Zael's body tensed instantly.
Sovereign Instinct pulsed sharply through his mind as his gaze swept across the crowded terminal.
People moved everywhere around him.
Families reuniting.
Awakeners returning home.
Workers dragging luggage through the rain-soaked streets.
Completely normal.
Yet amidst the moving crowd—
Zael suddenly spotted a hooded figure in the distance.
The person stood unnaturally still between the shifting sea of people.
Watching him.
The moment their eyes nearly met—
The figure turned calmly and began walking away.
Zael narrowed his eyes immediately.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward through the crowd.
Fast.
But controlled.
His instincts screamed that something was wrong.
The hooded figure moved neither too quickly nor too slowly, weaving through people with strange smoothness.
Then suddenly—
The person turned into a crowded intersection.
Zael followed immediately.
Only to stop.
Gone.
The figure had completely disappeared.
No mana fluctuations.
No footsteps.
Nothing.
Zael's expression darkened slightly.
Someone capable of escaping his perception this cleanly was not ordinary.
Especially now, after everything that happened on the bus.
For several seconds he remained still while scanning the surroundings carefully.
But there was nothing.
Eventually, Zael exhaled softly and relaxed slightly.
Maybe they were targeting him.
Maybe not.
Either way—
Standing around here was stupid.
Zael glanced down at himself afterward.
Only now did he properly notice his condition.
His clothes were a mess.
Torn in several places.
Slightly bloodstained.
Even his skin still looked unnaturally pale from the pain he endured during the erasure sequence.
If someone looked closely enough, they'd immediately realize something had happened.
"I seriously need to get home," he muttered quietly.
Thankfully, the terminal wasn't too far from his district.
Pulling his hood up slightly, Zael quickly left the crowded station and disappeared into the rainy streets of Blackstone City.
Meanwhile—
Far above the city skyline—
A pair of cold eyes silently watched him from atop a distant building.
"…Interesting."
The hooded figure stood beneath the rain unmoving.
Then slowly—
A faint smile appeared beneath the hood.
"Just a little bit more....brat."
The figure's voice carried quiet fury.
Before eventually disappearing into the darkness once more.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
A few hours later—
Zael walked calmly through the brightly lit streets of Blackstone City once more.
The earlier disheveled appearance was completely gone now.
After returning home, he had immediately cleaned himself thoroughly, changed clothes, and rested briefly to stabilize his condition.
Thankfully, the effects of the erasure sequence no longer showed externally.
At least physically.
Internally though—
His mind remained far from peaceful.
Even now, fragments of those crimson system notifications occasionally flashed through his thoughts.
Still—
There was no point dwelling on it endlessly.
What happened had already happened.
And if the final warning from the black panel meant anything—
Then the best thing he could do now was continue growing stronger.
Fast.
Zael adjusted the strap of the black duffel bag resting over his shoulder as he entered the central transport terminal again.
Compared to earlier, the place was even busier now.
Students.
Awakeners.
Merchants.
Military personnel.
The upcoming deployment to the Gods and Demon Battlefield had clearly thrown entire cities into motion.
Large holographic screens displayed battlefield preparation advertisements while several government broadcasts played repeatedly overhead.
"Mandatory battlefield preparation begins in twelve days…"
"Survival equipment discounts available…"
"Psychological counseling for first-time battlefield entrants…"
Zael ignored most of it.
Truthfully—
He had no reason to remain home.
Not really.
The apartment felt empty now.
And unlike many others returning from camp—
There was no family waiting for him.
No celebration.
No reunion dinner.
Just silence.
A strange feeling crossed Zael's mind briefly afterward.
In his previous life, he had long gotten used to loneliness.
Yet now—
After spending months around Lily, Auralis, Aurelia, and the others—
The quiet apartment had felt unusually hollow.
Annoyingly so.
Zael clicked his tongue lightly.
"Tch."
Humans adapted too quickly.
Especially to companionship.
Thankfully, there was still one place he could return to naturally.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
AEGIS PRIME UNIVERSITY
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The massive floating holographic letters displayed above the transport gate glowed brightly against the night sky.
Zael stared at them briefly.
His university.
Or more accurately—
The place where everything truly began for him in this world.
The place where he awakened.
Where he first met Lily and the others.
Where his ordinary student life completely shattered apart.
Without hesitation, Zael stepped toward the transport gate.
But just before entering—
His communicator suddenly vibrated.
Zael glanced down casually.
Then paused slightly.
Unknown Number.
For a brief moment, Sovereign Instinct stirred faintly again.
Zael narrowed his eyes before accepting the call.
"…Who is this?"
For several seconds—
Only silence answered him.
Then finally—
A calm male voice spoke quietly from the other side.
"Your brother is in danger."