The soft beeping sound of medical machines filled the quiet hospital room.
Light slowly entered through the window, touching the white walls and calm atmosphere.
And on the bed…
Daniel's fingers moved.
Mary, who had been sitting beside him, holding his hand tightly, immediately noticed.
"Daniel…?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Slowly… very slowly…
Daniel opened his eyes.
Everything looked blurry at first.
Then slowly, the faces became clear.
Mary.
David.
Noah.
Lily.
Zoya.
Lucy.
Felix.
And a few steps behind…
Mr. Stone.
Daniel blinked, trying to process everything.
"...Mary?"
Mary's eyes instantly filled with tears.
"You idiot… you finally woke up…" she said, half crying, half smiling.
Daniel tried to sit up, but pain shot through his body.
"Careful," David said, stepping forward. "You've been out for almost two weeks."
Daniel froze.
"Two… weeks?"
Everyone nodded.
"You were badly injured," Noah added. "We thought… we almost lost you."
A moment of silence filled the room.
Daniel looked around again, this time more serious.
"Everyone… is everyone okay?" he asked quickly.
"The gas… what happened to it?"
Zoya stepped forward.
"After the ghost was destroyed, the gas effect disappeared," she explained. "We're all fine now. Just… you took the worst hit."
Mary tightened her grip on his hand slightly.
Daniel sighed in relief.
"Good… that's good…"
But soon, confusion replaced relief.
Felix crossed his arms.
"Daniel, explain something first," he said. "What happened back there?"
"You were literally floating in the air," Lucy added.
"And controlling weapons," Lily said.
"Yeah," Noah continued, "what was that power? Can you control things now? Like… anything?"
Daniel looked at all of them in shock.
"What… are you talking about?"
Everyone paused.
"You don't remember?" David asked carefully.
Daniel shook his head slowly.
"I… don't. The last thing I remember is… that ghost was attacking… and then it was coming toward you, David…"
Silence.
Everyone exchanged glances.
Something strange had clearly happened.
But Daniel himself had no memory of it.
The Word That Changed Everything
David stepped forward, his expression serious now.
"Guys… there's something more important."
Everyone looked at him.
"That ghost said something… before attacking."
"What?" Noah asked.
David took a breath.
"It said… it was sent by a 'Master'."
The room fell silent instantly.
"Master…?" Mary repeated.
"Yes," David continued. "It specifically said—it was sent to kill Daniel Williams."
All eyes turned toward Daniel.
"But why?" Lily whispered.
"What threat does Daniel pose?" Zoya added.
Felix frowned. "Is it because of his weapon? Throne is powerful…"
"Or something else…" Lucy said quietly.
Even Mr. Stone, who had been silent till now, looked visibly disturbed.
"Master…" he repeated under his breath. "Ghosts… don't usually work under someone like that…"
David spoke again.
"There's more."
Everyone turned toward him again.
"I… read that ghost's mind."
"…What?"
Daniel and Mary said at the same time.
David scratched his head awkwardly.
"Yeah… about that…"
He took a deep breath.
"When Noah and I went on our mission… I got a power."
"What power?" Daniel asked.
David looked straight at him.
"Mind reading."
Silence.
Pure silence.
"You're joking,"mary said.
"I'm not," David replied calmly.
He continued, "That night… when we were arguing about secrets? That was it. I didn't tell you guys because… I wanted to be sure first."
Daniel stared at him.
"You mean… you can read anyone's mind?"
"Only if I want to," David replied. "And… I can even read ghosts."
"That's how I found out," David continued. "The gas… the danger… and…"
He paused.
"…that this is just the beginning."
A chill ran through everyone.
"Beginning…?" Mary whispered.
"Yes," David said seriously. "That ghost wasn't the main problem."
"Something bigger is coming."
Reactions
Daniel leaned back, still processing everything.
"So you knew all this… and didn't tell us?" he said, slightly annoyed.
Mary crossed her arms.
"Seriously, David?"
David raised both hands defensively.
"Hey, I was going to tell you! Just… not like this."
A small silence passed.
Then Daniel sighed.
"Fine… but from now on—no more secrets."
Mary added quickly, "And don't read our minds without permission!"
David smirked.
"No promises."
"DAVID!" everyone shouted.
And just like that—
The tension broke.
Laughter filled the room.
Recovery and Return
Days passed.
Then weeks.
Daniel slowly recovered.
His strength returned.
And soon—
He was back on his feet.
The group returned to the Nightfall Kingdom, where their training continued.
But things were different now.
More serious.
More intense.
Because now—
They knew.
Something bigger was coming.
One evening, all eight of them gathered after training.
They were relaxing, talking, laughing.
That's when Felix smirked.
"By the way… Daniel…"
Daniel looked at him. "What?"
Felix leaned forward.
"Now that Mary has confessed…"
"…When are YOU going to confess?"
Silence.
Then—
Everyone started grinning.
Daniel froze.
"…What?"
Zoya immediately jumped in, teasing.
"Oh don't act innocent! 'I love you Daniel… please wake up…' remember?"
Mary's face turned completely red.
"ZOYA!!"
Lily grabbed Mary before she could run away.
"No no no, you're not escaping today," she laughed.
Lucy added, "We've been waiting for this moment."
Daniel looked completely confused.
"Wait… WHAT?!"
David stepped forward with a mischievous smile.
"Yeah bro… I may have accidentally read your mind too."
Daniel's eyes widened.
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
He stood up instantly.
"David, I swear I'll kill you today—"
Everyone held him back, laughing.
"Relax!" Noah said. "We didn't tell Mary anything."
David added, "We wanted you to say it yourself."
Now all eyes were on Daniel.
Mary looked down, still blushing heavily.
Daniel scratched his head nervously.
"…This is embarrassing…"
"JUST SAY IT!" everyone shouted.
Daniel took a deep breath.
Looked at Mary.
And finally said—
"…I like you."
Silence.
Then he continued, more honestly this time—
"I really like you, Mary… I think… I love you."
Mary slowly looked up.
Their eyes met.
And Daniel said softly—
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
For a second—
Time stopped.
Then—
Mary smiled.
"…Yes."
"OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!"
Everyone started shouting, cheering, clapping.
Noah whistled.
Felix laughed.
Zoya and Lily hugged Mary.
Lucy clapped excitedly.
David grinned like he achieved something himself.
Mr. Stone's Entry
From behind—
A voice came.
"So… are you all done?"
Everyone froze.
Mr. Stone was standing there.
Watching everything.
Arms crossed.
Serious face.
"…Yes, sir," Daniel said nervously.
Mr. Stone nodded.
"Good."
Then after a pause, he said calmly—
"So Daniel and Mary are officially a couple now."
Everyone blinked.
Then—
"NOW GET BACK TO TRAINING!"
Everyone jumped.
"Yes sir!!"
As they returned to training—
Laughter still in the air…
Happiness still in their hearts…
One person stood slightly apart.
David.
His expression wasn't fully relaxed.
Because deep inside—
One question kept repeating.
Who is the Master?
And more importantly…
Why does he want Daniel dead?