The academy burned beneath the blood-red sky.
Smoke covered the battlefield while shattered walls and broken towers surrounded the courtyard. Ghost soldiers moved through the ruins like living shadows, their glowing eyes piercing through the darkness.
And in the middle of the battlefield—
The Great 8 stood together for the first time.
Daniel.
David.
Mary.
Felix.
Lucy.
Lily.
Zoya.
Noah.
Injured.
Terrified.
But ready to fight.
McLone watched them calmly from above the broken academy stairs. Behind her stood the three members of the Courted, their terrifying weapons glowing under the crimson sky.
The chained warrior rested his massive blade on his shoulder and laughed deeply.
"So these children are resisting us?"
The masked spearwoman stared coldly at Daniel.
"The Vessel belongs to the Queen."
The floating man silently raised his hand.
The black blades around him slowly pointed downward.
At the students.
At the academy.
At everyone.
Then—
"Kill them."
McLone gave the order softly.
The battlefield exploded instantly.
Ghost soldiers rushed forward from every direction.
"MOVE!" Mary shouted.
Daniel reacted immediately.
Black energy burst around his arm as he blocked the spearwoman's attack at the last second.
CLANG!
The impact shattered the stone beneath his feet.
The spearwoman stepped back slightly, surprised.
Daniel's eyes glowed faintly black-white.
His power had changed.
Felix grinned wildly beside Lucy.
"Finally."
Electricity exploded around his fists.
He rushed directly toward the chained warrior.
BOOOOM!
Their attacks collided violently.
The shockwave blasted nearby ghost soldiers away instantly.
The chained warrior laughed excitedly.
"Now THIS is interesting!"
Felix punched again, faster this time, lightning covering his arms completely.
The warrior blocked with his chained blade, but the electricity exploded across the chains violently.
Lucy immediately raised glowing barriers around injured students nearby.
"Everyone behind us!"
Her healing light spread through the battlefield while ghost creatures slammed against the barriers endlessly.
Meanwhile—
Zoya and Noah stood near the academy entrance, protecting the escape path.
"I'll freeze the left side!" Zoya shouted.
Ice exploded across the battlefield instantly, trapping several ghost soldiers in frozen crystal.
Noah slammed his hand onto the ground.
Stone walls rose upward like giant shields, blocking incoming attacks from reaching the students behind them.
Lily moved quickly between the battlefield ruins, observing everything carefully.
"The floating one attacks after every six seconds!" she shouted.
"Daniel! Right side!"
Daniel instantly turned.
A black blade barely missed his neck.
The floating Courted member stared silently from above.
Dozens more blades formed around him.
David suddenly grabbed his head in pain.
"Behind Noah!"
Noah reacted instantly.
A shadow creature crashed against his stone wall a second later.
Everyone looked toward David.
Even while barely standing—
he could hear them.
The whispers.
The enemies.
The chamber.
Mary rushed toward him briefly.
"You need to rest!"
David forced a weak smile.
"And let you all die?"
Another explosion shook the battlefield.
The chained warrior slammed Felix through a broken pillar violently.
"FELIX!"
Lucy ran toward him instantly.
But before she could reach him—
ghost soldiers surrounded her.
Lucy froze.
Too many.
Then suddenly—
Blue ice blades sliced through the shadows instantly.
Zoya landed beside her.
"I said stay behind barriers."
Lucy sighed shakily.
"Sorry."
"Less talking."
The ghost soldiers attacked again immediately.
Meanwhile Daniel continued fighting the spearwoman desperately.
She moved too fast.
Every attack felt precise.
Deadly.
Her silver spear clashed against Daniel's dark energy repeatedly, sparks flying everywhere.
"You fight on instinct," she said calmly.
Daniel blocked another strike.
"And you talk too much."
The spearwoman suddenly disappeared.
Daniel's eyes widened.
Too fast—
Then—
"DUCK!"
Mary pulled him downward instantly.
The spear cut through the air above his head.
Daniel stared at Mary in shock.
Mary breathed heavily.
"You're not fighting alone."
For one second—
Daniel smiled slightly.
Then black energy exploded around both of them.
The spearwoman jumped backward instantly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Above the battlefield, McLone watched silently.
At first this fight had seemed meaningless.
Children resisting destiny.
But now—
She was starting to understand something.
These eight together were dangerous.
Not because of power.
Because of connection.
Trust.
That made humans terrifying.
The floating Courted member finally attacked seriously.
Hundreds of black blades filled the sky like rain.
Students screamed.
Noah immediately raised massive stone barriers while Zoya froze the incoming attacks midair.
But there were too many.
The barriers began cracking.
"Noah!" Lily shouted.
He gritted his teeth.
"I KNOW!"
Crack.
Crack.
CRASH!
The stone wall shattered.
The black blades rushed downward.
Then—
A giant burst of white light exploded across the battlefield.
Lucy stood in the center of the courtyard, glowing brightly.
A massive barrier surrounded the students instantly.
The blades crashed harmlessly against it.
Everyone froze.
Even McLone looked surprised.
Lucy herself looked shocked too.
"I… did that?"
Felix laughed loudly while standing back up.
"THAT'S MY PARTNER!"
The chained warrior grinned wildly.
"Good! Fight harder!"
Electricity burst around Felix again.
This time stronger than before.
He rushed forward like lightning itself.
The chained warrior swung his massive blade downward.
Felix jumped directly over it and punched him across the face with full power.
BOOOOOOM!
The warrior crashed backward for the first time.
Ghost soldiers stopped moving briefly in shock.
The students watching from inside the academy stared in disbelief.
They were actually pushing them back.
The Great 8 slowly began regrouping together again.
Daniel breathing heavily.
Mary beside him.
David barely standing.
Felix covered in injuries.
Lucy exhausted.
Zoya and Noah protecting the sides.
Lily directing everyone constantly.
And for the first time—
the battlefield shifted.
The ghost army stopped advancing.
Even McLone noticed it.
The eight students standing together in the burning courtyard looked less like children now.
And more like warriors.
The chained warrior laughed loudly again while wiping blood from his mouth.
"McLone!"
He pointed toward the Great 8 excitedly.
"These ones are FUN!"
The masked spearwoman stared silently at Daniel.
"The Vessel evolves rapidly…"
The floating man finally spoke for the first time.
"This may become dangerous."
McLone remained quiet.
Her pale eyes stayed locked on Daniel.
Then—
Deep beneath the academy—
BOOOOOM!
The ground shook violently.
Everyone froze.
The lower chamber reacted again.
A horrifying ancient roar echoed from underground.
David suddenly collapsed to his knees, screaming in pain.
The dark marks spread across his neck completely now.
Mary rushed toward him instantly.
"DAVID!"
But David looked terrified.
Not from pain.
From what he heard.
He slowly looked upward.
Toward the academy beneath them.
And whispered in horror—
"She's waking up…"
Silence fell across the battlefield.
Then McLone smiled for the first time during the entire war.
And far above the academy—
something enormous began moving behind the clouds.