The underground basement remained completely silent after the mysterious teacher disappeared.
Only the cold wind moving through the dark corridors could be heard now.
Daniel, Mary, and David stood inside the chained room while looking at the broken student sitting weakly against the wall.
His pale face looked lifeless.
His long messy hair covered his eyes.
And the injuries on his hands looked horrifying.
Mary quietly looked toward Daniel.
"We can't leave him here."
Daniel nodded immediately.
"We're taking him with us."
David looked nervous.
"And how exactly are we supposed to move him through the academy without getting caught?"
None of them answered.
Because honestly—
they had no proper plan.
But one thing was certain.
If they left this boy here—
he would die.
The first problem was the chains.
Heavy black chains covered almost every part of the boy's body.
His wrists.
His legs.
Even his shoulders.
Daniel slowly stepped closer.
"I'll break them carefully."
The boy immediately became terrified.
"No…"
His weak voice trembled badly.
Daniel frowned slightly.
"It's okay."
"I won't hurt you."
Slowly, Daniel grabbed Thrones.
The moment the sword appeared—
a faint black energy spread across the blade.
And instantly—
the boy's eyes widened in horror.
"No!"
He suddenly tried moving backward desperately.
"Not that power!"
Mary and David looked shocked immediately.
The boy started shaking violently.
Daniel quickly lowered Thrones.
"What do you mean?"
But the student only covered his head fearfully.
"No… no… that black power…"
Daniel's expression slowly darkened.
Even this boy recognized Thrones somehow.
But there was no time to think deeply now.
Carefully, Daniel used only a small amount of power to weaken the chains without touching the boy directly.
CRACK.
One chain broke apart.
Then another.
Daniel controlled his power carefully so the black energy would not spread too much.
Finally—
all the chains fell to the floor heavily.
The boy looked exhausted immediately.
The moment he tried standing—
he almost collapsed.
David quickly caught him.
"He can't even walk properly."
The boy's body trembled badly.
It looked like he had not walked normally for a very long time.
Mary quietly looked toward the basement entrance.
"We need to leave before someone comes back."
Slowly, they began moving out of the chained room.
Daniel and David supported the weak student from both sides while Mary carefully checked the path ahead.
The deeper they moved through the basement—
the more nervous everyone became.
Every sound felt dangerous.
Every shadow looked alive.
Then suddenly—
light appeared near the corridor ahead.
The chained student instantly froze in fear.
"No…"
He moved backward rapidly while breathing heavily.
"They came back…"
Mary quickly grabbed his shoulders softly.
"No."
"You're safe."
But the boy continued shaking badly.
David whispered urgently:
"We need to move now."
Mary slowly walked ahead and carefully checked the upper stairs leading outside the basement.
After several seconds—
she returned quietly.
"No guards nearby."
Daniel nodded.
"Move."
Slowly, the four moved upward through the hidden staircase.
The boy reacted fearfully to almost everything:
footsteps
lights
noises
even distant voices
At one point, footsteps suddenly echoed through the hallway above.
Everyone froze instantly.
Mary whispered sharply:
"Hide."
Quickly, they hid behind several broken pillars near the wall while academy guards walked nearby.
The boy almost made noise in panic, but Mary carefully covered his mouth gently.
"It's okay," she whispered softly.
"They won't find you."
The guards passed without noticing them.
Only after the footsteps disappeared did everyone breathe again.
David sighed quietly.
"That was too close."
Moving through the academy at night became even harder.
Because now—
they were carrying someone visibly injured.
Several times they almost got caught.
Once, a teacher's flashlight nearly reached them.
Another time, they had to hide inside an empty storage hallway for several minutes.
The entire journey felt endless.
And the boy's condition kept getting worse.
He stumbled repeatedly.
Fell several times.
And every loud sound made him panic again.
Finally, near one dark corridor, the boy completely collapsed.
Daniel immediately caught him.
"He's too weak."
Mary looked worried.
"What do we do now?"
Daniel sighed quietly.
"I'll carry him."
Before anyone could argue, Daniel carefully lifted the boy onto his back.
The student barely reacted now from exhaustion.
As Daniel carried him through the hallway—
Thrones suddenly whispered inside his mind again.
"He recognizes us."
Daniel's grip tightened slightly.
"What does that mean?"
But Thrones only laughed softly again.
That same cold, mysterious laugh.
Daniel ignored it and kept walking.
Finally—
after what felt like hours—
they reached the abandoned training room near the western wing.
The room looked forgotten completely.
Dust covered the floor.
Broken wooden weapons lay scattered everywhere.
Old training dummies were destroyed in corners.
No lights worked there anymore.
And because students rarely visited this area—
it became the perfect hiding place.
David carefully closed the door behind them.
"We made it."
Mary immediately helped the boy sit down carefully against the wall.
The student looked exhausted beyond words.
While Daniel stayed near the entrance watching carefully, David and Mary secretly unpacked supplies they had stolen quietly earlier.
Food.
Water.
Blankets.
Medical bandages.
Mary handed the boy water slowly.
At first—
he stared at it blankly.
Then suddenly—
he grabbed the food desperately.
He started eating rapidly.
Almost like an animal starving for days.
Or months.
David looked shocked.
"When was the last time they even fed him…?"
The boy kept eating desperately without stopping.
Food fell from his shaking hands repeatedly.
Mary slowly sat beside him carefully.
"You're safe now."
Her voice remained soft and calm.
"No one will hurt you here."
The boy's trembling slowly decreased slightly.
For the first time—
he looked less terrified.
Mary gently pushed more food toward him.
"You have time."
"Eat slowly."
The student looked at her silently for several seconds.
Almost like he had forgotten kindness existed.
Then quietly—
he continued eating.
The room finally became calmer.
But nobody truly relaxed.
Because now—
they were hiding living evidence against whatever existed beneath the academy.
And if anyone discovered him—
everything would become much worse.
After eating for a long time, the boy slowly lowered his head tiredly.
His eyes were barely staying open now.
Then suddenly—
before falling asleep—
he whispered weakly:
"One of them…"
"…is already controlled."
Silence filled the abandoned room instantly.
Daniel, Mary, and David slowly looked at each other.
And for the first time—
they realized the danger inside the academy might already be much closer than they thought.