That beast..."
He swallowed.
"It has the same mark as me."
Everyone became silent.
The barrier suddenly cracked.
CRACK!
The instructors looked terrified.
Headmaster Adrian's voice echoed through the communication system.
"ALL STUDENTS, REMAIN IN THE SHELTER!"
Then another voice interrupted him.
A monstrous roar.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!
The entire Academy shook.
Kelvin's System appeared.
[Hidden Quest Updated.]
QUEST: DISCOVER THE TRUTH
Objective: Discover the connection between the Soul Mark, your father, and the invading beast.
Reward: Unknown.
Failure: Unknown.
Then another message appeared.
[Emergency Skill Unlocked.]
SOUL THREAD
Rank: F
Description: Creates a spiritual connection between the user and a target's soul.
Warning: Improper use may cause soul backlash.
Kelvin stared at the skill.
The beast outside roared again.
The barrier weakened.
Kelvin knew he should be afraid.
But something else had replaced his fear.
Determination.
Five years ago, he had been too weak to save his parents.
He would not remain weak forever.
Kelvin raised his hand.
A faint black thread of energy appeared between his fingers.
Sofia grabbed his arm.
"Kelvin, what are you doing?"
He looked at her.
"I'm going to find out why that beast knows me."
Michael shook his head.
"That's dangerous."
Kelvin nodded.
"I know."
John stepped beside him.
"Then you're not doing it alone."
Lydia smiled nervously.
"We're together."
Sofia nodded.
Michael sighed.
"Apparently, I have terrible friends."
John laughed.
"You love us."
Michael looked away.
"Unfortunately."
Kelvin smiled.
For the first time since his awakening...
he felt ready.
He reached toward the beast's soul.
The black thread moved forward.
It passed through the barrier.
Through the door.
And touched the beast.
For one second, nothing happened.
Then—
Kelvin's world disappeared.
He found himself standing in a vast darkness.
A gigantic figure stood before him.
Its crimson eyes opened.
But behind the beast...
Kelvin saw something else.
A human figure.
A man.
Wearing the same clothes his father had worn on the night of the Beast Tide.
Kelvin's heart stopped.
"Dad...?"
The figure slowly turned.
And smiled.
TO BE CONTINUED...