The academy changed within hours
Not slowly not quietly
Completely
Students were no longer talking about rumors
Now they were checking their own hands their arms their faces
Every few minutes someone would panic thinking they saw a mark
Most of the time it was nothing
Sometimes it wasn't
Kael stood in the middle of the courtyard watching everything
"I've never seen people this scared" he said
Lyra stood beside him
"They're not used to something they can't fight"
Kael looked at her
"And we are"
She didn't answer
Because even she wasn't sure anymore
Zareth walked toward them from the main building
His expression was calm as always but his presence felt heavier now
Like he was thinking about something far ahead of everyone else
"I checked the entire lower sector" he said
Lyra turned to him
"How many"
Zareth paused for a second
"Twelve"
Kael's eyes widened
"Twelve already"
Zareth nodded
"And it's increasing"
Silence fell between them
Lyra looked down slightly
"Then we don't have time"
Zareth looked at both of them
"We find all of them before the erasure begins again"
Kael frowned
"And then what We just stand there and wait for it to attack"
Zareth shook his head
"No"
A short pause
"We observe"
Kael didn't like that answer
"That sounds like we're doing nothing"
Zareth's voice stayed calm
"It's the only way to understand the pattern"
Lyra stepped in
"He's right If we rush in blindly we lose more people"
Kael exhaled slowly
"Fine Then we do it your way"
By midday the academy had organized itself
Not perfectly
But enough to function
Groups were formed
Each assigned to search specific areas
Students moved in teams now never alone
Every marked person was brought to a central hall
Guarded
Watched
Protected as much as possible
It felt less like a school
And more like a containment zone
Inside the hall
Twelve students sat in different corners
All of them had the same expression
Confusion fear disbelief
Some marks were on hands
Some on the neck
One on the side of the face
Lyra walked slowly between them
Checking each one carefully
Trying to see if there was any difference
Any pattern
"There's nothing common" she said quietly
"A first year a senior different magic types different backgrounds"
Kael leaned against a pillar
"So it's random after all"
Zareth stood at the center
Watching all of them at once
"No" he said
They both looked at him
"It's too precise to be random"
Lyra crossed her arms
"Then what are we missing"
Zareth didn't answer immediately
Instead he stepped closer to one of the marked students
A boy with a mark near his collarbone
"When did it appear" Zareth asked
The boy swallowed
"This morning I think I didn't notice it before"
Zareth nodded slightly
Then he moved to another
A girl with a mark on her wrist
"You"
She looked up nervously
"Last night I think I felt something cold but I ignored it"
Zareth stepped back again
"Cold sensation before the mark" he said
Lyra picked up on it immediately
"So it doesn't just appear It starts before that"
Kael straightened a bit
"Like a warning"
Zareth's eyes narrowed
"Or a selection process"
At that moment
one of the students suddenly gasped
All of them turned instantly
It was the same girl from earlier
The one who had already lost part of her arm
She was shaking again
"It's back" she whispered
The air in the hall changed instantly
Zareth moved first
"Everyone stay back"
The presence had returned
Stronger than before
This time it didn't hide as much
The space near the girl twisted slightly
Like something was trying to push through
Lyra felt it clearly now
"It's here again"
Kael stepped forward but stopped when Zareth raised his hand
"Don't move"
The girl cried out
Her shoulder flickered
Zareth focused
Not attacking
Not blocking
Watching
The moment stretched
Then he saw it
A faint distortion
Not random
Not chaotic
A point
"This is it" he said quietly
Lyra looked at him
"You see something"
"Yes"
Zareth stepped forward slowly
Every movement controlled
The distortion reacted slightly
He reached out
Carefully this time
The moment his hand touched that exact point
The reaction was immediate
The space trembled
The presence pushed back
Zareth held it
Kael stared
"He found it"
Zareth's voice was low
"It's anchored"
Lyra understood
"So that's how it connects to them"
The pressure increased
The girl screamed again
Zareth didn't let go
"Now I know" he said
A sudden surge of energy burst from his hand
Not destructive
Focused
Precise
The distortion cracked
For a split second
something behind it became visible
Not a full form
Just a glimpse
An eye
Watching
Then it disappeared
The presence vanished again
The hall went silent
The girl collapsed but didn't lose anything this time
Kael exhaled sharply
"That was way too close"
Lyra looked at Zareth
"You saw it didn't you"
Zareth nodded
"It's not just energy"
A pause
"It's observing every target"
Kael frowned
"So it's choosing them one by one"
Zareth's expression hardened slightly
"No"
A short pause
"It's studying them"
Silence filled the hall again
That made it worse
Lyra's voice was quieter now
"Then this isn't just correction"
Zareth looked toward the distance
As if seeing something far beyond the academy
"No"
His answer came calmly
"It's preparation"
Far below
deep within the cracked gate
something shifted again
This time
not just awake
But interested