The training ground emptied faster than anyone expected
No one wanted to stay after what happened
Even the ones who tried to believe they could resist were shaken now
The remaining marked students were moved again
This time not to a hall
But to a sealed section of the academy
More controlled
More isolated
It felt less like protection
And more like waiting
Kael stood outside the chamber, leaning against the wall
"This is getting worse," he said
Lyra stood across from him
"It already is worse"
Neither of them argued
Inside, the marked students sat in silence
No one spoke
No one looked at each other
Zareth stood in the center again
Watching all of them
"The approach changes," he said
A few of them looked up
Nervous
Tired
"What do you mean," one of them asked
Zareth didn't hesitate
"You don't resist it"
That confused them immediately
Kael, listening from the door, frowned
"That's new"
Lyra narrowed her eyes slightly
"Let him explain"
Zareth continued
"You don't fight it directly"
"You control yourself before it begins"
One of the students shook his head
"That didn't work for him either"
Zareth's voice stayed calm
"He panicked before he understood what was happening"
Silence followed
Lyra stepped inside now
"What are you trying to change"
Zareth looked at her
"The starting point"
Kael walked in too
"Okay now you need to make that less confusing"
Zareth turned slightly toward the group
"The moment it chooses you"
"That's when the process starts"
He paused briefly
"If your state is unstable at that moment"
His eyes sharpened
"It finishes faster"
Lyra understood
"So you're saying the real fight isn't when it attacks"
Zareth nodded
"It's before"
That changed how they looked at it
Kael crossed his arms
"So we need them stable all the time not just when it shows up"
"Yes"
One of the students spoke again
"And how do we do that when we know we're going to disappear"
That question hit harder than the others
Zareth didn't answer immediately
Because there wasn't an easy answer
Lyra stepped in this time
"We don't think about the end"
They looked at her
"We focus on the present moment," she said "Not what might happen"
Kael added quietly
"Basically stop imagining your own death every second"
It sounded simple
But it wasn't
Still
It was something
Hours passed
No attack came
The silence started to feel strange
Like something was waiting
Zareth didn't relax
Not even slightly
"It's going to happen again," he said
Lyra nodded
"I can feel it too"
Kael looked around
"Then why is it taking so long"
Zareth's answer came low
"It's choosing carefully"
And then
Without warning
The air inside the chamber shifted
Stronger than ever before
Everyone felt it instantly
"It's here," Lyra said
But this time
something was different
The presence didn't target just one person
It spread
Across the entire room
Kael's eyes widened
"Wait… this is new"
Zareth stepped forward immediately
"It's not choosing one anymore"
A short pause
"It's testing all of them"
The distortion appeared in multiple places at once
Near each marked student
Panic started rising instantly
"No… no no no…"
"It's all of us…"
Zareth's voice cut through
"Stay still"
Some listened
Some didn't
One student tried to run
He didn't even make it two steps
Half his body disappeared instantly
Gone
That broke the rest
Fear spread through the room
And that was exactly what it needed
The distortions became stronger
Faster
Lyra stepped forward
"We're losing control"
Zareth moved instantly
This time he didn't focus on one point
He expanded his energy
Covering the entire room
The space around them stabilized slightly
Slowing the process
But not stopping it
Kael supported from the side
"Just tell me what to do"
Zareth spoke without looking at him
"Keep them steady"
Kael nodded and turned to the students
"Listen to me"
His voice was louder now
firmer
"If you panic you're done"
That got their attention
"Look at me not at it"
Some of them focused on him
It helped
Just a little
Lyra moved between them
helping them stay grounded
"Breathe slowly"
"Stay here"
"Don't think ahead"
The distortions flickered
Slowing
For a moment
it looked like they were holding
Then
The pressure increased again
Stronger than before
Zareth's energy started to crack
Kael noticed immediately
"You're losing it"
Zareth didn't respond
but it was true
This was too much at once
Then
the voice returned
"You adapt"
Zareth's eyes sharpened
"Yes"
A pause
"Then so do I"
The distortions surged again
Faster
More precise
Lyra realized it instantly
"It's targeting the weakest ones first"
And she was right
One student collapsed
Another screamed
Zareth stepped forward
trying to reinforce the space again
But this time
it wasn't enough
One by one
the pressure broke them
Not all
But some
And that was enough
When the presence finally pulled back
The room fell silent again
This time
three were gone
Not injured
Not partially erased
Gone
Completely
No one spoke
No one moved
Kael stared at the empty spaces
"…This isn't a fight anymore"
Lyra's voice was barely steady
"…It's selection"
Zareth slowly lowered his hand
His expression hadn't changed
But his eyes had
"It's accelerating," he said
A pause
"And we're falling behind"
Far below
the gate cracked again
Louder than before
And for the first time
a piece of it broke away completely
Something inside
Was almost free