Inside the carriage, the atmosphere shifted the moment the doors were closed.
The faint glow of the teleportation array began to form beneath them, illuminating the interior with a soft, steady light. Outside, the palace grounds faded from view, replaced by the subtle distortion of space preparing to fold.
Within that enclosed space, the earlier events of the banquet felt distant.
Jane sat across from Knox, her posture as composed as ever, though her gaze carried a quiet sharpness that had yet to fade completely.
"Knox." Her voice broke the silence.
"Now that the first mission is complete, it's time for you to proceed with your second assignment."
"…Understood." His voice was calm.
At the same time, a faint glint appeared in his eyes.
"Igris and Beru are already prepared," he added, a slight hint of anticipation slipping into his tone. "If anything… they've been waiting for something like this."
There was the faintest trace of amusement beneath his words.
"Being stuck with me in Kizen as a student hasn't exactly given them many chances to move."
For beings like them—
that kind of inactivity was almost unnatural.
Knox leaned back slightly, his gaze lowering just a fraction as his thoughts began to move ahead of the present.
"…It's been a while since I've had a proper mission like this."
There was no exaggeration in his voice, just quiet certainty.
Another thought crossed his mind. He didn't say it out loud, but it was clear.
This mission wasn't just about finishing it. There was more to gain.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
An elimination target… and maybe more.
If the conditions were right, what awaited them ahead could very well become more than just a completed task.
It could become an expansion.
For him.
And for the army that followed his shadow.
*****
The faint distortion of space gradually settled, the light of the teleportation array dimming as the carriage came to a smooth stop.
For a brief moment, everything was still.
Then the doors opened.
They had arrived.
Not at the main grounds of Kizen—
but somewhere far more secluded.
The location was hidden deep within the academy's territory, far from the usual paths taken by students and faculty alike. Tall stone structures surrounded the area in a circular formation, their surfaces etched with ancient runic patterns that pulsed faintly, maintaining the stability of the teleportation field.
Overhead, the sky was partially obscured by layered barrier magic, distorting both sight and presence, ensuring that nothing within this space could be easily detected from the outside.
The carriage doors fully opened, and Jane stepped out first, her heels touching the stone floor with a soft, measured sound. The assistant professors followed shortly after, their expressions calm, though their eyes briefly scanned the surroundings out of habit.
Knox stepped out last.
Jane glanced back at Knox.
"This is as far as we go together."
Her tone was calm, returning fully to its usual composed state, as though the earlier tension in Dresden had never existed.
Jane watched him for a brief second longer.
Then—
"Make sure you come back in one piece," she said, her voice softer than before, though still carrying that familiar firmness.
It wasn't a request. It was closer to an expectation.
Knox let out a small breath, the corner of his lips lifting slightly.
"I always do, don't I?"
Knox took a few steps forward, moving past the carriage and toward the center of the concealed space.
There, embedded into the ground, lay another teleportation array.
Unlike the one used for long-distance travel between nations, this one was smaller, more refined, its structure built for precise deployment rather than large-scale transport. The runes carved into the stone began to react the moment Knox approached, faint lines of light tracing their way across the circular formation as if recognizing his presence.
He stepped into the center without hesitation.
For a brief moment, he stood still.
Then—
mana surged.
The magic circle flared to life, its glow intensifying as layers of runes activated in sequence, each one locking into place with flawless synchronization. The air around him distorted slightly, space bending inward as the teleportation process began.
Knox's figure blurred.
And in the next instant—
he vanished.
***
When the world came back into focus, the environment had completely changed.
The structured, controlled atmosphere of Kizen was gone.
In its place stood a vast, untamed wilderness.
Knox appeared on a patch of uneven ground at the edge of a dense forest, the teleportation circle beneath his feet fading quickly as its purpose was fulfilled. The surrounding terrain was rough, scattered with jagged rocks and patches of withered vegetation, as though life itself had begun to thin out the closer one got to the area ahead.
Knox's faint smile lingered for a brief moment as he looked toward the forest ahead.
Then something about him began to change. His expression stayed the same, but the feeling around him shifted in a way that was hard to ignore.
It wasn't obvious at first, but it was there, something subtle, something off, like the air itself didn't sit quite right around him.
Like ink dissolving in water, his appearance began to blur at the edges, the outline of his figure softening as darkness seeped outward, quietly swallowing the details that once defined him. The air around him grew heavier, a subtle distortion rippling through the space as if reality itself hesitated for just a fraction of a second.
And when it settled—
a different figure stood in his place.
A hooded silhouette, unmoving at the edge of the forest.
Black garments draped over the figure's body, layered with sharp, regal precision, each fold falling naturally yet carrying an unmistakable weight. A dark mantle extended from the shoulders, flowing downward like living shadow, its edges shifting subtly with the air, as though it possessed a will of its own.
Faint gold accents traced along the attire, not overly ornate, but deliberate, glinting softly whenever they caught the light. Beneath the hood, a dim violet hue shimmered quietly, obscured yet present, like something watching from the depths of darkness.
He was no longer Knox Aznable.
Here, he stood as Jin, the Shadow Monarch, the Eighth Legion Commander.
Jin took another step forward into the edge of the forest, the faint mist brushing against his cloak as the oppressive atmosphere of the Jungle of Screams settled around him.
Then he stopped.
"…Arise."
The word was spoken softly.
Yet the ground responded.
Shadows spread outward from beneath his feet, dark and fluid, slipping across the uneven terrain before gathering at two points beside him. The darkness thickened, rising upward like something being pulled from a depth unseen, before taking form.
Two figures emerged.
One clad in dark armor, tall and imposing, his presence steady and dignified as he stepped forward from the shadows. The other, radiating a far more chaotic energy, unfolded from the darkness with a sharp, eager motion.
Both moved at the same time.
Dropping to one knee.
"My liege," Igris said, his voice calm and unwavering.
"My liege!" Beru followed immediately, his tone brimming with energy that barely held itself in place.
Jin let out a quiet laugh, the sound low beneath the hood.
"Looks like both of you are excited."
There was a faint hint of amusement in his voice.
"Well… I can't say I'm not."
The violet glow beneath his hood flickered subtly as his gaze shifted toward the forest ahead.
"Anyway," he continued, his tone settling into something more composed, "just like I mentioned before, our objective here is simple."
He paused briefly, as if letting the words settle.
"We locate the mutated Drake… and eliminate it along with everything under its command."
The air around them felt heavier as he spoke, the intent behind his words clear and absolute.
"Once we find them, I'll call in the rest of the army."
A slight tilt of his head followed.
"Is that clear~?"
There was a lightness at the end of his sentence.
But neither of them mistook it for anything less than an order.