For the first time since all of this began
there was something different in the academy
not calm
not safety
but a small sense of control
Students gathered in the training grounds again
this time not to practice magic
but to practice staying steady
It sounded simple
but it wasn't
Kael watched from the side with a doubtful expression
"I still don't like this plan," he said
Lyra stood nearby, arms crossed but focused
"It's the only plan we have right now"
Zareth stood in front of a small group of marked students
watching them carefully
"Don't focus on fighting it," he said
"Focus on holding yourself together"
One of the students frowned
"What does that even mean"
Zareth didn't change his tone
"When it comes, your existence will start to destabilize"
"Avoid panic"
"Stay aware of your body"
"Recognize what is disappearing before it's gone"
Kael leaned toward Lyra
"He says it like it's easy"
Lyra didn't respond
because she knew it wasn't
They started practicing
At first nothing happened
just breathing
focus
trying to stay calm
Some managed better than others
some couldn't even stop shaking
Then
the air shifted again
Everyone felt it
"It's coming," Lyra said quietly
Zareth didn't move
"Stay ready"
The presence appeared again
This time it didn't wait
It went straight for one of the marked students
A boy near the back
He froze the moment it reached him
"No… not me…" he whispered
Zareth's voice cut through instantly
"Focus"
But the boy couldn't
The distortion formed around his arm
It started to fade
Too fast
"Stay aware," Zareth said again
But fear had already taken over
The boy tried to pull back
tried to run
That made it worse
The distortion spread instantly
His arm vanished
He screamed
Lyra stepped forward
but Zareth stopped her again
"Wait"
Kael clenched his fists
"This is going wrong"
The boy fell to the ground
his breathing completely broken
The distortion didn't stop
It moved to his shoulder
Faster than before
Zareth's eyes narrowed
"It's adapting"
Lyra looked at him sharply
"What"
"It learned from before," Zareth said
"It's not hesitating now"
The boy kept struggling
kept panicking
And the more he did
the faster it continued
Within seconds
half his body was gone
Kael took a step forward
"We can't just let this happen"
Zareth moved this time
He stepped in and grabbed the distortion point again
forcing his energy into it
The space cracked
But this time
the reaction was stronger
The pressure pushed back harder than before
Zareth held it
but not as easily
The voice echoed again
"You are interfering with the correction"
Zareth's voice stayed cold
"Yes"
The pressure increased
Lyra felt it clearly now
"It's stronger than last time"
Zareth pushed forward
trying to break the connection again
For a moment
it slowed
But not enough
The boy's body flickered again
Then
in one instant
He was gone
Completely
Silence hit the entire field
No body
no trace
Nothing
Kael froze
"…He's gone"
Lyra didn't move
her eyes fixed on the empty space
Zareth slowly lowered his hand
The distortion disappeared again
The presence pulled back
Like it had finished what it came for
No one spoke for a long moment
The students who were watching stepped back
fear returning stronger than before
"He… he couldn't stop it…"
"We can't stop it…"
Panic started rising again
Kael ran a hand through his hair
"That just destroyed everything we built"
Lyra looked at Zareth
"What happened"
Zareth didn't answer immediately
He looked at the empty space
then at the remaining marked students
"It confirmed something," he said
Kael frowned
"That didn't look like a confirmation that looked like failure"
Zareth turned to him
"It showed the limit"
Lyra understood first
"…Resistance isn't enough"
Zareth nodded
"If the target breaks mentally"
A short pause
"It accelerates"
Kael exhaled slowly
"So now we need them to stay calm while being erased"
Zareth didn't correct him
Because that was exactly it
The training ground felt heavier now
Hope had appeared for a moment
And then disappeared just as fast
Lyra looked at the remaining marked students
their fear was back
stronger than before
"We need a better way," she said quietly
Zareth looked toward the horizon
thinking
calculating
"Yes"
A pause
"Because next time"
His voice lowered slightly
"It won't stop at one"
Far below
inside the cracked gate
something shifted again
This time
not just learning
But improving
It had seen resistance
And now
It knew how to break it