Morning came, but the school didn't feel the same.
Students moved around like usual, but there was tension in the air—like everyone felt something had changed after the midnight attack.
David sat in class, staring at the board, but he wasn't really paying attention.
The shadow from last night… it wasn't random.
It had moved with purpose.
Later that day, during break, David found Pearl sitting alone under a tree. A small bird rested on her shoulder, unusually quiet.
"You're thinking about it too," she said without looking at him.
David nodded. "That thing… it knew where we were. It wasn't just attacking randomly."
Pearl raised her hand slightly. The bird flew off, circling once before disappearing into the sky.
"I've been tracking movement," she said. "Not just animals. Energy."
David's eyes narrowed. "And?"
Pearl turned to him.
"It's not one intruder."
A pause.
"It's multiple… and they're coming from specific points."
That afternoon, they went to a quiet part of the school, near the edge of the training grounds.
David activated his Knowledge Synthesis, focusing deeper than before.
At first, it was noise.
Then… patterns.
Small distortions.
Like signals.
"They're marking the school," he said slowly.
Pearl's expression hardened. "So this is planned."
Before David could respond—
A voice cut through the air.
"Finally. Someone else noticed."
They turned.
A tall boy stood behind them, calm, composed, his eyes sharp like he had already seen everything before it happened.
Collin.
"I've been watching this for days," he said. "You're late."
David frowned slightly. "You knew?"
Collin nodded. "Not everything. But enough."
He stepped closer, his presence quiet but heavy.
"These attacks… they're not meant to destroy the school."
A pause.
"They're testing it."
Pearl crossed her arms. "Testing for what?"
Collin looked at both of them.
"For weaknesses."
The air felt colder.
David clenched his fist slightly. "Then we stop them before they find one."
Collin tilted his head slightly. "You're thinking too small."
Before David could respond—
Another voice cut in.
"Or maybe you're thinking too slow."
They turned again.
Sharon.
She leaned casually against a pillar—but there was nothing relaxed about her presence.
The air around her felt… heavy.
Not calm.
Controlled. Dangerous.
Her eyes locked onto David.
"You're analyzing patterns," she said. "That's fine."
Then she looked at Pearl.
"You're tracking movement. Also fine."
She pushed herself off the wall and stepped forward.
"But neither of you are asking the right question."
David narrowed his eyes. "And what question is that?"
Sharon smirked slightly.
"Who's controlling them?"
Silence.
Even the wind seemed to pause.
Pearl's fingers moved slightly. A nearby object lifted into the air.
"Careful," she said.
Sharon didn't flinch.
In fact… she smiled.
The air shifted.
For a split second—
David felt pressure in his head.
Like something was trying to push into his thoughts.
His eyes widened slightly.
She's strong…
Then it stopped.
Sharon turned away casually.
"Relax," she said. "If I wanted control, you wouldn't even know it happened."
Collin stepped forward. "Enough."
He looked at all of them.
"Whether we like it or not, this is bigger than one person."
David nodded slowly.
Pearl didn't argue.
Sharon just crossed her arms.
"…Fine," she said. "But I'm not following anyone."
David smirked slightly. "Good. I don't plan on leading blindly either."
For the first time—
There was balance.
Not friendship.
Not yet.
But something stronger.
As they stood there, the ground beneath them vibrated slightly.
Very faint.
Almost unnoticeable.
But David felt it.
The signal…
It was getting stronger.