A quiet sigh escaped Zael's lips as he reclined into the taxi seat.
The city lights streaked past the windows in blurred streams of neon and gold while silence filled the interior of the car.
Truthfully speaking—
Seeing Seraphina in person felt different from merely hearing her voice on the train earlier.
Back there, he had been detached.
Indifferent.
But now…
Somewhere deep inside him, something still stirred faintly. A small ache. A lingering attachment refusing to disappear completely despite everything. A part of him still missed her.
Not the current version.
Not the girl who stood silently while another man mocked him.
But the memories.
The old days.
The version of her that once laughed with him before awakening day changed everything.
Zael closed his eyes briefly afterward.
Then forcefully suppressed the thought.
There was no point dwelling on it anymore.
And more importantly—
There was absolutely no way he was going back.
Not after everything.
Not after seeing the kind of person she truly was.
A few minutes later, the taxi finally slowed before the massive gates of AEGIS PRIME UNIVERSITY.
Zael stepped out calmly.
The familiar sight greeted him immediately.
Towering academy buildings infused with mana formations. Vast training grounds illuminated under the night sky. Students moving about in uniforms while drones patrolled overhead silently.
After nearly a year away at camp—
The academy strangely felt nostalgic.
One of the few remaining constants in his rapidly changing life.
And although Zael himself had changed tremendously during that time—
The university still looked almost exactly the same.
Except now…
His perspective was completely different.
Back then, the academy lecturers once felt like unreachable experts.
Existences worthy of awe.
Yet now?
Zael knew with certainty that he was already stronger than most of the general teaching staff.
Only the truly specialized professors—the monsters responsible for elite battlefield courses and higher-tier combat instruction—still stood far above him.
Those individuals were minimum Tier Four.
Usually Tier Five.
True battlefield veterans.
Still, Zael had no intention of showing off his strength here.
He only came back because there was nowhere else he truly wanted to stay for the next two weeks.
Home felt empty.
And despite everything—
This academy still felt somewhat familiar.
As Zael crossed through the university gates quietly—
His steps suddenly paused.
A faint killing intent brushed against his senses.
Subtle.
Cold.
Sharp enough that ordinary students wouldn't notice it at all.
But Zael immediately detected it.
More importantly—
The aura felt strangely familiar.
Not identical.
But close.
Very close.
Zael's eyes narrowed slightly afterward.
"…Interesting."
He turned slightly.
Not too quickly.
Not startled.
Just enough to confirm his suspicion.
Standing several dozen meters away beneath the dim glow of the academy lights was a hooded figure quietly watching him.
The same figure from the central terminal earlier.
The same subtle killing intent.
The same strangely familiar aura.
Yet at the same time—
Unfamiliar.
Like something intentionally concealed beneath layers of distortion.
Zael narrowed his eyes faintly.
Truthfully speaking, he still had no idea who this person was.
Nor did he know why they kept observing him.
Or how exactly he had apparently offended them enough to provoke such killing intent.
But frankly—
He didn't care that much.
"It's not like I can just walk up and ask who they are," Zael muttered inwardly.
And more importantly—
The figure hadn't made a move yet.
Which meant one thing.
Either they were waiting for the right opportunity…
Or they weren't fully confident in killing him directly inside the academy grounds.
Zael's expression remained calm afterward.
"Since they aren't acting yet…"
"I'll just wait until they do."
With that conclusion reached, he simply turned and continued walking deeper into the academy grounds as though nothing happened.
Meanwhile—
Far away in the shadows outside the university perimeter…
The hooded figure remained motionless while watching Zael's departing back.
Then slowly—
A dark, distorted voice echoed beneath the hood.
"Enjoy the time you have left… brat…"
The killing intent around the figure intensified faintly afterward.
"Because your end is coming very soon."
A hateful laugh escaped quietly.
"I'll make sure you feel a lot of pain…"
"…as tribute to the both of them."
The surrounding shadows twisted subtly afterward.
Then the hooded figure disappeared completely into the darkness.